Extreme warming and regime shift toward amplified variability in a far northern lake

Mean annual air temperatures in the High Arctic are rising rapidly, with extreme warming events becoming increasingly common. Little is known, however, about the consequences of such events on the ice-capped lakes that occur abundantly across this region. Here, we compared 2 years of high-frequency monitoring data in Ward Hunt Lake in the Canadian High Arctic. One of the years included a period of anomalously warm conditions that allowed us to address the question of how loss of multi-year ice cover affects the limnological properties of polar lakes. A mooring installed at the deepest point of the lake (9.7 m) recorded temperature, oxygen, chlorophylla(Chla) fluorescence, and underwater irradiance from July 2016 to July 2018, and an automated camera documented changes in ice cover. The complete loss of ice cover in summer 2016 resulted in full wind exposure and complete mixing of the water column. This mixing caused ventilation of lake water heat to the atmosphere and 4 degrees C lower water temperatures than under ice-covered conditions. There were also high values of Chlafluorescence, elevated turbidity levels and large oxygen fluctuations throughout fall and winter. During the subsequent summer, the lake retained its ice cover and the water column remained stratified, with lower Chlafluorescence and anoxic bottom waters. Extreme warming events are likely to shift polar lakes that were formerly capped by continuous thick ice to a regime of irregular ice loss and unstable limnological conditions that vary greatly from year to year.

Automated summary

The study compared two years of monitoring data in Ward Hunt Lake in the Canadian High Arctic and found that the loss of multi-year ice cover can significantly impact the limnological properties of polar lakes, leading to water column mixing and temperature changes. Extreme warming events are likely to shift polar lakes from a regime of continuous thick ice cover to irregular ice loss and unstable limnological conditions that vary greatly from year to year.