Recent Climate and Stable Isotopes in Modern Surface Waters of Northernmost Ungava Peninsula, Canada Émilie Saulnier-Talbot1, Melanie J. Leng & Reinhard Pienitz Émilie Saulnier-Talbot and Reinhard Pienitz: Paleolimnology-Paleoecology Laboratory, Centre d’études nordiques et Département de géographie, Université Laval, QC, G1K 7P4, Canada Melanie J. Leng: NERC Isotope Geosciences Laboratory, British Geological Survey, Nottingham NG12 5GG, UK and School of Geography, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK 1Corresponding author;
[email protected], fax : 1-418-656-2978 1 Recent Climate and Stable Isotopes in Modern Surface Waters of Northernmost Ungava Peninsula, Canada Émilie Saulnier-Talbot, Melanie J. Leng & Reinhard Pienitz Abstract The isotope composition (δ18O and δD) of surface waters were measured over a 26-month period near three localities situated along the northern coast of Ungava Peninsula (Québec, Canada). In order to caracterize the present-day local hydrological settings, the oxygen and hydrogen isotope ratios were measured from precipitation and these were compared to local and regional climate data. We show that the modern surface waters contain information on climate and that this relationship is likely to be transferred to biotic components within the lakes. These components, once sedimented, are therefore likely to form an archive of climate change. The new data presented here show the possibility of isotope paleoclimatic investigation based on lake sediments in the northern coastal region of Ungava Peninsula. Key words Stable isotopes, δ18O, δD, lakes, Ungava, recent climate 2 Climat récent et isotopes stables des eaux de surface modernes de l’extrémité nord de la péninsule d’Ungava, Canada Émilie Saulnier-Talbot, Melanie J.