Abstract
Water temperature measurements (2004–2016) from two small rivers in the High Arctic were analyzed to determine the effects of climate variability on thermal regime and the sensitivity to climate change. The East and West rivers (unofficial names) drain similar watersheds (11.6 and 8.0 km2, respectively) and are located at the Cape Bounty Arctic Watershed Observatory (CBAWO), Melville Island, Canada (74°55′N, 109°35′W). Differences in seasonal timing of river temperatures were evident when comparing the coldest and warmest years of the study period, and across different discharge conditions. Snowmelt runoff is characterized by uniformly cold water (∼0–1 °C) over a wide range of discharge conditions, followed by warming water temperatures during flow recession. The rivers showed varying sensitivity to mid-summer air temperature conditions in a given year, with warmer years indicating high correlation (r2 = 0.794–0.929), whereas colder years showed reduced correlation (r2 = 0.368–0.778). River temperatures reached levels which are reported to negatively affect fish and other cold-water aquatic species (>18 °C) with greater frequency and duration during the warmest years. These results provide a basis to further enhance prediction of river thermal conditions to assess ecosystem health in a river system and to refine insights into the effects of climate change on High Arctic aquatic ecosystems.
Highlights
Climate models predict that temperature and precipitation will increase globally, with high latitude regions having a greater rate of change (IPCC 2014, Nilsson et al 2015)
We present a record of water temperature from two similar High Arctic rivers from 2004 to 2016 in order to evaluate long term temperature trends in the context of climate change, recent record warmth (Lamoureux and Lafrenière 2017)
Results from this study provide a framework for understanding the factors that affect the High Arctic river thermal regime and provide insights into likely future thermal conditions in similar river systems
Summary
Climate models predict that temperature and precipitation will increase globally, with high latitude regions having a greater rate of change (IPCC 2014, Nilsson et al 2015) Such changes in northern regions can alter hydrological systems and affect water resources in terms of quantity, quality and temperature Long term records of river temperatures are necessary in order to advance our knowledge of how climate variability effects the seasonal timing, sensitivity and intensity and duration of extreme temperatures within a changing hydrological system. This information is critical for validation for numerical https://mc06.manuscriptcentral.com/asopen-pubs models which attempt to predict the effects of climate change for ecosystem monitoring and management (King et al 2016)
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