Wormherder Creek Tracer Experiment

A tracer experiment in the Wormherder Creek wetland, Antarctica was designed to quantify the extent of surface water and shallow groundwater mixing. On January 8, 2009, we conducted a tracer injection with a solution of lithium chloride (LiCl, 5.2 kg/20L) and sodium bromide (NaBr 889 g/20L) dissolved in 20 L of distilled water, corresponding to concentrations of 6.25 M Li+ and Cl-, 0.43 M Na+ and Br-. A 2-hour continuous injection of the tracer solution at an injection rate of 120 mL/min was conducted in the small stream that originated from a spring located above the wetland.. At this site, the stream flowed over a cobble substrate around large boulders and had an average a width of about 0.5 m and an average depth of 8 cm, corresponding to an estimated cross-sectional area of 0.04 m2.

This resource contains water chemistry data from water samples collected from surface waters and shallow groundwaters. Additionally, geospatial data specifying the location of sample sites is provided.

Data are currently being used to assemble a forthcoming publication, expected publication circa May 2019. Until this manuscript is published, the data resource will remain private and only manuscript authors will have access.