| Principal Investigator: | Miller, Clare B (1) |
| Licence Number: | 15852 |
| Organization: | Queen's University |
| Licensed Year(s): |
2016
|
| Issued: | Mar 22, 2016 |
| Project Team: | Jennifer Galloway, Michael Parsons |
Objective(s): To understand the natural impacts of climate change on the loading, speciation and mobility of elements of concern in the subsurface in order to establish natural background concentrations for metal(loids) in pre-developed northern environments.
Project Description: The objective of this research is to develop a greater understanding of the natural impacts of climate change on the loading, speciation and mobility of elements of concern in the subsurface in order to establish natural background concentrations for metal(loids) in pre-developed northern environments. In a region influenced by both accelerated climate change and wide- spread resource development, the micro-analysis of subsurface samples will allow for the changes in contaminant mobility due to climate change to be determined. This research will aim to develop a greater understanding of the dominant chemical loading sources as well as establish a more accurate prediction of changes to the soil and waterways as a result of climate change. As a result, this project aims to establish a more accurate understanding of present and future natural baseline conditions in environments of high resource potential. Through collection of subsurface soil samples and cross evaluation of mineral structure with indicators of paleoclimate, distinctions between natural variances and anthropogenic sources for elements of concern can be made. Subsurface samples will be collected from Courageous Lake through the use of manual ice coring techniques. Field sampling will take approximately one week to complete and will not involve the installation of any equipment into the subsurface. Samples will then be transferred to the lab for further analysis. Micro analysis techniques will be used to determine the mineral structure and speciation of the elements of concern. This analysis will be used in conjunction with paleoclimate indicators in the soil to determine dominant chemical loading sources and baseline soil conditions in the study region. This data will be supplemented with the extensive geochemical database which has been compiled for the Yellowknife region as well as historical knowledge derived from the elders of the community to gain a greater understanding of present and future baseline conditions in the region. Historical knowledge will be collected through a culturally appropriate participatory action ethnographical methodology. All information generated will be made publically available as well as presented to First Nations stakeholders and other northern research groups. Through open means of communication, this project will focus on supporting a collaborative approach to northern development and research. The objective of this research is to use a collaborative, mixed methods approach. The fieldwork and research in the Northwest Territories will rely on a collaborative partnership with the Yellowknife Dene First Nations, Tlicho Government, Wek’eezhii Land and Water board and the North Slave Metis Alliance. The knowledge of climate change and historical resource development offered by community representatives and younger generations of First Nations groups, will be essential data to combine with and complement geological subsurface samples. This shared data will inform the research objectives in a manner which benefits educational, social and economic growth for all stakeholders. This collaborative and mixed-method research approach will enhance the appreciation of the complexities of sustainable resource development in the north. By engaging the local community as active research partners in directing and exploring culturally sensitive, environmentally responsible, sustainable development this project will strive to facilitate a trusting relationship with the community by integrating the local peoples with future resource development in the area. Results of the study will be discussed and presented as the work concurrently with the First Nations groups to collect historical climatic information for the study region. As this is a collaborative project, involving many disciplines, open communication in the form of meetings, emails and deliverable objectives will be used to ensure a transparent flow of information throughout the duration of the project. All materials will be archived in the permanent collections of the Geological Survey of Canada. All data will be made available to the public through NRCan’s GEOSCAN database. The fieldwork for this study will be conducted from March 23, 2016 to December 31, 2016.
