Arnaud River

Payne Bay and the mouth of the Rivière Arnaud

Location of Rivière Arnaud in the upper part of the map

The Rivière Arnaud (English Arnaud River, formerly Payne River) is a river in the region of Nunavik in the Canadian province of Québec.

He has it flows originates in Lac Payne at the low plateau of the Ungava Peninsula, from where a number of ice-covered lakes and glacier to Ungava Bay. Its mean annual discharge is around 15 cubic kilometers. The river is ice-free in summer only. In the rest of the time it freezes several meters thick. The length of the river is about 150 km.

The Inuit settlement Kangirsuk lies at the mouth of the Rivière Arnaud on the north shore of the Payne Bay, 13 km inland from the coast of Ungava Bay.

The catchment area of ​​the Rivière Arnaud is mostly wasteland due to the hostile climate. The average temperature in summer reaches values ​​of 7 ° C. The permafrost starts with half a meter of soil depth. The vegetation consists of low bushes on the lower altitudes, because there are no trees in the catchment area of ​​the Rivière Arnaud. The short ice-free period the river precludes use to generate electricity.

Important tributaries of the Rivière Arnaud Rivière are Lepellé, Vachon and Rivière Rivière Buet from left, Rivière Hamelin from the right.

The river was originally called Payne River. In 1968 it was renamed in honor of the Rivière Arnaud clergyman Charles -André Arnaud ( 1826-1914 ).