NWT RESEARCH DATABASE

Regions: Inuvialuit Settlement Region

Tags: physical sciences, water quality, permafrost, native plants, revegetation, hydrology, remote sensing, thaw slump

Objective(s): To create a series of maps showing the thaw slump activity along the Beaufort Sea Coast near Tuktoyaktuk; to develop detailed water, vegetation, and ground temperature maps of the study sites using drones; to examine the effects of thaw slumping on the water quality of landscape-level runoff to the Beaufort Sea; to examine the effects of coastal erosion and thaw slumping on the near-shore water of the Beaufort Sea; and, to investigate plant species native to the Tuktoyaktuk region that can be used to revegetate thaw slumps.

Project Description: This licence has been issued for the scientific research application No.5057. The objectives include: 1) Creating a series of maps showing the thaw slump activity along the Beaufort Sea Coast near Tuktoyaktuk; 2) Developing detailed water, vegetation, and ground temperature maps of the study sites using drones; 3) Examining the effects of thaw slumping on the water quality of landscape-level runoff to the Beaufort Sea; 4) Examining the effects of coastal erosion and thaw slumping on the near-shore water of the Beaufort Sea; and, 5) Investigating plant species native to the Tuktoyaktuk region that can be used to revegetate thaw slumps. The Aurora Research Institute (ARI), with support from NWT Geomatics and Natural Resources Canada, will compare historical aerial photographs to recent satellite imagery, in order to examine the progression of thaw slump activity near Tuktoyaktuk and Husky Lakes. The field team will conduct detailed photogrammetric, multispectral, and thermal imagery surveys at each study site using Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs). Photogrammetric imagery will be used to estimate the size of the sediment plume leaving each disturbed site. Multispectral imagery will be used to create vegetation type, vegetation density, and water runoff maps. Thermal imagery will be used to create ground temperature maps. The field team will sample water runoff coming off of slump-impacted terrain to the Beaufort Sea. This will be compared to water runoff coming off of nearby unaffected terrain, to see how slumping affects the water quality of runoff. Nearshore surface water will be sampled at the centre of the sediment plume leaving the disturbed sites, as well as just outside the sediment plume. This will be compared to samples obtained off the shore of unaffected terrain, to see how slumping affects near shore water quality. This data will be then be used to examine the linkages between water runoff and nearshore waters that have been affected by slumping. Another goal of this study is to explore the potential for using indigenous plant species to revegetate coastline affected by permafrost thaw slumping. Although vegetation is a well-known method for stabilizing soil, little has been done to apply these methods to coastline affected by thaw slump activity. The field team will collect seeds from plants local to the Tuktoyaktuk region. In Year 4, ARI will create a final report, or guide, that details their findings and can be used in future restoration initiatives in the region. In the Fall of each study year, the research team will submit an annual report to the Inuvialuit Land Administration and the Tuktoyaktuk Hunters and Trappers Committee. The report will also be made available online via the Aurora Research Institute website. The research team will visit Tuktoyaktuk to present the report and receive feedback. The report will include: detailed maps of the study region; an overview of what activities took place that year; preliminary results; and a summary of what activities are planned for the upcoming year. In the final year of the project, the research team will create a document that details the findings from this project. In general, the topics the guide will cover include: an examination of thaw slump progression in the study region; an examination of how thaw slumping impacts landscape runoff to the Beaufort Sea and in turn, nearshore water quality; a detailed list of the plants that were studied and their success at each of the study sites; and lessons learned and next steps. Each year, the Project Leader will try to present the project at the Aurora Research Institute Summer Speaker Series. The fieldwork for this study will be conducted from August 9, 2021 to August 14, 2021.