Diatom response to recent climatic change in a high arctic lake (Char Lake, Cornwallis Island, Nunavut)

Abstract

From 1968 to 1972, Char Lake (Resolute Bay, Cornwallis Island, Canadian High Arctic) was the site of a large-scale limnological study conducted under the auspices of the International Biological Programme. However, since that time, very little research has been done on the lake. We sampled Char Lake from 1992 to 2000 for a suite of physical, chemical, and biological variables. In general, there were no major differences between our water quality data and those collected 30 years earlier, showing that Char Lake is still oligotrophic, slightly alkaline, and dilute. However, a diatom-based paleolimnological analysis revealed that a subtle, yet distinct species assemblage shift has occurred beginning around 1987. The timing of this species shift does not correspond to the deposition of atmospherically transported persistent organic pollutants into the lake (beginning in the early 1950s) or to minor disturbances within its catchment (early 1970s). Instead, these subtle diatom changes are consistent with recent climatic changes during 1988–1997 (as documented by local meteorological measurements), and are likely related to reduced summer ice cover and a longer growing season.