| Summary: | Freshwater-marine coupling affects all aspects of the physical, biological and biogeochemical systems within Hudson Bay. The past century has seen significant hydroelectric development on rivers flowing into Hudson Bay, with more than 21,000 MW of annual production on the Nelson and La Grande river systems. Manitoba Hydro’s operations are closely linked to conditions in Hudson Bay through the regulation of outflows from Lake Winnipeg Regulation and the Lower Nelson River generating stations, as well as through the diversion of water from the Churchill River Diversion, which affect the timing, volume, and location of freshwater outflow into Hudson Bay. Freshwater entering Hudson Bay is susceptible to modification, both in terms of water quality and quantity, through exchange processes in the watershed, and through climate forcing of the hydrological cycle both in space and time. A unique aspect of this system is the role that freshwater plays on both sea ice thermodynamic and dynamic processes within Hudson Bay. This freshwater-marine coupling affects all aspects of the Hudson Bay physical, biological and biogeochemical systems. BaySys is led by Principal Investigators Dr. David Barber at the University of Manitoba and Kevin Sydor at Manitoba Hydro. The project is managed and coordinated by Lauren Candlish and Dr. David Landry at the University of Manitoba in collaboration with Kevin Sydor and Karen Wong at Manitoba Hydro.
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