| Principal Investigator: | Bond, Matthew J (1) |
| Licence Number: | 15928 |
| Organization: | Canadian Nuclear Laboratories |
| Licensed Year(s): |
2016
|
| Issued: | Jul 21, 2016 |
| Project Team: | David Rowan, Lars Brinkmann, Jamie Carr |
Objective(s): To determine whether permafrost thaw in the Canadian north is resulting in the release of historic radionuclides to surface waters.
Project Description: The objective of this research is to determine whether permafrost thaw in the Canadian north is resulting in the release of historic radionuclides to surface waters. The results of this study will be incorporated into a larger model of radionuclide fate and transport in the Canadian north. Field work will involve sampling surface water (triplicate 500 mL samples), groundwater seepage (triplicate 500 mL samples) and sediment (one sediment core) at a series of permafrost melt-water fed lakes and lakes occurring on frozen permafrost. Environmental samples will be analyzed for tritium and strontium-90 content, as these radionuclides are the most likely to be re-mobilized into the environment as a result of permafrost thaw. Results from frozen regions will be compared to thaw regions, which will determine the extent to which permafrost thaw is altering the environmental transport and fate of radionuclides in Canada’s north. This two-year study will to look for broad spatial/geographical patterns. Permafrost-thaw sites will be studied in several locations, including Labrador and the Northwest Territories in year 1 and the Hudson Bay Lowlands in year 2. Thus, samples collected in the Northwest Territories will be part of a broader dataset spanning across the Canadian north. A plain-language report will be sent to community representatives once results have been obtained and interpreted (in addition to any peer-reviewed journal papers). During the proposed 2016 sample collection campaign, there will also be opportunity for the Principle Investigator to present the proposal to interested community members (although at this point there will be no results to present). The results of this study will be communicated with the individuals and communities in the study regions of the NWT through a summarized plain-language report of the study and its significance. Any academic papers and/or conference proceedings will be sent to communities for information. Should there be interest from the communities in regions where the research is being conducted, a plain-language presentation will be delivered over the internet by web-conference to discuss the results and implications of the research. The fieldwork for this study will be conducted from July 25, 2016 to August 6, 2016.
