Some Physical and Chemical Characteristics of Arctic Fresh Waters In Alaska and Northwestern Canada

• Published in: Journal of the Fisheries Research Board of Canada
• Main Author: Kalff, J.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Canadian Science Publishing 1968
• Subjects: Arctic; Arctic Ocean; Alaska
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/f68-228; http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/pdf/10.1139/f68-228

Fifty-eight Arctic Alaskan lakes and rivers and two ponds as well as a few northwestern Arctic Canadian waters were analyzed for two or more physical or chemical characteristics. The waters sampled were nearly all of the bicarbonate type and ranged from very soft to hard. The Alaskan and mainland Canadian lakes contain levels of many ions similar to those of some low electrolyte lake waters previously reported for the north temperate zone. The characteristics measured, with the mean values for the Alaskan waters in brackets when 20 or more lakes or rivers were sampled, were: calcium (17.2 mg/liter), magnesium (2.1 mg/liter) total iron, total alkalinity (50.3 mg/liter), sulfate (4.9 mg/liter), chloride (3.8 mg/liter), nitrate, phosphate, electrical conductance (116 μmho), pH (7.7), and water color (24 Pt units). One of the ponds, analyzed for 18 trace metals, indicated relatively high concentrations of iron manganese, zinc, and copper. Correlation coefficients (r at P < 0.5) between various characteristics were: electrical conductance and total alkalinity, 0.98; electrical conductance and calcium, 0.97; electrical conductance and magnesium, 0.42; calcium and magnesium, 0.46; and pH and total alkalinity, 0.91. On the Coastal Plain of Arctic Alaska the total electrolyte content of lakes lying within 25–50 km from the Arctic Ocean was noticeably raised by chloride additions.