Canada’s Last Epishelf Lake Vanishes Permanently After 2020 Ice Shelf Collapse
A new study confirms that Canada’s final epishelf lake, located in Milne Fiord, Nunavut, has permanently disappeared following the breakup of the Milne Ice Shelf in July 2020. Researchers from the University of British Columbia, University of Alberta, Université Laval, and Carleton University analyzed a decade of data to show that the freshwater layer drained within months of the ice shelf's collapse. By autumn 2020, the unique ecosystem had largely vanished, and by July 2022, brackish water had fully replaced the freshwater layer. Annual monitoring since then shows no signs of recovery. The study concludes that the lake is not returning, as the ice shelf cannot recover under current climate trajectories. This loss marks the end of a millennia-old habitat that supported coexisting freshwater and marine wildlife, highlighting the vulnerability of even remote Arctic refuges to rapid warming.
