North Temperate Lakes LTER: High Frequency Data: Meteorological, Dissolved Oxygen, Chlorophyll, Phycocyanin - Lake Mendota Buoy 2006 - current

The instrumented buoy on Lake Mendota is equipped with a dissolved oxygen sensor, a
thermistor chain, and meteorological sensors that provide fundamental information on lake
thermal structure, weather conditions, and lake metabolism. Data are collected every minute.
Hourly and daily averages for water temperatures are derived from the high resolution data.
The D-Opto dissolved oxygen sensor is 0.5m from the lake surface. In 2006, the thermistors
were placed every 0.5 m from the surface through 7m and every 1m from 7m to 15m. In 2007 and
2008, the thermistors were placed every 0.5 m from the surface through 2m and every 1m from
2m to 20m. Meteorological sensors measure wind speed, wind direction, relative humidity, air
temperature, photosynthetically active radiation (PAR), and barometric pressure. Not all
sensors are deployed each season. After correcting for flux to or from the atmosphere and
vertical mixing within the water column, high frequency measurements of dissolved gases such
as carbon dioxide and oxygen can be used to estimate gross primary productivity,
respiration, and net ecosystem productivity, the basic components of whole lake metabolism.
The instrumented buoy was deployed in Lake Mendota in 2006 from June 27 to October 17. In
2007, from May 18 to October 29. In 2008, from 26 Jun to 14 Nov. In 2009, the buoy was
deployed from April 17 to Nov 23. In 2009, the Mendota buoy was located at 43.0995,
-89.4045. (Click for Map) Sampling Frequency: one minute. Number of sites: 1