Microbial diversity in biofilms under perennial ice in Ward Hunt Lake, Nunavut

To assess the microbial diversity in newly discovered thick biofilms growing at the bottom of Ward Hunt Lake at 10m depth. This region of the lake has a perennial ice cover which is facing the threats from climate warming. This might in turn alter the structure of the microbial community of the lake, including the biofilm community which has never been studied before and which plays a key role in contributing to the productivity of the lake. This project is part of the Northern Ellesmere Island in the Global Environment (NEIGE) programme.