Physical Properties of Lakes: Exploratory Data Visualization

Exploratory Data Visualization for the Physical Properties of Lakes

This lesson was adapted from educational material written by Dr. Kateri Salk for her Fall 2019 Hydrologic Data Analysis course at Duke University. This is the second part of a two-part exercise focusing on the physical properties of lakes.

Introduction

The field of limnology, the study of inland waters, uses a unique graph format to display relationships of variables by depth in a lake (the field of oceanography uses the same convention). Depth is placed on the y-axis in reverse order and the other variable(s) are placed on the x-axis. In this manner, the graph appears as if a cross section were taken from that point in the lake, with the surface at the top of the graph. This lesson introduces physical properties of lakes, namely stratification, and its visualization using the package ggplot2.

Learning Objectives

After successfully completing this notebook, you will be able to:

1. Investigate the concepts of lake stratification and mixing by analyzing monitoring data
2. Apply data analytics skills to applied questions about physical properties of lakes
3. Communicate findings with peers through oral, visual, and written modes