Regions: Inuvialuit Settlement Region, Gwich'in Settlement Area
Tags: physical sciences, environmental impact, water sampling, climate change, water chemistry, chemistry
| Principal Investigator: | Holmes, Robert M (6) |
| Licence Number: | 14515 |
| Organization: | Woods Hole Research Center |
| Licensed Year(s): |
2024
2023
2022
2020
2019
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2017
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2015
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2012
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2009
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| Issued: | May 08, 2009 |
| Project Team: | Richard McHorney, Robin Staples |
Objective(s): The researchers are interested in how climate change is impacting arctic rivers by making measurements of the concentration of naturally-occurring chemicals (like carbon and nitrogen) and try to figure out if they are changing.
Project Description: This licence is being issued for the scientific research application No.1101. The Arctic Great Rivers Observatory project studies the six largest rivers in the Arctic; the Mackenzie and Yukon Rivers in North America and the Ob', Yenisey, Lena, and Kolyma rivers in Russia. The researchers are interested in how climate change is impacting arctic rivers by making measurements of the concentration of naturally-occurring chemicals (like carbon and nitrogen) and try to figure out if they are changing. The research plans to collect water samples from the Mackenzie River. The samples will either be collected from shore (near Inuvik) or from a boat (near the ferry crossing at a well-established site used by Environment Canada water resources). Samples will be filtered and frozen or refrigerated in plastic bottles. They will also measure water temperature, dissolved oxygen concentration, and pH. Samples collected from shore at Inuvik will be collected from just below the surface of the river. Samples collected by boat near the ferry crossing will be "depth integrated", meaning that we will use a sampling device that collects water from throughout the water column. On each sampling date only 2-15 liters of water will be taken. The researchers will seek a boat driver from the appropriate local hunters and trappers association to help with sampling that requires a boat and will also seek a local assistant for approximately 3 hours per day during the first 5 days of sampling from shore each year. The fieldwork for this study will be conducted from the Mackenzie River near Inuvik and Tsiigehtchic from May 15 to December 15, 2009.
