Effects of Snow and Ice on the Annual Cycles of Heat and Light in Saqvaqjuac Lakes

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Abstract
The annual cycles of temperature, ice and snow cover, and light are described for small Saqvaqjuac lakes (63°30′N). Summer thermal stratification occurred but was not persistent. Annual heat budgets were slightly higher than for temperate lakes and increased with increasing mean depth; latent heat of fusion constituted one half to one third of the total heat flow. Ice thickness reached a maximum of 1.6–2.2 m, depending upon winter snow cover, and a thin layer (≈5 cm) of white ice occurred in some years. Ice-out was a partial function of mean June temperature. The open-water season lasted 2–3 ms. Light attenuation through white and candled ice, snow, and water was measured. About 28% of the annual surface irradiance penetrated the unfrozen water, about half that which would have been absorbed under ice-free conditions. Extinction coefficients were inversely correlated with mean depth and positively correlated with nutrient status.

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