| Principal Investigator: | Lamoureux, Scott F (9) |
| Licence Number: | 16340 |
| Organization: | Queen's University |
| Licensed Year(s): |
2018
|
| Issued: | Jun 28, 2018 |
| Project Team: | Steve Kokelj, Jurjen van der Sluijs |
Objective(s): To understand landscape response following ice-rich terrain alteration.
Project Description: The goal of this study is to understand landscape response following ice-rich terrain alteration. The research team will install temperature loggers in 2" PVC pipe from the surface down to 3 m depth to monitor the ground temperature evolution over the summer season in the pits. The team will also use the geophysical technique electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) to measure the amount and structure of frozen/unfrozen material at depth. This non-invasive technique involves placing electrode strings across the surface and measuring electrical properties, and allows the team to detect subsurface features such as massive ground ice without intensive drilling. This technique will be repeated over the hillslopes adjacent to each pit, to compare to undisturbed terrain. Ground surveying will also be carried out to complement the unmanned autonomous vehicle (UAV) flights being done by GNWT collaborators to assist in mapping key geomorphic features and landscape change in the pits. Surficial soil samples (500 g) will be collected to characterize the soil properties (analysis will be completed in Kingston, ON). In September, the research team will return to repeat the ground surveys and ERT work using the same methods. During the second visit to Inuvik in September, the research team will give a public presentation, discussing permafrost thaw in the region and an overview of the preliminary findings. In November 2018, the team will attend the Geoscience Forum in Yellowknife to further share the results. the research team will also report to the Inuvik-Tuktoyaktuk Highway working group, which is comprised of members from the Hunters and Trappers Committee’s, Inuvialuit Land Administration, and Inuvialuit Water Board. Upon completion of the project, the research team will provide a report back to the respective stakeholders in Inuvik with the findings. Additionally, the team intend on creating videos while in the field this summer, in order to share the work in a more visually-engaging way, and share on a platform such as YouTube so as to be accessible to a wider audience than just those community members whom have access to the reports. The fieldwork for this study will be conducted from June 28, 2018 to October 13, 2018.
