Jasmina Vucic (MSc, 2019)

Project description: During the past century, the Earth’s climate has warmed, causing gradual ecosystem changes which are amplified at high latitudes. Impacts of warming concern northern communities, such as those found in the Gwich’in Settlement Area (GSA) and the Inuvialuit Settlement Region (ISR) of the Northwest Territories, where lifestyles and livelihoods are coupled with the natural environment. One of the most striking impacts of climate change in the north has been the gradual loss of permafrost, which can lead to changes in water quality, including increased turbidity, conductivity, and nutrient levels. It is predicted that climate change may also alter lake water levels through changes in ice coverage, water flow, net basin water supplies, and evaporation. Research has yet to determine how these physical and chemical changes might impact important members of the lower food web, such as zooplankton. In the summers of 2017 and 2018 we collected baseline water chemistry data, lake bathymetry, and zooplankton samples from 56 lakes along the Dempster Highway and the Inuvik-Tuktoyaktuk Highway running from Fort McPherson to Tuktoyaktuk. Preliminary analyses indicate that lake depth and water clarity have a significant influence on zooplankton community structure in this region and that depth, conductivity, and dissolved oxygen levels influence the diversity of zooplankton species found in each lake. These results suggest that climate-driven changes in hydrology or decreases in water clarity due to permafrost thaw may have a significant impact on northern zooplankton communities.

Thesis: Factors influencing zooplankton communities in small Arctic lakes, Northwest Territories

Associated projects: How will fish in Arctic lakes respond to climate change, How will invertebrates in Arctic lakes respond to permafrost thaw

Current position: Project Manager at Accuworx Inc.