Isotopic composition and origin of lacustrine brines in the Arctic

Pagé, P.; Michaud, Jennifer M.; Ouellet, Marcel; Dickman, Mike

doi:10.1139/e87-023

Cited by 12 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 18 publications

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“…1). It has been the site of previous limnological study (e.g., Ouellet et al 1987;Stewart and Platford 1986;Pagé et al 1984Pagé et al , 1987. Situated approximately 4 m above sea level, the lake drains directly into the Arctic Ocean.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Characterization of high arctic stream diatom assemblages from Cornwallis Island, Nunavut, Canada

Antoniades¹,

Douglas²

2002

Can. J. Bot.

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Distinct diatom assemblages often characterize stream habitats, providing the potential to reconstruct past precipitation, snowmelt, and streamflow levels in high arctic watersheds by analyzing fossil assemblages preserved in downstream lake sediments. Diatom assemblages were studied from seven streams and two rivers surrounding Lake Sophia, Cornwallis Island, Nunavut, Canada (75°06′N, 93°36′W). A total of 64 diatom taxa were identified from epilithic and epiphytic assemblages in these lotic habitats. Of these, certain diatom taxa exhibited clear microhabitat preferences. Hannaea arcus (Ehrenberg) Patrick, Achnanthes minutissima (Kützing) Hustedt, Achnanthes petersenii Hustedt, and Meridion circulare (Greville) Agardh were the most common taxa on epilithic substrates, and as a group made up 61-95% of the diatom epilithon. Achnanthes taxa (mainly A. petersenii and A. minutissima) were the dominant taxa in moss habitats, representing between 45 and 73% of the diatom epiphyton. The relative abundance of H. arcus in epilithic habitats was negatively correlated with water temperature (r 2 = 0.71, n = 8). Hannaea arcus was found in greater abundances in cool, fast-flowing streams. This apparent correlation may more closely reflect current speed, which is inversely correlated to temperature in these streams. When these streams discharge into lake basins, the characteristic stream diatoms H. arcus and M. circulare are deposited in lakes. These diatom taxa have the potential to infer past streamflows using paleolimnological techniques.Résumé : Des ensembles distincts de diatomées caractérisent souvent les habitats des rivières, ce qui peut permettre de reconstruire les précipitations, les fontes de neige et les niveaux des cours d'eau dans les bassins hydrologiques du haut arctique, en analysant les ensembles de fossiles conservés dans les sédiments des lacs situés en aval. Les auteurs ont étudié les ensembles de diatomées de sept lacs et de deux rivières entourant le lac Sophia de l'île Cornwallis, au Nunavut, Canada (75°06′N, 93°36′O). Au total, ils ont identifié 64 taxons de diatomées à partir des ensembles épilithes et épiphytes de ces habitats lotiques. Parmi ceux-ci, certains taxons de diatomées montrent de nettes préférences de microhabitat. Les Hannaea arcus (Ehrenberg) Patrick, Achnanthes minutissima (Kützing) Hustedt, Achnanthes petersenii Histedt et Meridion circulare (Greville) Agardh sont les taxons les plus communs sur les substrats épilithes, lesquels comme groupe forment de 61 à 95% des diatomées de l'épilithon. Les taxons d'Achnantes (surtout les A. petersenii et A. minutissima) sont les taxons dominants dans les habitats de mousses, représentant entre 45 et 73% des diatomées de l'épiphyton. L'abondance relative de l'H. arcus dans les habitats épilithes est négativement corrélée avec la température de l'eau (r 2 = 0,71, n = 8). L'H. arcus est plus abondant dans les cours d'eau frais et à écoulement rapide. Cette corré-lation apparente pourrait refléter plus étroitement la vitesse du courant, laquelle est ...

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Characterization of high arctic stream diatom assemblages from Cornwallis Island, Nunavut, Canada

Antoniades¹,

Douglas²

2002

Can. J. Bot.

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“…Among those, Lake Garrow and Lake Sophia have been extensively studied, which are stratified meromictic lakes with salinities of deep waters (both about 50-m deep) about 90 and 70 g/kg brine, respectively (Page et al 1984(Page et al , 1987. Their major chemistries are very similar to that of seawater and both lakes exhibit a water-column structure that is typical of density-stratified saline meromictic lakes.…”

Section: Arctic Saline Lakesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Depth profiles of chemical and isotopic compositions were probably produced by mixing between freeze-concentrated seawater and local precipitation. Note the salinity unit (g/kg brine) is not conservative over a wide range (Bird et al 1991;Matsubaya et al 1979;Richter and Strauch 1983), along with the two saline lakes from the Arctic Archipelago (Page et al 1987). A large ice-covered fresh-water lake (L. Untersee, 71°20 0 S, 13°30 0 E) some 150 km inside the Antarctica continent is also shown (Hermichen et al 1985) Aquat Geochem (2009) 15:43-69 57 appears that even the most concentrated brines in the lakes have some (20-30%) contributions of surface waters.…”

Section: Arctic Saline Lakesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Isotopic Evolution of Saline Lakes in the Low-Latitude and Polar Regions

Horita

2008

Aquat Geochem

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Isotopic fractionations associated with two primary processes (evaporation and freezing of water) are discussed, which are responsible for the formation and evolution of saline lakes in deserts from both low-latitude and the Polar regions. In an evaporative system, atmospheric parameters (humidity and isotopic composition of water vapor) have strong influence on the isotopic behavior of saline lakes, and in a freezing system, salinity build-up largely controls the extent of freezing and associated isotope fractionation. In both systems, salinity has a direct impact on the isotopic evolution of saline lakes. It is proposed that a steady-state ''terminal lake'' model with short-term hydrologic and environmental perturbations can serve as a useful framework for investigating both evaporative and freezing processes of perennial saline lakes. Through re-assessment of own work and literature data for saline lakes, it was demonstrated that effective uses of the isotope activity compositions of brines and salinity-chemistry data could reveal dynamic changes and evolution in the isotopic compositions of saline lakes in response to hydrologic and environmental changes. The residence time of isotopic water molecules in lakes determines the nature of responses in the isotopic compositions following perturbations in the water and isotope balances (e.g., dilution by inflow, water deficit by increased evaporation, and/ or reduction in inflow). The isotopic profiles of some saline lakes from the Polar regions show that they switched the two contrasting modes of operation between evaporative and freezing systems, in response to climate and hydrological changes in the past.

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“…If the aquifers were chemically strongly influenced by old evaporites and/or sedimentary rocks before its finds its way to the unfrozen chimney beneath the lake's monimolimnion, the water ionic ratios would then be expected to deviate substantially from those of seawater. On the other hand, its 6i80 values, which have been shown by Page et al (1984Page et al ( , 1987 to vary between -21 to -8x,, would cluster around + lo%,, like those of deep brines (Fritz & Frape, 1982) and would appear closer to the global meteoric water line. These saline meromictic lakes offer a unique set of opportunities to investigate several polar limnological factors.…”

mentioning

confidence: 94%

“…commun.). As a matter of fact, in 1984, ground ice obtained from the mine gallery (250 m below ground level) was shown by Page et al (1987) to be less concentrated in chloride (19 mg 1 -') by a factor of 2500 times relative to the monimolimnion (46 300 mg I-'). This is interpreted as being the residual cryogenic byproduct of the brine ionic exclusion generated by the permafrost growth.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Physico-chemical characteristics and origin of hypersaline meromictic Lake Garrow in the Canadian high Arctic

Ouellet

Dickman

Bisson³

et al. 1989

Hydrobiologia

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Garrow Lake (75' 23' N; 96" 50' W), located 3 km from the southern tip of Little Comwallis Island and 6.7 m above mean sea level, is a meromictic ecto-creno-cryogenic lake with an area of 418 ha and a maximum water depth of 49 m. The thermal stratification of this lake is mesothermic (heliothermic). Some of the solar energy that penetrates through the 2 m ice cover is stored for a long period of time in the upper level of the monimolimnion, under a greenhouse effect due the water density gradient. The energy transfer (0.06 "C m-') by conduction toward the bottom sediments is very constant from one year to the next and is likely to prevent the presence of permafrost under this water body.In its chemical composition, this meromictic lake is quite comparable to the world's saltiest water bodies and is the first lake, with a salinity greater than sea water to be reported for the Canadian Arctic. Its anoxic monimolimnion is nearly three times (90x,,) as salty as normal sea water.This hypersaline water seems to have been derived from isostatic trapped marine waters within the present lacustrine basin as well as from underground during deglaciation of the area. The subsequent freezing-out of salt from the underground waters and the migration and accumulation of these waters in the bottom of Garrow Lake through a talik within the permafrost were the main contributing factors. The speed of formation and migration of the underground brine was a function of the postglacial isostatic uplift rate as well as the permafrost growth rate.

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Isotopic composition and origin of lacustrine brines in the Arctic

Cited by 12 publications

References 18 publications

Characterization of high arctic stream diatom assemblages from Cornwallis Island, Nunavut, Canada

Characterization of high arctic stream diatom assemblages from Cornwallis Island, Nunavut, Canada

Isotopic Evolution of Saline Lakes in the Low-Latitude and Polar Regions

Physico-chemical characteristics and origin of hypersaline meromictic Lake Garrow in the Canadian high Arctic

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