Data for "Lagged ENSO effects and land-management drive biogeochemical hotspots and hot moments in the Panama Canal Freshwaters"

These data support the article entitled "Lagged ENSO effects and land-management drive biogeochemical hotspots and hot moments in the Panama Canal Freshwaters". Tropical river-lake networks are key regulators of carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P) cycling, yet impacts of human activity and climate variability on these ecosystem services remain poorly quantified. We assessed areas of intensified concentrations (hotspots) and pulses (hot moments) of C, N and P across the Panama Canal network from 2003-2017 and tested them against ENSO variability and land-cover change. We identified riverine C and N hotspots at the Chagres River-Canal-Gatun Lake confluence and in forested catchments, while P hotspots emerged in human-modified areas. Lake hotspots corresponded with anthropogenic influence and saline intrusion near canal locks. Human-modified catchments generated extreme, episodic biogeochemical hot moments and hotspots, contrasting with prolonged, sustained patterns in forested areas. Multi-year La Niña periods promoted variable hotspots with cumulative effects appearing 1-2 years later, while El Niño periods reduced and homogenized C and N concentrations across the network while stimulating P hotspots.