This week an important new paper was published in Nature Scientific Reports by the CBAWO group. You can download a copy for free at Nature Scientific Reports. In this, we show how recent permafrost change at Cape Bounty has made a significant impact on the lakes, changing the chemical composition of some elements by up to 500% in a few years. This is an incredible rate of change, and this work documents how quickly this can happen and that it occurred in both lakes at the same time. We also used the otoliths (ear bones) from Arctic char in the lakes to determine if this chemical change had influenced the fish. We found that many elements changed abruptly in the fish otoliths at the time of the rapid changes in the lakes, signalling that the fish are responding to this environmental change. By using a fish condition measure (by looking at length and weight of each fish), we show that the condition of the fish in the East Lake is improving, so it would seem that the permafrost change we have observed in recent years is contributing to enhanced living conditions for the fish.
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| Ice-push ridges on the shore of West Lake, August 2017. Notice the cloudy water that has been that way since the winter of 2011-12. |
There is likely much more to the story, as the lake ice cover has become less persistent and water temperatures have increased as well. The West Lake also tells an interesting story with the opposite effect: underwater landslides (or slumps) that have made the lake continuously muddy have resulted in a continuous deterioration of the condition of Arctic char.
So it would seem that the two lakes are going in different directions, but both are showing strong impacts from recent environmental change.
Part of the reason this paper is so important is that it summarizes work that has been carried out since 2004 at Cape Bounty, when the first lake water samples were taken and the ecosystem sampled. We have continued this work and expanded it by working with collaborators at Environment and Climate Change Canada who are experts in contaminants in northern ecosystems, and residents of Resolute that have important knowledge about the fish and lake ecosystems. This collaborative effort is reflected in the range of authors of this paper- each person contributed important parts of the overall story.
Like most research, these results generate many new questions but we are working hard to pursue these. We hope to be able to share them with you in the months and years to come!
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| West Lake at Cape Bounty, August 2009. |
