Queen Elizabeth Islands: Water balance investigations

The Queen Elizabeth Islands, Canada, possess environments typical of the Arctic region. Polar deserts are the most extensive. The water budget of its basins is dominated by snowfall and snowmelt-generated runoff, giving rise to a nival regime of streamflow. Polar oases are warmer areas with enhanced evaporation and more variable flow than the deserts. Glaciers and late-lying snow cover provide late season high flows but experience low …