A water quality database for global lakes

Abstract

Lakes with a small footprint in non-glaciated lands, are immense sources of our planet's biodiversity, which deliver undeniable benefits to human life and aquatic-terrestrial ecosystems. However, water quality in global lakes is threatened by unsustainable development and changing climate, with profound consequences for food-web dynamics and bio-geochemical processes. Here, we compiled a rich database of the primary water quality constituents based on their availability, morphometric characteristics, and geographical information of Earth's lakes through extensive searches in accessible repositories, published articles, publicly available maps, and both private and governmental reports. Our assembled database includes 866,390 water quality data measured in 13,876 lakes located in 77 different countries, as well as 55,629 datapoints of morphometric characteristics. In sum, our database includes 922,019 data associated with global lakes. These open-access data will be beneficial for managers and policymakers to improve water quality and ecological restoration in these invaluable aquatic ecosystems during the Anthropocene.