Impacts of Climate Change on the Availablilty of Gravel in the Inuvialuit Settlement Region, NWT
Principal Investigator: Borsy, Emily Jane E (2)
Licence Number: 14211
Organization: Ryerson University
Licensed Year(s): 2008 2007
Issued: Jul 26, 2007

Objective(s): The objective of this research is to obtain primary information about the gravel situation in the ISR from a variety of industry perspectives. The researchers wish to fill in a gap in information linking supply and demand to community stress and vulnerability, obtaining this information through interviews with industry professionals.

Project Description: The objective of this research is to obtain primary information about the gravel situation in the ISR from a variety of industry perspectives. The researchers wish to fill in a gap in information linking supply and demand to community stress and vulnerability, obtaining this information through interviews with industry professionals. The research will be conducted in two stages. The first stage of research will explore the present disposition of granular resources and prognosis about demand under “steady state” environmental conditions. The second stage of the research will identify the impacts of climate change on demand for, and access to granular resources under different climate change scenarios and timelines. It will identify the potential impacts of climate change on infrastructure, and henceforth the changes in demand for gravel. Approach: a) Consolidation and review of existing data/literature/information from secondary sources. Published works, consulting reports, geo-technical analysis, and other literature will be consulted. b) Identification of the distribution of granular resources, current demand points, and delivery routes. c) Climate change and permafrost change scenarios in the Inuvialuit Settlement Region will be assessed. Building on expert consultation, literature review, and global climate models to simulate demand under changing environmental conditions and suggest implications for delivery under changing environmental conditions. The above will involve discussions with industry professionals and experts (community planners, infrastructure developers, transport planners, granular resources experts) from the Inuvialuit Settlement Region. These interviews will take place in communities in the Inuvialuit Settlement Region – Inuvik and Tuktoyaktuk – as well as Yellowknife. Contacts with industry professionals will be established through networking in the community. It is expected that 15-20 people may be interviewed, from a variety of professional backgrounds. The results of this study will be of greatest interest to those who were involved in the interviewing process. As such, the thesis will be distributed to them upon completion, for their review and consideration. Furthermore, it is a possibility that a return visit to the ISR could occur, upon which the information could be disseminated in form of a presentation, and discussion session to those with interest in the supply and demand situation of aggregate resources. The purpose of this project is to ultimately come up with a thesis that pinpoints the impacts of climate change on the availability of aggregate resources in the ISR. This issue is primarily economic in nature, as it deals with a natural resource, however, the availability of gravel is also a social issue, as there is the potential for community stress and vulnerability. Fieldwork will be conducted from July 26 to September 30, 2007 in Inuvik, Tuktoyaktuk, and Yellowknife.