| Summary: | Polar Bear Pass (PBP) National Wildlife area is a large regional wetland (100 km2) on Bathurst Island, and is considered one of the most critical ecological sites on the island. To date, no one has assessed the importance of these hillslope linkages and groundice storages in the sustainability of this wetland, nor considered its response during warmer and drier years when these water sources might shift. This study will enhance our understanding of the hydrology and sustainability of a regional High Arctic wetland system, and address issues of carbon loads and pathways. Based on water balance framework, detailed hydrological and hydrochemical investigations were performed on each pond and its catchment in 2007, 2008 and 2009 summer seasons to determine temporal and spatial regimes of precipitation input, evaporation loss, and runoff and catchment storage .Various biochemical analyses of water samples (DOC, fluorescence signatures, cations and anions, water isotopes) were used in the identification of pathways in DOC movements, loadings, and delivery into the ponds via different hillslope hydrologic linkages.
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