Regions: Inuvialuit Settlement Region, Gwich'in Settlement Area
Tags: physical sciences, geology, petroleum industry, permafrost, climate change, ground ice, resource development, geophysics, ice conditions
| Principal Investigator: | Pollard, Wayne H (12) |
| Licence Number: | 14462 |
| Organization: | McGill University |
| Licensed Year(s): |
2010
2009
|
| Issued: | Feb 06, 2009 |
| Project Team: | Professor Wayne H. Pollard (leader, McGill University), Nicole Couture (senior Ph.D geomorphologist, McGill University/Canadian Geological Survey), Michael Angelopoulos (geophysicist, McGill University) |
Objective(s): The objective of this research is to better understand the distribution of underground ice in hydrocarbon development areas.
Project Description: This licence is being issued for the scientific research application no. 946. The objective of this research is to better understand the distribution of underground ice in hydrocarbon development areas. By identifying how much ice there is, the researcher wants to study how oil/gas activities and climate change could affect the land. Underground ice is one of the most unpredictable and problematic geological variables in permafrost areas. During two field trips, teams, consisting of 2-4 individuals, will visit research sites daily by truck and/or helicopter and return to the base station in the evening. The fieldwork will consist of GPS mapping, air photography, geophysical surveys, and shallow coring of the ground to measure ice content. These are common techniques for measuring the permafrost. All the results will be made available to local communities. This will assist students and/or senior researchers with projects regarding permafrost, massive ground ice distribution, as well as land management and resource development related to oil and gas. The fieldwork for this study will be conducted at Parson’s Lake, Northern Richard’s Island, around Fort McPherson and Ya Ya Lake Esker from March 1 to April 30, 2009 and August 15 to December 01, 2009. Research will not take place on IPL or Gwich'in Private Lands until approval from the appropriate land administrations has been secured by the researchers.
