Lake Fryxell under-ice conductivity, temperature, and depth (CTD) profiles, McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica, January 2025

To characterize the upper ~2 m of the water column beneath the ~3 m ice cover in Lake Fryxell, located in the McMurdo Dry Valleys of Antarctica, 27 CTD (conductivity, temperature, depth) profiles were collected at ~5 m horizontal spacing along a transect spanning the dive hole to the shoreline. Measurements were made using a YSI Castaway CTD mounted on a 1 m mast atop a remotely operated vehicle (ROV), profiling upward from ~2 m below the ice-water interface. Using an ROV rather than drilling a hole through the ice was intended to minimize artifacts associated with ice openings. Sampling late in the austral summer targeted conditions during maximum seasonal ice melt.