Regions: Sahtu Settlement Area
Tags: physical sciences, environmental impact, ground temperature, permafrost, land use planning, geotechnical survey, landscape assessment
| Principal Investigator: | Smith, Sharon S (22) |
| Licence Number: | 13969 |
| Organization: | Geological Survey of Canada |
| Licensed Year(s): |
2006
|
| Issued: | Apr 21, 2006 |
| Project Team: | Dr. Sharon Smith (Principal Investigator, GSC), Dr. Shiqiang Ye (Team Member, GSC), Dr. Larry Dyke (Advisor, GSC), Mark Nixon (Team Member, GSC), Dr. Dan Riseborough (Team Member, GSC) |
Project Description: Twelve sampling sites in the K'asho Got’ine District of the Sahtu Settlement Area have been selected for this project, with preferred locations chosen near existing winter roads and the C.N.T. trail for continuous site accessibility and to minimize disturbance to the environment. One or two boreholes up to 20 m in depth will be drilled at each site in order to capture local environmental variability. Air rotary drills will be used and no drill fluids will be required. Temperature cables will be installed in boreholes. Data loggers connected to the cables will provide a continuous record of ground temperatures and reduce the need for frequent site visits. Soil samples will also be obtained from selected boreholes to characterize the ground ice and geotechnical conditions. In total up to forty boreholes will be drilled in winter of 2006. Additional instrumentation may be installed at certain sites to record climate related information. The crew will be transported by truck from Fort Good Hope along the winter road for sites south of Fort Good Hope. For sites north of Fort Good Hope, travel will be by helicopter. A typical crew will involve one to three pieces of equipment and four to six people. It is estimated that site access and preparation will require up to one day, and drilling operation and installation of instruments will take two days for a total of three days for each site. The total duration of fieldwork will be up to one month. Following site establishment, on an annual basis, a short visit lasting a few hours at each site will be required to retrieve data from instrumentation. Access will be by helicopter and/or road (if near town or in winter) and by foot. Data generated by the project will be made available through Geological Survey of Canada publications. Permafrost monitoring data will be disseminated through the Canadian Permafrost Monitoring Network website (www.canpfnetwork.com). The results of this project will be presented at community meetings, and copies of ensuing publications will be sent to the regional regulatory organizations. The study will be conducted from April 21 to December 31, 2006 at the following sites: Little Chicago (67°17' 46” 130°20'9”), Little Chicago Creek (67° 5'16" 129°59'47"), Yealta Lake (66°45'27" 129°26'32"), Loon River (66°29'40" 128°51'37"), Hare Indian River(66°18'49" 128°32'15"), Jackfish (66°17'12" 128°51'37"), Fort Good Hope South (66°12'32" 128°29'43"), Snafu Creek (66°00'05" 128°20'54"), Chick Lake (65°53'35" 128°14'24"), Donnelly River (65°52'07" 128°11'21"), Gibson Lake (65°44'48" 127°53'17"), and Hanna River (65°40’15" 127°49'50").
