Physical, chemical and biological characteristics of disturbed and undisturbed Arctic lakes, Northwest Territories

  1. Global warming is predicted to cause changes in permafrost cover and stability in the Arctic. Zones of high ion concentration in regions of ice-rich permafrost are a reservoir of chemicals that can potentially be transferred to fresh waters during thawing. Consequently, input of enriched runoff from the thaw and sediment and vegetation from the landscape could alter lakes by affecting their geochemistry and biological production.
  2. Three undisturbed lakes and five lakes disturbed by retrogressive permafrost thaw slumps were sampled during late summer of 2006 to assess the potential effects of thermokarst shoreline slumping on water and sediment chemistry, the underwater light regime, and benthic macrophyte biomass and community structure.
  3. Undisturbed lakes had sediments rich in organic material and selected micronutrients, while disturbed lakes had sediments richer in calcium, magnesium and strontium, greater transparency of the water column, and a well-developed submerged macrophyte community.
  4. It is postulated that enriched runoff chemistry may alter nutrient availability at the sediment-water interface and also the degradation of organic material, thus affecting lake transparency and submerged macrophytes. The results suggest that retrogressive permafrost slumping can significantly affect food webs in arctic tundra lakes through an increase in macrophyte biomass and development of a more complex benthic habitat.

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Cite this as

Mesquita, Patricia S, Wrona, Frederick J, Prowse, Terry D (2010). Dataset: Physical, chemical and biological characteristics of disturbed and undisturbed Arctic lakes, Northwest Territories. https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.816875

DOI retrieved: 2010

Additional Info

Field Value
Imported on November 29, 2024
Last update November 29, 2024
License CC-BY-3.0
Source https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.816875
Author Mesquita, Patricia S
Given Name Patricia S
Family Name Mesquita
More Authors
Wrona, Frederick J
Prowse, Terry D
Source Creation 2010
Publication Year 2010
Resource Type application/zip - filename: Mesquita_2010
Subject Areas
Name: LakesRivers

Related Identifiers
Title: Effects of retrogressive permafrost thaw slumping on sediment chemistry and submerged macrophytes in Arctic tundra lakes
Identifier: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2427.2010.02450.x
Type: DOI
Relation: IsSupplementTo
Year: 2010
Source: Freshwater Biology
Authors: Mesquita Patricia S , Wrona Frederick J , Prowse Terry D .

Title: Exact locations of lakes - jpeg file
Identifier: hdl:10013/epic.41826.d001
Type: DOI
Relation: References
Year: 2010
Source: Mesquita et al. (2010)

Title: Exact locations of lakes - kmz file
Identifier: hdl:10013/epic.41826.d002
Type: DOI
Relation: References
Year: 2010
Source: Mesquita et al. (2010)