NWT RESEARCH DATABASE

Regions: Inuvialuit Settlement Region, Gwich'in Settlement Area

Tags: permafrost degradation, remote sensing, UAV, citizen science

Objective(s): To study permafrost changes in the Arctic to raise awareness of these environmental changes and strengthen the data basis for science.

Project Description: This licence has been issued for the scientific research application No. 5459. The aim of the citizen science project 'Undercover Ice Agents' is to study permafrost changes in the Arctic to raise awareness of these environmental changes and strengthen the data basis for science. Students from Moose Kerr school in Aklavik will design their own permafrost change related research questions and work with the research team to collect high-resolution images from the land surface with unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV). In close collaboration with secondary schools in Germany, these images will then be processed and analyzed in small mapping tasks. This way, the team plans to promote Indigenous research questions, bring topics of climate change and permafrost change into the classroom and foster a transatlantic digital student exchange. Data collection will be done by using multiple photographic drones (UAV) from DJI, model Mavic Mini 2 (weight: 249 g): Research activities consist of: 1) The research team will give an introduction to permafrost research and the use of UAV to the students of Moose Kerr in their classroom; 2) The students will develop their own permafrost related research questions based on their personal observations of and experiences with permafrost degradation; 3) The research team will give a drone flight practice; 4) The research team will accompany the staff and students of Moose Kerr to the field to conduct their research and support them in scientific and technical issues; 5) The UAV will remain with the staff and students of Moose Kerr school until a next field visit in 2023. The students are encouraged to autonomously - and with the support of their teachers - repeatedly survey their sites of interest throughout that time. All flights will be carried out following the Canadian drone regulations and without harming the flora and fauna. In 2022 the research team established communication via e-mail and video conferencing with the Aklavik Hunters and Trappers Committee, the directorate and some teachers of Moose Kerr school and presented the project idea. During the team’s field visit they connected with many more community members, parents and teachers. The research team is happy that the work with the students was very well received and are now looking forward to the next visit and to receive more feedback. Aklavik HTC wildlife monitors and boat drivers accompanied the students and research team on all trips. All collected data and subsequent results will be made available free of charge (see Ethics section on data storage). The name UndercoverEisAgenten is German for Undercover Ice Agents. The fieldwork for this study will be conducted from: September 07 - December 31, 2023