Pre-Delta-X: Water Levels across Wax Lake Outlet, Atchafalaya Basin, LA, USA, 2016

This dataset provides absolute water level elevations derived for 10 locations across the Wax Lake Delta, Atchafalaya Basin, in Southern Louisiana, USA, within the Mississippi River Delta (MRD) floodplain. Field measurements were made during the Pre-Delta-X campaign on October 13-20, 2016. Relative water level measurements were recorded every five minutes during a one-week period using in situ pressure transducers (Solinst) to measure water surface elevation change with millimeter accuracy. The Solinst system combines a total pressure transducer (TPT) and a temperature detector. Once underwater, the TPT measures the sum of the atmosphere and water pressure above the sensor. Atmospheric pressure fluctuations must be accounted for to obtain the height of the water column above the TPT. An absolute elevation correction was applied to the water level data using an iterative approach with the USGS Calumet Station water level height and Airborne Snow Observatory (ASO) lidar water level profiles. These Pre-Delta-X water level measurements served to calibrate and validate the campaign's remote sensing observations and hydrodynamic models.