Salton Sea 2020-2023 Water Column Geochemistry

The following dataset includes water column geochemistry for the Salton Sea, a rapidly drying inland lake in California's Coachella Valley. These measurements were conducted to assess how rapid desiccation, a similar phenomenon happening to inland lakes globally, is affecting biogeochemical cycling in the lake (Yousavich et al., 2026). All measurements were conducted between 2020 and 2023, with samples collected aboard a small boat during five sampling campaigns (January 2020, August 2020, August 2021, September 2021, and November 2023). Water column samples were collected with either a Niskin bottle (2020-2022) or a peristaltic pump (2023). Water column physiochemical parameters (e.g., conductivity, temperature) and dissolved oxygen content were measured with a YSI EXO2 multi-parameter sonde.