Variability in Stream Temperature and Isotopic Signatures in the Lester River Watershed

Abstract

There is little knowledge regarding the storage and release of water to streams along the north shore of Lake Superior, which can have implications for the resilience of streams to environmental change. We can better understand the movement of water in a watershed by monitoring temperature changes and the isotopic composition of streamflow across seasons. More stable sites in a watershed would have relatively consistent temperatures and isotopic compositions of δ2H and δ18O over time, while sites prone to evaporation would exhibit higher temperature swings and isotopic compositions that deviate from a local meteoric water line (LMWL). Thus, the overarching goal of this project was to track the changes in temperature and dual water isotopes from across three growing seasons at different sites located in a north shore watershed.