Dynamics of ice cover over a far northern lake : Direct observations of Ward Hunt Lake, Canadian High Arctic, by automated camera.
Abstract
Long-term monitoring of lakes and fjords on the northern coast of Ellesmere Island, Nunavut, provides information on the effects of climate change on these ecosystems and their seasonal and interannual dynamics. Lake ice cover is a sentinel variable with controlling effects on lake ecosystems, and it is especially sensitive to climate change. This dataset of ice imagery for Ward Hunt Lake (Ward Hunt Island) covers the period 2016-2022 and is a contribution to the NEIGE program (Northern Ellesmere Island in the Global Environment). Weather-resistant time-lapse cameras were installed on metal supports (rods) overlooking the lake in order to observe and document changes in the lake (ice and snow cover, water level) and its watershed (snow, vegetation, ground conditions, wildlife). The dataset has been separated into seasonal or monthly folders to facilitate downloading; note that there was a change of camera model and repositioning in 2017.
Data citation
NEIGE 2023. Dynamics of ice cover over a far northern lake : Direct observations of Ward Hunt Lake, Canadian High Arctic, by automated camera., v. 1.2.0. Nordicana D74, doi: 10.5885/45648CE-1A9AB63DFF91440B.
Location map
Key references
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Paquette, M., Fortier, D., Mueller, D.R., Sarrazin, D., and Vincent, W.F. 2015. Rapid disappearance of perennial ice on Canada’s most northern lake. Geophysical Research Letters 42: 1433-1440.
DOI: 10.1002/2014GL062960 -
Vincent, W.F., Fortier, D., Lévesque, E., Boulanger-Lapointe, N., Tremblay, B., Sarrazin, D., Antoniades, D., and Mueller, D.R. 2011. Extreme ecosystems and geosystems in the Canadian High Arctic: Ward Hunt Island and vicinity. Ecoscience 18: 236-261.
DOI: DOI:10.2980/18-3-3448 -
Antoniades, D., Crawley, C., Douglas, M.S.V., Pienitz, R., Andersen, D., Doran, P.T., Hawes, I., Pollard, W. and Vincent, W.F. 2007. Abrupt environmental change in Canada’s northernmost lake inferred from diatom and fossil pigment stratigraphy. Geophysical Research Letters 34, L18708.
DOI: 10.1029/2007GL030947
Contributors
Vincent, Warwick
Centre d'études nordiques, Université Laval
Sarrazin, Denis
Centre d'études nordiques, Université Laval
Paquette, Michel
Centre d'études nordiques, Université de Montréal
Matveev, Alex
Centre d'études nordiques, Université Laval
Bégin, Paschale
Centre d'études nordiques, Université Laval
Larochelle, Sophie
Centre d'optique, photonique et laser, Université Laval
Culley, Alexander
Centre d'études nordiques, Université Laval
Fortier, Daniel
Centre d'études nordiques, Université de Montréal
Acknowledgements
We thank Parks Canada for the use of facilities, Polar Continental Shelf Program for logistic support and ArcticNet, NSERC and Sentinel North (CFREF) for funding.
Version history
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Version 1.2.0 (2016–2022)Updated June 27, 2023
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Version 1.1 (2016–2019)Updated April 15, 2020
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Version 1.0 (2016–2018)Updated April 15, 2020
You can request an older version by contacting nordicana@cen.ulaval.ca
Measurement sites
Download
Data available for download are in ZIP format. Please properly cite the data when using it.