lake athabasca
2 select lakes monitored for fish tissue (gregoire lake, lake, claire, christina lake, winefred lake, namur lake, gardiner lake, big island lake, jackson lake, keith lake, net lake, brutus lake) .
city / town: all cities banff calgary canmore crowsnest pass edmonton fort mcmurray heinsburg high river jasper lake louise medicine hat okotoks pincher creek body of water: all locations andrew lake athabasca river baptiste lake barrow lake bistcho lake bow lake bow river (banff) burstall lake calling lake carbondale river castle river charles lake chestermere lake chickakoo lake christina lake colin lake cornwall lake crowsnest river elk river fawcett lake gipsy lake graham lake grist lake halfmoon lake hanmore lake highwood river island lake kimowin (hook) lake lac la nonne lac ste. anne lake athabasca lake minnewanka lesser slave lake livingstone river long island lake loutit lake maligne lake maligne river mclelland lake medicine lake muir lake namur lake north buck lake north saskatchewan river north wabasca lake oldman river oldman river orloff lake peerless lake pigeon lake potts lake ram river red deer river rock island lake ryan lake sheep river shunda lake south saskatchewan river st. mary river star lake strubel lake swan creek talbot lake wabamun lake wabasca river waterton river winefred lake wylie lake type of fishing: all types fly fishing fly casting (instruction) drift boat walk & wade boat charter remote (fly in) fishing fishing lodge ice fishing (?) fish you' re after: all fish brook trout brown trout bull trout cutthroat trout golden trout lake trout rainbow trout tiger trout arctic grayling burbot goldeye lake whitefish lake sturgeon mountain whitefish northern pike walleye sauger yellow perch
along with other lakes such as the great bear lake and great slave lake, lake athabasca is a remnant of the vast glacial lake mcconnell .
lakers unlimited • lake athabasca, saskatchewan, canada • 306. 864. 8087
delegation from calling lake at the new bridge opening, 1952. athabasca archives, 00349 .
delta of the athabasca and peace rivers, near the western shore of lake athabasca, in wood buffalo national park, alberta, can .
mention is made that patrols were made throughout the district, the longest being to sturgeon lake, the lower ends of lesser slave lake, and whitefish lake .
look no further for canada' s best fresh water fishing. the largest lake trout ever recorded came out of lake athabasca, saskatchewan. for anyone wanting to fish northern canada for trophy lake trout and northern pike - there is no question that lakers unlimited on lake athabasca, saskatchewan is the number one destination .
lake athabasca has had a commercial fishery since 1926, with a catch composed of primarily lake trout, northern pike and walleye. other fish species documented in the lake include: lake whitefish, artic grayling, yellow perch, burbot, white sucker and longnose sucker .
james marsh. 2006. lake athabasca. the canadian encyclopedia urltoken (accessed july 9, 2018) .
a landsat mosaic image of lake athabasca (in the top right corner) and the region to the south .
lake athabasca is drained by rivière des rochers and its distributary, revillon coupé, which carry most of the outflow. smaller volumes flow from the lake through chenal des quatre fourches (
marsh, james h. . 2006. lake athabasca. the canadian encyclopedia urltoken (accessed july 9, 2018) .
athabasca, lake .
the columbia encyclopedia, 6th ed... retrieved july 09, 2018 from urltoken urltoken
curtis cj, et al. palaeolimnological assessment of lake acidification and environmental change in the athabasca oil sands region, alberta .
the original trail from edmonton to athabasca is being recreated and can be travelled from athabasca to perryvale in our region .
james marsh, r. the canadian encyclopedia. (2006). lake athabasca. retrieved july 9, 2018, from urltoken
the lesser slave river. the lesser slave river flows into and out of lesser slave lake before its confluence with the athabasca river 61 km to the east. the lesser slave lake is the second largest lake in alberta and an important waterfowl breeding and migration area .
with an area of approximately 7, 770 km 2 —larger than all of metropolitan toronto—lake athabasca is the fourth largest lake entirely within canada and the third largest lake in the mackenzie river basin. approximately 30% of lake athabasca lies within alberta, while the remainder is in saskatchewan (prepas and mitchell 1990). while the lake has an average and maximum depth of 20 m and 124 m, respectively, the alberta side of the lake is considerably shallower, with a maximum depth of 16 m (prepas and mitchell 1990). the maximum length of lake athabasca (from east to west) is 283 km, while the maximum width is 50 km .
james marsh .
lake athabasca
in the canadian encyclopedia. historica canada, 1985–. article published february 6, 2006. urltoken
twenty - six other first nations groups in the athabasca, cold lake and peace river regions have reported being affected by oilsands development .
the mcleod river, the first major tributary of the athabasca. the mcleod river joins the athabasca near the town of whitecourt .
fort chipewyan is the only major settlement on the alberta side of lake athabasca, while camsell portage, fond du lac, stony rapids / black lake, and uranium city are the major settlements on the saskatchewan side of the lake. road access to lake athabasca is limited on the alberta side to winter roads from fort mckay and peace point (accessed from fort smith). fishing, hunting, and trapping are important economic and subsistence activities for many residents of fort chipewyan; lake athabasca supports both a domestic and commercial fishery. lake athabasca and the peace - athabasca delta are internationally known for their ecological importance. wood buffalo national park, which includes 80% of the peace - athabasca delta, supports the world’s largest herd of free - roaming bison, while the athabasca dunes ecological reserve protects a wilderness area with active sand dunes, rare plants, and habitat supporting migratory waterfowl .
lake athabasca is located in northeastern alberta and northwestern saskatchewan, at the edge of the precambrian shield. with an area of 7, 935 km 2 and a 2, 140 km shoreline, it is the eighth - largest lake in canada. it has an elevation of 213 m, a maximum depth of 124 m and a mean depth of 20 m. the lake is fed by the athabasca and peace rivers and drains north via the slave river into great slave lake. approximately 70 per cent of lake athabasca lies within saskatchewan and the remainder in alberta .
bidgood, b. f. 1961. ecology of walleye in richardson lake - lake athabasca. alfa. ld. for. , fish wild. div. , res. rep. no. 1, edmonton .
marsh, j. h. . r. the canadian encyclopedia. (2006). lake athabasca. retrieved july 9, 2018 from urltoken
marsh, j. h. . r. the canadian encyclopedia. (2006). lake athabasca. retrieved july 9, 2018 from urltoken
marsh, james h. .
lake athabasca .
in the canadian encyclopedia. historica canada, 1985—. article published february 7, 2006
athabasca, lake .
the columbia encyclopedia, 6th ed... encyclopedia. com. (july 9, 2018). urltoken
marsh, james h. .
lake athabasca
. the canadian encyclopedia. toronto: historica canada, 2006. web. 7 feb 2006 .
marsh, james h. .
lake athabasca
. the canadian encyclopedia. toronto: historica canada, 2006. web. 7 feb 2006 .
canada, department of fisheries and the environment. 1973. lake athabasca. marine sci. directorate, can. hydrog. serv. , ottawa .
the athabasca river and lake athabasca watershed is located in north central canada. it drains an area of about 269, 000 square kilometers in alberta, saskatchewan and a small portion of the northwest territories. taken in its entirety, the athabasca watershed includes many different ecosystems from its headwaters at the columbia ice fields, through alpine meadows and mountain forests in the rocky mountains, to the boreal forests and peat lands of northeastern alberta, and to the peace athabasca delta, before pooling into lake athabasca. the athabasca river is 1375 kilometers long. several major tributaries include the mcleod, pembina, lesser slave and clearwater rivers. lake athabasca has an area of 7935 square kilometers. the athabasca river drainage basin occupies 271, 617. 2 km 2 and covers 22. 8% of the province of alberta .
pb dates for pirla project lake sediment cores. j paleolimnol 3: 253–267 .
it flows into lake athabasca, a source of water and fish for the mikisew cree. and locals often travel between communities by boat in the summer .
lake athabasca is located in northeastern alberta and northwestern saskatchewan, at the edge of the precambrian shield. with an area of 7, 935 km2 and a 2, 140 km shoreline, it is the eighth - largest lake in canada .
the heritage value of the athabasca united church lies in its association with the growth of athabasca prior to world war one and its gothic revival architecture .
lake athabasca, located in the north east of the province on the alberta - saskatchewan border, is one of the largest lakes in canada. the lake is a popular destination for fly - in fishing and can be accessed from fort mcmurray .
lake athabasca was originally called athapiscow by the cree. the surveyor philip tumor and his assistant, peter fidler, visited the lake in 1791 and named the lake athapiscow on tumor' s 1794 map (mccormack 1988). the word describes open areas such as lakes and swamps where willows, reeds and grasses grow (holmgren and holmgren 1976). on peter pond' s 1790 map and alexander mackenzie' s 1802 map, the lake is named lake of the hills (mccormack 1988) .
mount chephren rising above waterfowl lake in banff national park, southwestern alberta, canada .
blais jm, et al. fluxes of semivolatile organochlorine compounds in bow lake, a high - altitude, glacier - fed, subalpine lake in the canadian rocky mountains .
relations between polycyclic aromatic compound concentration and organic matter content in river versus lake sediment .
richardson lake migratory bird sanctuary (mbs) is located 35 km south of fort chipewyan, alberta. richardson lake is part of the peace - athabasca delta, one of the largest freshwater deltas in the world, and an internationally significant wetland. the delta is one of the most important waterfowl staging and nesting areas in canada. richardson lake itself is a large (> 70 km2) and shallow (maximum depth < 1. 5 m) lake. it has a single major inlet, the maybelle river, which flows into the lake’s southeast corner near its only outlet, jackfish creek, which flows into the athabasca river when the athabasca is low. during high water levels in the athabasca river, the flow on jackfish creek can reverse, and water can flow into richardson lake via the creek. sand and silt are deposited in the channel and have formed a small delta on the east side of the lake. the riparian areas surrounding the lake are composed largely of wetland habitats .
james marsh
lake athabasca
the canadian encyclopedia. eds. erin james - abra. toronto: historica canada, 2006. web. 9 jul. 2018 .
it is noted that after the fire in athabasca the force occupied rented buildings there and that at lesser slave lake some small improvements had been made to the quarters .
fidler point on the north shore of lake athabasca is named for peter fidler, a surveyor and map maker for the hudson' s bay company. [ 6 ]
map showing the location of richardson lake migratory bird sanctuary relative to alberta and richardson lake. the map shows the boundaries of the sanctuary, which covers the majority of richardson lake and a portion of the surrounding land. the scale of the map is in kilometers .
). these three rivers join the peace river to form the slave river. mamawi lake, to the west of lake athabasca, is also drained by chenal des quatre fourches. the volume of water leaving lake athabasca via rivière des rochers, revillon coupé and chenal des quatre fourches is partly dependent on the water level in the peace river. the predominant direction of streamflow in the three channels is northward, toward the peace river (
the mean annual inflow to lake athabasca and the delta system is estimated to be 45, 900 x 10 6 m 3 of water (table 1). a major portion of the inflow enters the lake and delta during the period from april to mid - july. the largest portion of the total inflow (53 %) reaches the lake and delta system via the athabasca river and its tributaries (figure 1). the river enters lake athabasca through a system of channels that cut through the athabasca delta: the embarras river, fletcher channel, goose island channel and big point channel (figure 2). because the athabasca river flows into lake athabasca near the outlet, water from the river tends to flow through the west end of the lake quite directly, without substantial mixing with water in the main part of the lake. inflowing water from the river usually is restricted to an area that reaches about 8 km offshore of the delta. during periods of high inflow combined with strong westerly winds, however, athabasca river water can flow east as far as bustard island (neill et al. 1981), and has been reported to extend well into saskatchewan (rawson 1947 [ a ]) .
: on october 12, 1908, the headquarters of “n” division (athabasca district) was transferred to athabasca landing from lesser slave lake. superintendent w. h. routledge was the officer commanding. the strength of the sub - district in 1908 was as
the north and south shores of lake athabasca are strikingly different. to the north lies rough, rocky precambrian shield, whereas to the south lies an extensive area of sand dunes (mrbc 1981). the dunes formed after proglacial lakes drained, when newly exposed sediments were subjected to intense wind storms (bayrock and root 1973). this activity formed dunes along the athabasca river, in the lowlands west of lake claire and along the south shore of lake athabasca. as well, the william, mcfarlane and archibald rivers deposit large amounts of sand at their mouths, contributing to the beaches along the south shore of the lake .
more information on this and other historical literatures are available from the athabasca heritage society .
st alban’s church remains part of the athabasca parish of the anglican church of canada .
lake agassiz; and lake athabasca and great slave and great bear lakes, which also are the relics of once deeper and larger glacial lakes. the western lakes were formed by ice blocking the free drainage of water to hudson bay or the beaufort sea. farther south, in the…
great rivers grace the park as the mighty peace flows through the heart of the park and the slave and athabasca form the eastern border. where the peace and athabasca issue into lake athabasca is the world' s largest inland freshwater delta. the endless streams and wetlands of the delta accommodate countless waterfowl, including ducks, geese, swans, loons and grebes .
seventeen sites were chosen on the main stem athabasca, the delta, and lake athabasca, from south of fort mcmurray (upstream of development) to fort chipewyan (downstream of development) (fig. 1). the athabasca river is exposed to the mcmf 50 km upstream of fort mcmurray and is present within its banks to eymundson creek (38) .
it is not possible to properly categorize the trophic status of lake athabasca because the lake has not been sampled sufficiently. low concentrations of total phosphorus (9 to 14 mg / l) and moderately high secchi transparencies (3. 8 to 4. 8 m) were recorded in single samples from the main part of the alberta side of the lake in july 1987 and august 1988 (
lake athabasca contains 23 species of fish, with a world record lake trout of 46. 3 kg (102 lb) having been caught from its depths in 1961 by means of a gillnet. [ 11 ] other fish species include walleye, yellow perch, northern pike, goldeye, lake whitefish, cisco, arctic grayling, burbot, white sucker and longnose sucker. [ 12 ]
…wollaston and large portions of lake athabasca and reindeer lake. water flowing through the province’s rivers drains variously to the atlantic and arctic oceans and to the gulf of mexico. most of saskatchewan’s waters flow from west to east, its great rivers (which provided the first transportation routes) rising in…
as there is no mention of sturgeon lake we assume it must have been closed during the year .
…of the largest lakes, including lake athabaska, great slave lake, and great bear lake, are of this type, although they are not found in the same type of mountainous terrain. these lakes, as well as the north american great lakes, resulted from the movements of large ice sheets that deepened…
lake athabasca' s second largest water source is the fond du lac river, which provides approximately 21% of the total inflow to the lake and delta region (neil) et al. 1981). this river drains wollaston lake, saskatchewan and a large area of precambrian shield in the eastern part of the drainage basin (figure 1). wollaston lake has two outlets; about 10% of its outflow enters the fond du lac river and the remainder discharges into the cochrane river (mrbc 1981). the fond du lac river flows into fond du lac and then into the narrow eastern end of lake athabasca (figure 2). along the north and south shores, dozens of other streams flow into the lake. inflows to the south side of the lake and delta, such as the richardson, maybelle, old fort, william and mcfarlane rivers, provide less than 6% of the total inflow, and the birch river system, which flows through lakes claire and mamawi into the western side of lake athabasca, provides less than 3% . part of the time, flow from the birch river system bypasses lake athabasca and flows north to the peace river. miscellaneous inflows and direct runoff from the catchment area provide the final 18% of the total inflow (neill and evans 1979) .
in the decades around the turn of the twentieth century, significant attention was paid to the development of the railroad infrastructure of the canadian west, notably the branch line network in what would become the province of alberta. the edmonton & slave lake railway (e & slr) was chartered in 1899 to reach slave lake via athabasca landing, which was a riverboat transportation hub on the athabasca river .
it is noted that the road to lesser slave lake had been improved by the territorial government during 1899 .
). thus, the pattern observed at namur lake is generally consistent with our other five study lakes .
the name athabasca comes from the cree word for the lake, athapiscow, describing an open area (such as a lake or swamp) where reeds, willows and grasses grow. in addition to the cree, beaver and chipewyan first nations have lived in the area for more than 2, 000 years .
the peace - athabasca delta and lake athabasca are very different environments, yet they are closely related because the delta and its associated channels and lakes are important spawning and nursery areas for lake athabasca fish. comprehensive surveys of the delta region and lake athabasca have not been carried out. in the 1940s, researchers from the university of saskatchewan examined the zooplankton at 18 stations in the lake but did not examine the species composition (rawson 1947 [ a ]). as well, 214 bottom samples were taken with an ekman dredge, primarily in the profundal zone (larkin 1947). the amphipod pontoporeia affinis was the dominant benthic organism collected and the opossum shrimp mysis relicta was rare. even in water 0 - to 5 - m deep, pontoporeia formed as much as 45% of the benthic biomass .
the lake athabasca sand dunes, the largest active sand dunes in the world north of 58°, are adjacent to the southern shore. the dunes were designated a
provincial wilderness park
in 1992 .
these true - and false - color images of central canada show the great slave lake in the northwest territories (top) and lake athabasca to the southeast. lake athabasca straddles the border between alberta (west) and saskatchewan (east). a fire (red dot) is burning in alberta, and the snow capped rocky mountains cut through southwest alberta at bottom left. in the false - color image, vegetation is green, water is dark blue, and ice (or snow) is light blue .
in the lesser slave lake area it is generally noted that there was a decided change for the better in transportation to lesser slave lake from athabasca landing, and that the old and time - honoured scows with their crews had almost entirely given way to steamers. in july the ss northern light made her first trip on lesser slave lake and plied from end to end almost weekly. mail facilities were much improved and it was now a comparatively easy matter to get mail from lesser slave lake to athabasca landing, the nearest telegraph station, a distance of about 200 miles. navigation on the peace and athabasca rivers was general during most of the summer. the steamer peace river made three trips between the chutes and fort st. john, and on the athabasca river the large steamer midnight sun connected with the northern light .
lake athabasca, fourth largest lake of canada, c. 3, 120 sq mi (8, 100 sq km), c. 200 mi (320 km) long and from 5 to 35 mi (8–56 km) wide, ne alta. , and sw sask. , at the edge of the canadian shield. a part of the mackenzie river system, the lake receives the athabasca river from the south and drains n into great slave lake by way of the slave river. gold and uranium are found nearby. fort chipewyan was built (1788) at the west end of the lake by roderick mckenzie of the north west company and has been maintained. steamers of the hudson' s bay company ply the lake in summer between chipewyan and fond du lac, from where the canoe route runs by way of wollaston and reindeer lakes to the churchill river. philip turnor, the british surveyor, surveyed and mapped the lake between 1790 and 1792 .
as we leave the interlaced churchill river system behind, the bones of the land begin to jut through the forest. trees become skimpier. blackened expanses show the brute force of fire. beyond lies lake athabasca — the fourth biggest lake whose waters are entirely within canada, and the 20th by size in the world .
layers of lake sediment are removed at intervals from a core. in a laboratory, contaminants and biological remains are analyzed from select sediment layers to understand lake history and reconstruct environmental changes that often predate periods of direct monitoring .
mines. the two settlements are connected (june–october) by steamer. the lake, which is economically important for
the athabasca united church continues to hold weekly services and serves as an occasional venue for musical performances .
l ake athabasca drains an enormous area of land (282, 000 km 2, table 1) that extends southwest across the width of alberta to the columbia icefield in the rocky mountains, and east across most of northern saskatchewan to wollaston lake (figure 1). the peace - athabasca delta, which is one of the world' s largest freshwater deltas, plays an important role in lake athabasca' s complex drainage system. the delta region consists of three smaller deltas: the athabasca (1, 960 km 2), the peace (1, 680 km 2) and the birch (168 km 2). its major lakes - claire, baril, mamawi and richardson - are all very shallow (padpg 1973). river channels that meander across the delta join the major lakes to lake athabasca and drain upland areas .
end of the lake. there are gold and uranium deposits nearby. area: 8080sq km (3120sq mi) .
in the late 1800s athabasca landing was established at the elbow of the athabasca river where it sweeps south and reaches within one hundred miles or 160 kilometres of edmonton. between the years 1880 and 1914, athabasca landing, as the town of athabasca was then called, became known as the
gateway to the north ,
a jumping off point for travelers to the peace river country and for traders heading north on the athabasca river to the arctic. the landing was a meeting place of first nations, métis, and europeans, and athabasca landing gained the national stage by 1900—as the key transportation centre linking the hudson' s bay company and other independent traders to canada’s northwest and the arctic. the landing trail, one of alberta’s first highways, linked fort edmonton and the young city of edmonton to athabasca landing and the athabasca river .
city / town: all cities airdrie athabasca banff brooks calgary camrose canmore cochrane cold lake drayton valley drumheller edmonton edson fort mcmurray fort saskatchewan glendon grande prairie high river hinton jasper joussard lac la biche leduc lethbridge lloydminster medicine hat okotoks olds peace river pincher creek red deer rocky mountain house sherwood park slave lake spruce grove st. albert st. paul stettler strathmore sundre sylvan lake taber vegreville wainwright wetaskiwin whitecourt bellevue balzac de winton coleman bait available: fly gear available :
around 670, 000 cubic meters of contaminated wastewater destroyed the plante and apetowun creeks near hinton, alta. on the night of oct. 31, 2013, before entering the athabasca and traveling as a massive
plume
of sediments for over a month, eventually settling out in lake athabasca and the delta near fort chipewyan .
our last campsite is farther east, near a small lake inland from lake athabasca, a short hike through a burnt - out forest. in case of poor weather, wilson could bring down the cessna here even if waves on the big lake made a landing impossible. as wintoniw and i hike to the final campsite, three canoes pass us. the six people in them — visitors from lethbridge, alta. — have reached the area in a float plane big enough to carry their boats, and have canoed down the william river to lake athabasca. except for a few fishermen in a distant motorboat, they are the only humans we see during our four days in the park .
the name in the dene language originally referred only to the large delta formed by the confluence of the athabasca river at the southwest corner of the lake. prior to 1789, sir alexander mackenzie explored the lake. in 1791, philip turnor, cartographer for the hudson’s bay company, wrote in his journal ,
low swampy ground on the south side with a few willows growing upon it, from which the lake in general takes its name athapison in the southern cree tongue which signifies open country such as lakes with willows and grass growing about them
. peter fidler originally recorded the name for the river in 1790 as the great arabuska. by 1801, the name had gained a closer spelling to the current name—athapaskow lake. by 1820, george simpson referred to both the lake and the river as
athabasca
.
l ake athabasca covers an area of approximately 7, 770 km 2 (table 2). a bathymetric map is not available, but soundings have been made for navigation routes (figure 2). the lake is shallowest on the alberta side, where the maximum depth is 16 m. the shallow depths and gradual slope of the lake bottom at the western end probably result from sedimentation of the athabasca river inflow. the central portion of the lake, between camsell portage on the north shore and the william river inlet, is the deepest part, with a maximum depth of 124 m near easter headland. east of crackingstone peninsula, the lake becomes shallower again, with a maximum depth of about 46 m. lake athabasca becomes increasingly narrow at its eastern end; soundings east of fond - du - lac indicated depths of 29 to 50 m in the centre of the narrow basin. there are dozens of islands throughout the lake. the islands that extend from fort chipewyan to the old fort river were formed as a result of wave action (mrbc 1981) .
athabasca .
the columbia encyclopedia, 6th ed... retrieved july 09, 2018 from urltoken urltoken
kelly en, et al. oil sands development contributes polycyclic aromatic compounds to the athabasca river and its tributaries .
but even on a shore so apparently pristine, we’ve noticed plastic bottles, broken glass, styrofoam, fish hooks, sheets of plywood and chunks of metal. more worrying, the lake is fed by the athabasca river — which means it lies downstream from the massive oil - sands projects in northern alberta. since 1970, the amount of water flowing through the river has dropped considerably. what impact all this will have on the wildlife in and around lake athabasca remains unclear .
dissolved pac did not persist as far as the athabasca river delta and ft. chipewyan, at least during the seasons sampled. however, pac - contaminated sediments in the athabasca delta and lake athabasca (35, 36) are consistent with long - range atmospheric and fluvial transport of particulate pac. our sampling did not include the intervening spring snowmelt, which would release a pulse of pac up to 50 km from oil sands upgrading facilities into nearby tributaries and the athabasca. although this should increase pac concentrations in tributaries, it might not be detected in the main stem because of high - volume dilution by uncontaminated snowmelt from areas upstream of oil sands mining. pac may also be removed from the water column by microbial degradation and adsorption to organic matter that settles out of the water column (37). these dilution and removal processes likely account for declining concentrations of dissolved pac as the athabasca flows to lake athabasca and fort chipewyan .
based on analyses of lake sediment cores, we provide evidence that the athabasca delta has been a natural repository of pacs carried by the athabasca river for at least the past two centuries. we detect no measureable increase in the concentration and proportion of river - transported bitumen - associated indicator pacs in sediments deposited in a flood - prone lake since onset of oil sands development. results also reveal no evidence that industrial activity has contributed measurably to sedimentary concentration of pacs supplied by atmospheric transport .
), was analyzed for pahs. our data reveal that oil sands development has increased the delivery of pahs and dbts to near - field and remote lake ecosystems in the athabasca oil sands region to well - above “natural, ” predevelopment levels (
champlain’s final major journey was to huronia in 1615. he travelled up the st. lawrence to quebec city, then took the rivière des prairies and continued up the ottawa river, which he called the “river of the algonquins. ” from there, he entered lake nipissing and the french river, and finally he reached lake huron, which was then called “lake of the attigouautans. ”
our most famous sand dunes are the athabasca sand dunes located in the far reaches of the northwest corner of the province on the shores of the mighty lake athabasca. a fun fact about these dunes is they are the world’s most northerly active sand dunes. they can only be accessed by plane or boat making it quite the adventure to set foot on them .
layers of lake sediment are removed at intervals from a core. in a laboratory, contaminants and biological remains are analyzed from select sediment layers to understand lake history and reconstruct environmental changes that often predate periods of direct monitoring. jane kirk / environment canada hide caption
athabasca pass .
the columbia encyclopedia, 6th ed... retrieved july 09, 2018 from urltoken urltoken
timoney kp, lee p. polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons increase in athabasca river delta sediment: temporal trends and environmental correlates .
melanie dene has lived in fort mcmurray most of her life, though her family is originally from fort chipewyan, which clings to the shores of lake athabasca about 280 kilometres north of fort mcmurray and was established as a fur trading post in 1788 .
wolfe bb, hall ri, last wm, edwards twd, english mc, et al. (2006) reconstruction of multi - century flood histories from oxbow lake sediments, peace - athabasca delta, canada. hydrol process 20: 4131–4153 doi :
despite these challenges to data collection, recent studies show a direct correlation between the oil sands and increased pollution in lake athabasca. for example, a 2010 study revealed an increase in priority pollutants (i. e. elements named by the us environmental protection agency’s clean water act) to the athabasca river and its tributaries. similarly, a 2013 study demonstrated an increase in polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (pahs) in lake ecosystems in the athabasca oil sands region. pahs are groupings of chemicals caused when fossil fuels and biomass are incompletely burned. they are of concern because they stay in the environment for long periods of time and do not break down easily in water. much attention was brought to the possible results of these pollutants when, in 2010, scientists at the university of alberta showed the public deformed fish caught in water around the oil sands, including lake athabasca .
), leave little doubt of the unprecedented increases of pahs and the overarching influences of recent climatic changes on northeastern alberta’s lake ecosystems .
wolfe ap, vinebrooke rd, michelutti n, rivard b, das b. experimental calibration of lake - sediment spectral reflectance to chlorophyll
kurek j, korosi jb, jeziorski a, smol jp. establishing reliable minimum count sizes for cladoceran subfossils sampled from lake sediments .
l ake athabasca is canada' s eighth largest lake. the area near the lake supports a wealth of fur - bearing animals, small and large game, dense flocks of waterfowl, and an abundance of fish. these rich resources drew indians and, later, fur traders to the area. the lake was very important during the fur - trade era and, for a time, it became the centre of conflict between the hudson' s bay company and the north west company. the peace - athabasca delta, located at the southwest end of the lake, is one of north america' s major wetlands, and ranks as one of the most biologically productive areas in the world. it is internationally recognized for its importance as a waterfowl production and staging area .
kelly en, et al. oil sands development contributes elements toxic at low concentrations to the athabasca river and its tributaries .
the zooplankton and benthic fauna of the delta were investigated by researchers from the university of alberta in 1971 (gallup et al. 1971). the zooplankton was sampled by single horizontal tows at various locations in the delta and was also collected from two sites in the main part of lake athabasca. in the lake, the most abundant cladocerans were daphnia pulex and bosmina longirostris and the most abundant copepods were epischura nevadensis, unidentified diaptomus copepodites and unidentified cyclops copepodites. in the lakes and channels of the delta, large daphnids (daphnia, d. magna and d. retrocurva) were quite abundant, as was the copepod epischura nevadensis. diacyclops bicuspidatus thomasi, which is the intermediate host for the tapeworm triaenophorus crassus, was only locally abundant in the delta. it is likely, however, to be abundant in lake athabasca as well, since many lake whitefish and cisco in the lake are infected by t. crassus cysts .
r esearchers from the university of saskatchewan studied the water quality in lake athabasca during the late 1940s (rawson 1947 [ a ]; 1960). more recently, alberta environment occasionally sampled water quality from several sites on the alberta section of the lake in 1979, 1980, 1987 and 1988 (alta. envir. n. d. [ a ]; neill et al. 1981) .
holmqvist n, et al. lake trophic status and bioaccumulation of polychlorinated biphenyls in benthic organisms: a comparison between littoral and profundal invertebrates .
evans ms, billeck b, lockhart l, bechtold jp, yunker mb, et al. . (2002) pah sediment studies in lake athabasca and the athabasca river ecosystem related to the fort mcmurray oil sands operations: sources and trends. in: brebbia ca, editor. oil and hydrocarbon spills iii, modelling, analysis and control. southampton ma: wit press. 365–374 .
hall ri, et al. has alberta oil sands development altered delivery of polycyclic aromatic compounds to the peace - athabasca delta ?
line and flowing n through jasper national park, then ne and n across central alta. to lake athabasca. it is the southernmost headstream of the mackenzie river. its chief tributaries are the pembina, lesser slave, and clearwater rivers. the athabasca river has long been the main route to the mackenzie valley. there are extensive deposits of oil - bearing sand along the river near fort mcmurray .
: on february 14, 1901 the peace river sub - district was created with headquarters at lesser slave lake. this sub - district was commanded by inspector c. h. west and consisted of lesser slave lake, peace river landing, sturgeon lake and fort chipewyan detachments. it is noted that since the establishment of the sub - district drinking and illicit liquor dealings had diminished and that law and order prevailed throughout the area .
< 0. 05) increases in σpah concentrations. the timings of increased σpah and dbts in lake sediments from “natural” background levels began at the
we conducted an independent, detailed, and accessible assessment of the loadings of polycyclic aromatic compounds (pac) to the north - flowing athabasca river, its tributaries, the athabasca delta, and lake athabasca (fig. 1). in february to march and june to august 2008, we sampled water using polyethylene membrane devices (pmds). in march, the accumulated snowpack was sampled at most sites. athabasca river sites were selected upstream and downstream of oil sands mining and processing activity. upstream and downstream sites near oil sands development are directly exposed to erosion of the mcmurray geologic formation (mcmf), where most oil sands occur (13) .
approximately 30% of lake athabasca lies within alberta and the remainder is located in saskatchewan. the southwest tip of the lake is situated about 210 km north of the city of fort mcmurray. lake athabasca is not easily accessible by road. from the south, highway 63 extends from fort mcmurray to the hamlet of fort mckay, and a winter road extends from fort mckay to the hamlet of fort chipewyan, located on the north shore at the west end of lake athabasca (figure 1). from the north, an improved road extends from the town of fort smith, located just north of the border of alberta and the northwest territories, to the locality of peace point, situated on the peace river north of lake claire. from peace point southeast to fort chipewyan, the road is classed as a winter road. airports or airstrips are located in fort smith, northwest territories, in fort chipewyan, alberta, and in stony rapids and uranium city, saskatchewan. aircraft can also land on the water at the locations above, as well as at fond - du - lac, saskatchewan .
tributaries of lake athabasca include (going clockwise); fond du lac river, otherside river, helmer creek, macfarlane river, archibald river, william river, ennuyeuse creek, dumville creek, debussac creek, jackfish creek, claussen creek, old fort river, crown creek, athabasca river, colin river, oldman river, bulyea river, grease river and robillard river. [ 7 ] [ 8 ]
canadian northern railway map. 1912, showing the proposed line north from edmonton to athabasca. map courtesy of the manitoba historical society .
athabasca .
the columbia encyclopedia, 6th ed... encyclopedia. com. (july 9, 2018). urltoken
, who named it lake of the hills. its present name (a cree indian term probably for “where there are reeds”) was adopted by the
berglund o, larsson p, ewald g, okla l. the effect of lake trophy on lipid content and pcb concentrations in planktonic food webs .
signage all around the town of athabasca points out historical buildings, interesting stories, and unique characters that are part of athabasca’s heritage. available for purchase is the athabasca historical walking tour booklet, which includes over 60 pages of descriptive text and historic buildings and locations, numbered on the fold - out map. photos from yesterday and today show how the town used to look when it was first settled .
estimated winter and summer dissolved pac concentrations (μg / l). (a) tributaries. (b) midstream and stream mouth tributary sites in relation to “new” development (change in development from 2006 to 2008), n = 5–8. athabasca river, athabasca delta, and lake athabasca (c) winter. (d) summer. * indicates samples contaminated by diesel fuel (see analytical and statistical method details in si text), not included in calculations; mcmf, mcmurray formation; n, north. error bars are standard error of the mean .
athabasca pass .
the columbia encyclopedia, 6th ed... encyclopedia. com. (july 9, 2018). urltoken
the athabasca public school was built in 1913 during a wave of optimism that swept the town of athabasca as well as other small western towns. athabasca had long been the gateway to the north, and recent railway and other development in the area suggested the town was poised on the brink of rapid population and economic growth. it is one of the best examples of buildings constructed during the pre - war boom existing in the town, and one of just a handful that remain. it was the centre of education from 1913 to the 1950s. this building displays the most impressive architectural features of any brick building in athabasca. the school is one of the most recognizable landmarks in athabasca .
evans ms, talbot a. investigations of mercury concentrations in walleye and other fish in the athabasca river ecosystem with increasing oil sands developments .
the athabasca sub - basin is rich in nonrenewable and renewable resources, which are extracted and / or exploited by various industries. the conventional oil and gas industry is active in many parts of the basin, and significant oil sands development occurs in the area north of fort mcmurray. coal is mined in the upper reaches of the athabasca sub - basin near hinton and edson. forestry is a major industrial activity in much of the basin. the forests of the sub - basin support several sawmills and panel board factories, as well as four pulp mills and one newsprint mill. agriculture is an important land use in the pembina river watershed and accounts for about 12% of the total area of the sub - basin. commercial fishing and trapping also occur in the athabasca sub - basin. until recently, uranium mining was an important industry in the athabasca sub - basin, at cluff lake in northern saskatchewan, and in earlier times, in the area north of lake athabasca. the cluff lake mine closed in 2002 and has now entered the decommissioning phase. mining in the beaverlodge area ended in 1982. new mines are being proposed for the watershed .
the railroad station in athabasca was built in 1912 according to the cnor standard plan no. 100 - 39. the interior of the athabasca station was simple and did not feature any specialized passenger waiting areas or dining rooms and had smaller baggage storage capacity. regardless of being scaled down, the station in athabasca was still substantial, befitting a large community on what was originally expected to be an important rail transportation corridor .
schindler dw, curtis pj, parker br, stainton mp. consequences of climate warming and lake acidification for uv - b penetration in north american boreal lakes .
in 1971, two replicate samples of bottom sediments were taken with an ekman dredge at each of a number of locations in the delta and at two locations in lake athabasca. sample depths were not given. the standing stock of benthic invertebrates in many areas of the delta seemed to be low, larg
canadian wildlife service. 1985. northern deltas - oases for wildlife: peace - athabasca slave mackenzie. supply serv. can. , ottawa .
playing there paddle the william river toward lake athabasca in the company of your guide, hike across and through the undulating dunes and venture where few have gone before. catch a glimpse of the area’s native loons, eagles, mergansers and plovers. you may even see a lynx or hear its distant screech .
perhaps his one truly original piece of exploration was a harrowing 1796 journey for the hudson’s bay company, in which he traced the length of the fond du lac river, from wollaston lake to the east end of lake athabasca (in present - day northeast saskatchewan), attempting to open a route to the fur riches of the subarctic; yet this was an utterly fruitless venture, the way so impractical that it would not be travelled again until almost a century had passed .
findings suggest that natural erosion of exposed bitumen in banks of the athabasca river and its tributaries is a major process delivering pacs to the athabasca delta, and the spring freshet is a key period for contaminant mobilization and transport. this baseline environmental information is essential for informed management of natural resources and human - health concerns by provincial and federal regulatory agencies and industry, and for designing effective long - term monitoring programs for the lower athabasca river watershed .
: the headquarters of “n” division, under superintendent a. e. c. mcdonnell, was moved from athabasca to peace river on august 3, 1916. under “n” division were four sub - districts — peace river sub - district, under inspector r. field; the great slave lake sub - district, under inspector tupper; the mackenzie river sub - district under inspector c. d. lanauze and lesser slave lake sub - district under inspector k. f. anderson.
lake athabasca ( / ˌæθəˈbæskə / ; french : lac athabasca ; from woods cree : aðapaskāw , " [ where ] there are plants one after another " ) is located in the northwest corner of saskatchewan and the northeast corner of alberta between 58 ° and 60 ° n . the lake is 26 % in alberta and 74 % in saskatchewan . 
lake athabasca (/ ˌæθəˈbæskə /; french: lac athabasca; from woods cree: aðapaskāw, " [ where ] there are plants one after another ") is located in the northwest corner of saskatchewan and the northeast corner of alberta between 58 ° and 60 ° n. the lake is 26% in alberta and 74% in saskatchewan.
lake athabasca (/ ˌæθəˈbæskə /; french: lac athabasca; from woods cree: aðapaskāw, " [ where ] there are plants one after another ") is located in the northwest corner of saskatchewan and the northeast corner of alberta between 58 ° and 60 ° n. the lake is 26% in alberta and 74% in saskatchewan.