| Abstract Title: | Climate-related Divergent Trends of Mercury in Arctic Char from Paired Lakes on Melville Island, Nunavut |
| Presenter Name: | Derek C.G. Muir |
| Company/Institution: | Environment and Climate Change Canada |
| Session: | Special Session - Climate-Driven Perturbations of Arctic Mercury Cycling |
| Co-Authors: | Derek C.G. Muir,Samantha Burke,Xiaowa Wang,Ben Barst,Jane Kirk,Debbie Iqaluk,Michael Pope,Scott Lamoureux,Melissa Lafrenire |
Abstract Information :
The Cape Bounty Arctic Watershed Observatory (CBAWO) includes two adjacent, geologically similar lakes (West and East), which are currently undergoing climate-driven changes. Both lakes have experienced permafrost degradation in their catchments; however, West Lake has also undergone multiple underwater Mass Movement Events (MME; beginning in fall 2008), leading to a sustained 50-fold increase in turbidity. This provided the unique opportunity to understand the potential impacts of increased turbidity and other climate-related effects on Hg concentrations ([Hg]) and body condition of Arctic char (Salvelinus alpinus), the sole fish species in these lakes and an important food source for Indigenous peoples across the Circum-Arctic. Our objectives were to assess temporal trends (2008- 2019) in char [Hg], and determine potential mechanisms driving any observed trends. Between 2008 and 2019, there was a significant decrease in length- (R2adj.=0.72, p
