LAGOS-US HUMAN v2: Data module of human population(1990-2020), urbanization classification, and lake access in the conterminous U.S.

The LAGOS-US HUMAN v1 data package is an extension module of the LAGOS-US research platform that includes data characterizing human population (population count, race, ethnicity, socioeconomic information), urbanization, and lake access of 479,950 lakes larger than or equal to 1 ha in the conterminous U.S. (48 states plus the District of Columbia). This data module contains four data tables linked through the unique lake identifier for the LAGOS-US research platform, lagoslakeid. Human population characteristics (race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic factors) were derived from U.S. census data for 1990, 2000, 2010, and 2020. Lakes were classified as urban or not using two different classifications: one based on the ‘Developed’ land category in the National Land Cover Dataset; and another based on the 2020 Census Urban Areas category. Metrics for lake access were developed from national datasets on public boat launches, transportation, and public lands. LAGOS-US HUMAN v1 provides a link between lake data and human contexts, facilitating interdisciplinary research in limnology, urban ecology, environmental justice, and conservation. To facilitate such studies, users are encouraged to use the other three core data modules of the LAGOS-US platform: LOCUS (location, identifiers, and physical characteristics of lakes and their watersheds); GEO (geospatial ecological context at multiple spatial and temporal scales); and LIMNO (in situ lake physical, chemical, and biological measurements through time) that are each found in their own data packages.