NWT RESEARCH DATABASE

Regions: Inuvialuit Settlement Region

Tags: physical sciences, limnology, food web, glaciology

Objective(s): To improve knowledge on lake ice and its effect on food webs/productivity in small Arctic lake systems in order to better predict changes that could occur under changing climate.

Project Description: The overall objective of this research component is to improve knowledge on lake ice and its effect on food webs/productivity in small Arctic lake systems in order to better predict changes that could occur under changing climate. The methodology described here pertains to research activities involving the automated ice buoy and instrumented subsurface mooring system for continuous monitoring of weather conditions, lake ice cover (formation, growth over winter, breakup in spring), light penetration into the lake (through ice in winter), and water quality in Noell Lake. Description of the Ice Buoy and Mooring System The ice buoy and mooring system is composed of two parts: (i) a lake buoy with weather instruments on top (to measure sunlight, windspeed, wind direction, air temperature, relative humidity, and air pressure), and sensors along its length below the waterline to measure light penetration into the lake water (through ice in winter) and to measure water quality information near the lake surface (temperature, dissolved oxygen, and water chemistry); (ii) a subsurface mooring which includes a tethered array of water quality probes to measure temperature, dissolved oxygen, and water chemistry at a variety of depths down to the lake bottom, and an Ice Profiler Sensor (IPS) to measure the development, growth and decay of the lake ice cover through the cold season. Data collected by the subsurface mooring system are transmitted to the adjacent Ice Buoy using an acoustic modem located at the base of the mooring. These data are added to the data collected by the instruments on the buoy, and then transmitted by the buoy to a satellite which, in turn, transmits to a base station located at the Water & Climate Impacts Research Centre (W-CIRC) located at the University of Victoria (or other location) by satellite telemetry. There is a 2-way capability using the satellite telemetry which allows remote system management of both the ice buoy and subsurface mooring components. The system is designed for year round deployment and due to an acoustic release on the subsurface mooring; all components are recoverable and will be removed from the lake at the end of the research project. Installation of the Ice Buoy and Mooring System The Ice Buoy and Mooring System is pre-assembled and deployed by helicopter prior to freeze-up of the lake. The buoy is lowered into the lake near the shore, and then towed by boat to its mooring location. A location was strategically selected in Noell Lake for installation of the buoy system – after consulting with local people to ensure that the location for installation will not interfere with the use of the lake for ice fishing, transportation (e.g. snowmobile trails), local hunting and harvesting activities, etc. Local persons assist with installation, and visit the lake through the winter to check on the buoy system, and to take manual lake ice thickness measurements and water quality samples to compare with those measured by the buoy system. Maintenance/Servicing of the Ice Buoy and Mooring System Once the buoy system has been deployed, fieldwork will continue to involve visiting the buoy each year: (i) in late-June/early July (after all the ice is gone) to replace the water quality instruments with fresh ones, and to attach an additional water quality sensor to the buoy at 1 meter depth for the ice-free period; and (ii) in late September before the ice cover starts forming to remove the 1 meter depth water quality sensor (else it would freeze into the ice-cover damaging the instrument). Removal of the Ice Buoy and Mooring System At the end of the study, the ice buoy and mooring will be removed from the lake by helicopter by simply hooking up a tether to the buoy, lifting it out of the lake, and flying it back to Inuvik. Data Collection and Analysis Data collected using the buoy system is used to monitor lake ice development through the entire ice season (initial freeze-up in the fall, its growth through winter to its maximum thickness, and breakup in spring) and is compared to manual ice measurements made prior to breakup as a check on accuracy. Lake water quality measurements by the buoy system collected continuously through the entire year is compared with manual measurements (again as a check on instrument accuracy), and used along with the lake ice data for analyses related to food webs/productivity. The entire dataset including the new information on lake ice allows the research team to look in detail at the effects that lake ice has on food webs/productivity. The research team also conduct computer modelling activities to validate lake ice models using the new information on lake ice. Through a Grants & Contribution Agreement from Environment Canada combined with Aurora Research Institute (ARI) in-kind support, ARI is undertaking research contributing to this project. ARI helps to: (i) conduct and support the collection of laboratory and field-based biogeochemical, hydrological and ecological information, and (ii) to organize and convene community consultation / outreach meetings related to the dissemination of research results. A wildlife monitor will be utilized when necessary. To communicate results to individuals and communities in the North, the research team hold annual community-based meetings and consultations in northern communities to inform local residents in the region of the nature and significance of the research, what the team are trying to find out and why, and to provide updates on what has been learned (key findings) as the work progresses. The research team also visits the schools to reach out to the youth. Information will also be made available through a project website, posters, brochures, fact sheets, etc. The fieldwork for this study will be conducted from July 17, 2014 to December 31, 2014.