Koksoak River
Encyclopedia
The Koksoak River is a river in northern Quebec
, Canada
, the largest river
in the Nunavik
region. The Inuit
village and region's administrative center Kuujjuaq lies on the shores of the Koksoak, about 50 kilometres (31.1 mi) south from its mouth.
The name Koksoak is believed to originate from Moravian missionaries who evangelized among the Inuit of the area at the beginning of British rule and incorrectly spelled the Inuktitut
word Kuujjuaq, meaning "great river." In the 19th century, the river was also known as Big or South River, taken from South Bay which was the name of Ungava Bay at that time. In 1916, the name Koksoak was officially adopted.
The Koksoak River arises at the confluence of its two main tributaries, the Rivière aux Mélèzes
to the west and the Caniapiscau River
to the south. The Koksoak River flows for about 80 kilometres (49.7 mi) in an east-northeasterly direction into Ungava Bay
, and passes by the village of Kuujjuaq, from where it flows northwards for about 50 kilometres (31.1 mi) to the coast. The total length of the Koksoak River and its main tributary, the Caniapiscau River, is approximately 874 kilometres (543.1 mi) and the size of the drainage basin is about 133000 square kilometres (51,351.6 sq mi). However, in 1985 the upper waters of the Canaipiscau River were diverted as part of the James Bay Project
and about 45 % of the waterflow of the Caniapiscau now flows through the Caniapiscau Reservoir
and on into the LaForge and La Grande River
s to the west. The catchment area of the Caniapiscau Reservoir is about 36800 square kilometres (14,208.6 sq mi).
The Koksoak river has an estimated mean discharge of approximately 55 km3 of water per year - though the absence of long streamgauging records means accurate data are not available. Most of the flow occurs during the early summer when the ice
on the river thaws and snow
in the Canadian Shield melts. The Koksoak River lies on the boundary between the northern limit of the boreal forest
and the vast tundra expanses of the Ungava Peninsula
to the north. All the Koksoak basin is covered with permafrost
- discontinuous in the south and continuous in the north.
Although hunting
activities and administrative services are a mainstay of life in Kuujjuaq, adventure tourism is expanding, centered mostly on caribou
hunting as well as salmon
, trout
and arctic char
fishing
.
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, the largest river
River
A river is a natural watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, a lake, a sea, or another river. In a few cases, a river simply flows into the ground or dries up completely before reaching another body of water. Small rivers may also be called by several other names, including...
in the Nunavik
Nunavik
Nunavik comprises the northern third of the province of Quebec, Canada. Covering a land area of 443,684.71 km² north of the 55th parallel, it is the homeland of the Inuit of Quebec...
region. The Inuit
Inuit
The Inuit are a group of culturally similar indigenous peoples inhabiting the Arctic regions of Canada , Denmark , Russia and the United States . Inuit means “the people” in the Inuktitut language...
village and region's administrative center Kuujjuaq lies on the shores of the Koksoak, about 50 kilometres (31.1 mi) south from its mouth.
The name Koksoak is believed to originate from Moravian missionaries who evangelized among the Inuit of the area at the beginning of British rule and incorrectly spelled the Inuktitut
Inuktitut
Inuktitut or Eastern Canadian Inuktitut, Eastern Canadian Inuit language is the name of some of the Inuit languages spoken in Canada...
word Kuujjuaq, meaning "great river." In the 19th century, the river was also known as Big or South River, taken from South Bay which was the name of Ungava Bay at that time. In 1916, the name Koksoak was officially adopted.
The Koksoak River arises at the confluence of its two main tributaries, the Rivière aux Mélèzes
Rivière aux Mélèzes
The Rivière aux Mélèzes is a river in Nunavik, Quebec, Canada. It forms the western part of the large basin of the Koksoak River...
to the west and the Caniapiscau River
Caniapiscau River
The Caniapiscau River is a tributary of the Koksoak River in Nunavik, Quebec, Canada. In Cree the name of the river means rocky point.Starting from Lac Sevestre on the Canadian Shield, the Caniapiscau River flows northward through a wide, timbered glacial valley until it makes a sharp turn at its...
to the south. The Koksoak River flows for about 80 kilometres (49.7 mi) in an east-northeasterly direction into Ungava Bay
Ungava Bay
Ungava Bay is a large bay in northeastern Canada separating Nunavik from Baffin Island. The bay is shaped like a rounded square with a side length of about and has an area of approximately...
, and passes by the village of Kuujjuaq, from where it flows northwards for about 50 kilometres (31.1 mi) to the coast. The total length of the Koksoak River and its main tributary, the Caniapiscau River, is approximately 874 kilometres (543.1 mi) and the size of the drainage basin is about 133000 square kilometres (51,351.6 sq mi). However, in 1985 the upper waters of the Canaipiscau River were diverted as part of the James Bay Project
James Bay Project
The James Bay Project is a series of hydroelectric development with a combined installed capacity of over 16,000 megawatts built since 1974 for Hydro-Québec by the on the La Grande and other rivers of Northern Quebec....
and about 45 % of the waterflow of the Caniapiscau now flows through the Caniapiscau Reservoir
Caniapiscau Reservoir
The Caniapiscau Reservoir is a reservoir on the upper Caniapiscau River in the Côte-Nord administrative region of the Canadian province of Quebec...
and on into the LaForge and La Grande River
La Grande River
La Grande River is a river in northwestern Quebec, Canada, which rises in the highlands of north central Quebec and flows roughly west to drain into James Bay. It is the second largest river in Quebec, surpassed only by the Saint Lawrence River....
s to the west. The catchment area of the Caniapiscau Reservoir is about 36800 square kilometres (14,208.6 sq mi).
The Koksoak river has an estimated mean discharge of approximately 55 km3 of water per year - though the absence of long streamgauging records means accurate data are not available. Most of the flow occurs during the early summer when the ice
Ice
Ice is water frozen into the solid state. Usually ice is the phase known as ice Ih, which is the most abundant of the varying solid phases on the Earth's surface. It can appear transparent or opaque bluish-white color, depending on the presence of impurities or air inclusions...
on the river thaws and snow
Snow
Snow is a form of precipitation within the Earth's atmosphere in the form of crystalline water ice, consisting of a multitude of snowflakes that fall from clouds. Since snow is composed of small ice particles, it is a granular material. It has an open and therefore soft structure, unless packed by...
in the Canadian Shield melts. The Koksoak River lies on the boundary between the northern limit of the boreal forest
Taiga
Taiga , also known as the boreal forest, is a biome characterized by coniferous forests.Taiga is the world's largest terrestrial biome. In North America it covers most of inland Canada and Alaska as well as parts of the extreme northern continental United States and is known as the Northwoods...
and the vast tundra expanses of the Ungava Peninsula
Ungava Peninsula
The Ungava Peninsula of Nunavik, Quebec, Canada, is bounded by Hudson Bay to the west, Hudson Strait to the north, and Ungava Bay to the east. The Ungava Peninsula is part of the Labrador Peninsula and covers about 252,000 km²...
to the north. All the Koksoak basin is covered with permafrost
Permafrost
In geology, permafrost, cryotic soil or permafrost soil is soil at or below the freezing point of water for two or more years. Ice is not always present, as may be in the case of nonporous bedrock, but it frequently occurs and it may be in amounts exceeding the potential hydraulic saturation of...
- discontinuous in the south and continuous in the north.
Although hunting
Hunting
Hunting is the practice of pursuing any living thing, usually wildlife, for food, recreation, or trade. In present-day use, the term refers to lawful hunting, as distinguished from poaching, which is the killing, trapping or capture of the hunted species contrary to applicable law...
activities and administrative services are a mainstay of life in Kuujjuaq, adventure tourism is expanding, centered mostly on caribou
Migratory Woodland Caribou
The migratory woodland caribou , also known as the forest caribou or woodland caribou , is a subspecies of the caribou...
hunting as well as salmon
Salmon
Salmon is the common name for several species of fish in the family Salmonidae. Several other fish in the same family are called trout; the difference is often said to be that salmon migrate and trout are resident, but this distinction does not strictly hold true...
, trout
Trout
Trout is the name for a number of species of freshwater and saltwater fish belonging to the Salmoninae subfamily of the family Salmonidae. Salmon belong to the same family as trout. Most salmon species spend almost all their lives in salt water...
and arctic char
Arctic char
Arctic char or Arctic charr is both a freshwater and saltwater fish in the Salmonidae family, native to Arctic, sub-Arctic and alpine lakes and coastal waters. No other freshwater fish is found as far north. It is the only species of fish in Lake Hazen, on Ellesmere Island in the Canadian Arctic...
fishing
Fishing
Fishing is the activity of trying to catch wild fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping....
.
Tributaries
The significant tributaries of the Koksoak are (in upstream order):- Highfall Creek
- Kupatalik River
- Ujaralialuk River
- Caniapiscau RiverCaniapiscau RiverThe Caniapiscau River is a tributary of the Koksoak River in Nunavik, Quebec, Canada. In Cree the name of the river means rocky point.Starting from Lac Sevestre on the Canadian Shield, the Caniapiscau River flows northward through a wide, timbered glacial valley until it makes a sharp turn at its...
- Forbes River
- Situraviup River
- Andréas River
- Sérigny River
- Rivière aux MélèzesRivière aux MélèzesThe Rivière aux Mélèzes is a river in Nunavik, Quebec, Canada. It forms the western part of the large basin of the Koksoak River...
- Aigneau River
- Lefebvre River
- Ikirtuuq River
- Rivière du Gué
- Guignas River
- Delay River
- Potier River