Isotopic analyses (/sup 18/O, /sup 13/C, /sup 14/C) of two meromictic lakes in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago

Journal Article · Tue May 01 00:00:00 EDT 1984 · Limnol. Oceanogr.; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.4319/lo.1984.29.3.0564· OSTI ID:6501952

Page, P; Ouellet, M; Hillaire-Marcel, C; Dickman, M

Meromictic Lakes Garrow and Sophia in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago were sampled to establish the origin and age of their water by isotopic studies. /sup 18/O values reflect the permanent stratification of the water in both lakes. The mixolimnia contain waters with an isotopic signal between -13.16 and -21.98%, coherent with the values for precipitation in these high latitudes. In the chemoclines, the delta/sup 18/O values increase to -10% concomitantly with a rise in chloride content to 42 g.liter/sup -1/. In the monimolimnia, hypersaline waters (up to 2.5 times the salinity of seawater) show negative delta/sup 18/O values (ca. -.08%). These waters result from brine production during permafrost growth in the watershed, according to a Rayleigh process. /sup 14/C dating of total inorganic carbon in the Lake Garrow monimolimnion gave an age of 2580 +/- 260 years BP. In Lake Sophia, the deep waters exhibit recent /sup 14/C activity that suggests recent infiltration of seawater into the lake basin.

• Research Organization: Universite du Quebec a Montreal
• OSTI ID: 6501952
• Journal Information: Limnol. Oceanogr.; (United States), Vol. 29:3
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
CARBON 13
ISOTOPE RATIO
CARBON 14
LAKES
ISOTOPE DATING
LIMNOLOGY
OXYGEN 18
ARCTIC REGIONS
CANADA
AGE ESTIMATION
BETA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BETA-MINUS DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
CARBON ISOTOPES
EVEN-EVEN NUCLEI
EVEN-ODD NUCLEI
ISOTOPES
LIGHT NUCLEI
NORTH AMERICA
NUCLEI
OXYGEN ISOTOPES
POLAR REGIONS
RADIOISOTOPES
STABLE ISOTOPES
SURFACE WATERS
YEARS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
520101* - Environment
Aquatic- Basic Studies- Radiometric Techniques- (-1989)