Catchment characteristics and water chemistry of over 5000 nationally monitored Swedish lakes
type: Dataset
description: This dataset contains data for catchment characteristics and lake water chemistry for lakes in the Swedish Lake Survey, SLS (omdrevstationer), and trend lake (trendlakestationer) monitoring programs. Both surveys, the Swedish Lake Survey and the trend lake survey, are compiled at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) as part of the university's environmental monitoring and assessment programme Lakes and Watercourses. This makes up a dataset of 5140 lakes (110 of which are trend lakes monitored 4 times a year and 5030 survey lakes monitored every 6 years, some lakes are in both programs), all >1 ha in lake area. For each of these programs this dataset includes (1) time series of water chemistry for all the stations, (2) shapefile with the catchment delineation and station coordinates, and (3) a file summarizing catchment characteristics. Catchment characteristics include land cover, soil depth, peat coverage, ditch density, ditch density in peat areas, NDVI, lake water chemistry, atmospheric deposition, precipitation, temperature, precipitation as snow, percentage above the high coast line, and runoff. An extra file, 'significance.csv', was added in version 2 of this dataset containing the significance (p-value) of slope estimators, where applicable. This dataset also includes the code used to extract the data used to generate this time series and characteristics. As such this data can be reproduced, and extended from the information contained in the dataset. The following files are included in the dataset: **Documentation** readme_overview.md: An overview of what the dataset contains (further elaborated in readme_data.md) and how it was generated (further elaborated in readme_code.md). readme_data.md: Documentation of the final datasets files, including units, reference to the code used to generate, and original data source. readme_code.md: Documentation of the code and functions used to generate the dataset. A static version can be found in the data…
conditions of access: http://publications.europa.eu/resource/authority/access-right/PUBLIC
conditions of access: info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
creative work status: completed
  type: DefinedTerm
  in defined term set: http://publications.europa.eu/resource/authority/dataset-status
  term code: COMPLETED
creator: Anna Lackner
creator: Emil Back
date modified: 2026-05-19
date published: 2026-05-19
funding: Förbättring av evidensbasen för förståelsen och hantering av ytvattenbrunifiering
  type: Grant
  funder: Swedish Research Council for Environment Agricultural Sciences and Spatial Planning
funding: Grant
  identifier: Grant No. 2022–00942
  funder: Swedish Research Council for Environment Agricultural Sciences and Spatial Planning
language: English
is part of: https://doi.org/10.5878/tzjz-2692
keywords: Natural Sciences
  type: DefinedTerm
  term code: 1
keywords: Environmental Sciences
  type: DefinedTerm
  term code: 10502
keywords: Oceanography, Hydrology and Water Resources
  type: DefinedTerm
  term code: 10509
keywords: Elevation
keywords: Environment
keywords: Inland Waters
keywords: water monitoring
keywords: catchment
keywords: water chemistry
keywords: catchment scale
keywords: long term monitoring
keywords: water quality monitoring
keywords: Hydrography
keywords: land cover
keywords: lakes
keywords: Environmental monitoring and assessment
license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
publisher: Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
size: QuantitativeValue
  unit text: variables
  value: 72
spatial coverage: Sweden
temporal coverage: 1990/2024
distribution: data/characteristics_SLS.csv
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distribution: data/characteristics_trend.csv
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distribution: data/significance.csv
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version: 2

PropertyValue
property ID: DOI
value: 10.5878/rxj2-ks21

principalRegistrationNumber
type: PropertyValue
property ID: https://www.rikstermbanken.se/termposter/1848/diarienummer
value: SLU.ma.2026.4.2.IÄ-1

Anna Lackner
type: Person
affiliation: Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
family name: Lackner
given name: Anna

Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
type: Organization
department: Department of Aquatic Sciences and Assessment

Emil Back
type: Person
affiliation: Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
family name: Back
given name: Emil

Swedish Research Council for Environment Agricultural Sciences and Spatial Planning
type: Organization

English
type: Language
alternate name: eng

Elevation
type: DefinedTerm
description: Height above or below sea level.
term code: elevation

Environment
type: DefinedTerm
description: Environmental resources, protection and conservation.
term code: environment

Inland Waters
type: DefinedTerm
description: Inland water features, drainage systems and their characteristics.
term code: inland-waters

WATER QUALITY/WATER CHEMISTRY
type: DefinedTerm
description: Water quality refers to the physical, chemical, and biological characteristics of water with respect to its suitability for a particular use. Water chemistry refers to the chemical characteristics of water.

WATERSHED CHARACTERISTICS
type: DefinedTerm

water monitoring
type: DefinedTerm
description: Studies conducted to estimate the quantity and the quality of pollutants, nutrients and suspended solids contained in water bodies and to assess sources and factors associated with agricultural practices, industrial activities or other human activities.
term code: 9196

catchment
type: DefinedTerm
description: [ENVO] An extent or area of land where surface water from rain and melting snow or ice converges to a single point at lower elevation, usually the exit of the basin, where the waters join another waterbody.
term code: 10092

water chemistry
type: DefinedTerm
term code: 21662

catchment scale
type: DefinedTerm
term code: 10174

long term monitoring
type: DefinedTerm
description: The observation of phenomenon/process/systems over long periods of time
term code: 21337

water quality monitoring
type: DefinedTerm
term code: 21339

Hydrography
type: DefinedTerm
description: Hydrographic elements, including marine areas and all other water bodies and items related to them, including river basins and sub-basins. Where appropriate, according to the definitions set out in Directive 2000/60/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 October 2000 establishing a framework for Community action in the field of water policy (2) and in the form of networks.
term code: hy

land cover
type: DefinedTerm
term code: c_37897

lakes
type: DefinedTerm
term code: c_4160

Sweden
type: Place