DOI: 10.25976/2u81-ra56
title: Great Bear Lake (Sahtú) Surface water temperature monitoring

description: Great Bear Lake, one of the largest lakes in North America, contains culturally and recreationally important fish species. Great Bear Lake is located in the sub-Arctic and Arctic Circle. As part of a two-decade series of research aimed to provide a comprehensive synthesis of the effects of harvest and environmental change on fisheries in Great Bear Lake, the main objectives of this study are to assess demographic traits and the current status of harvested species, with a focus on evaluating sustainable harvest levels of lake trout, a cold-adapted species with a relatively narrow thermal niche. As part of this research, trends in water quality and primary productivity are monitored to evaluate potential effects of change on fisheries.

The sampling was done through collaborative partnered community-led and community/Fisheries and Oceans Canada/university partners, disclosed below. The project has strong community involvement, including youth through the Guardian Program, to facilitate capacity building and community leadership in the long-term monitoring of Great Bear Lake fisheries and the aquatic ecosystem. This data is an extension of baseline data sets on water quality on the lake. These data will contribute to a better understanding cumulative impacts of climate change on the functioning of large northern lake ecosystems and provide a benchmark for monitoring further change. This data will be important for developing effective strategies for maintaining community-led aquatic monitoring and managing natural resources, particularly fish, which are expected to be increasingly important to communities with declines in other country foods such as caribou.

We acknowledge that these data were collected in the Sahtú Settlement Area and are made publicly available with the agreement of the Délı̨nę Renewable Resources Council (Délı̨nę Ɂehdzo Got’ı̨nę).
Open Data: https://open.canada.ca/data/en/dataset/f54da23c-3a17-11ef-90aa-8b219c568296
description: 2000-2011: Surface water temperature data were collected at depths of approximately 0.1 to 1.0 meters using a handheld digital thermometer through partnered community-led and community/Fisheries and Oceans Canada/ university partners collaborative sampling. 

2012-2019: Surface water temperature data were collected at depths of 0.1 to 1.0 meters using a Hydrolab Series 5 Data Sonde Multiparameter instrument through partnered community-led and community/Fisheries and Oceans Canada/university partners collaborative sampling. 

2021-2024: Surface water temperature data were collected at depths of 0.1 to 1.0 meters using an RBR Maestro3 through partnered community-led and community/Fisheries and Oceans Canada/university partner collaborative sampling.

COLLABORATORS BY PERIOD
2000–2011; Community of Délı̨nę partners (data collection, Délı̨nę Renewable Resource Council, Sahtú Renewable Resource Board, Great Lakes Fisheries Commission, University of Alberta. 
Community field workers: Jane Baptiste, Doug Baton, John Betsidea,  Moise Beyonnie, Gloria Gaudette, Bruce Kenny, Greg Kenny, Hughie Kenny, Jonas Kenny, Morris Lennie, George Menacho, Morris Modeste, Nathan Modeste, Isreal Neyelle, Lyle Neyelle, Clyde Takazo, Lucy Ann Takazo, Archie Vital, Freddie Vital, Cameron Yukon, Cyre Yukon, Tyrone Yukon, Charity Yukon, Chris Yukon, and Barbara Yukon.


2012–2019: Community of Délı̨nę partners (data collection), Délı̨nę Renewable Resource Council, Sahtú Renewable Resource Board, University of Manitoba, University of Queens, University of British Columbia, University of Alberta, Environment and Climate Change Canada, Great Lakes Fisheries Commission
Community field workers: Daniel Baton, Morris Betsidea, Joey Dillion, Jade English, Stanley Ferdanan, Bruce Kenny, Elaine Kenny, Darren Kenny, Greg Kenny, Joseph Kenny, Rocky Kenny, Ted Mackienzo, George Menacho, Bobby Modeste, Gina Nyelle, Brent Taniton, Allison Tatti, Gerald Tutcho, Archie Vital, Barbara Yukon, Caroline Yukon, Chris Yukon, Cyre Yukon.


2021–2024: Community of Délı̨nę partners (data collection), Délı̨nę Renewable Resource Council, Sahtú Renewable Resource Board, University of Manitoba
Community field workers: Chris Yukon, Archie Vital, Ted Mackienzo, Daniel Baton, Lloyd Baton, Simon Neyelle, Stanley Ferdanan.
description: Surface water temperature data from all years (2000 to 2024) had quality control and quality assurance performed. This entailed verification of coordinates, raw data verification, and outlier removal. A threshold of depths of 0.1 to 1.0 meters was applied to portray surface water temperature.