IISD Experimental Lakes Area - Canada

Basic Information
Site Name
IISD Experimental Lakes Area
Short name
IISD-ELA
Country
Canada
Web Address
IISD-ELA Website
IISD-ELA Data Requests Web Page
Operating Organisation
IISD Experimental Lakes Area
Site Manager
Pauline Gerrard
Site Description
IISD Experimental Lakes Area (IISD-ELA) is an exceptional natural laboratory comprised of 58 small lakes and their watersheds set aside for scientific research. IISD-ELA is located on Treaty 3 territory, the traditional land of the Anishinaabe Nation and the homeland of the Métis Nation. It is a remote region of northwestern Ontario in Canada, approximately 250 km east of Winnipeg, Manitoba, or 50 km east of Kenora, Ontario.
Last modified
2025-09-05 09:09:02

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General Characteristics and Status
Site Status
Operational
Year Established
1968
Observed properties
Climate
Precipitation Sum:    765 mm
Temperature Mean: 3.16 °C
Standard Reference Period: 1991 - 2020
Affiliation and Network Specific Information
Affiliation
ILTER✔This site is a verified "ILTER" member.
Photos
Aerial photo of IISD Experimental Lakes Area field station buildings and nearby lakes.
Aerial photo of IISD Experimental Lakes Area field station buildings and nearby lakes.
Researchers on a boat near the edge of a lake, with a net visible in the lake and fish research gear on the shore.
Researchers on a boat near the edge of a lake, with a net visible in the lake and fish research gear on the shore.
A snowy winter photo on an IISD-ELA lake, showing a snowmobile pulling a sled and a researcher drilling an ice corer into the frozen lake.
A snowy winter photo on an IISD-ELA lake, showing a snowmobile pulling a sled and a researcher drilling an ice corer into the frozen lake.
An aerial image of the famous eutrophication study, showing a curtain drawn across the lake with one side regular dark water and the other a bright green, full of algae.
An aerial image of the famous eutrophication study, showing a curtain drawn across the lake with one side regular dark water and the other a bright green, full of algae.
Geographic
View in site map
Centroid/Representative Coordinates

Latitude: 49.660135 Longitude: -93.727663

Size
ca. 59634.03ha
Elevation (average)
423.00msl
Elevation (min)
368.00msl
Elevation (max)
493.00msl
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Site information [.json]

Centroid/representative coordinates [.shp] [.kml] [.geojson]
Bounding Box [.shp] [.kml] [.geojson]
GEO-BON Biome
Fresh water lakes
Biome
Fresh Water Lakes
Ecosystem Type
Lakes
Fresh Water Lakes
Small lakes
Biogeographical Region
Boreal Bio-geographical Region
EUNIS habitat
Inland surface waters (C)
Inland surface waters (C) » Surface standing waters (C1)
Inland surface waters (C) » Surface standing waters (C1) » Permanent eutrophic lakes, ponds and pools (C1.3)
Inland surface waters (C) » Surface standing waters (C1) » Permanent mesotrophic lakes, ponds and pools (C1.2)
Inland surface waters (C) » Surface standing waters (C1) » Permanent oligotrophic lakes, ponds and pools (C1.1)
Air Temperature: Average Annual
3.20°C
Precipitation Annual
764.10mm
Landforms
Lake
Protection Level (IUCN category)
not applicable
Land Use
other uses
other uses » natural areas not in other economic use
other uses » natural areas not in other economic use » water areas not in other economic use
Site Type
Stationary land-based site
Design of Experimentation
mainly experimentation
Scale of Experimentation
plot scale
Design of Observation
mainly observation
Scale of Observation
entire catchment
Permanent Power Supply
Yes
Equipment
Maintenance infrastructure » Snow clearing frequency » Intermittent
Maintenance infrastructure » Snow clearing equipment
Data infrastructure » Data services » Other data services
Data infrastructure » Data storage » Spatial database (GIS)
Data infrastructure » Data storage » Relational database
Supporting infrastructure » Transportation » Boat
Supporting infrastructure » Staff room at site » > 5 places
Supporting infrastructure » Lodging at site » > 10 beds
Energy and data transmission infrastructure » Data transmission » Data Transmission Type (from site) » Satellite
Energy and data transmission infrastructure » Data transmission » Data Transmission Type (from site) » Radio transmission system (repeaters. receivers. centralstation)
Energy and data transmission infrastructure » Data transmission » Data Transmission Type (within site) » Satellite
Energy and data transmission infrastructure » Data transmission » Data Transmission Type (within site) » Radio transmission system (repeaters, receivers, centralstation)
Energy and data transmission infrastructure » Data transmission » Data Transmission Type (within site) » Cable based
Energy and data transmission infrastructure » Energy supply » Permanent Power Supply Location » Central station(s)
Accessible All Year
Yes
All parts of Site Accessible
Yes
Access Type
regular car
Permanent Operation
Yes
Operation Notes
The site is accessible only to facility staff or visitors who have obtained special invitation or permission. Access to the site is via a private gravel road that requires a permit.
Site Visit Interval
1
Maintenance Interval
1
General Data Policy
Formal acknowledgement of the dataset providers
The opportunity to collaborate on the project using the dataset
Reprints of articles using the dataset must be provided to the data provider
Data Policy Notes
Further details to be noted here at a future date
LTER Site Classification
not applicable