IISD Experimental Lakes Area: Precipitation and Evaporation

The IISD Experimental Lakes Area (IELA) Precipitation and Evaporation data package contains multiple datasets—some dating back to 1969—all collected at the IISD‑ELA meteorological station in northwestern Ontario, Canada (49°39′51″ N, 93°43′58″ W). The datasets are: precipitation - daily (standard rain gauge), precipitation - hourly (tipping bucket rain gauge), snowpack (i.e., depth of snow on the ground, daily), and evaporation (daily; from an evaporation pan). It should be noted that we have additional datasets from the meteorological site in the separate "Atmospheric Conditions" data package (EDI Package ID 2261). The IISD-ELA meteorological site is also home to Environment and Climate Change Canada instruments collecting a variety of parameters, including as part of the CAPMoN (Canadian Air and Precipitation Monitoring Network). Those datasets can be found on the Canadian government website, with the station named as "Experimental Lakes Area" or "Rawson Lake". Each of the datasets in this package are included as separate CSV files. In the tables, each row represents a date or time range with corresponding parameter values (e.g. rain, snow depth, etc.) and additional metadata codes and description (for example, gear or sample methods, which may change over time). Metadata files in this package are: a summary table and several info sheets. The summary table presents an overview of the datasets, summarizing date ranges, number of records, and corresponding info sheets. The info sheets provide additional metadata details about the datasets, including background and uses of the datasets, data dictionaries (meanings of columns in the tables), photos or diagrams, any lookup tables, descriptions of methods, and additional references. This data package is ongoing — updates will be provided on a regular basis as newer data records are collected and additional datasets are ready to be added. Please don't hesitate to get in touch with us if you are looking for additional data or have any questions about these datasets. We also appreciate hearing about when and where our datasets are used.