NWT RESEARCH DATABASE

Regions: Inuvialuit Settlement Region, Gwich'in Settlement Area

Tags: physical sciences, permafrost, climate change, oceanography, ecosystem changes

Objective(s): To observe the coastal change across the Inuvialuit Settlement Region and to work with community members to establish new areas of concern and a better linkage between science and Inuit knowledge of the coastline.

Project Description: This licence has been issued for the scientific research application No.4756. The objectives of this project are as follows: 1) Updated assessment of the state of the ISR coastline This is a continuation of long term monitoring recordings to observe the coastal change across the Inuvialuit Settlement Region (ISR). The research team will work with community members to establish new areas of concern and a better linkage between science and Inuit knowledge of the coastline. 2: Gain a better understanding of coastal permafrost and impacts of change The research team will look at drivers of change in the nearshore ecosystem and subsequent impacts of erosion to nearshore oceanography and critical habitats. 3: Gain a better understanding of coastal dynamics with respect to unique ecosystems and communities The research team will study focused research areas to coastal communities and establish baseline data to support adaptation to climate change The research team will visit several coastal sites between Shingle Point and Cape Dalhousie and establishment of new coastal monitoring sites in Darnley Bay, along the coast of Banks and Victoria Islands. At each site aerial drones (flying at max 130 ft.) will be used to map the coastal region. No more than 1 day will be spent at each location. Helicopters and small boats will be used as the primary means of transportation to and from each site. No more than a few hours will be spent at each site. Flying aerial photography (helicopter based surveys) of Beaufort Sea coastline will be conducted. The work would encompass continuous flying (just one pass) using a high resolution optical and thermal camera that is able to acquire geo-tagged photo at a rapid interval (every 1-2 seconds). During site visits the team will download/maintain several instruments that are located throughout the coastal region. Several ocean moorings will be will be picked up and deployed throughout the time of the project. For this work the team will exclusively use Aurora Research Institute and local community members to deploy and recover the instruments. This will require the use of 1-2 small boats to deploy the instruments. Instruments are housed on small mooring that either consists of a flat plate or a small tripod (> 90 cm high). Some of the moorings will be able to broadcast live data through a cable or radio telemetry beacon connected to the weather station located at East Whitefish as part of the monitoring work. In addition to this, the team would like to download, maintain or collect a number of land-based instruments. This varies from weather stations, time-lapse cameras, shallow temperatures stings, accelerometers, and carbon sensors. Most are strategically located at Tuktoyaktuk and the Pingo Canadian Landmark, with other instruments placed at sites are East WhiteFish, Drift Point, Crumbling Point, Kendal Island and Shingle Point. Each site could be visited very briefly by helicopter or boat and the instrument (or camera or weather station) will be downloaded and left in place. In 2023 and 2024 the research team would like to expand this instrument monitoring capacity to include key regions (picked by the community) in Darnley Bay, banks and Victoria Island. The study of impacts (carbon flux, methane, radon, sedimentation, thermal reduction, subsistence) will be paired with all of the sites (mentioned above). The work uses small sampling instruments (push core, grab samples chisels) to sample the seabed and exposed cliff. In total less than 500g of material is required at each site. The team hope to sample at 10-12 sites. Access to the sites will be by helicopter or boat. A small zodiac will be used to collect samples in the nearshore (within 500m of shore). The research team will visit several visits to the eastern side of Tuktoyaktuk Harbour to help to gain information on baseline science directly related to the long term adaptation needs (or relocation) of the town due to climate change. The team would require mobilization of several teams over several days throughout the summer months to this site. Drones will be used to acquire digital elevation models for flooding analysis. Small samples (500g) will be taken for ice content and soil properties throughout the area. The team will install long term monitoring devices (shallow thermistors: 1.5 m depth) and air quality sensors in coordination with the Tuktoyaktuk Community Climate Resiliency program. Each thermistor hole will be cased with 2” PVC tubing to allow installation of a temperature cable. Temperature cables will consist of 4-5 thermistors on an electrical cable. A data logger will be installed to capture temperature readings several times per day at depth in the borehole. This work is part of the partnership with the Hamlet of Tuktoyaktuk. This is a multidisplinary project, portions of this work have been presented through on-site consultation and results reporting to all communities and to the Inuvialuit Game Council (IGC), Inuvialuit Land Administration (ILA), Hunters and Trappers Committee and the Fisheries Joint Management Committee by the Geological Survey of Canada (Dustin Whalen), and project collaborators from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans. This project has established a strong relationship and are based on several research initiatives with the Hamlet of Tuktoyaktuk, Tuktoyaktuk Community Corporation and the Aklavik Hunters and Trappers Committee (HTC). Project participants will be available to present past results and future project plans to the local communities during the field campaigns. In 2019 (before COVID-19), the project was presented as a public research talk, school presentations and to HTC boards across Inuvik, Aklavik, Tuktoyaktuk and Paulatuk. Since then several virtual meetings have been held with HTCs and the Tuktoyaktuk Hamlet Council. This updated project will be presented to the IGC in June and Fall meetings. The fieldwork for this study will be conducted from November 16, 2022 to December 31, 2022.