Plankton and water chemistry data from proglacial Thores Lake

The number of glacial lakes is rapidly increasing with glacial retreat in the Canadian High Arctic, yet very little is known about the biology of these aquatic environments. Thores Lake is a proglacial lake on Northern Ellesmere Island, and is headed by glacier of the same name, which is particularly stable for this region. This makes Thores valley a unique example of a glacial system that has not yet reached its threshold. This Nordicana D archive presents nutrient concentrations and zooplankton communities in Thores Lake, its outlet, and Disraeli Fiord. These samples were collected in 2019 on Ellesmere Island. Nutrient samples were collected with a Limnos 7L bottle (5, 15m) or Nalgene 1L bottles (surface). Total phosphorus, total nitrogen and dissolved organic carbon samples were preserved with H2SO4, and analyzed at Université du Québec à Montréal. The zooplankton community was described taxonomically and through its fatty acid content. Taxonomy samples were obtained by vertical 0.53 um-mesh net tows through the water column. Samples were fixed with formaldehyde and counted in an Utermöhl chamber with an inverted microscope. Fatty acid samples were collected as were nutrient samples, filtered onto GF/F membranes, and analyzed by gas-chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS).