Our Lakes

Lake 114 is known as the “minnow lake”—a small shallow lake that has only small fish species, including fathead minnow, dace, and stickleback.

Quite simply, Lake 223 is one of our most famous experimental lakes.

In our region of stunning lakes, Lake 224 still manages to shine. With a maximum depth of 28 metres, it’s incredibly clear and blue in colour, with surrounding rocky outcrops and older-growth pine and spruce.

Best known for what is described as “the most famous picture in limnology,” Lake 226 is an hourglass-shaped lake that changed the world’s understanding of nutrients and algae.

Lake 227 is home to the longest-running whole-lake experiment in the world.

Located right next to the camp, Lake 239 is the most comprehensively studied long-term reference lake at the IISD Experimental Lakes Area.

Lake 240 has been a reference lake for many of our studies, including much of the mercury research in the 1990s.

Lake 260 has been the site of two of our most well-known experiments over the last 20 years.

Located along Pine Road, Lake 302 is a double-basin lake that has played a critical role in some of our most famous and impactful experiments.

Lakes 303 and 304 are two small headwater lakes that have been instrumental in eutrophication research at IISD-ELA.

Lake 373 is a breathtaking lake west of Pine Road, which leads to the site. Lake 373 was an important reference lake for many experiments and is now being used as a reference for the microplastics study.

Lake 375 is the beautiful site of a whole-ecosystem study examining the impacts of freshwater aquaculture.

Lake 442 is home to everything from trout, sucker, and dace to shiners, stickleback, and sculpin. It is a vital part of our fish population record and LTER program.

Lake 658 is a small, remote lake that has helped us understand how mercury cycles through the environment.