Monitoring Lake Ice and Snow in the Canadian High Arctic Using Digital Camera Imagery

Abstract

In the Arctic region, a decline in ice and snow cover has been observed in recent years, resulting in adverse effects on the climate, hydrological events, biological processes, and human populations. Monitoring changes in ice and snow cover using satellite imagery or models is common, while novel research is beginning to use ground-based camera systems for in situ monitoring of cryosphere elements. This study focused on maximizing the usage of ground-based time-lapse imagery from trail cameras for ice and snow studies from 2016-2022 within the context of the changing Arctic climate by monitoring lake ice and snow at five lakes (Resolute Lake, Small Lake, North Lake, Plateau Lake, and Hunting Camp Lake) near Resolute and Nanuit Itillinga, Nunavut, in the Central Canadian High Arctic. A semi-automated technique using image classification tools was developed to quantify the progression of ice and snow extent in the camera view. The image classification yielded an overall classification accuracy of 86%, and a Kappa coefficient of 0.79 from nearly 13 000 images, indicating a strong and viable monitoring system despite some variance in performance from viewing conditions. Lake ice and snow phenology dates determined from classified imagery had averages generally within a few days of observations (mean bias error of 2-9 days). Average ice duration was 308 days (September 20 to July 25), and average snow duration was 298 days (September 14 to July 8). The camera-based data extraction technique is a viable tool, not only for tracking long-term changes in snow/ice conditions, but also for validating satellite or modelling work in other logistically challenging environments. Thus, this methodology to monitor Arctic ice and snow phenology can support better projections for future responses to climate change.