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Limnology and Paleolimnology of Adjacent High Arctic Lakes with an Emphasis on Terrestrial-Aquatic Linkages

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Limnology and Paleolimnology of Adjacent High Arctic Lakes with an Emphasis on Terrestrial-Aquatic Linkages Limnology and paleolimnology of adjacent High Arctic lakes with an emphasis on terrestrial-aquatic linkages: Cape Bounty, Melville Island, Nunavut By Kailey Amanda Stewart A thesis submitted to the Department of Geography in conformity with the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada October, 2011 Copyright © Kailey Amanda Stewart, 2011 Abstract Our knowledge of how Arctic freshwater ecosystems will respond to continued climate change and variability is fundamentally limited by logistical difficulties of such remote research, resulting in relatively sparse long-term baseline data on these systems. This research applies a unique paired-watershed approach (i.e., two similar, adjacent lakes and catchments) to help address these limitations, which provided an opportunity to identify how broad-scale factors are filtered or modified by site-specific characteristics. My first main objective was to document the seasonal hydrochemical variability of runoff and influences on lake chemistry. Both lakes appear to be relatively insensitive to seasonal hydroclimatic variability, largely because periods of high discharge were also characterized by lower concentrations of dissolved and particulate matter, but also because of the relatively long lake water turnover time that suggests the effects of climatic and environmental changes would be felt later in these systems than in lakes and ponds with smaller lake volumes. My second objective was to investigate spatial and temporal trends in the lake diatom communities in order to refine subsequent paleoenvironmental reconstructions. A critical aspect of this objective was testing how faithfully the whole lake diatom community was represented in deep lake surface sediments where sediment cores are routinely collected. Most differences between the two lakes were largely accounted for with microenvironmental conditions associated with the specific sampling location. Also, both lakes exhibited a degree of disconnection between littoral benthic and i profundal zones that manifested as an under-representation of the bentic community in deep lake surface sediments, with implications for paleoenvironmental interpretations. Finally, I present a multi-proxy record of environmental conditions in adjacent lakes spanning the period from pre-industrial times. Biogeochemical records reflected major changes in lake primary productivity and terrestrial organic matter accumulation beginning prior to 1950 in both lakes, pointing to profound environmental changes that culminated with the establishment of an appreciable diatom community in both lakes in the 1980s. Differences in the timing of changes between the two lakes point to differing threshold capacities to external forcings, and suggest that East Lake’s response to post- industrial climate change is advanced compared to West Lake. ii Co-Authorship This thesis is presented in manuscript style conforming to the style outlined by the School of Graduate Studies and Research. Each chapter contains its own literature cited, and is presented in the format of the journal to which it was submitted, when applicable. My supervisor, Scott Lamoureux, is a co-author on all chapters. In addition, Brent Paulter, Myrna Simpson, and Jaclyn Cockburn are co-authors on chapter 4, due to their contributing roles in laboratory access, training and research support (BP, MS), and development of the final varve chronologies (JC). All field work was developed, coordinated and carried out by me, with assistance by others as indicated in the acknowledgement section of each chapter. All laboratory and data analysis was conducted by me, with the exception of specialized analyses including 210Pb dating (MyCore Scientific Inc.), water chemistry analysis (National Water Research Institute), C/N (Guelph Analytical Unit), chlorophyll-a determinations (Paul Hamilton, Canadian Museum of Nature), and inferred chlorophyll-a determinations (Elizabeth Kjikjerkovska, Queen’s University). I developed the methodology, drafted all figures, and was solely responsible for writing each of the manuscripts. iii Acknowledgements My sincerest appreciation goes out to my supervisor, Scott Lamoureux, for his continuous support, encouragement, mentorship, patience, and probably most important, his inspiration and enthusiasm, which undoubtably carried me through the more challenging parts of this process. All in all, you are a fantastic supervisor! I am also incredibly greatful to Scott for giving me the opportunity to study and visit the Arctic – an amazing, awe-inspiring place in so many ways – a gift I will always treasure. I am extremely grateful to my husband, Matthew, for being by my side throughout this seemingly endless process. I started my PhD many years ago (before we were married and had two lovely children and another one due tomorrow!), and I cannot begin to imagine how much time he has spent encouraging me along this journey. His faith in my ability to accomplish my PhD was a great source of strength during times when I sincerely questioned whether or not I could. He assured me that as long as I was making progress, no matter how small at times, eventually I would finish. Thank you for being right! Thank you also to my children, Nora and Wyatt, for keeping me grounded and reminding me daily of what truly matters. Thank you also to my extended academic family that collectively guided me through this process, including committee members John Smol, Roland Hall, Paul Treitz, Paul Grogan, Melissa Lafrenière, and past and current EVEX lab members, especially Jaclyn Cockburn, Jessica Tomkins, and Kasey Kathan. A special thank you to Myrna Simpson and Brent Paulter (University of Toronto, Scarborough), for their generosity of time and laboratory assistance, and especially to Sarah Finkelstein (University of iv Toronto) for adopting me into her lab and being a great mentor and friend. I cannot forget the good times and help had by colleages and assistants in the field: Jaclyn Cockburn, Jake Wall, David Atkinson, Dana Macdonald, Freyja Forsyth, Beth Wells, Liam Colgan and Andrew Forbes. I would also like to express my appreciation to the staff and many faculty members in the Department of Geoography at Queen’s University who were a constant source of positive energy. Finally, a sincere appreciation goes out to all of my friends and family for their genuine interest in my research, for riding through the highs and lows with me and, finally, for celebrating this achievement along side me! v Statement of Originality I hereby certify that all of the work described within this thesis is the original work of the author. Any published (or unpublished) ideas and/or techniques contributed by others are fully acknowledged in accordance with standard referencing practices. Kailey A. Stewart October, 2011 vi Table of Contents Abstract ....................................................................................................................................... i Co-Authorship ............................................................................................................................. iii Acknowledgements ..................................................................................................................... iv Statement of Originality .............................................................................................................. vi Table of contents ....................................................................................................................... vii List of Appendices ........................................................................................................................ x List of Tables ............................................................................................................................... xi List of Figures ............................................................................................................................. xii Chapter 1: Introduction................................................................................................... 1 Arctic environmental change....................................................................................... 1 Assessing variability and sensitivity: High Arctic limnology and seasonality................. 2 Diatoms: key indicators in Arctic lacustrine systems .................................................... 3 Gaining perspective: multi-proxy paleolimnological reconstructions ........................... 6 Justification of field site: a paired watershed approach ............................................... 9 Thesis hypothesis and research questions ................................................................. 10 References ................................................................................................................ 12 Chapter 2: Connections between river runoff and limnological conditions in adjacent High Arctic lakes: Cape Bounty, Melville Island, Nunavut ............................................. 20 Abstract .................................................................................................................... 21 Introduction .............................................................................................................. 22 Materials and methods ............................................................................................. 24 Site description ..................................................................................................................24
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