How community-driven research is solving a problem with thawing permafrost in Kugluktuk

Thawing permafrost is damaging a trail that Inuit from the community of Kugluktuk, at Nunavut’s western edge, use to reach a hunting, fishing, and berry-picking area that is one of their sources of food. Climate change is part of the reason – temperatures in the Canadian Arctic are rising rapidly – but there’s more to the story.

Kugluktuk residents use an all-terrain vehicle (ATV) trail to get to Kugluk Territorial Park, which lies 15 km to the southwest of the community. Every year sections of the trail, which continues on through the park, become impassible as the ground settles into pools of water and mud, and only frequent repair and rerouting can keep it useable. The community has begun building a gravel road to replace part of the trail – but it too has been plagued by permafrost problems. “People in Kugluktuk are very keen to find a solution,” says Stéphanie Coulombe, a permafrost scientist with Polar Knowledge Canada (POLAR). Coulombe is part of a research project, led by the community and the Government of Nunavut (Nunavut Parks and Special Places), that is taking aim at the problem. “We’re working to find out exactly what is happening to the ground along the trail, and determine the best way to make it stable and safe.”

The project’s collaborative research team comprises three organizations: the Government of Nunavut, POLAR, and Université Laval, whose eminent permafrost scientist Dr. Michel Allard leads the team. The researchers began work in 2017 by examining high-resolution satellite images and historic aerial photos to map lakes and ponds and to see how they have changed since 1950. In the field they drilled narrow holes into the ground along the trail, as deep as 5 metres, to take core samples of the subsurface material. They installed sensors to monitor temperature, and used ground-penetrating radar to search for massive pieces of buried ice known as ice-wedges. “We try to find out precisely what’s down there in the ground,” says Coulombe. “How big or small are the different grains of earth and rock, and how are they distributed? How much ice is there, and what’s its shape and size? What are the temperatures at different depths, and are these changing? Knowing those things enables us to determine how easily the permafrost there can thaw – and how that will change the surface.”

Respect for the land and its rich human history are integral to this project. An archaeologist helped the field crew steer clear of archaeological sites, such as sodhouse remains, tent rings, caribou blinds, graves, and other traces of the everyday lives of Inuit families who used the area over thousands of years. An elder was also on hand during the field research. “The perspectives and expertise of Inuit in Kugluktuk are crucial,” Coulombe says. “When they explain the changes they’ve observed in the area, how they have dealt with similar problems in the past, and communicate their holistic view of the land, we get a better understanding of the landscape.”

Inspiring northern youth to take an interest in science and giving them opportunities to get hands-on research experience are priorities for POLAR. Several young Inuit from Kugluktuk have worked as field crew, learning technical skills and gaining new insights by viewing their familiar environment – and what lies beneath it – through the lens of permafrost science.

Coulombe and her colleagues have determined that thawing ice wedges under the ATV trail are causing the damage. “The tundra’s plant cover acts as insulation, keeping the ground cool,” she explains. “Vehicle traffic creates tracks and ruts, and kills the fragile tundra plants. With the insulation gone the frozen ground is exposed to the air, which is getting warmer because of climate change.” When those massive ice-wedges thaw, they leave deep depressions that fill with water and can turn into gullies. That’s a concern for any trail or road across permafrost.

The project has more work to do – the priority now is finding a solution for the gravel road – but it has already brought some tangible results. Nunavut Parks has begun building an elevated wooden boardwalk that will take ATVs through the park without harming the insulating layer of vegetation. Young Inuit working with the project have gained valuable experience, not only in field research, but also in science communication, by sharing knowledge with the public at community information sessions, and by giving presentations at science conferences in southern Canada.

“This project,” Coulombe concludes, “is a good example of the benefits that result when scientists and Indigenous communities come together to solve a problem, collaborating and sharing knowledge, in a spirit of mutual respect.”

The contributions of Nunavut Parks staff Leesee Papatsie, Gerry Atatahak and Larry Adjun have been essential to the project’s success.