Title | Sustainable and resilient research: harnessing expertise and international collaboration to quantify the impacts of permafrost coast erosion |
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Author | Lim, M; Whalen, D ; Murray, W; Stuckey, S; Fraser, P; Mann, P; Cockney, K |
Source | Arctic Change 2020 Conference; 2020 p. 1 |
Year | 2020 |
Alt Series | Natural Resources Canada, Contribution Series 20200765 |
Publisher | Canadian Science Publishing |
Meeting | Arctic Change 2020 Conference; December 7-10, 2020 |
Document | book |
Lang. | English |
Media | digital |
Province | Northwest Territories; Northern offshore region |
NTS | 107B; 107C; 117A; 117D |
Area | Mackenzie Delta |
Lat/Long WENS | -136.5000 -132.0000 70.0000 68.0000 |
Subjects | surficial geology/geomorphology; environmental geology; Nature and Environment; Science and Technology; permafrost; ground ice; periglacial features; thermokarst; coastal environment; coastal erosion;
climate effects; temperature; coastal management; field data methods; models; Climate change; mitigation; Mitigation; Collaborative research; International cooperation; Northern Canada; Community partnerships |
Program | Climate Change Geoscience Coastal Infrastructure |
Released | 2021 03 15 |
Abstract | (unpublished) Permafrost coasts are amongst the fastest retreating coastlines in the world. The current context of rising mean annual temperatures, increasing open water seasons and more
intense storms have been associated with accelerated rates of coastal retreat, thermokarst processes and direct threats and realised impacts on infrastructure and communities. Critical planning and decision-making, the formulation of mitigation
policies and remediation measures all depend on understanding landscape responses that are spatially and temporally complex and variable. In the case of Mackenzie Delta area, a collaboration between Canadian and UK scientists and local communities is
attempting to provide new, more consistent and coherent data on how the coastal permafrost landscape is changing. This international collaboration has evolved and adapted in recognition of the advanced and diverse skill sets across both the
researchers and the local communities, adding value and engagement and making it more sustainable and resilient. New surface and subsurface survey and monitoring approaches developed in the UK have been refined and adapted for expansive Arctic
landscapes by Canadian researchers who have extensive field experience and access to vital validation datasets. Local community workers and a local photographer have helped standardise these approaches to be able to collect data without the science
team, enabling essential data to be collected even throughout the global pandemic. Finally, local knowledge is providing new insights into the context of these new observations and helping to focus attention on the most critical areas. This model of
truly collaborative research has evolved to re-balance the ownership, production and exchange of knowledge on permafrost coasts. |
Summary | (Plain Language Summary, not published) Permafrost coasts are amongst the fastest retreating coastlines in the world. The current context of rising mean annual temperatures, increasing open
water seasons and more intense storms have been associated with accelerated rates of coastal retreat and direct threats and realised impacts on infrastructure and communities. In the case of Mackenzie Delta area, a collaboration between Canadian and
UK scientists and local communities is attempting to provide new, more consistent and coherent data on how the coastal permafrost landscape is changing. This international collaboration has evolved and adapted in recognition of the advanced and
diverse skill sets across both the researchers and the local communities, adding value and engagement and making it more sustainable and resilient. This model of truly collaborative research has evolved to re-balance the ownership, production and
exchange of knowledge on permafrost coasts. |
GEOSCAN ID | 328146 |
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