Qamanirjuaq Lake
Encyclopedia
Qamanirjuaq Lake is a lake
in Kivalliq Region, Nunavut
, Canada
. It is the first of several named lakes on the eastward flow of the Ferguson River
through the eastern barrenlands. The lake is located about 1 miles (2 km) downstream from Ferguson Lake
, and adjacent upstream to Parker Lake South. The Ferguson Rver passes through a series of rapids before entering the western arm of Qamanirjuaq Lake.
area of north-northwest ice flow, north of the tree line Canadian Arctic explorer, Joseph Burr Tyrrell, described the lake in his Geological Survey of Canada 1894 canoe expedition report:
Qamanirjuaq Lake is within the northern Hearne Domain, Western Churchill province of the Churchill craton
, northwest section of the Canadian Shield
in northern Canada
.
The Ahimaa Cave (Inuktitut
: "are you other?" or "are you other being?"), once inhabited by Inuit
, is hollowed out of Qamanirjuaq Lake's massive cliff.
, the namesake of the lake, who consider the area surrounding the lake as their traditional calving grounds, returning annually after traveling an inconsistent, unpredictable 500 miles (805 km) range through Manitoba
/Nunavut, northeastern Saskatchewan
, and southeastern Northwest Territories
. The herd, a keystone species
, has been safeguarded by the Beverly and Qamanirjuaq Caribou Management Board since 1982.
In the mid 1970s, a fishery
was moved from Kaminak Lake
(which proved to have unacceptably high levels of Mercury), to Qamanirjuaq Lake which showed no elevated Mercury levels. The lake is filled with lake whitefish
and lake trout
for commercial fishing, and is also home to Lasallia pensylvanica Arctic
lichen
, sphagnum
, bryophytes, and a few dwarf birch
.
Lake
A lake is a body of relatively still fresh or salt water of considerable size, localized in a basin, that is surrounded by land. Lakes are inland and not part of the ocean and therefore are distinct from lagoons, and are larger and deeper than ponds. Lakes can be contrasted with rivers or streams,...
in Kivalliq Region, Nunavut
Nunavut
Nunavut is the largest and newest federal territory of Canada; it was separated officially from the Northwest Territories on April 1, 1999, via the Nunavut Act and the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement Act, though the actual boundaries had been established in 1993...
, 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...
. It is the first of several named lakes on the eastward flow of the Ferguson River
Ferguson River (Nunavut)
The Ferguson River originates on the eastern bank of Ferguson Lake within the northern Hearne Domain, Western Churchill province of the Churchill craton, the northwest section of the Canadian Shield in Nunavut's Kivalliq Region....
through the eastern barrenlands. The lake is located about 1 miles (2 km) downstream from Ferguson Lake
Ferguson Lake (Kivalliq Region)
Ferguson Lake is a lake in Kivalliq Region, Nunavut, Canada. It is located north of the tree line, midway between Yathkyed Lake and Qamanirjuaq Lake. The lake's outflow is to the east into the Ferguson River, which flows eastward through several lakes, emptying into northwestern Hudson Bay between...
, and adjacent upstream to Parker Lake South. The Ferguson Rver passes through a series of rapids before entering the western arm of Qamanirjuaq Lake.
Geography
The lake is irregularly shaped with several inlets and unnamed islands, in a permafrostPermafrost
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...
area of north-northwest ice flow, north of the tree line Canadian Arctic explorer, Joseph Burr Tyrrell, described the lake in his Geological Survey of Canada 1894 canoe expedition report:
- "Kaminuriak Lake is a beautiful sheet of clear cold water lying in the till-covered plain... Where seen, the beach is in some places sandy, but more generally of large boulders, which, on the more exposed parts of the shore are arranged in a regular wall to the height of from eight to twelve feet, while in the bays they are scattered over a shallow floor of sand or till. Back from the lake the country stretches in wide treeless plains, or rises in low grassy hills, which show no signs of any underlying rock... Following the south shore of Kaminuriak Lake to its southeastern angle, the river was again reached... now a much larger stream, sixty yards wide and two feet deep."
Qamanirjuaq Lake is within the northern Hearne Domain, Western Churchill province of the Churchill craton
Churchill craton
The Churchill craton is the northwest section of the Canadian Shield and stretches from southern Saskatchewan and Alberta to northern Nunavut. It has a very complex geological history punctuated by at least seven distinct regional tectonometamorphic intervals, including many discrete accretionary...
, northwest section of the Canadian Shield
Canadian Shield
The Canadian Shield, also called the Laurentian Plateau, or Bouclier Canadien , is a vast geological shield covered by a thin layer of soil that forms the nucleus of the North American or Laurentia craton. It is an area mostly composed of igneous rock which relates to its long volcanic history...
in northern Canada
Northern Canada
Northern Canada, colloquially the North, is the vast northernmost region of Canada variously defined by geography and politics. Politically, the term refers to the three territories of Canada: Yukon, Northwest Territories, and Nunavut...
.
The Ahimaa Cave (Inuktitut
Inuktitut
Inuktitut or Eastern Canadian Inuktitut, Eastern Canadian Inuit language is the name of some of the Inuit languages spoken in Canada...
: "are you other?" or "are you other being?"), once inhabited by 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...
, is hollowed out of Qamanirjuaq Lake's massive cliff.
Fauna
This habitat is hospitable to Qamanirjuaq barren-ground caribouBarren-ground Caribou
Barren-ground Caribou is a subspecies of the caribou that is found mainly in the Canadian territories Nunavut and the Northwest Territories and western Greenland. It sometimes includes the similar porcupine caribou, in which case the barren-ground caribou also is found in Alaska...
, the namesake of the lake, who consider the area surrounding the lake as their traditional calving grounds, returning annually after traveling an inconsistent, unpredictable 500 miles (805 km) range through Manitoba
Manitoba
Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...
/Nunavut, northeastern Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan is a prairie province in Canada, which has an area of . Saskatchewan is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dakota....
, and southeastern Northwest Territories
Northwest Territories
The Northwest Territories is a federal territory of Canada.Located in northern Canada, the territory borders Canada's two other territories, Yukon to the west and Nunavut to the east, and three provinces: British Columbia to the southwest, and Alberta and Saskatchewan to the south...
. The herd, a keystone species
Keystone species
A keystone species is a species that has a disproportionately large effect on its environment relative to its abundance. Such species play a critical role in maintaining the structure of an ecological community, affecting many other organisms in an ecosystem and helping to determine the types and...
, has been safeguarded by the Beverly and Qamanirjuaq Caribou Management Board since 1982.
In the mid 1970s, a fishery
Fishery
Generally, a fishery is an entity engaged in raising or harvesting fish which is determined by some authority to be a fishery. According to the FAO, a fishery is typically defined in terms of the "people involved, species or type of fish, area of water or seabed, method of fishing, class of boats,...
was moved from Kaminak Lake
Kaminak Lake
Kaminak Lake is a lake in Kivalliq Region, Nunavut, Canada. The sub-Arctic lake is one of eleven lakes of the Ferguson River system which ultimately flows into the northwestern Hudson Bay...
(which proved to have unacceptably high levels of Mercury), to Qamanirjuaq Lake which showed no elevated Mercury levels. The lake is filled with lake whitefish
Lake whitefish
The lake whitefish , also called the Sault whitefish or gizzard fish, is a species of freshwater whitefish from North America. Lake whitefish are found throughout much of Canada and parts of the northern United States, including all of the Great Lakes. A valuable commercial fish, they are also...
and lake trout
Lake trout
Lake trout is a freshwater char living mainly in lakes in northern North America. Other names for it include mackinaw, lake char , touladi, togue, and grey trout. In Lake Superior, they can also be variously known as siscowet, paperbellies and leans...
for commercial fishing, and is also home to Lasallia pensylvanica Arctic
Arctic
The Arctic is a region located at the northern-most part of the Earth. The Arctic consists of the Arctic Ocean and parts of Canada, Russia, Greenland, the United States, Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Iceland. The Arctic region consists of a vast, ice-covered ocean, surrounded by treeless permafrost...
lichen
Lichen
Lichens are composite organisms consisting of a symbiotic organism composed of a fungus with a photosynthetic partner , usually either a green alga or cyanobacterium...
, sphagnum
Sphagnum
Sphagnum is a genus of between 151 and 350 species of mosses commonly called peat moss, due to its prevalence in peat bogs and mires. A distinction is made between sphagnum moss, the live moss growing on top of a peat bog on one hand, and sphagnum peat moss or sphagnum peat on the other, the...
, bryophytes, and a few dwarf birch
Dwarf Birch
Betula nana is a species of birch in the family Betulaceae, found mainly in the tundra of the Arctic region.-Description:...
.