Manicouagan Reservoir, Quebec
Published: November 21, 2008, 7:59 pm
Updated: November 21, 2008, 7:59 pm
This article has been reviewed by the following Topic Editor:
Mark McGinley Physical Attributes
- Altitude: 366 m above sea level
- Surface Area: 1,950 sq km
- Mean Depth: 85 m
- Maximum Depth: 350 m
- Volume: 142 cu. km
- Shoreline Length: 1322 km
- Drainage Basin: 29, 241 sq km
General Description
The Manicouagan Reservoir is located north of the St. Lawrence River in Quebec. The reservoir was created by damming the arched Manicouagan and Mouchalagan Lakes with their associated rivers. The circular shape of the reservoir and the surrounding landscape's characteristics are a consequence of a meteoritic impact. A large island, ile Rene-Levasseur, fills the middle of the reservoir. The Mouchalagane, Seignelay, and Themines rivers as well as the Petite Riviere Manicouagan and Hart Jaune River are the major inlets to this body of water. The Manicouagan River drains the reservoir. The water is oligotrophic, slightly acidic and very clear. This reservoir is monomictic and the thermocline develops during the summer at an average depth of 8 meters. Mercury has been detected in whitefish, the main commercial fish species from the lake. This, however, is normal for reservoirs located in this region. The enhanced siltation that occurred when the reservoir was first dammed in the late 1960's has settled and the water quality is generally considered to be pristine.
Watershed
Manicouagan Reservoir is situated on the Precambrian rock of the Canadian Shield. Aquatic environments occupy the low areas between the numerous rocky hills and account for 20 to 50% of the region's surface area. Consequently, most of Hydro-Quebec's reservoirs are found in this region and the Manicouagan Reservoir is the most substantial water body of the Manicouagan hydroelectric complex. Boreal forest surrounds the reservoir and the main activities within the drainage basin are hunting of moose, caribou and lynx. Baie-Comeau is the closest city, located 217 km away on the north shore of the St. Lawrence River.
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Citation
Biodiversity Institute of Ontario, Paul D. N. Hebert (Lead Author);Mark McGinley (Topic Editor) "Manicouagan Reservoir, Quebec". 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 November 21, 2008; Last revised Date November 21, 2008; Retrieved June 18, 2013 <http://www.eoearth.org/article/Manicouagan_Reservoir,_Quebec>
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: 366 m above sea level
- Surface Area: 1,950 sq km
- Mean Depth: 85 m
- Maximum Depth: 350 m
- Volume: 142 cu. km
- Shoreline Length: 1322 km
- Drainage Basin: 29, 241 sq km
General Description
The Manicouagan Reservoir is located north of the St. Lawrence River in Quebec. The reservoir was created by damming the arched Manicouagan and Mouchalagan Lakes with their associated rivers. The circular shape of the reservoir and the surrounding landscape's characteristics are a consequence of a meteoritic impact. A large island, ile Rene-Levasseur, fills the middle of the reservoir. The Mouchalagane, Seignelay, and Themines rivers as well as the Petite Riviere Manicouagan and Hart Jaune River are the major inlets to this body of water. The Manicouagan River drains the reservoir. The water is oligotrophic, slightly acidic and very clear. This reservoir is monomictic and the thermocline develops during the summer at an average depth of 8 meters. Mercury has been detected in whitefish, the main commercial fish species from the lake. This, however, is normal for reservoirs located in this region. The enhanced siltation that occurred when the reservoir was first dammed in the late 1960's has settled and the water quality is generally considered to be pristine.
Watershed
Manicouagan Reservoir is situated on the Precambrian rock of the Canadian Shield. Aquatic environments occupy the low areas between the numerous rocky hills and account for 20 to 50% of the region's surface area. Consequently, most of Hydro-Quebec's reservoirs are found in this region and the Manicouagan Reservoir is the most substantial water body of the Manicouagan hydroelectric complex. Boreal forest surrounds the reservoir and the main activities within the drainage basin are hunting of moose, caribou and lynx. Baie-Comeau is the closest city, located 217 km away on the north shore of the St. Lawrence River.
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(Source: Biodiversity Institute of Ontario)
(Source: Biodiversity Institute of Ontario)
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