Lakes as an Archive
Lakes are a valuable record of landscape change and in the Arctic, where processes are particularly sensitive to changes in climate, lake sediment records preserve changes over time.
In this project, which I am developing into an NSF proposal with several collaborators at Dartmouth College, we will explore how changes in climate over the Holocene impacted sedimentation and sediment transport in the Arctic.
Overview Video
The project is focused on several lakes in the Aklavik Range of the Richardson Mountains, NWT, Canada. These lakes record post-glacial and recent changes in sedimentation.
Remote lakes mean adventurous ways to get there! For our preliminary data, we took a helicopter to visit our proposed field areas.
This study will answer key questions on how modern climate changes could result in increased sediment transport and sedimentation in Arctic regions.
Preliminary data collecting crew (Dr. Shanti Penprase and Prof. Marisa Palucis) and our lake scouting setup.
Preliminary Data Collection: Summer 2025
We collected preliminary data for this project in Summer 2025 from a lake in the Aklavik Range. This preliminary data included bathymetry, a gravity core of lake sediments, and tile probing of the lake bottom to understand potential lake grain size and sediment depth.
Left: Inflatable boat in action with tile probes to probe lake bottom sediments.;
Right: Lake setup on our scouting lake near the mouth of the Willow River (see photo at top of this page).
In addition to our in-depth data collection at one lake, we scouted several other lakes in the region and looked at lake inlets and outlets to better understand how sediment moves through this system.
Sometimes fieldwork requires getting your feet wet! Dr. Shanti Penprase in action with a gravity corer to collect a preliminary lake core.
Gallery of Images from Lake Scouting
Click on each image to enlarge.
