Lake Hazen, Nunavut
Published: August 21, 2008, 2:28 pm
Updated: August 21, 2008, 2:28 pm
This article has been reviewed by the following Topic Editor:
Mark McGinley Physical Attributes
- Altitude: 158 m above sea level
- Surface Area: 542 sq km
- Maximum Depth: 280 m (maximum recorded)
- Shoreline Length: 185 km
General Description
Lake Hazen, located at the northern end of Ellesmere Island, is the world's largest lake entirely north of the Arctic Circle. Melting valley glaciers in the Grant Land Mountains supply water to the lake during the summer and Ruggles River flows out of it. Most years the lake remains frozen during the summer and therefore is it usually monomictic. The Hazen Fault Zone, just north of the lake, receives intense solar radiation and the lake enhances this effect so the area around Lake Hazen is a thermal oasis in an otherwise polar desert. Only 25 mm of precipitation falls in the region annually. The arctic char is the only species of fish present in the lake and is possibly the most northerly stock of this fish in the world.
Watershed
Lake Hazen is located on the Hazen Plateau of the Eureka Uplands, which is characterized by Palaeozoic rocks. Just north of the lake is the Hazen Fault Zone, which forms the boundaries of the ice-covered Grant Land Mountains.
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Citation
Biodiversity Institute of Ontario, Paul D. N. Hebert (Lead Author);Mark McGinley (Topic Editor) "Lake Hazen, Nunavut". In: Encyclopedia of Earth. Eds. Cutler J. Cleveland (Washington, D.C.: Environmental Information Coalition, National Council for Science and the Environment). [First published in the Encyclopedia of Earth August 21, 2008; Last revised Date August 21, 2008; Retrieved May 24, 2013 <http://www.eoearth.org/article/Lake_Hazen,_Nunavut>
The Authors
The Biodiversity Institute of Ontario (BIO) is an interdisciplinary research institute dedicated to improving the understanding of biodiversity at all scales, from the genetic to the macroecological. Based at the University of Guelph in Ontario, Canada, BIO is host to more than 30 university faculty and their research groups representing a wide range of biological expertise. BIO also includes specialized support staff and unique research and outreach capabilities designed to foster both academi ... (Full Bio)
After receiving his Ph.D. in genetics at Cambridge University in 1972, Paul Hebert took up a Rutherford Fellowship at the University of Sydney. He returned to Canada in 1976, accepting a position at the University of Windsor where he was a professor in Biological Sciences and Director of the Great Lakes Institute. He moved to the University of Guelph in 1990 as Chair of the Department of Zoology. He has been a visiting professor at the Australian National University, the Czech Academy of Scienc ... (Full Bio)
Physical Attributes
- Altitude: 158 m above sea level
- Surface Area: 542 sq km
- Maximum Depth: 280 m (maximum recorded)
- Shoreline Length: 185 km
General Description
Lake Hazen, located at the northern end of Ellesmere Island, is the world's largest lake entirely north of the Arctic Circle. Melting valley glaciers in the Grant Land Mountains supply water to the lake during the summer and Ruggles River flows out of it. Most years the lake remains frozen during the summer and therefore is it usually monomictic. The Hazen Fault Zone, just north of the lake, receives intense solar radiation and the lake enhances this effect so the area around Lake Hazen is a thermal oasis in an otherwise polar desert. Only 25 mm of precipitation falls in the region annually. The arctic char is the only species of fish present in the lake and is possibly the most northerly stock of this fish in the world.
Watershed
Lake Hazen is located on the Hazen Plateau of the Eureka Uplands, which is characterized by Palaeozoic rocks. Just north of the lake is the Hazen Fault Zone, which forms the boundaries of the ice-covered Grant Land Mountains.
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(Source: Biodiversity Institute of Ontario)
Piedmont glacier, west of Lake Hazen, Ellesmere Island.(Source: Biodiversity Institute of Ontario)
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