Data Paper

Current and near-future conditions of aquatic spatial data for use in ecological models in the United States

¹ Student Services Contractor for U.S. Geological Survey, Fort Collins Science Center, Fort Collins, CO, USA
² Graduate Degree Program in Ecology, Colorado State University in cooperation with the U.S. Geological Survey Fort Collins Science Center, Fort Collins, CO, USA
³ U.S. Geological Survey, Wetlands and Aquatic Research Center, Gainesville, FL, USA
⁴ U.S. Geological Survey, Fort Collins Science Center, Fort Collins, CO, USA

^* Corresponding author: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Received: 29 August 2025
Accepted: 12 January 2026

Abstract

To address increasing demand for ecological models of aquatic species that can inform the management of national freshwater resources, we leveraged manager input to develop suites of environmental data layers characterizing freshwater habitats for the contiguous United States. Using the National Hydrography Dataset, these new data cover lentic and lotic systems under current and near-future environmental conditions. The data include a variety of covariate categories including climate, soil chemistry, land use and land cover, and human modification of the surrounding landscape. The predictor resolution for atmospheric climate predictors was the lake (wetland) or stream reach, and, for the terrestrial proxies, the subwatershed (HUC12) surrounding the lake or stream reach was chosen to capture the relevant land features surrounding the habitat. Future land use, land cover and streamflow predictions were included from present to mid-century. These data are available for the development of freshwater ecological models in the contiguous United States for a variety of applications, including species distribution modeling and exploring change in spatially diverse aquatic systems in time.