Lake Level Survey

This photo was taken while performing a lake level survey of the saltiest body of water on Earth, Don Juan Pond, in Wright Valley, Antarctica. In the foreground Kyle Cronin uses a surveying level to measure the elevation of the lake surface. In the distance Luke Winslow of UW Madison holds a telescoping meter stick at the water level for measurement. The lake is bordered by the Asgard Mountain Range on the right of the photo and the Dais on the left. Each year this body of water is surveyed along with six others in the Dry Valleys of Antarctica as part of ongoing limnologic research performed by students of Peter Doran for the McMurdo Long-Term Ecological Research group.