Data for Lerminiaux et al. "Network-scale patterns and drivers of microcystins in a heavily impacted watershed"

This dataset contains limnological, water chemistry, and cyanotoxin data collected from wetlands, rivers, and reservoirs across the Upper Little Bow River watershed in southern Alberta, Canada, between April 2021 and November 2023. Sampling captured 314 observations across 41 variables, including dissolved oxygen, nutrients (total phosphorus, total nitrogen, nitrate/nitrite, ammonia), dissolved organic and inorganic carbon, pH, turbidity, salinity, and water temperature. Pigment biomarkers representing multiple algal groups (including fucoxanthin, echinenone, myxoxanthin, and chlorophyll a) were quantified alongside microcystin concentrations to characterize phytoplankton community composition and harmful algal bloom dynamics. The dataset supports the findings of Lerminiaux et al. (2026, Ecosystems), which investigates network-scale patterns and drivers of microcystins across a heavily impacted agricultural watershed.