Historical and predicted water temperature, light, and phytoplankton in Lake Michigan from 2005-2016, 2041-2049 and 2091-2099

Data files contain the simulated mean daily environmental conditions in Lake Michigan for historical (2005, 2006, 2010, 2014, 2015, and 2016) and future (2040-2049, 2090-2099) years. Simulations were generated by integrating a series of climatic, hydrodynamic, and biological models. Each year's dataset predicts water temperature, photosynthetically active radiation, and phytoplankton concentration for an unstructured grid in the lake, which was comprised of 5,795 nodes and 10,678 elements. The spatial resolution of the grid was relatively low (4.0 km) offshore, increased to 2.6 km in nearshore regions (depths less than 30 m), and was highest (1.0 km) along the coastline. The unstructured grid also featured 20 uniform vertical layers, following the bathymetry of the lake.