Land Use Intensity Index for Stream Ecosystems (LUIS) datasets for Germany, 2017

This dataset provides harmonized, spatially explicit data linking agricultural land use intensity to ecological status in German rivers and streams. Each record represents the functional elementary catchment identifier (ZHYD); Strahler stream order; Water Framework Directive (WFD) ecological status (coded as integers 1–5, mapping to "High", "Good", "Moderate", "Poor", "Bad"); morphological type (natural, artificial, or heavily modified; naturalAWBHMWB); Biological Quality Element (BQE) code (qeCode); conventional agricultural land fraction (ALF); and the hydrologically weighted Land Use Intensity Indices (LUIS N for nitrogen, LUIS P for phosphorus, LUIS Pest for pesticides) as well as the composite LUIS index. LUIS variables are calculated using crop- and region-specific input data, surface connectivity, and precipitation factors as described in the accompanying manuscript. All indices are normalized using min-max scaling across the German national domain for 2017. This curated minimum dataset enables direct reproduction of the main statistical analyses and figures from the study “A hydrologically informed agricultural land use intensity index to assess the ecological impacts on streams and rivers.” It provides a valuable resource for researchers and policymakers investigating the links between agricultural practices, hydrological connectivity, and stream ecosystem health across scales.