Environment

Arctic Great Rivers Observatory (Arctic GRO)

Led by Max Holmes (Woods Hole Research Centre), Arctic GRO is a coordinated, international effort to collect and analyze a time-series of water quality and river discharge information from the six largest arctic rivers using identical sampling and analytical protocols. This includes the Ob, Yenisey, Lena, Kolyma, Yukon, and Mackenzie.

The influence of changing lake ice conditions on the water quality of subarctic lakes

We are interested in exploring the cycling of metals and nutrients under ice and how changing lake ice conditions may influence some of these processes. A better understanding of the physical and chemical limnology of lakes is important as changes in nutrient cycling impact overall productivity of lakes and changes in metal cycling influence the recovery of lakes from metal pollution.

International Network for Terrestrial Research and Monitoring in the Arctic (INTERACT)

INTERACT is a circumarctic network of currently 89 terrestrial field bases in northern Europe, Russia, US, Canada, Greenland, Iceland, the Faroe Islands and Scotland as well as stations in northern alpine areas. INTERACT specifically seeks to build capacity for research and monitoring all over the Arctic, and is offering access to numerous research stations through the Transnational Access Program. INTERACT is multidisciplinary: together, the stations in INTERACT host thousands of scientists from around the world who work on projects within the fields of glaciology, permafrost, climate, ecology, biodiversity and biogeochemical cycling. The INTERACT stations also host and facilitate many international single-discipline networks and aid training by hosting summer schools. https://eu-interact.org/

Permafrost Information Hub

Permafrost provides a foundation for northern ecosystems, infrastructure and communities. Permafrost conditions are inextricably linked to climate, so information on permafrost is now increasingly critical for environmental monitoring and research, assessing the effects of climate change and for planning and managing resilient infrastructure and communities. The overall goal of the Permafrost Information Hub is to improve collaboration and information sharing between permafrost researchers and northern stakeholders, conduct northern relevant research projects, and increase capacity for permafrost research.

Trail Valley Creek Research Station

The Trail Valley Creek Research Station is located 50 km north of Inuvik, Northwest Territories. Research started at this site in 1991. Trail Valley Creek drains 58 km2 of tundra, with patches of shrubs and boreal forest, and is underlain by ice-rich continuous permafrost. This area is one of the most rapidly warming regions on Earth. Research at Trail Valley Creek is complemented by observations at the Havikpak Creek research watershed, which is located 50 km to the south and is primarily forested. Due to the rapid changes in this environment, there is an urgent need to understand how the changing climate is affecting their shared water resources and ecosystems now and in the future, and to transfer this knowledge to all Canadians. The Trail Valley Creek Research Station is headed by Professor Philip Marsh of Geography and Environment Studies, Canada Research Chair in Cold Regions Water Science at Wilfrid Laurier University, Ontario.

Permafrost Monitoring Program

Recent climate warming has led to increases in surface air and ground temperatures, which has contributed to regional permafrost degradation, or permafrost thaw, across the Beaufort Delta Region. Thawing permafrost has led to infrastructure challenges across the region; roads and waterways are experiencing slumping along their borders, and buildings built on pilings are starting to tilt. For many years, Dr. Burn has studied changes in permafrost stability and ground temperature at various locations in the western Arctic, with a focus on the outer Mackenzie delta. He has an array of thermistor installations, ranging from Herschel Island, on the Yukon North Slope, to Paulatuk, on the Arctic Ocean coast of the NWT. At each site, ground temperature sensors are deployed in steel pipes, inserted into the ground through the permafrost layers. Ground temperature readings are measured and recorded to develop temperature profiles and observe changes in temperature/depth across these profiles over time.

Inuvik Air Quality Monitoring: National Air Pollution Surveillance Network (NAPS)

Air is one of our most precious resources, and is vital to life on earth. Maintaining good air quality in the NWT is an important factor in environmental protection and the protection of human health. Sources of air pollution that affect our air quality are both natural, such as emissions from forest fires, and anthropogenic (man-made), such as industrial, vehicular, and home heating emissions. The pollutants monitored at the Inuvik Air Quality Station include carbon monoxide, particulate matter of various sizes, ozone, sulfate, and nitrogen-containing gases.

Carbon Monitoring in the East Branch of the Mackenzie River Delta

ARI has partnered with Dr. Aleck Wang of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution to monitor water quality parameters in the East Channel of the Mackenzie River near the town of Inuvik. The goal of this monitoring program is to take time-series measurements of the carbon system in the Mackenzie River, a major Arctic river in the western Canadian Arctic. This work is a first step towards long-term measurements and studies of the impacts of global warming on the carbon system in the Mackenzie River, its estuary, and adjacent coastal waters.

Dempster-ITH Water Quality Monitoring

Retrogressive thaw slumping, due to climate change, is an extreme form of permafrost thaw. This occurs when ice-rich sediment begins to melt, causing the ground to become unstable and collapse. This has significant implications for freshwater systems. There have been a number of studies aimed at better understanding how retrogressive thaw slumping impacts freshwater systems. However, the impact other factors, such as latitude (or climate), seasonal variability, and surficial geology, have on the water quality of freshwater systems in the region is little understood. Improving our understanding of what and how these factors influence the quality of water runoff will help us to better predict how shoreline retrogressive thaw slumping, and construction and development, are affecting freshwater systems. To this end, the overall goal of this study is to examine the effects of seasonal variability and terrain type on the quality of freshwater systems in the Beaufort Delta Region.

Beaufort Sea Coastal Restoration Project

The overall goal of this study is to explore the potential for using indigenous plant species to revegetate coastline affected by permafrost thaw slumping. Although vegetation is a well-known method for stabilizing soil, little has been done to apply these methods to coastline affected by thaw slump activity. The field team has been exploring how different methods of revegetation (direct seeding and vegetation mats) influence the ground temperature within retrogressive thaw slumps. In Year 5, we will create a final report, or guide, that details our findings and hopefully, can be used in future restoration initiatives in the region.
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