Page 1
Page 2
Page 3
Page 4
Page 5
Page 6
Page 7
Page 8
Page 9
Page 10
Page 11
Page 12
Page 13
Page 14
Page 15
Page 16
Tuesday July 28 2015 15 The Northern JournalThe Northern JournalThe Northern Journal has a new websitehas a new websitehas a new websitehas a new websitehas a new websitehas a new website Please visit www.norj.ca and check it out.Please visit www.norj.ca and check it out.Please visit www.norj.ca and check it out.Please visit www.norj.ca and check it out.Please visit www.norj.ca and check it out.Please visit www.norj.ca and check it out.Please visit www.norj.ca and check it out.Please visit www.norj.ca and check it out.Please visit www.norj.ca and check it out. We strive to improve - to serve you better.We strive to improve - to serve you better.We strive to improve - to serve you better. Please visit www.norj.ca and check it out.Please visit www.norj.ca and check it out.Please visit www.norj.ca and check it out. We strive to improve - to serve you better. Please visit www.norj.ca and check it out.Please visit www.norj.ca and check it out.Please visit www.norj.ca and check it out. We strive to improve - to serve you better. Please visit www.norj.ca and check it out.Please visit www.norj.ca and check it out.Please visit www.norj.ca and check it out. We strive to improve - to serve you better. Please visit www.norj.ca and check it out.Please visit www.norj.ca and check it out.Please visit www.norj.ca and check it out. We strive to improve - to serve you better.We strive to improve - to serve you better.We strive to improve - to serve you better. Please visit www.norj.ca and check it out.Please visit www.norj.ca and check it out.Please visit www.norj.ca and check it out. We strive to improve - to serve you better. Please visit www.norj.ca and check it out.Please visit www.norj.ca and check it out.Please visit www.norj.ca and check it out. We strive to improve - to serve you better. Please visit www.norj.ca and check it out.Please visit www.norj.ca and check it out.Please visit www.norj.ca and check it out. We strive to improve - to serve you better. Please visit www.norj.ca and check it out.Please visit www.norj.ca and check it out.Please visit www.norj.ca and check it out. We strive to improve - to serve you better.We strive to improve - to serve you better.We strive to improve - to serve you better.We strive to improve - to serve you better.We strive to improve - to serve you better.We strive to improve - to serve you better. Please visit www.norj.ca and check it out.Please visit www.norj.ca and check it out.Please visit www.norj.ca and check it out. We strive to improve - to serve you better. Please visit www.norj.ca and check it out.Please visit www.norj.ca and check it out.Please visit www.norj.ca and check it out. We strive to improve - to serve you better. Please visit www.norj.ca and check it out.Please visit www.norj.ca and check it out.Please visit www.norj.ca and check it out. We strive to improve - to serve you better. Please visit www.norj.ca and check it out.Please visit www.norj.ca and check it out.Please visit www.norj.ca and check it out. By MEAGAN WOHLBERG Permafrost thaw in the area around Fort McPherson currently has a lake teetering on the edge of a cliff and waiting to ood the valley below. The NWT Geological Survey recently put out an advisory of catastrophic lake drain- age and potential debris ow in a valley west ofHuskyLakeapproximately20kmfromFort McPherson in the Gwichin Settlement Area. Arapidoodofwateranddebrisisexpected tohitasmallcreekvalleywestofthelakewhich couldhappenatanymomentthissummerorfall. Land users are warned to avoid camping or traveling in the area as there is no warning system in place but Steve Kokelj a perma- frost scientist with the Survey expects the impending ood will pose very little danger to residents or infrastructure. Its a pretty isolated location he said. In the summertime from the accounts of the community very few people use that area actually in fact I would say almost nobody. In the wintertime at the base of the stream channel that would accommodate the ow theres a skidoo route and a travelers cabin... but its very unlikely that the drainage would actually impact that cabin. Slumping impacting ecosystems While slumping is a common occurrence in permafrost-rich areas around the globe Kokelj said rising temperatures and increased rainfall have greatly accelerated slumping in the Peel region where unlike along the coasts the sediment sticks around in plain view lling in valleys and disrupting locals traditional land use activities. Typically slumping is followed by a period of revegetation whereby the exposed perma- frost is gradually covered up by sediment and the ground stabilizes. But with the heavy rain- falls that have been increasing in the northern NWToverthepastdecadethosesedimentsare being washed away keeping the ice exposed and fuelling the melting process. In the Peel Plateau and other parts of the Western Arctic weve noticed in particular over the last several decades that the size and number of slumps has increased signi- cantly Kokelj said. While slumping can be seen throughout the Peel Plateau region this will be the rst mas- sive lake drainage to be captured and stud- ied. The lake and slump are being monitored by cameras and possibly water level sensors as part of the Surveys ongoing research on permafrost. Kokelj expects the lakes collapse will have a devastating impact on the stream valley below which - like areas throughout the re- gion-isalreadychangingbecauseofslumping. As permafrost melts not only does it dump hundreds of thousands of cubic metres of sed- iment into streams lakes and rivers drasti- cally upping turbidity levels and changing the ecosystem it also leaches minerals preserved over thousands of years into water bodies in potent concentrations. The result has been a signicant decrease in benthic invertebrates - a key indicator of ecosystem change - in impacted streams. Kokelj expects the lake will wash a huge amount of this exposed sediment and its wa- ter-soluble minerals far downstream. The growing slump has already lled the valley with sediment so theres already a sub- stantial impact he said. If and when the lake drains that debris ow would be eroded and moved much further down the valley. As part of their research which has been ongoing since 2010 in partnership with local Aboriginal groups universities and the ter- ritorial and federal governments Kokelj said the team will be monitoring any changes on streams and lakes downstream which will inform the larger research on the cumulative impacts of permafrost thaw in the North. One of the important opportunities we have is that its likely that with future warm- ing this phenomenon has the potential to become more common he said. Permafrost slump to cause catastrophic lake drainage near Fort McPherson PhotoScottZolkosUniversityofAlberta ENVIRONMENT CLIMATE CHANGE A lake 20 km from Fort McPherson is teetering on the edge of a cliff due to permafrost slumping.