| Title | 20 Years of active layer monitoring in the Mackenzie Valley, Northwest Territories |
| Download | Downloads |
| |
| Licence | Please note the adoption of the Open Government Licence - Canada
supersedes any previous licences. |
| Author | Duchesne, C ;
Smith, S L; Ednie, M; Chartrand, J |
| Source | Geological Survey of Canada, Scientific Presentation 31, 2015, 2 pages (1 sheet), https://doi.org/10.4095/296513  Open Access |
| Image |  |
| Year | 2015 |
| Publisher | Natural Resources Canada |
| Meeting | Arctic Change 2014; Ottawa; CA; December 8-12, 2014 |
| Document | serial |
| Lang. | English |
| Media | on-line; digital |
| Related | This publication is related to 20 Years of active layer
monitoring in the Mackenzie Valley, Northwest Territories |
| File format | pdf |
| Province | Northwest Territories; Alberta |
| NTS | 84J/03; 84J/04; 84J/05; 84J/06; 84J/11; 84J/12; 84J/13; 84J/14; 84K; 84L; 84M; 84N; 84O/03; 84O/04; 84O/05; 84O/06; 84O/11; 84O/12; 84O/13; 84O/14; 85B/03; 85B/04; 85B/05; 85B/06; 85B/11; 85B/12; 85B/13;
85B/14; 85C; 85D; 85E; 85F; 85K/02; 85K/03; 85K/04; 85K/05; 85K/06; 85K/11; 85K/12; 85K/13; 85L; 85M/01; 85M/02; 85M/03; 85M/04; 85M/05; 85M/06; 85M/07; 85M/11; 85M/12; 85M/13; 95A; 95B; 95E; 95F; 95G; 95H; 95I; 95J; 95K; 95M; 95N; 95O; 95P; 96A;
96B; 96C; 96D; 96E; 96F; 96G; 96K; 96L; 96M/01; 96M/02; 96M/03; 96M/04; 96M/05; 96M/06; 96M/07; 96M/12; 106A; 106G/01; 106G/07; 106G/08; 106G/09; 106G/10; 106G/14; 106G/15; 106G/16; 106H; 106I; 106J; 106K/08; 106K/09; 106K/10; 106K/14; 106K/15;
106K/16; 106M; 106N; 106O; 106P; 107A/02; 107A/03; 107A/04; 107A/05; 107A/06; 107A/11; 107A/12; 107A/13; 107B; 107C/01; 107C/02; 107C/03; 107C/04; 107C/05; 107C/06; 107C/07; 107C/08; 107C/10; 107C/11; 107C/12; 107C/13; 107C/14; 116P/01; 116P/08;
116P/09; 116P/16; 117A/01; 117A/08; 117A/09; 117A/16; 117D/01; 117D/08; 117D/09; 117D/16 |
| Area | Mackenzie Valley; Fort Simpson; Norman Wells; Inuvik; Tuktoyaktuk; Mackenzie River Delta; Liard River |
| Lat/Long WENS | -136.5000 -115.0000 70.0000 58.0000 |
| Subjects | surficial geology/geomorphology; Nature and Environment; freezing ground; ground ice; ground temperatures; climate; climate, arctic; climatic fluctuations; vegetation; temperature; permafrost; frost
heaving |
| Illustrations | location maps; photographs; plots |
| Program | Climate Change Geoscience Essential Climate Variable Monitoring |
| Released | 2015 08 06 |
| Abstract | The Mackenzie Valley landscape is characterized by widespread permafrost terrain ranging from continuous on the Beaufort coastal plain to sporadic discontinuous in the south. The Geological Survey of
Canada has maintained an active layer monitoring network in the Mackenzie Valley and Delta since the early 1990s for determination of annual maximum thaw depth and ground movement. The network currently includes 45 functional sites established in
areas of representative vegetation and surficial material. Ten of these contribute to the Circumpolar Active Layer Monitoring network (CALM). Thaw tubes are utilized to determine maximum annual thaw penetration and maximum heave and subsidence of the
ground surface. For some sites probing is also done on established CALM grids to measure thaw penetration at a given time and soil moisture content are also determined at specific grid nodes. Most sites are equipped with instrument to measure air and
near-surface ground temperature. Active layer thickness in the Mackenzie Valley ranges from less than 50 cm in the north to greater than 100 cm in the southern region. North of Tsiigehtchic, departures from the 2003-2012 mean active layer thickness
indicate thicker active layers in the 1990s followed by a thinning of active layers to 2005, with increasing thickness to 2012. North of treeline, a direct relation between air temperature and active layer thickness is evident where active layers in
warmer years (1993, 1998, 2006) are on average ~3-9 cm thicker than the 2003-2012 mean; whereas cooler years such as 2004 are associated with thinner (average ~4 cm) active layer for most sites. South of treeline, greater site to site variability is
observed and is a consequence of the insulating effect of the vegetation in summer and variable snow cover in winter. The moderating effect of ground insulation for these sites is apparent with a dampening of the active layer response to variations
in air temperature although some of the warmer (1998) and cooler (2004) years are still noticeable with active layer on average ~5 cm thicker and ~6 cm thinner for both years respectively. Since 2009 active layers have become thicker in all regions
of the Mackenzie Valley. Changes in the active layer thickness influences surface stability through thaw settlement, frost heaving and water ponding. These effects also have implication for the load bearing capacity of the ground and, in some
circumstance, slope stability. The monitoring network provides baseline information that is helpful for land use planning decisions, engineering design of infrastructure and for understanding the impacts of a changing climate on a permafrost
environment. |
| Summary | (Plain Language Summary, not published)
The Geological Survey of Canada has maintained an active layer monitoring network since the early 1990s for determination of annual maximum thaw depth
and ground movement. Active layer thickness is influenced by air temperature and in the insulation of the ground surface by vegetation and snow. In the Mackenzie Valley active layer thickness ranges from less than 50 cm in the north to greater than
100 cm in the south. Since 2009 active layers have become thicker in all regions of the Mackenzie Valley. The monitoring network provides baseline information that is helpful for land use planning decisions, engineering design of infrastructure and
for understanding the impacts of a changing climate on a permafrost environment. |
| GEOSCAN ID | 296513 |
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