North Slave Research Centre, Aurora Research Institute

Purpose

This project addresses a fundamental knowledge gap about the effects of permafrost thaw on northern aquatic systems by advancing a geologically-based framework for characterizing and classifying permafrost-affected lakes. The project, led by Aurora Research Institute in partnership with Northwest Territories Geological Survey, was codeveloped with Indigenous organizations and aims to sample over 200 lakes affected by permafrost degradation in the Northwest Territories to assess stability of lake basins, catchment area, hydrological processes, sediment and geochemical fluxes. Results will contribute to the needs of the Inuvialuit, Gwich'in, Łı´ı´dlııKu˛´ ˛e´, K’asho Got’ın˛e, and Yellowknives Dene First Nations, the Gwich'in Land Use Planning Board and the Inuvaluit Land Administration, with opportunity to scale up and apply the study design concept to permafrost-affected lakes in Nunavut and Nunavik, as part of a longer-term climate change monitoring study.