Determining Freshwater Lake Communities’ Vulnerability to Snowstorms in the Northwest Territories

Janine A Baijnath-Rodino,Brian E Robinson,Amaia Albizua,Laxmi Sushama,Elena Bennett

doi:10.3390/w13131816

Abstract

As the exposure to extreme snowstorms continues to change in response to a warming climate, this can lead to higher infrastructure damages, financial instability, accessibility restrictions, as well as safety and health effects. However, it is challenging to quantify the impacts associated with the combination of the many biophysical and socio-economic factors for resiliency and adaptation assessments across many disciplines on multiple spatial and temporal scales. This study applies a framework to quantitatively determine the multiple impacts of snowstorms by calculating the livelihood vulnerability index (LVI) for four exposed freshwater lake communities in Canada’s Northwest Territories using three contributing factors (exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity). Results indicate that Déline is the most vulnerable community (0.67), because it has the highest exposure and one of the highest sensitivity ranks, while its ability to adapt to exposure stressors is the lowest among the communities. In contrast, Fort Resolution exhibits the lowest LVI (0.26) and has one of the highest adaptive capacities. This study emphasizes that while these freshwater communities may be exposed to snowstorms, they have different levels of sensitivity and adaptive capacities in place that influences their vulnerability to changes in hazardous snowfall conditions. The information gained from this study can help guide future adaptation, mitigation, and resiliency practices for Arctic sustainability efforts.

Highlights

The Mackenzie River basin (MRB), in the Northwest Territories (NWT), Canada, is considered a “global hotspot” because winter temperatures have increased as much as 4 ◦C in the past fifty years [1,2]
The increased exposure to snowstorm activity for communities along the shores of Great Bear Lake and Great Slave Lake in the MRB are of concern in a warming climate
This study provides a novel approach by employing a livelihood vulnerability index (LVI) framework that combines biophysical and socio-economic risks to quantify the vulnerability of freshwater lake communities to heavy snowstorms

Summary

Introduction

The Mackenzie River basin (MRB), in the Northwest Territories (NWT), Canada, is considered a “global hotspot” because winter temperatures have increased as much as 4 ◦C in the past fifty years [1,2]. Warmer temperatures can lead to significant changes in the local environment and shifts in weather patterns [3]. One of these shifts includes changes in winter storms along the leeward shores of large lakes. The increased exposure to snowstorm activity for communities along the shores of Great Bear Lake and Great Slave Lake in the MRB are of concern in a warming climate. A vertical temperature gradient develops between the lake surface and the atmosphere, initiating convection and the development of heavy snowfall that inundates communities along the leeward shores of the lake [5,6,7]

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Discussion

Conclusion