NWT RESEARCH DATABASE

Regions: Qikiqtaaluk Region

Tags: water quality, lake ice, remote sensing, ground penetrating radar

Objective(s): To reconstruct trends in ice phenology using remotely-sensed and ground-based observations and collective memories of land-based and in-lake changes by communities living along the shoreline of Great Bear Lake.

Project Description: This licence has been issued for the scientific research application No.5184. This project aims to reconstruct trends in ice phenology using remotely-sensed and ground-based observations and collective memories of land-based and in-lake changes by communities living along the shoreline of Great Bear Lake (GBL) to characterize the inter-annual variability of ice formation in the lake and determine the extent to which the changes can be attributed to climate warming. Also to reconstruct trends of Lake Surface Temperature (LST) using remotely- sensed and ground-based observations to characterize the inter-annual variability of lake physical changes such as water column stratification and lake-atmospheric exchange and determine the extent to which the changes can be attributed to climate warming. As well as calibrate the coupled Canadian Regional Climate Model-Nucleus for European Modeling of the Ocean (CRCM- NEMO) to investigate and quantify the role and impact of Canadian Northern Lakes in changing climate. The research team will develop Great Bear Lake water quality algorithms for satellite-based optical properties, temperature, water quality and emissivity data collected in the visible and near-infrared and thermal range. Targeted parameters will include chlorophyll-a, turbidity and water surface temperature. The research team will sample water quality over the lake during the fieldwork. Multivariate analyses will be performed to identify patterns of variation and potential correlations between trends in lake water quality, lake ice coverage, and land surface temperature and vegetation. The research team will generate visual products documenting changes in lake water quality and biological productivity. The research team will also focus on the ice and snow parameterization of the model using the data that we will collect over the lake in winter including snow depth and ice thickness using Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR). The principle investigator (PI) has been meeting with Deline Got'ine Government (DGG) members, virtually and in-person during visits in February 2020 and December 2021 and discussed all the research plans and collaborations. The PI also received the letter of support from DGG (attached in this application). The fieldwork for this study will be conducted from March 1, 2022 to December 31, 2022