Great Bear Lake Surface Water Temperatures from 2000 to 2011

Surface water temperature data for Great Bear Lake, collected from 2000 to 2011 at depths of 0.1 to 1.0 meters using handheld digital thermometers. The data is part of a two-decade research series by Fisheries and Oceans Canada and partners to assess the effects of environmental change on fisheries, particularly lake trout. This community-led monitoring involved the Délı̨nę Renewable Resources Council and aims to establish a baseline for understanding climate impacts on large northern lake ecosystems.

Use Cases

• Modeling the thermal niche of lake trout based on surface water temperature trends mentioned in the description.
• Analyzing long-term climate change effects on large northern lake ecosystems using the 2000-2011 baseline data.
• Supporting community-led natural resource management strategies for fisheries, as referenced in the description.
• Studying cumulative environmental impacts on water quality and fish populations in the Sahtú Settlement Area.

Strengths

• Data spans 12 years from 2000 to 2011, providing a multi-year baseline.
• Collection involved strong community partnership, including the Guardian Program for youth involvement.
• Data is explicitly intended as a baseline for monitoring further change in a large northern lake ecosystem.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Data collection ended in 2011; freshness should be verified for current applications.

Provenance

Source

Fisheries and Oceans Canada | Pêches et Océans Canada

Collection Method

Handheld digital thermometer measurements through partnered community-led and collaborative sampling.

Time Range

2000 to 2011

Freshness

Last updated 2026-05-08 08:01:54.983936; freshness should be verified

Geography

Great Bear Lake (Sahtú Settlement Area), sub-Arctic/Arctic Circle, North America