NWT RESEARCH DATABASE

Regions: Inuvialuit Settlement Region

Tags: water sampling, permafrost degradation, geophysical exploration

Objective(s): To study the rate of degradation of nearshore permafrost with interests in the environmental and geohazard implications.

Project Description: This licence has been issued for the scientific research application No.5059. We wish to study the rate of degradation of nearshore permafrost with interests in the environmental and geohazard implications. The coast of the Beaufort Sea has been experiencing the effects of climate change over the past thirty years with atmospheric warming 2 to 3 times the global average and dramatic changes in sea ice regime, coastal erosion rates and permafrost thaw. A particular challenge when studying this setting is evaluating the processes associated with the degradation of nearshore permafrost as the coast retreats. Understanding the settlement and strength property change of the flooded permafrost is critical for the design of shore protection measures for communities like Tuktoyaktuk. Similarly, the thawing of terrestrial permafrost liberates carbon that is deposited in the nearshore creates the potential for biogeochemical processes that can both produce and consume greenhouse gases. Finally, the degradation of nearshore permafrost can substantially impact the rate of coastal retreat. The research team intend to study the permafrost environments of the Mackenzie Delta, Richards Island and Tuktoyaktuk Peninsula areas. This research is primarily to map the distribution of nearshore permafrost using geophysical techniques (light cables and instruments towed behind small vessels), deployment of small water temperature, depth and salinity dataloggers on the sea bed and collection of shallow sea bed samples with a drop coring device (penetration <1m). The research team intend to study three areas near Tuktoyaktuk: 1) repeat geophysical surveys offshore of Tuktoyaktuk Island, 2) surveys offshore of the Flagpole Point area where shore protection measures are planned; and, 3) surveys on the east side of Tuktoyaktuk Harbor near the abandoned Imperial Oil camp. The research team will release all of the survey results to the Hamlet and engineers working for the Hamlet. In addition the team will release data publicly and keep all interested parties informed of the research results should they be published. The fieldwork for this study will be conducted from September 16, 2021 to December 31, 2021.