Physical and chemical variables are measured at one central station near the deepest point of each lake. In most cases these measurements are made in the morning (0800 to 0900). Vertical profiles are taken at varied depth intervals. Chemical measurements are sometimes made in a pooled mixed layer sample (PML); sometimes in the epilimnion, metalimnion, and hypolimnion; and sometimes in vertical profiles. In the latter case, depths for sampling usually correspond to the surface plus depths of 50percent, 25percent, 10percent, 5percent and 1percent of surface irradiance.