NWT RESEARCH DATABASE

Regions: Inuvialuit Settlement Region

Tags: permafrost, sump, quarry, trail, monitor

Objective(s): (1) help connect and engage local partners and interested stakeholders in the monitoring of drilling waste sumps, aggregate quarries, and trails; and, (2) assist the broader permafrost research community in contributing to and learning from inspection activities by the GNWT Department of Lands and other agencies at leases associated with sites where there may be disturbances.

Project Description: This licence has been issued for the scientific research application No. 6123. The response of permafrost to disturbance can be better understood through long-term monitoring at sites of interest. The objectives of this research application are to (1) help connect and engage local partners and interested stakeholders in the monitoring of drilling waste sumps, aggregate quarries, and trails; and (2) assist the broader permafrost research community in contributing to and learning from inspection activities by the GNWT Department of Lands and other agencies at leases associated with sites where there may be permafrost disturbances. Permafrost conditions at sites of prior disturbance will be monitored using methods that have been employed in the past, including: - The installation of ground temperature thermistors and temperature recording devices using equipment that can be operated by a small crew; - The measurement of late-winter snow depth and density; - The measurement of late-summer or fall ground thaw depth; - The collection of geophysical data to map the extent of unfrozen ground at a site, or the extent of drilling fluids or other materials in drilling waste sumps; - The use of drones to map vegetation or estimate the amount of ground subsidence at sites from one year to the next; - The use of satellite images and data to describe long-term changes to terrain at disturbed sites, that can help calibrate satellite data to known, measured conditions on the ground. - The completion of vegetation surveys Monitoring results, data analysis, and research outcomes will be shared in future permafrost monitoring workshops to be held in the Beaufort Delta region, similar to past permafrost monitoring workshops conducted with the ILA in July and September 2019, January 2021, March 2021, and April 2023. Results will also be presented in venues at the Aurora Research Institute, at the Yellowknife Geoscience Form, and at other northern forums and national or international conferences. Results will also be presented in the NWT Open Report series published by the NWT Geological Survey, informal reports to community partners, in scientific journals, and in the field while working with local personnel. The fieldwork for this study will be conducted from: March 11 - December 31, 2025