A synthesis of thermokarst lake water balance in high-latitude regions of North America from isotope tracers

Numerous studies utilizing remote sensing imagery and other methods have documented that thermokarst lakes are undergoing varied hydrological transitions in response to recent climate changes, from surface area expansion to drainage and evaporative desiccation. Here, we provide a synthesis of hydrological conditions for 376 lakes of mainly thermokarst origin across high-latitude North America. We assemble surface water isotope compositions measured during the past decade at five lake-rich landscapes including Arctic Coastal Plain (Alaska), Yukon Flats (Alaska), Old Crow Flats (Yukon), northwestern Hudson Bay Lowlands (Manitoba), and Nunavik (Quebec). These landscapes represent the broad range of thermokarst environments by spanning gradients in meteorological, permafrost, and vegetation conditions. An isotope framework was established based on flux-weighted long-term averages of meteorological conditions for each lake to quantify water balance metrics. The isotope composition of source water and evaporation-to-inflow ratio for each lake were determined, and the results demonstrated a substantial array of regional and subregional diversity of lake hydrological conditions. Controls on lake water balance and how these vary among the five landscapes and with differing environmental drivers are assessed. Findings reveal that lakes in the Hudson Bay Lowlands are most vulnerable to evaporative desiccation, whereas those in Nunavik are most resilient. However, we also identify the complexity in predicting hydrological responses of these thermokarst landscapes to future climate change.

Data and Resources

Field Value
accessLevel public
bureauCode {010:00}
catalog_@context https://project-open-data.cio.gov/v1.1/schema/catalog.jsonld
catalog_conformsTo https://project-open-data.cio.gov/v1.1/schema
catalog_describedBy https://project-open-data.cio.gov/v1.1/schema/catalog.json
identifier 8e2d4afc-2d9b-432f-97e5-2d8fb2b602d3
metadata_type geospatial
modified 2019-09-09T01:43:47-08:00
old-spatial {"type": "Polygon", "coordinates": [[[-154.27953252, 69.459199733], [-151.137414303, 69.459199733], [-151.137414303, 70.3116697561], [-154.27953252, 70.3116697561], [-154.27953252, 69.459199733]]]}
publisher LCC Network
resource-type Dataset
source_datajson_identifier true
source_hash 3ffda0728df9c8569712e4b15624a1bc159db145
source_schema_version 1.1
spatial {"type": "Polygon", "coordinates": [[[-154.27953252, 69.459199733], [-151.137414303, 69.459199733], [-151.137414303, 70.3116697561], [-154.27953252, 70.3116697561], [-154.27953252, 69.459199733]]]}
theme {geospatial}
Groups
  • AmeriGEOSS
  • National Provider
  • North America
Tags
  • academics-scientific-researchers
  • amerigeo
  • amerigeoss
  • ckan
  • ecosystem-functions
  • environment
  • federal-resource-managers
  • geo
  • geoss
  • inlandwaters
  • lake-ice
  • lakes
  • national
  • north-america
  • permafrost
  • river-ice
  • united-states
  • wetlands
isopen False
license_id notspecified
license_title License not specified
maintainer (Point of Contact); Arctic Landscape Conservation Cooperative (Point of Contact, Publisher)
maintainer_email lccdatasteward@fws.gov
metadata_created 2025-11-20T18:22:18.936938
metadata_modified 2025-11-20T18:22:18.936942
notes Numerous studies utilizing remote sensing imagery and other methods have documented that thermokarst lakes are undergoing varied hydrological transitions in response to recent climate changes, from surface area expansion to drainage and evaporative desiccation. Here, we provide a synthesis of hydrological conditions for 376 lakes of mainly thermokarst origin across high-latitude North America. We assemble surface water isotope compositions measured during the past decade at five lake-rich landscapes including Arctic Coastal Plain (Alaska), Yukon Flats (Alaska), Old Crow Flats (Yukon), northwestern Hudson Bay Lowlands (Manitoba), and Nunavik (Quebec). These landscapes represent the broad range of thermokarst environments by spanning gradients in meteorological, permafrost, and vegetation conditions. An isotope framework was established based on flux-weighted long-term averages of meteorological conditions for each lake to quantify water balance metrics. The isotope composition of source water and evaporation-to-inflow ratio for each lake were determined, and the results demonstrated a substantial array of regional and subregional diversity of lake hydrological conditions. Controls on lake water balance and how these vary among the five landscapes and with differing environmental drivers are assessed. Findings reveal that lakes in the Hudson Bay Lowlands are most vulnerable to evaporative desiccation, whereas those in Nunavik are most resilient. However, we also identify the complexity in predicting hydrological responses of these thermokarst landscapes to future climate change.
num_resources 9
num_tags 18
title A synthesis of thermokarst lake water balance in high-latitude regions of North America from isotope tracers