The ecosystems of the Canadian High Arctic, including freshwater systems, are recognized to be particularly vulnerable to the effects of global environmental change. Although freshwater systems of the High Arctic have undergone dramatic biotic shifts due to recent climatic change, very little information is available about the long-term responses of these systems to fluctuations in …
While the planet as a whole is currently undergoing rapid warming, Quebec’s far north is one of the fastest-warming regions in the world. This warming affects the different components of landscapes and ecosystems. It is uncertain how northern lakes will be influenced by these changes, and to what extent they have already undergone …
Since the discovery of Antarctica in the early 19th Century, the number of humans arriving to the continent has progressively increased. This increased human footprint has generated concern about the threats posed to the region’s fragile ecosystems. The Fildes Peninsula (King George Island, South Shetland Islands) has been the site of year-round human presence since …
Quebec’s territory is covered by millions of lakes and those located in densely populated areas in the south are subjected to the influence of human activities in their catchments. An increasing number of these lakes are affected by eutrophication, showing recurring blooms of cyanobacteria (blue-green algae). Since the summer of 1999, cyanobacterial blooms were reported …
Paleolimnological studies into the recent (ca. last 200 years) history of northern lakes have revealed a striking discrepancy between climatic trends inferred for regions roughly located north and south of the Foxe Basin and Hudson Strait (Pienitz et al. 2004; Smol et al. 2005). While most freshwater ecosystems show signs of pronounced changes associated with …
Permafrost affects nearly 50% of the Canadian territory, and it is found almost everywhere in Northern Quebec. Recent climatic warming has triggered partial melting of the permafrost in subarctic regions. This process brings a local ground subsidence which creates water-filled depressions called «thermokarst lakes». Recently observed in many northern regions, these lakes seem to have …