Northern Lakes as sentinels of environmental changes

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Project Background

In high-latitude cold regions, rapid winter climate warming is impacting northern freshwater lakes. These lakes are of substantial importance from both biogeochemical and socioeconomic perspectives, especially for northern Indigenous communities. Great Bear Lake is one of the world’s largest freshwater bodies and the largest lake entirely within the borders of Canada. The lake is unique due to its size, northerly location, and natural environment. This project aims to launch a long-term sustainable lake monitoring program in partnership with the Government of the Northwest Territories, the Délı̨nę Got'ine Government, and local Indigenous communities. The program objectives are aimed to enhance our understanding of the impact of current and future climate warming on northern lakes, offer early alerts on lake health alterations, and support proactive decision-making processes.

Outcomes

• The presence or absence of ice plays a pivotal role in Great Bear Lake, as winter ice cover provides shelter and imposes significant constraints on heat loss, wind mixing, and gas exchange.
• Warming can lead to significant changes in the ecological structure and function of a lake. This is because it can affect the yearly patterns of stratification and the ventilation of lakes, a process by which air and gases are exchanged between the surface and deeper lake water.

Impacts

The understanding of interactions among atmosphere, snow/lake ice/water systems in northern lakes stands to be of immense benefit to a wide range of academia and stakeholders, including Canadian government agencies, industries, Indigenous communities, and policymakers. It offers invaluable insights into the formulation of robust water resource management and winter infrastructure safety policies in response to evolving climate conditions. Of particular significance is the role that this insight will play in evaluating the sustainability of northern Canadian water resources and infrastructure as vital transportation corridors amid the uncertainties of the 21st century climate landscape. This knowledge can be extended to benefit northern Canada in alignment with the objectives of Goals 2 and 4 of Canada’s Arctic and Northern Policy Framework, which are geared towards enhancing northern infrastructure and fostering knowledge-driven decision-making.

Partners

• Délı̨nę Got'ine Government
• GNWT Environment and Climate Change
• Arctic Research Foundation

More Information

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