Lake Claire and Lake Athabasca Delta Complex

After some family visiting, I had a mostly clear sky flight across Greenland and Canada. Lighting was such that the pictures below do not always capture the whiteness of the snow landscape, but I was able to capture some the unique land forms.

Birch River delta in Lake Claire, northeast Alberta, Canada

The hydrology of Lake Claire is complex. The Birch River flows into the lake from the west. The water outflow is to the east towards Lake Athabasca. However, the eastward outflow sometimes reverses and the lake receives intermittent flows from north when the Peace River floods. The floods are caused by high run off events from snow melt and or ice jams on the rivers.

 Water flow map (Peace-Athabasca Delta Ecological Monitoring Program)

  

The complex delta system between Lake Claire and Lake Athabasca is part of Wood Buffalo National Park, the second largest national park in the world. The delta complex and meander river systems are much better observed from the air, but the ecosystems that this landscape supports are why the park exits.  

Delta channels from Peace River overflow channels

Peace River with multi overflow channels. The river flows from the upper left to the right.  

Multiple overflow channels between the river and delta

This area is rich beaver, buffalo and crane habitat  

Just to the east of the Peace River moraines from the last glacial period form narrow ridges with low areas inundated with water either as lakes or wet meadows (now frozen)

European fur trappers entered this area by the 1780s and established a fort on the shores of Lake Athabasca near the delta. The waterways acted as a highway and were filled with rich beaver hunting. From there and other posts, fur companies continued to push west seeking more fur country and pushed into what is now Washington State in the early 1800s.