NWT RESEARCH DATABASE

Tags: physical sciences, water quality, hydrology, carbon fluxes, aquatic biology

Objective(s): To understand how permafrost slumping increases the mobilization of organic and inorganic carbon from land to water, and the effects of this movement on stream communities.

Project Description: The objective of this study is to understand how permafrost slumping increases the mobilization of organic and inorganic carbon from land to water, and the effects of this movement on stream communities. To do this work, the research team will measure streamwater chemistry upstream and downstream of slump sites. The team will also examine the fate of this carbon by undertaking incubation experiments that measure bacterial uptake and degradation of carbon travelling from slump sites to downstream locations, and measuring the concentration of CO2 leaving the streams. While most of the work will occur on the Peel Plateau, the research team will also take samples from three additional regions this summer, to understand how differences in landscape composition affect stream water chemistry. This ‘survey’ work will occur in streams from the Yukon border to Inuvik in the NWT. While most of the survey streams that will be targeted will be accessible by road, a few sites will also be accessed by helicopter, to increase the sample coverage. The team are also considering accessing stream sites for this survey work by travelling upstream on the Peel River. Any work on the Peel River would be done in consultation with the Fort McPherson Renewable Resource Council (RRC), and a local guide will assist with site access via boat. All work on the Peel Plateau is conducted with the assistance of wildlife monitors, arranged via the Fort McPherson RRC. For the work on the Peel Plateau, water samples will be collected from upstream and downstream of slump sites. Occasionally the research team will also undertake 'transect' type measurements to examine how the effects of slumping diminish downstream. When possible, the team will also collect samples of runoff water directly from the slump sites. Water samples will be filtered in the field using a hand pump. Further analyses, including incubation experiments, will be conducted at the Aurora Research Institute. The research team will not be collecting any biological specimens other than the bacteria that occur naturally in filtered water samples. For the survey work the team will collect water samples, and also measure in-stream gas concentrations by placing a small (~50 cm x 50 cm x 50 cm) plastic chamber on the stream surface, and measuring the change in gas concentrations inside this chamber. These measurements do not require any materials to be left in the stream. These measurements take about 30 minutes to complete. In some cases, the research team will leave small water chemistry sensors in some of the target streams. These sensors measure pH, conductivity, and turbidity, and are approximately 60 cm long, and 10 cm in diameter. These sensors will be deployed by anchoring them to the stream bed using ropes (which will be removed) and natural materials such as large rocks and stream-side trees. Local community members from Fort McPherson will be involved in the sampling efforts, which will be arranged through Fort McPherson RRC. As in past years, the research team are happy to give presentations to local community organizations that are interested in the work. Last year, members of the research team gave a presentation to the Fort McPherson RRC, and at the Aurora Research Institute. The team also find that having community members involved in the research on a day-to-day basis as wildlife monitors is very helpful for allowing the team to incorporate community feedback into the efforts, and for facilitating the passing on of information about the research that is being conducted to other members of the community. The fieldwork for this study will be conducted from May 30, 2016 to September 9, 2016.