NWT RESEARCH DATABASE

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

Objective(s): To understand how permafrost slumping increases the mobilization of carbon from land to water, how bacteria are breaking down permafrost carbon in streams, and the effects of this transport on stream ecosystems and the global carbon cycle.

Project Description: The objective of this study is to understand how permafrost slumping increases the mobilization of carbon from land to water, and the effects of this transport on stream ecosystems and the global carbon cycle. This summer, the research team will measure streamwater chemistry at a series of sites draining from the Peel Plateau, near where they enter the Mackenzie Delta. At one site (Stony Creek), the team will set up some instrumentation that will continually measure stream discharge, and the turbidity and amount of dissolved ions in the water. This will allows the team to track the effects of slumping on stream-water chemistry at the outlet of a watershed. The team will also collect some follow-up samples from slump sites the team have worked at previously on the Peel Plateau, to help better understand how bacteria are breaking down permafrost carbon in streams. For helicopter, roadside, and slump sites, we will collect simple streamwater samples using 1 - 2 litre bottles that will be submerged just below the water surface and filled. At slump sites, the team will collect samples immediately upstream and downstream of where the slump enters the stream. Elsewhere, the team will take a single sample from the stream bank. Water samples will typically be filtered at the Aurora Research Institute lab facilities in Inuvik, using a simple vacuum pump. Further analyses, will be conducted at the University of Alberta. For the streamwater sampling, the team will not be collecting any biological specimens other than the bacteria that occur naturally in filtered water samples. To measure discharge, turbidity, and dissolved ions (conductivity) at the Stony Creek outflow, the team will deploy two sensors in the stream channel. Sensors will be attached to a weight that is tethered to a tree using a sturdy cable. The sensors will be placed in the stream channel in mid-late June, and retrieved in mid-late August, at which time the information stored on the sensors will be downloaded. The research team will visit the Stony Creek outflow by boat. The research team are happy to give presentations to local community organizations that are interested in the work. 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 conducting to other members of the community. The research team are always more than happy to hear suggestions about how to improve the communication efforts. The fieldwork for this study will be conducted from June 20, 2019 to August 31, 2019.