Arctic lakes are essential natural, aesthetic, and cultural resources for Indigenous communities and northern residents who rely on them for food and water. Local voices emphasize that understanding how Arctic lake ecosystems change and impact nutritional security and human health requires integrative approaches that consider the winter season, cultural practices, and food webs. This research project responds to priorities identified by Inuit organizations that have reported fish kills under ice due to low oxygen, changes in fish taste, and reduced access to ice-based cultural activities. We aim to expand the traditionally summer-focused Arctic research to year-round assessments in six Inuit Nunangat regions.
Our objectives include understanding the impacts of warming winters on lakes, identifying adaptation strategies to ensure access to fishing sites, and enhancing our understanding of freshwater food web health and its socioeconomic implications. We will conduct detailed studies on ice cover, under-ice light, temperature, hydrological flow, and oxygen levels that affect survival and energy transfer, health-determining essential fats, and contaminants in lake food webs. Furthermore, we will use next-generation sequencing to identify microbial genes driving in biogeochemical cycling of key nutrients, primary production as well as contaminant fluxes. These factors influence the abundance and health of top predators like Arctic char, vital for cultural and nutritional needs.
Our project brings together Inuit organizations, Elders, youth, and researchers from environmental and social sciences to co-create solutions where, by reimagining existing models and frameworks with active local participation, we will develop a resilience plan that supports local food economies and traditional fishing practices. Covering research sites across Inuit Nunangat, the project will offer a groundbreaking perspective on human-lake interactions during the understudied winter season.