Inuvik Research and Projects

Hydrological Implications of Changes in Climate, Snow, Vegetation and Permafrost (Northern Water Futures (NWF))

Modelling interactions between climate, vegetation, snow, permafrost, and hydrology to understand impact of climate change on aquatic ecosystems and coastal environments.

• Research location: Havikpak Creek, Trail Valley Creek, and sites along the Dempster and Inuvik to Tuk Highway (ITH)
• Contact: Phil Marsh

Projects

• Spatial and temporal variability of the snow environment in the Western Canadian Arctic
  Researcher: Philip Mann; Supervisor: Phil Marsh
• High-resolution spatial variability in spring snowmelt for an Arctic shrub-tundra watershed
  Researcher: Branden Walker; Supervisor: Phil Marsh
• Assessing the hydrological variability of thermokarst lakes
  Researcher: Evan Wilcox; Supervisors: Phil Marsh and Brent Wolfe

How Will Fish Communities in Gwich’in and Inuvialuit Lakes Respond to Climate Change?

Developing models to predict future changes in fish species distributions under climate change scenarios along the NWT North-South transportation corridor.

• Research location: Dempster Highway between Fort McPherson – Inuvik. ITH between Inuvik – Tuktoyaktuk
• Contact: Derek Gray and Sapna Sharma

Impact of Ferry Landings on Water Quality and Fish Communities in the Peel and Mackenzie Rivers

Combining limnology and traditional knowledge to examine how the annual construction of ferry landings impacts water quality and fishing.

• Research location: Tsiigehtchic and Fort McPherson
• Contacts: Derek Gray and Alex Latta

Projects

• Impacts of ferry landings in the Gwich’in Settlement Area
  Researcher: Matthew Teillet; Supervisors: Derek Gray and Alex Latta

Impacts of Permafrost Thaw on Invertebrate Communities in Gwich’in and Inuvialuit Lakes

Examining invertebrate communities in lakes impacted by retrogressive thaw slumping versus those without obvious permafrost degradation.

• Research location: Dempster Hwy between Inuvik -Fort McPherson. ITH between Inuvik - Tuktoyaktuk
• Contact: Derek Gray

Projects

• Factors influencing zooplankton community structure in small Arctic lakes
  Researcher: Jasmina Vucic; Supervisor: Derek Gray
• Factors associated with macroinvertebrate communities in Canadian Arctic lakes
  Researcher: Rachel Cohen; Supervisor: Derek Gray

Permafrost Terrain Sensitivity

Evaluating the accuracy of RADARSAT-2 DInSAR products using fine-scale geomorphological maps and field-based studies, along with additional remote sensing tools.

• Research location: ITH
• Contact: Ashley Rudy

Projects

• Fine-scale geomorphological mapping and field based studies along the Inuvik to Tuktoyaktuk Highway corridor
  Researcher: Ashley Rudy; Supervisor: Phil Marsh
• Hydrothermal regime of stream channels on Tuktoyaktuk coastlands and Anderson plain
  Researcher: Timothy Enson; Supervisors: Phil Marsh and Steve Kokelj
• Changes in lakes along the Inuvik-Tuktoyaktuk Highway (1950-2011)
  Researcher: Dilshan Kariyawasam; Supervisor: Phil Marsh

Understanding the Impact of Shrub Expansion on the Tundra

Characterization of the impact of tall shrub patches on soil, snow, and permafrost conditions and the resulting impacts on tundra biodiversity.

• Research location: Trail Valley Creek
• Contact: Jennifer Baltzer

Projects

• Drivers and consequences of alder expansion at the treeline-tundra ecotone
  Researcher: Cory Wallace; Supervisor: Jennifer Baltzer
• Water use by tall shrubs in tundra environments
  Researcher: Katie Black; Supervisor: Jennifer Baltzer
• Instrumentation support across multiple sites
  Researcher: Gabriel Hould Gosselin; Supervisors: Oliver Sonnetag, Jennifer Baltzer and William Quinton

Climate Change Vulnerability

An assessment of how climate change is affecting, and predicted to influence, ecological changes and the implications for park management, ecological integrity, and traditional lifestyles.

• Research location: Tuktut Nogait National Park
• Contact: Christopher Lemieux