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A global database of lake surface temperatures collected by in situ and satellite methods from 1985–2009

Sapna Sharma·Derek Gray·Jordan S. Read·Catherine M. O’Reilly·Philipp Schneider·Anam Qudrat·Corinna Gries·Samantha Stefanoff·Stephanie Hampton·Simon Hook·John Lenters·David M. Livingstone·Peter B. McIntyre·Rita Adrian·Mathew Allan·Orlane Anneville·Lauri Arvola·Jay Austin·John E. Bailey·Jill Baron·Justin D Brookes·Yuwei Chen·Robert Daly·Kye Ewing·Elvira de Eyto·Martin Dokulil·David B. Hamilton·Karl Havens·Shane Haydon·Harald Hetzenaeur·Jocelyn Heneberry·Amy Hetherington·Scott Higgins·Eric Hixson·Lyubov Izmest'eva·Benjamin M. Jones·Kulli Kangur·Peter Kasprzak·Benjamin Kraemer·Michio Kumagai·Esko Kuusisto·George Leshkevich·Linda May·Sally MacIntyre·Dörthe Müller-Navarra·Mikhail Naumenko·Peeter Noges·Tiina Noges·Pius Niederhauser·Ryan P. North·Andrew Paterson·Pierre-Denis Plisnier·Anna Rigosi·Alon Rimmer·Michela Rogora·Lars G. Rudstam·James A. Rusak·Nico Salmaso·Nihar R. Samal·Daniel E. Schindler·Geoffrey Schladow·Silke R. Schmidt·Tracey Schultz·Eugene A. Silow·Dietmar Straile·Katrin Teubner·Piet Verburg·Ari Voutilainen·Andrew Watkinson·Gesa A. Weyhenmeyer·Craig E. Williamson·Kara H. Woo
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Abstract

Global environmental change has influenced lake surface temperatures, a key driver of ecosystem structure and function. Recent studies have suggested significant warming of water temperatures in individual lakes across many different regions around the world. However, the spatial and temporal coherence associated with the magnitude of these trends remains unclear. Thus, a global data set of water temperature is required to understand and synthesize global, long-term trends in surface water temperatures of inland bodies of water. We assembled a database of summer lake surface temperatures for 291 lakes collected in situ and/or by satellites for the period 1985–2009. In addition, corresponding climatic drivers (air temperatures, solar radiation, and cloud cover) and geomorphometric characteristics (latitude, longitude, elevation, lake surface area, maximum depth, mean depth, and volume) that influence lake surface temperatures were compiled for each lake. This unique dataset offers an invaluable baseline perspective on global-scale lake thermal conditions as environmental change continues.

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Sapna Sharma, Derek Gray, Jordan S. Read, Catherine M. O’Reilly, Philipp Schneider, Anam Qudrat, Corinna Gries, Samantha Stefanoff, Stephanie Hampton, Simon Hook, John Lenters, David M. Livingstone, Peter B. McIntyre, Rita Adrian, Mathew Allan, Orlane Anneville, Lauri Arvola, Jay Austin, John E. Bailey, Jill Baron, Justin D Brookes, Yuwei Chen, Robert Daly, Kye Ewing, Elvira de Eyto, Martin Dokulil, David B. Hamilton, Karl Havens, Shane Haydon, Harald Hetzenaeur, Jocelyn Heneberry, Amy Hetherington, Scott Higgins, Eric Hixson, Lyubov Izmest'eva, Benjamin M. Jones, Kulli Kangur, Peter Kasprzak, Benjamin Kraemer, Michio Kumagai, Esko Kuusisto, George Leshkevich, Linda May, Sally MacIntyre, Dörthe Müller-Navarra, Mikhail Naumenko, Peeter Noges, Tiina Noges, Pius Niederhauser, Ryan P. North, Andrew Paterson, Pierre-Denis Plisnier, Anna Rigosi, Alon Rimmer, Michela Rogora, Lars G. Rudstam, James A. Rusak, Nico Salmaso, Nihar R. Samal, Daniel E. Schindler, Geoffrey Schladow, Silke R. Schmidt, Tracey Schultz, Eugene A. Silow, Dietmar Straile, Katrin Teubner, Piet Verburg, Ari Voutilainen, Andrew Watkinson, Gesa A. Weyhenmeyer, Craig E. Williamson, Kara H. Woo. 2015-03-17. A global database of lake surface temperatures collected by in situ and satellite methods from 1985–2009. https://doi.org/10.1038/sdata.2015.8

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