This data release presents data that were collected as part of a larger effort to assess factors that regulate thermal stratification and mixing in small ponds. This work was part of an international collaborative effort with the Global Lake Ecological Observatory Network (GLEON). From May to October 2019, temperature and light were measured throughout the water-depth profile of two artificial ponds located near Jamestown, North Dakota. Meteorological and bathymetric data also were collected. The ponds, managed by the U.S. Geological Survey Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center, are representative of the small inland wetlands of the Prairie Pothole Region of North America. Data from this collaborative study will be used to understand how small inland ponds differ from large lakes and coastal systems, specifically with regard to nutrient recycling, primary production, greenhouse gas emissions, and oxygen dynamics.