Global environmental change has influenced lake surface temperatures, a key driver of ecosystem structureand function. Recent studies have suggested significant warming of water temperatures in individual lakesacross many different regions around the world. However, the spatial and temporal coherence associatedwith the magnitude of these trends remains unclear. Thus, a global data set of water temperature isrequired to understand and synthesize global, long-term trends in surface water temperatures of inlandbodies of water. We assembled a database of summer lake surface temperatures for 291 lakes collectedin situ and/or by satellites for the period 1985–2009. In addition, corresponding climatic drivers (airtemperatures, solar radiation, and cloud cover) and geomorphometric characteristics (latitude, longitude,elevation, lake surface area, maximum depth, mean depth, and volume) that influence lake surfacetemperatures were compiled for each lake. This unique dataset offers an invaluable baseline perspective onglobal-scale lake thermal conditions as environmental change continues.
