Long-term ice phenology records for 78 lakes in the Northern Hemisphere

Lake ice is an important resource supporting water quality,
local biodiversity, arctic transportation, and regional economies. Long-term
surveys of lake ice collected in situ are the gold standard for monitoring in
environmental science., Here, we present ice phenology records for 78 lakes in
the Northern Hemisphere spanning up to 578 years. These surveys include 12
different countries across North America and Eurasia collected by researchers,
community scientists, priests, and digital observations. This database includes
information about ice phenology (ice-on dates, ice-off dates, ice cover
duration), lake characteristics (e.g., size, location, names), and meta-data
about each data source (e.g., how the data was collected). Our intention is
that this database may be used to understand factors driving lake ice patterns
and the biological or socio-economic consequences.