NWT RESEARCH DATABASE

Regions: Inuvialuit Settlement Region, Gwich'in Settlement Area

Tags: contaminants, Microplastics

Objective(s): To quantify microplastic concentration and composition in water, sediment, and air in the Mackenzie River delta, to examine if microplastic concentrations are greater near communities, and to identify if microplastics are being transported to the Beaufort Sea via the Mackenzie River, and if so, attempt to quantify potential concentrations that may be discharged.

Project Description: This licence has been issued for the scientific research application No.5225. The first objective of this project is to quantify microplastic concentration and composition in water, sediment, and air in the Mackenzie River delta. The second objective is to examine if microplastic concentrations are greater near communities. The third objective is to identify if microplastics are being transported to the Beaufort Sea via the Mackenzie River, and if so, attempt to quantify potential concentrations that may be discharged. To meet the research objectives, surface water, subsurface water, benthic sediment, beach sediment, and air samples will be collected around communities within the Mackenzie River delta. Specifically, samples will be collected in Tsiigehtchic, Inuvik, and Tuktoyaktuk. A motorboat will be chartered from the different communities to allow for this sampling. Surface water samples will be collected using a 300 micrometer Manta trawl that will be dragged alongside or behind a boat for 20 minutes. Water samples will also be collected below the surface of the water using a peristaltic pump. Both types of water samples will be filtered immediately on site when possible. Approximately 400 g (wet weight) of benthic sediment will be collected from shallower, near shore sites using an Ekman Grab sampler and immediately transferred into glass jars. When possible, beach sediment samples will be collected alongshore by scooping sediment from the top 5 cm into glass jars. Passive air samplers (stainless-steel canisters attached to posts) may be installed near boat launches and accessible shoreline sites to capture particles that may be deposited from the atmosphere. These samplers will be left onsite for up to a week before being removed. The research team have contacted the Inuvialuit Land Administration about conducting work within Inuvik and Tuktoyaktuk. The team have also contacted the Inuvik Hunters and Trappers Committee, the Tuktoyaktuk Hunters and Trappers Committee, and the Tetlit Gwich'in Council to inform them of the proposed project. The team plan to present the research and all research findings at the Yellowknife Geoscience Forum as well as directly to communities. A plain language report will be produced at the end of the project and distributed to the communities and organizations involved in the project. The fieldwork for this study will be conducted from July 4, 2022 to September 30, 2022