The large lake ecosystems of northern Canada

Hydroclimatic controls on water balance and water level variability in Great Slave Lake

“…From the estimated mean volume of the lake (2Ð088 ð 10 12 m 3 ; Kalff, 2002) and the volumetric inflows estimated herein, the mean residence time (volume/total inputs) is calculated to be 14Ð2 years for the 1964-1998 period, ranging from 10Ð4 to 19Ð7 for individual years. The mean residence time is similar, although slightly lower than values previously reported (16 years; Evans, 2000). It is important to note that the west basin of GSL is expected to flush about 2 times more rapidly than the east arm (Evans, 2000) owing to shallower mean depth and bypass of Slave R. water directly to the outlet of the Mackenzie River (see Figure 1).…”

“…The mean residence time is similar, although slightly lower than values previously reported (16 years; Evans, 2000). It is important to note that the west basin of GSL is expected to flush about 2 times more rapidly than the east arm (Evans, 2000) owing to shallower mean depth and bypass of Slave R. water directly to the outlet of the Mackenzie River (see Figure 1). The drainage basin area to lake volume ratios for GSL are high (454 m 2 m 3 ) as compared to…”

“…These lakes, formed by glacial erosion during the Pleistocene (Hutchinson, 1957), occur along or close to the contact between the western margin of the Precambrian Shield and the adjacent Paleozoic Interior Plains sediment platform to the west. Great Slave Lake (GSL) is among the deepest freshwater lakes in the world (614 m), but is hydrologically dynamic (mean residence time of 16 years; Evans, 2000) because of abundant inflow from a catchment area totalling 949 000 km 2 , or 53% of the entire area of the Mackenzie Basin. Roughly three-fourth of the riverine inflow to the lake enters via the Slave R., delivering runoff from the Peace-Athabasca Basins (606 000 km 2 ) with headwaters in relatively high precipitation areas to the southwest, including the Rocky Mountains ( Figure 1a).…”

Characterizing and Monitoring the Water Properties and Dynamics of Lhù’ààn Mǟn (Kluane Lake), Yukon, in the Face of Climate Change

“…The impacts on large lakes are of particular interest: these waterbodies hold a significant portion of the North's freshwater, provide habitat and travel corridors for many species, regulate hydrological processes and local climate, and have significant cultural value (Evans, 2000;Rouse et al, 2005;Vincent et al, 2011;Cott et al, 2016;Reist et al, 2016). Studies have shown that these large lakes are sensitive to incremental and cumulative climatic changes and that small shifts in physical, chemical, and biological water properties may have significant consequences for surrounding ecosystems and communities (Magnuson et al, 2000;Smol et al, 2005;Rosenzweig et al, 2007;Adrian et al, 2009;Heino et al, 2009;Mueller et al, 2009;Schindler, 2009).…”

“…Despite rapid change in the North, as well as the general importance of these large lake systems to ecosystems, climate, and communities, scientific knowledge of the dynamics and water properties of these systems is still limited (Evans, 2000;Cott et al, 2016;Reist et al, 2016). Baseline studies, a better understanding of general lake dynamics, and consistent monitoring are needed in order to investigate how climate change may be affecting large northern lakes.…”