Thermocline Deepening Experiment

The thermocline deepening experiment is a whole lake manipulation experiment designed to simulate the effects of changing wind speed on the thermal and food web structure, greenhouse gas flux and Hg dynamics of small Boreal Shield lakes. Similar experiments are also occurring in Norway and Finland.  Our experimental lake is Lac Croche, a 19 ha three basin lake at the University of Montreal field station, located approximately 1 hr north of Montreal.  A solar powered mixer (Solar Bee) is used to simulate wind induced mixing in one experimental basin (the western basin) isolated from the rest of the lake using a 220 m wide limnological curtain.  In addition to the between basin comparisons, a BACI design has been established with no mixing in 2007 and 2011 and mixing in 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2012. This cooperative project began in 2007 and involves faculty and students at Laurentian (J. Gunn) , UQAM ( B. Beisner, Y. Prairie) and Univ. Montreal ( M. Amyot). Further details of the experiment can be found in Cantin et. al. 2011 (PDF) .