Lake networks and connectivity metrics for the conterminous U.S. (LAGOS‐US NETWORKS v1)

Abstract

Abstract Identifying lake networks and knowing the degree of surface‐water connectivity among lakes can help scientists better understand and predict the movement of abiotic materials and biota within networks. Quantifying broad‐scale networks that include lake and stream connections is difficult computationally. Starting from the medium resolution National Hydrography Dataset's lakes, streams, and rivers, we applied a graph theory approach to identify lake networks, a set of lakes connected by streams both upstream and downstream. The LAGOS‐US NETWORKS v1 module contains four data tables, one of which includes derived surface‐water connectivity metrics for lakes (n = 86,511 lakes ≥ 1 ha in surface area) and networks (n = 898) within the conterminous United States, including dams. The NETWORKS module also includes a flow table as well as a bidirectional and a unidirectional distance table that provide the stream course distances between every connected lake. Finally, this module includes a detailed User Guide.