Large lakes of northern Canada: Emerging research in a globally-important fresh water resource

Canada's lakes and rivers account for approximately 20% of the world's freshwater resources, with much of this water held in large northern lakes and their expansive watersheds. These lakes have been the focus of curiosity, beginning with early exploratory expeditions of pre-confederation Canada with scientific investigation peaking in the 1950s, after which interest dropped precipitously and remained low for the next 50years. However, since the year 2000 relative scientific output on the large lakes of northern Canada (based on published journal articles) has doubled, indicating a renewed interest in research on these important water bodies and their watersheds. In 2014, for the first time in the 67-year history, the Canadian Conference of Fisheries Research and its co-host the Society of Canadian Limnologists held their annual meeting above the 60th parallel. As a tribute to that accomplishment, we present fifteen papers showcasing recent multidisciplinary research focusing on Canada's large northern lakes or occurring within their watersheds. We believe that these northern aquatic ecosystems offer researchers boundless potential for scientific investigation and discovery. With the integrity of freshwater resources being a fundamental global concern, the importance of continuing and increasing research on northern freshwater resources cannot be understated.