M. Allard and W. Pollard
Permafrost
Permafrost and Climate Change in Northern Coastal Canada
Project Leader
Allard, Michel (Université Laval); Pollard, Wayne (McGill University)
Network Investigators
Monique Bernier (Institut national de la recherche scientifique - Eau, Terre et Environnement); Trevor Bell (Memorial University of
Newfoundland); Donald Forbes (Natural Resources Canada - Geological Survey of Canada); Bill Doidge (Nunavik Research Center);
Daniel Fortier (Université Laval); Esther Lévesque (Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières)
Collaborators
Hugues Lantuit (Alfred Wegener Institute Foundation for Polar and Marine Research); Derek Mueller (Carleton University); Michael
Barrett (Kativik Regional Government); Trevor Bell (Memorial University of Newfoundland); Paul Budkewitsch (Natural Resources
Canada - Canada Centre for Remote Sensing); Caroline Larrivée (Ouranos); Miles Eccelstone, (Trent University) Ronald Daanen,
Margaret Darrow, Yuri Shur (University of Alaska Fairbanks); Stéphane Boudreau, Steeve Côté, Guy Doré, Anne-Marie LeBlanc,
Jean-Pierre Tremblay, Warwick Vincent (Université Laval); Katerine Grandmont, Isabelle de Grandpré, Oliver Sonnentag, Julie Talbot
Sabine Veuille (Université de Montréal) Ralf Ludwig (University of Munich); Antoni Lewkowicz (University of Ottawa); Diane
Saint-Laurent (Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières); Bronwyn Benkert (Yukon College); Sarah Laxton, Paul Murchison (Yukon
Government).
Post-Doctoral Fellow
Isla Meyers-Smith (Université de Sherbrooke); Christopher Omelon (University of Toronto)
Doctoral Student
Michael Fritz (Alfred Wegener Institute Fondation for Polar and Marine Research); Julien Fouché, Tania Gibéryen (Centre d’études
nordiques); Yannick Duguay (Institut national de la recherche scientifique - Eau, Terre et Environnement); Michael Becker,
Tim Haltigin (McGill University); Maxime Jolivel, Marie-Ève Larouche, Julie Malenfant-Lepage (Université Laval); Stéphanie
Coulombe, Étienne Godin (Université de Montréal)
Master Students
Andrée-Sylvie Carbonneau, Marc-André Ducharme, Geneviève Dufour-Tremblay, Pascale Gosselin, Julie Leblanc-Dumas, Valérie
Mathon-Dufour (Centre d’études nordiques); Laurence Provencher-Nolet, (Institut national de la recherche scientifique - Eau, Terre
et Environnement); Michael Angelopoulos, Heather Cray, David Fox, Melissa Karine Ward, Leigh-Ann Williams-Jones (McGill
University); Jason Zottola, (University of Alaska Fairbanks); Émilie Champagne, Mélissa Paradis, Maude Pelletier, Eva Stephani
(Université Laval); Alexandre Guertin-Pasquier, Lyna Lapointe-Elmrabti, Michel Paquette, Michel Sliger, (Université de Montréal);
Noémie Boulanger-Lapointe, Naim Perreault, Marilie Trudel, (Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières)
Honours Undergraduate Student
Jared Simpson (McGill University); Manuel Verpaelst (Université de Montréal)
Technical Staff
Mickaël Lemay (ArcticNet Inc.); José Gérin-Lajoie, Denis Sarrazin (Centre d’études nordiques); Yves Gauthier, Jimmy Poulin
(Institut national de la recherche scientifique - Eau, Terre et Environnement); Carl Barrette, Emmanuel L’Hérault (Université Laval);
Annie Jacob (Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières); Louis-Philippe Roy (Yukon College)
ArcticNet Annual Research Compendium (2012-13)
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M. Allard and W. Pollard
Permafrost
Undergraduate Student
Bérénice Doyon, Jonathan Lasnier (Université Laval); Nicolas Bradette (Université du Québec à Rimouski); Laurence Greffard,
Catherine Jarry, Vincent Lamarre (Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières)
Northern HQP
Peter Novalinga (The Northern Village of Umiujaq); Andrea Brazeau (Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières)
ArcticNet Annual Research Compendium (2012-13)
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M. Allard and W. Pollard
Abstract
This project analyzes how permafrost, or
permanently frozen ground, responds to the
changing climate. Permafrost is the foundation
upon which northern ecosystems and communities
rest and upon which new industrial infrastructures
are built. So determining its fate is important to
a number of different disciplines and users. The
impact of thawing permafrost is often a function of
how much ice is found below the ground surface,
so an important component of the project is to
map where this ground ice is located, particularly
in sensitive areas such as Inuit communities or in
regions targeted for industrial projects. Other factors
that have a bearing on the impact of warming
permafrost are the types of soil, the vegetation
cover, snow depths, and soil moisture, so these are
elements that are also considered by our multidisciplinary team. Changes to the landscape as a
result of the changing permafrost temperatures are
monitored, including the development of landforms
such as landslides, changes in vegetation patterns,
modification of drainage patterns, coastal erosion,
release of carbon and production of greenhouse
gases. The tools and methods used by the team
include remote sensing, drilling, geophysics,
thermal analyses, vegetation studies, numerical
simulations, site monitoring and GIS applications.
Permafrost mapping and predictions of ground
temperature changes in Arctic communities are used
to formulate adaptation strategies and planning land
management.
Key Messages
New Contributions to permafrost knowledge:
• Thaw slumps are important contributors of soil
and organic matter into the Arctic Ocean;
• The amount of sediments and carbon released
by thermokarst landforms and process declines
when about 10-20% of permafrost is left in the
landscape but the new streams and lakes formed
by permafrost decay provide channels for more
ArcticNet Annual Research Compendium (2012-13)
Permafrost
transport more sediment and carbon to the sea.
• The turbidity maximum in a river whose
catchment is affected by thermokarst is controlled
by summer thawing of the active layer rather than
solely the hydrological regime (e.g., freshet and
precipitations).
• The thermo-erosion event that damaged bridges
in Pangnirtung in 2008 occurred after about
800 years of stability and its return period has
been estimated at about once in 80 years by
radiocarbon dating of fluvial terraces.
• Massive and sustained infiltration of surface runoff into the active layer can trigger sub-surface
thermo-erosion processes. These processes lead
to the development of sinkholes and network
of interconnected tunnels in the permafrost.
These tunnels eventually collapse and create
thermo-erosion gullies which drastically modify
the geomorphology and ecological functions of
polygonal wetlands.
• In a given permafrost watershed, groundwater
flow occurs in the active layer and follows
active layer thawing during the summer.
Groundwater flow travels differently within ecogeomorphological terrain units of the watershed.
Groundwater flow is a source of heat that alters
the thermal state of the active layer and can
promote permafrost thawing. Transportation
infrastructure such as roads, railways and airport
runways can be severely affected by groundwater
flow and poor drainage.
• Permafrost in regolith (in situ weathered bedrock
of possible pre-glacial or interglacial age) was
sampled and cored for the first time in the
Canadian Arctic, on Hall Peninsula, northeast of
Iqaluit.
• Buried glacier ice likely dating back to Late
Pliocene or early Pleistocene was found on Bylot
Island; its analysis shall provide clues of ancient
climate conditions and conditions for permafrost
sustainability through glacial and interglacial
cycles.
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Impacts of climate change on tundra and
permafrost ecology:
• Recent warming favours increased shrub growth
near treeline sites whereas sites on continuous
permafrost may not be responding so strongly.
Local water availability is an important factor
favouring shrub growth.
• Observations made during the summer field
campaign of 2012, as well as the preliminary
analysis of 1994 and 2010 high resolution
(15 cm) aerial photographs tend to show that
important ecosystem changes are intimately
linked to permafrost degradation and result in the
densification of shrub lands;
• Wetland drainage by thermo-erosion gullies
at Bylot Island alters vegetation diversity and
abundance leading to a threefold reduction
in food biomass for goose grazing. However
vegetation did not change in intact wetland
polygons.
Research applications and socio-economic
impacts:
• New, high resolution maps of surficial
deposits, permafrost ice contents and potential
for construction are now available for the
communities of Kangirsuk, Tasiujaq, Akulivik
and Puvirnituq in Nunavik.
• Expertise and resources developed in this project
contribute to the development of learning
activities on permafrost for high school students
in Nunavik in collaboration with “Avativut”
(Lévesque et al.) funded in part by ArcticNet
project (Henry et al.). Transfer of knowledge
and capacity building will be favoured by these
activities.
• Knowledge gained from this project has been
shared with the Canadian permafrost science
and engineering community during the annual
workshop of the Network of Expertise on
Permafrost held in Pangnirtung in May 2012.
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Permafrost
Methodological advancements:
• Combining thermal model results with data from
the geophysical surveys enables us to properly
interpret the active layer dynamics of permafrost
regions.
• A system called DTS (Distributed Temperature
Sensing) which makes use of fiber optic cables
as linear temperature sensor was installed under
embankments of a road that was rebuilt on
permafrost in Salluit. This new technology is
being applied for the first time in permafrost
science and engineering. It is expected that this
experiment will lead to a breakthrough in matters
of monitoring permafrost temperature regime in
the landscape and for monitoring the performance
of linear infrastructures on permafrost such as
roads and airport runways.
• Ice layers visible on CT-scan tomodensitometry
but that would have been missed by other
traditional methods allowed a better estimate of
ice and organic matter contents in the permafrost
from three peat cores recovered in Salluit. The
layers were thereafter correlated with ground
penetrating radar surveys to provide a high
quality determination of ice contents in the
permafrost.
Objectives
In 2012-2013, the main objectives of the project
were:
• Define and start implementing the ADAPT
protocol for permafrost terrain sampling and
characterization to be applied across Canada
in that research program and initiate a study of
permafrost degradation and associated ecological
changes using this protocol.
• Complete and publish permafrost maps of four
Inuit communities for which field work was done
in 2011.
• Initiate the development of a general-use,
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M. Allard and W. Pollard
three-layer-two-interface model (vegetation/
snow cover, soil surface, active layer,
permafrost table, top permafrost layers) for
ADAPT; measure parameters and determine
heat and mass transfer coefficients for
improve modeling in permafrost science and
engineering.
• Pursue the development of three new
technologies in permafrost science and
engineering: InSar (satellite airborne
interferometry for measuring and mapping soil
displacements on permafrost terrain), CT-Scan
tomodensitometric analysis of permafrost
samples, and DTS (Fiber optics distributed
temperature sampling).
• Measure sediment and carbon yield from
concentrated retrogressive thaw slumps in
the continuous permafrost zone and from
dispersed thermokarst landforms in the
discontinuous permafrost zone.
• Widen and organize the team’s approach for
transferring knowledge on permafrost and
the environment in Inuit communities and
increase capacity for northerners to make
land management decisions dealing with
permafrost issues.
• Assess permafrost sensitivity, particularly
massive ground ice, and focus investigations
on detailed study of active layer dynamics,
including focused research on changes
in active layer depth and temperature,
and analysis of soil weathering processes
including potential influence of frost heaving
and cryoturbation
Some specific objectives and local aims were also:
• Create a 3D model of three retrogressive thaw
slumps showing the erosion between 2004 and
2012 (Simpson with NI Pollard)
• Create several 3D models of past permafrost
surfaces in order to estimate true erosion
volumes (Simpson with NI Pollard)
ArcticNet Annual Research Compendium (2012-13)
Permafrost
• Survey ice wedges and permafrost active layer
dynamics utilizing a range of tools such as
GPR and GPS (Becker with NI Pollard)
• Quantify the dissolved organic carbon contents of
massive ice tabular bodies in retrogressive thaw
slumps (Lantuit)
• Map the distribution of ground ice and to
understand the gemorphological process
driving the initiation, progress and stabilization
of retrogressive thaw slumps (Lantuit,
Angelopoulos, and NI Pollard)
• Reconstruct the modern vegetation characteristics
in polygon fields and retrieve sediment cores
from study lakes to reconstruct the late Holocene
variability in the area (2000 years) and to obtain
benchmark information on vegetation (Lantuit)
• Map subsurface properties between boreholes
with ground-penetrating radar and capacitivelycoupled resistivity (Angelopoulos with NI
Pollard)
• Assess the 2D applicability of 1D maximum
active layer thickness projections for the period
2012-2070 (Angelopoulos with NI Pollard)
• Apply ground-penetrating radar to provide
more detailed information on cryostructures and
contacts between massive ice and gravelly sand
deposits (Angelopoulos with NI Pollard)
• Characterize the general patterns of vegetation
(mosses, lichens, and vascular plants) and
soil conditions (pH, organic matter content,
moisture, salinity, and fine substrate) at perennial
saline springs and adjacent control habitats at
Expedition Fiord, Axel Heiberg Island (CraySloan and NI Pollard)
Introduction
Associated with climate warming is a degradation of
permafrost in the form of an increase in active-layer
thickness (the depth reached by thaw in late summer)
and complete disappearance of permafrost in some
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places. When this happens, the whole environment
is affected: the morphology of the terrain changes
because the ice in the ground melts (a process termed
thermokarst), vegetation structure and composition
change also, snow cover is redistributed overland
differently from what it used to be, drainage patterns
are disturbed, new lakes are formed and others drain,
surface running water further erodes exposed frozen
soil and coastal retreat is accelerated along shores.
Sediments, minerals and organic matter (carbon)
eroded through thermokarst also find their way to
lakes, rivers and eventually to the sea. Carbon that
was stored for hundreds of years in the permafrost
is released in the ecosystems and expelled to the
atmosphere as CO2 and CH4 through the respiration of
soils and lakes.
Man made infrastructures such as roads, buildings,
and docks are at greater risk and get damaged as they
lose ground support. In mining regions, permafrost
poses challenges for both below ground and surface
operations; also the permanent freezing of tailings and
waste rock piles (new or “industrial” permafrost) is
an important factor in the biochemical stabilization of
oxidation-sensitive minerals in the prevention of acid
mine drainage, for at least as long as the climate does
not warm too much.
The overarching aim of this project is to critically
assess how and at what rate permafrost degradation
affects the ecosystems and infrastructures critical to
the well-being of northern communities. More and
more, we are getting interested also to permafrost
as an important factor in the context of industrial
development. The instability issues at the core of the
project are related to a critical and very basic physical
component of permafrost: the ice that it contains in
variable amounts and forms. Underlying this theme
are two basic facts; first, permafrost stability is related
to the energy exchanges between the atmosphere
and the ground through the interface provided by the
vegetation cover and the snow cover; second, over
vast areas of its distribution permafrost temperatures
already are only a few degrees below 0°C, making it
inherently unstable.
ArcticNet Annual Research Compendium (2012-13)
Permafrost
Dominant regional and community issues concerned
by the project relate both to adapting to changes in the
natural environment as resource producing ecosystems
are altered and to adapting municipal infrastructure
management to face the challenge of ground
destabilization. As the Inuit population is increasing
rapidly, the demand for new housing and infrastructure
is very high in the Arctic; this high need comes in a
period of increasing uncertainty as to the capability
of the land to support development. Solid terrain that
used in the past to be considered fit for expansion
even with a limited knowledge of local conditions
now often proves to be unsafe. The basic objective of
this project is to increase permafrost knowledge both
fundamentally and in an applied perspective to help
society meet the challenges of arctic development,
environmental protection and community adaptation
in a self-governance perspective. The research
team applies innovative research methods such as
new drilling technologies, up-dated geophysical
instrumentation, laboratory analyses, radiocarbon
dating, stable isotopes, advanced remote sensing,
mathematical modeling and GIS applications.
Stakeholders and northern communities are considered
as day-to-day partners in the research process.
Central to our work is a better understanding of the
coupling of mass and energy balance conditions at the
ground surface (with respect to vegetation structure
and snow cover change under the impact of climate
warming) with changes in the active layer, and then
coupling active layer changes with changes in the
upper part of permafrost. Our studies are undertaken
against a backdrop of widespread local effects that
may lead to major shifts in landscape ecology across
the North. At the heart of this project is the analysis of
changes in both the low and high Arctic.
Activities
New contributions to permafrost knowledge
In continuation with the previous years,
geomorphological studies, geophysical surveys
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Permafrost
(Ground penetrating radar, electrical resistivity), and
soil and vegetation sampling were carried across
the arctic and the subarctic regions of the country
by team members and their students and staff. For
instances, field research, mapping and modelling
were done on phenomena such as retrogressive thaw
slumps in Yukon and active layer dynamics in general.
Ground ice studies and descriptions of corresponding
vegetation were carried by Pollard’s team at Grise
Fjord, Resolute Bay, Eureka, Expedition Fjord and
Axel Heiberg Island.
We pursued our on-going work on the dynamics of
thermo-erosion gullies on Bylot Island, Nunavut
(Figure 1). This year we characterized snow conditions
(thickness, density, SWE) upstream of the most active
thermo-erosion gully and discharge at the gully outlet
in order to relate snow volume and snowmelt timing
to thermo-erosion rates and gully water balance. We
also monitored by DGPS the erosion rate of 12 gullies
in the valley of glacier C-79 (yearly monitoring since
2008). We developed a new method to measure with
acute precision the ablation of ice during the thermoerosion process using terrestrial laser scanning. In
order to better understand the thermal and mechanical
recovery of permafrost following wetland drainage,
we installed thermistor cables and humidity sensors in
various intact (wet) and drained (‘dry’) polygons.
A new Ph.D. project was initiated on Bylot Island
to study buried glacier ice of different ages and
geological settings. Stratigraphic sections were
excavated in order to investigate the structure of the
massive ground-ice bodies exposed at the headwall
of recent thaw slumps. Cryostratigraphic units of the
ice body and the overlying sediments were described
in details and buried glacier ice was sampled using a
portable core-drill. Discrete samples were collected
on stratigraphic sections in order to analyse the
paleomagnetic signal of the sediments. Cryostructures
observed from glacier ice buried in the permafrost on
Bylot Island showed similarities to those found on
actual glaciers in the Canadian Arctic and Alaska.
On Ward Hunt Island, a new study of mass movements
ArcticNet Annual Research Compendium (2012-13)
Figure 1: expansion of thermo-erosion in permafrost on Bylot
island. June 2010: unaffected upstream section of the gully.
4-22 July 2012: development of a sinkhole over the summer.
Sinkholes indicate the presence of tunnels in the underlying
permafrost, which collapse to form gullies.
and thermo-hydrological dynamics was initiated at the
scale of a high-arctic lake watershed. We instrumented
the Ward hunt lake watershed with soil displacement
markers, piezometers and ground temperature sensors.
Drilling and coring operations were conducted in
the various mass movement terrain units to collect
permafrost samples.
Under a research collaboration with the CanadaNunavut Geoscience Office, permafrost was drilled
and sampled in a geological material so far unstudied,
that is a regolith which likely predate the last
glaciations and was preserved under a cold based
glacier during the Wisconsinian glaciations. Two
cores were drilled. Geochemical and clay analyses
are underway to try to ascertain both the past climate
conditions under which the regolith (in situ deeply
weathered bedrock) formed and the cryostructure and
cryotexture of the permafrost that formed into it.
Impacts of climate change on tundra and
permafrost ecology
Permafrost degradation alters the landscape and in
turns, vegetation influences the soil thermal regime
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by shading in summer and snow trapping in winter.
We have initiated a number of collaborative projects
addressing these questions.
An array of six sampling plots along a permafrost
degradation gradient from a permafrost mound
dominated by lichens to totally degraded sites
dominated by shrubs and finally by black spruce was
installed and instrumented near Umiujuaq, Nunavik.
Vegetation structure and diversity, topography and
permafrost status were assessed. The plots were
instrumented according the newly designed ADAPT
protocol (Figure 2) to quantify the annual thermal
Permafrost
regime, the impact of snow cover, active layer thawing
and freezing, soil water movements, soil carbon,
vegetation composition, structure and age. Snow
measurements will be taken in March 2013. Shrub and
tree growth (height and age) will be assessed on these
sites (L. Greffard, BSc Honours) to help understand
the temporal dynamic of shrub growth on the thermal
regime. The six plots are representative of permafrost
degradation stages from tundra on a shallow active
layer to forest without permafrost. What is new in the
study is that the rate of ecological change associated
with permafrost degradation will be determined for the
first time with the help of tree ring dating and time-
Figure 2. The ADAPT protocol for soil and carbon characterization and standardization of data acquisition.
ArcticNet Annual Research Compendium (2012-13)
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lapse air photographs. The study also now acquires
logged data that will help validate the three-layer
numerical model at the core of the ADAPT program
(the three layers, i.e. vegetation/snow cover, active
layer, top layer of permafrost are separated by two
boundaries that are shifting during the evolutionary
change: the soil surface and the permafrost table).
In order to assess to which extent permafrost
degradation and shrub cover increases are associated
locally with shifts in species distribution. Catherine
Jarry (BSc Honours) characterized the distribution of
boreal and arctic vascular plant species in an area of
rapid permafrost degradation.
In collaboration with colleagues of Caribou Ungava
we completed the analysis of vegetation change in
the valley of Deception Bay using a combination of
aerial photography (1972) and high resolution satellite
images (2010). Ground truthing was completed
to assess shrub cover and level of herbivory (E.
Champagne).
Soil surface temperature measurements
maintained in and out of shrub thickets at five sites
(Kangiqsualujjuaq, Kangiqsujuaq, Deception Bay,
Umiujaq) allowed the first comparison of shrub height
impact on soil temperatures (I. Myers-Smith). Further
analyses are planned for 2013.
Our team contributed shrub data to the circumpolar
Arctic synthesis led by Isla Myers-Smith (PDF). This
data synthesis will provide a unique contribution to
the global change literature that complements remote
sensing and theoretical modelling studies of vegetation
change in tundra ecosystems. We tested the hypotheses
that: 1) annual growth is primarily related to early
summer temperatures and 2) that growth-climate
relationships are stronger in more benign rather than
more extreme growing environments.
The study of the impact of thermo-erosion gullies
on vegetation productivity continues at Bylot Island,
Nunavut. This year we monitored the 212 plots
established in 2009-2010 and quantified the biomass
ArcticNet Annual Research Compendium (2012-13)
Permafrost
available to herbivores in stable and disturbed sites (N.
Perreault). Transects were established (n=29) every
50m, perpendicular to the main gully to characterise
vegetation colonisation after disturbance and evaluate
how these sites recover (after 2, 5 and 10 years) (J.
Lasnier).We resampled 32 of 35 polygons evaluated
in 1995 to document their diversity in the valley. The
majority of these sites had not changed much in 17
years in terms of geomorphology and vegetation in
opposition to areas destabilized by permafrost erosion.
In addition, N. Perreault completed his M.Sc thesis on
the impact of permafrost degradation on wetlands at
Bylot Island, Nunavut.
Research applications and socio-economic
impacts
Geophysical surveys initiated in 2010 and 2011 at
the Iqaluit airport were continued and thermal and
groundwater data from dataloggers were retrieved
by Allard’s team in preparation for a major drilling
project to characterize permafrost in 2013.
Daniel Fortier’s team pursued the monitoring of
groundwater flow and permafrost thermal regime
under the Alaska Highway at the Beaver Creek
test section in Yukon. Drainage conditions at the
watershed scale were studied. A fully-coupled
numerical thermal model was developed and
calibrated against field and laboratory data. We
developed a new method to measure the mechanical
response of the permafrost to thawing using a
terrestrial laser scanner. We continued the monitoring
of mitigation techniques to prevent permafrost
degradation. We applied our current methods and
knowledge of permafrost processes to evaluate the
susceptibility of permafrost to climate change for six
Yukon villages.
High resolution images were used to select potential
sites for the community based monitoring project
“Avativut”; this visual material facilitated the work
of the berry research group (Project 2.6) that visited
11 of 14 communities in Nunavik. The detailed
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maps favoured exchanges and allowed community
members to readily contribute to site selection.
A new project supported by AANDC entitled “Life
on permafrost in Nunavik: community planning
empowerment” is now starting (January 2013).
In summary, the project has two components: 1providing a better understanding of “how permafrost
works” and build capacity of local administrators,
managers, decision makers and municipal workers
for take charge of community expansion and land
management. The community permafrost maps are one
of the key teaching tools being used. 2- to develop a
“learning and evaluation situation” experience on basic
permafrost knowledge for secondary school students
of Nunavik. The work is done in partnership with
the Kativik School Board. The series of 10 one-hour
permafrost teaching modules is planned on the same
lines and benefits the pedagogical experience gained
by our team members with the berry and vegetation
learning experience. It will be the permafrost module
in the community based monitoring project Avativut
housed at Centre d’études nordiques. These two
components of the AANDC-supported project will be
first presented to communities of Nunavik starting in
February 2013. They will be developed, tested and
improved over the next two years.
Permafrost
kilometres of cable were buried under the one
kilometre of the road and along its sides, at two
different depths and winding underneath culverts. It
is expected that any early warming indicative of a
beginning of thawing will be detected in the future
anywhere along the instrumented stretch of road.
Since 2010, the use of Synthetic Aperture Radar
(SAR) satellite imagery is being investigated at
the Umiujaq test area as part of a Ph.D. thesis (Y.
Duguay) to evaluate their potential to map snow
characteristics in subarctic environments. Images
were acquired with two satellites, RADARSAT-2
and TerraSAR-X, operating at different frequencies
(5.4 GHz and 9.65 GHz respectively) which will
provide complementary information. Series of
polarimetric RADARSAT-2 scenes (HH, VV, VH,
HV polarisations) and dual polarized TerraSAR-X
scenes (HH and HV polarisations) were acquired
over the test area during the winter and fall seasons
of 2010, 2011 and 2012. The winter data are
acquired during March and April when the snow
cover is at its maximum. The fall data (snow-free
data) are needed as reference, and are acquired
Methodological advancements
In Salluit, we took the opportunity of the
reconstruction of a road on sensitive permafrost
by the Québec department of transport to apply a
new design of heat drains under embankments to
restore permafrost and make it cooler to stabilize
the road. The new monitoring instrumentation
includes conventional thermistor arrays under the
infrastructure but an innovative technology was
also applied for the first time in permafrost science
and engineering (Figure 3). Called Distributed
temperature sensing, the technology uses fiber
optic cables as linear sensors. It allows temperature
measurements with a precision of ± 0.1 °C at a
linear resolution of 0.25 m. In total nearly four
ArcticNet Annual Research Compendium (2012-13)
Figure 3. Steps in the installation of temperature monitoring
instrumentation under the Salluit road in reconstruction.
A) drilling. B) horizontal crossing of thermistor cables in
protection casings unde the road. C) backfill. D) Connexion
to recording instrumentation.
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M. Allard and W. Pollard
between late October and early December when
the ground is generally frozen and the snow cover
is negligible. Field campaigns were carried out in
coordination with winter satellite data acquisition.
Snow depth, density and snow water equivalent, as
well as ground temperatures were measured over
various terrain types. Snow pits were dug at selected
sites to gather information on grain size and shape
in addition to snow densities from the different
layers of the snowpack. Further measurements of
snow thermal conductivity and enhanced grain
size measurements were carried during the March
2012 field campaign to support modelling efforts.
A multitemporal analysis is performed on satellite
datasets, comparing the measured scattering signal
in winter with the fall signal at various polarisations
and incidence angles. These analyses are then
related to snow, vegetation and soil characteristics
to identify which spectral component of the signal is
more sensitive to snow properties.
In 2012-2013, an M.Sc. student (L. Provencher
Nolet) started to investigate local changes of
vegetation over the last 20 years in the Umiujaq area
(56.55°N, 76.55°W ) which is at the transition zone
between the subarctic and the arctic region. While
most studies focus on vegetation changes occurring
on a wide scale to complement other team projects
at the plot scale. The data being used are high
resolution aerial and digital photographs acquired
in three natural color channels by the Quebec
Government in 1994 and 2010. Digital image
analysis tools include multi-scale segmentation
process, object-based classification and change
detection techniques. Texture bands were added
to the three color channels (Blue, Green, Red) to
enhance object’s classification. The objectives are
to establish and quantify local changes in vegetation
(ecosystem change) and to understand the link
between those changes and the presence or thawing
of permafrost, the soil type, the local topography,
and the site climatic conditions.
ArcticNet Annual Research Compendium (2012-13)
Permafrost
Results
New contributions to permafrost knowledge
Studies of our team and its affiliates have shown
that retrogressive thaw slumps of landslides along
the Coast of Yukon and NWT deliver to the marine
environment more sediments and carbon than the
coastal erosion by waves and sea ice. For instances,
more than 160,000 m3 of soil has eroded into the
Arctic Ocean from three retrogressive thaw slumps
between 2004 and 2012.
In comparison, a study by Jolivel and Allard (in
review) in the discontinuous zone of permafrost east
of Hudson Bay shows that thermokarst involving
many little landslides, active layer failures and
decay of numerous palsas and lithalsas finally yields
to the sea a relatively small amount of sediments
and carbon in the form of suspended and particulate
organic matter. Furthermore the studied river basin,
Sheldrake river, has yielded between 1957 and
2009 less sediment and carbon from thermokarst
than did (proportionally) the Grande rivière de la
Baleine, south of the study area, where there is no
permafrost. However Jolivel’s results (in prep.)
show that 21% of the permafrost existing in 1957
in the 76 km2 catchment of the Sheldrake river had
disappeared in 2009, resulting in a 96% growth
of coverage by thermokarst ponds; an increase
by 46 to 217% of the number of active erosion
landforms was also measured. An increase of stream
connectivity related with the formation of new
ponds and gullies through degradation of permafrost
in the catchment opened new channels and allowed
for an increase of sediments and carbon delivery
to the main stream by a factor of 1.6. Geomorphic
activity of landslides and gullies has also increased
by 12 to 38%, enhancing sediment and organic
matter yields. Large differences in permafrost
degradation and in sediment and carbon inputs were
observed in the catchment depending on location
relative to the tree line. Per unit of area, thermokarst
in the forest tundra area released in the fluvial
system 2.3 times more sediments and organic carbon
11
M. Allard and W. Pollard
Permafrost
than in the shrub tundra area. The study illustrates
that beyond a certain rate of degradation (now, 20%
of permafrost left beyond the tree line and 10%
below it in the catchment), the impact of residual
permafrost degradation on sediments and carbon
release in fluvial systems declines quickly.
An unexpected finding of the study was that peak
turbidity measured at a gauging station near the
river mouth occurs in July, about a month after
the peak discharge of the river that occurs during
the freshet in early June. The interpretation is that
more sediment are released from small landslides,
collapse of banks of thermokarst ponds and the
activity of frost boils throughout the landscapes
when the rate of thaw front penetration in the active
layer is the fastest of the season. Turbidity in the
river system is therefore “thermally controlled”
rather than “hydrologically controlled”(Figure 4).
The thermal erosion of permafrost by water flowing
on land and in rivers is a process that may have
catastrophic impacts. P. Gosselin in her M.Sc.
thesis on the June 2008 high discharge event in
Pangnirtung reconstructed the conditions under
which this event took place such as permafrost, air
and water temperatures, permafrost ice content and
grain-size distribution, prevailing snow conditions
and river discharge. The methodology combined
data from thermistor cables, geophysical surveys,
stream basin analysis, interviews with witness of the
event and even the recovery of a short video taken
during the event by a local. The calculations that
were derived from all the contextual information
allowed the computation of a probable range
of convective heat exchange coefficient values
under which the event occurred. It happens that
the derived coefficients were comparable to other
documented thermo-erosion cases, for example
along the Lena River in Russia and along the
Colville River in Alaska. Furthermore, radiocarbon
dating of organic matter in overbank slack water
deposits on the fluvial terraces along the river
revealed that the river valley had been relatively
stable for about 800 years prior to the 2008
ArcticNet Annual Research Compendium (2012-13)
Figure 4. A) Hydrograph of the Sheldrake River in
discontinuous permafrost in Nunavik. The peak of turbidity
(measured in NTU (optical) units) occurs in mid-July during
warm, and rainy days whereas the peak of discharge occurs
at end of May-early June during breakup and snowmelt. B)
the rurbidity peak occurs as the active layer thickness quickly
reaches about 90% of its maximum during the steepest
portion of the cumulative thawing degree-days curve.
catastrophe. A return period of about one major
thermal erosion event every 80 years was deduced
by C-14 dating of fluvial terraces for the period
spanning 2000 to 800 years before present (Figure
5).
As mentioned above, an ancient massive ice body
was found on Bylot Island in the permafrost. It
is located in the same section as the fossil forest
beds whose estimated age is between 1.9 and 2.5
million years. Moreover, two new additional sites
of massive ground-ice were discovered on the
southern plain of Bylot Island. Preliminary results
indicated that the enclosing sediments were either
fluvioglacial or colluvial deposits. High-resolution
images of the internal structure of the frozen cores
12
M. Allard and W. Pollard
Permafrost
Impacts of climate change on tundra and
permafrost ecology
The importance of shrub canopies on soil temperatures
becomes evident when vegetation is investigated
across ecological gradients. Plant diversity, cover
and canopy height differ across chronosequences of
permafrost degradation. The 2013 preliminary data
already reveals to what extent the thermal regime is
affected by changing vegetation characteristics. As
predicted in the literature, taller shrubs in general
capture more snow. Preliminary analyses indicate that
near-surface soil temperatures are approximately 1 °C
warmer for every additional 10 cm in height, though
this relationship is likely influenced by topography,
moss cover and the bending of shrub canopies under
snow.
Figure 5. A and B. The thermo-erosion event along the Duval
River in Pangnirtung, June 2008. C) Sampling sites for
C-14 dating of fluvial terraces, D) Organic layers in alluvial
deposits at site SS-02. The lowermost organic layer yielded a
radiocarbon date of 792 years BP, indicating the absence of
major erosion event over about 800 years before the erosion
event in 2008.
were obtained using micro-computed tomography
(CT scan). This technique produces two and threedimensional detailed images of the internal structure
of the permafrost core. Cryostructures observed
from glacier ice buried in the permafrost on Bylot
Island showed similarities to those found on actual
glaciers in the Canadian Arctic and Alaska.
However, stable-water isotopes suggest that ground
ice in the Parsons Lake area north of Inuvik is
intrasedimental, i.e. that it formed in the permafrost
and does not consist of buried glacial ice. This
explains why the electrical resistivity of this
massive ice is relatively low in comparison with
studies of glacier ice where values typically exceed
100,000 Ω (Angelopoulos, Fox and Pollard).
ArcticNet Annual Research Compendium (2012-13)
Our results from Deception Bay show no increase
in shrub cover. Either shrub cover has not taken
advantage of recent warming in this continuous
permafrost area or growth was constrained by intense
caribou grazing and stamping in the area. Further work
will be necessary to assess radial shrub growth at sites
heavily impacted by herbivores.
Preliminary findings of the circumpolar growth
ring analysis from 35 sites around the tundra biome
indicate that variation in annual growth is most
sensitive to early summer temperatures and this
temperature sensitivity is greater at wetter sites versus
drier sites. Our results highlight the importance of both
warming temperatures and the resulting impacts of
soil moisture regimes to changing tundra ecosystems.
Better quantifications of the relationship between
the growth of woody shrub species and climate will
improve our ability to estimate future shrub expansion
and climate-ecosystem feedbacks to climate change.
Drainage caused by thermo-erosion gullies impacts
adjacent wetlands at Bylot Island (Nunavut) with a
transition in species diversity and abundance towards
less productive mesic habitats detectable after five to
ten years. The total biomass available to geese dropped
from 30g/m2 in wetlands to 10 g/m2 in drained
13
M. Allard and W. Pollard
Permafrost
polygons and mesic habitats (M.Sc N. Perreault,
2012). Vegetation in the gullies varied greatly with
age of disturbance and substrate stability. In places
where vegetation “carpets” collapsed as a block,
mesic vegetation is establishing more rapidly than
where organic layers were exposed. In these places
small ruderal species (mosses and vascular plants)
have initiated the succession, but substrate remains
unstable. On the other hand, the vegetation of intact
polygons measured in 1995 and resampled in 2012 did
not change, highlighting the importance of permafrost
integrity for ecosystem processes in this polar oasis.
Research applications and socio-economic
impacts
New, large scale permafrost maps were finalized
for the communities of Kangirsuk, Tasiujaq,
Akulivik and Puvirnituq in Nunavik. Field work in
2011 had not only involved field observations and
shallow drilling but also community involvement
through exchange of information and consideration
for the local concerns involving construction,
housing, municipal services and long term land
management (Figure 6). Following and improving
on a methodology developed for Salluit in 2010,
three maps were produced for each community
and its surrounding area: a surficial geology map,
a permafrost and ground ice map and a map of
potential for construction. The latter classifies
terrain according for either their capacity to support
buildings or the difficulty and risks that the units
pose for construction. Potential foundation designs
for various types of buildings (housing units,
institutional, garages, etc.) are identified for each
terrain unit or type. The electronic version of the
maps in ArcGIS and the supporting data base can be
directly integrated with plans and maps of the Kativik
regional Government and the communities.
The applied research at the Beaver Creek test site
lead to the writing of a fully-coupled numerical
thermal model and its calibration against field and
laboratory data. A database of field measurement
ArcticNet Annual Research Compendium (2012-13)
Figure 6. Map of potential for construction of Akulivik,
Nunavik. The three colours (red, yellow and green) reflect
the level of risk and difficulty for construction and the unit
numbers refer to recommended foundation designs for the
various types of buildings. The basic criteria for mapping
are thaw sensitivity of the permafrost, terrain drainage and
topographic constraints.
including water level, water temperature, surface
temperature, thaw depth, thaw strain, permafrost
temperature, air temperature, wind regime is
available. An eco-geomorphological and drainage
map at the watershed scale is available (Figure 7).
Methodological advancements
Shrub vegetation has a strong impact on the radar
signal at both X-band (TerraSAR-X) and C-band
(RADARSAT-2). A linear relationship can be
established between shrub vegetation height and
the radar signal. This relationship is stronger at
C-band (Figure 8a), while at X-band the signal
14
M. Allard and W. Pollard
Permafrost
detected, provided that the satellite data acquisitions are
timely and provide a good temporal resolution.
The preliminary results from the Distributed
Temperature Sensing instrumentation along the rebuilt
road in Salluit indicate that this new technology
performs well. Further monitoring shall help to better
assess the performance and find whatever improvements
may be necessary for applying this technology in other
applications in permafrost science and engineering.
Discussion
Figure 7. A coupled capacity electrical resistivity survey
being run on Hershel Island.
seems to saturate with higher vegetation. This effect
of the vegetation on the SAR signal is also visible
during the winter (Figure 8b), when the vegetation
is covered with snow, which hinders the efforts to
retrieve snow characteristics directly from SAR data.
Ground measurements also show that there is a positive
correlation between snow height and vegetation height.
Preliminary assessment of thermal conductivity data
also shows that shrub vegetation within the snowpack
tends to lower the thermal conductivity, enhancing
the insulating properties of the snow and ultimately
affecting the permafrost’s thermal regime.
Rain events during the winter affects the snow cover by
generating ice layers and larger grain sizes, effectively
modifying its thermal conductivity. These rain events
can also be a good indicator of climate changes in the
arctic. Temporal analysis of SAR datasets have shown
that these rain episodes affect the SAR signal and can be
Comments by D. Fortier
The frequency of occurrence of thermoerosion events
which have a destructive impact on tundra terrain, on
ecology and occasionally on human infrastructures
appears to be increasing. There’s a need for a regional
and pan-Arctic study to find out to what extent this
mode of permafrost degradation is on the rise and the
probable links to change in precipitation regimes, for
instance faster snowmelt and increase frequency of rain
events in summer.
The thermal impact of groundwater flow has so far been
largely overlooked in permafrost research. Yet this is
a widespread phenomenon that should be taken into
account to better understand the general dynamics of
permafrost systems in a changing climate. Groundwater
flow and poor drainage have very noticeable and
negative impact for infrastructure stability. Drainage
conditions needs to be better addressed for the
development of infrastructure.
Numerous new exposures of buried glacier ice were
observed in 2012 on Bylot Island as permafrost terrain
by is being affected by generally more frequent rain
events and warmer climate conditions that trigger new
thaw slumps.
Comments by M. Bernier
Figure 8. RADARSAT-2 backscattering (HV) for each
vegetation height class in fall 2011 (a) and winter 2012 (b),
with an incidence angle of 38°.
ArcticNet Annual Research Compendium (2012-13)
The radar backscattering signal is affected by
the physical structure of a target as well as its
dielectric properties, which is strongly dependent
15
M. Allard and W. Pollard
on the liquid water content of the target. The observed
backscattering in the Umiujaq area is considerably
affected by the shrub vegetation, even during the winter
season when the water content of the vegetation is at
its lowest. While Kendra et al. (1998) had shown that
cross-polarised scattering increases with snow depth
at both C and X bands, the experiments were done in a
controlled environment where shrub vegetation was not
present. In the presence of shrubs, the cross-polarized
signal is dominated by the later, which complicates
matters when trying to extract information on snow
characteristics from SAR data. Studies by Duguay et
al. (2012) and Duguay and Bernier (2012) have shown
that snow depth tends to be correlated with vegetation
height which points towards the possibility of an
indirect measurement of snow. Further modelling of the
radar signal using recent advances in electromagnetic
modeling of dense mediums (Du et al. 2010) is needed
to better understand the the changes of the radar
backscattering signal observed from a snowpack.
Those simulations will also provide some insight on the
influence of shrubs buried in the snowpack. Polarimetric
decompositions with RADARSAT-2 data (Duguay and
Bernier 2011) will also be used to classify the vegetation
cover.
Comments by E. Lévesque
The results obtained this year on vegetation and shrub
populations over permafrost tend to support the previous
years’ observation in other regions of Canada that
sites on continuous permafrost do not show clear sign
of shrub increase (e.g. Baker Lake, Nunavut, Daring
Lake, NWT) contrary to sites in the discontinuous
permafrost zone, particularly near the tree-line, where
increased summer temperature and snow cover favours
shrubification of the tundra sites. In the continuous
permafrost zone other factors still have an effect on
shrub growth that may delay densification and growth
such as soil biogeochemistry, higher water contents at
places and grazing by large herbivorous populations.
Comments by W. Pollard
Due to the increased frequency and extent of
retrogressive thaw slumps in the Western Arctic, and
the significant amount of soil and organic matter
ArcticNet Annual Research Compendium (2012-13)
Permafrost
calculated from this project alone, there is an urgent
need for more case studies quantifying the amount of
erosion and the organic matter flows from the melting
permafrost into the Arctic Ocean (Simpson with NI
Pollard)
The role of ice-wedges in shaping arctic ecosystems
has been largely overlooked despite the fact that they
can constitute up to 50% of the top 3 m of permafrost
ground volume and are vulnerable to changes in the
active layer. In particular, due to ice-wedge abundance
and widespread distribution in the Arctic, changes in
active layer depth should result in significant alteration
of the geomorphic and vegetation landscapes.
Conclusion
In 2012-2013 the permafrost project has made
progresses on all fronts. Permafrost landforms and
processes were observed, described and analyzed in
regions across Canada. Through their participation to
the program ADAPT, three of the team members have
contributed in defining protocols to standardize common
data acquisition techniques to meet the requirements of
an organized and integrated understanding of permafrost
and ecosystem dynamics over Canada’s North.
Achievements were done in the area of development of
models, either for the general simulation of permafrost
and ecosystem change in ADAPT or for improving
coupled analysis with geophysical techniques or, again,
for solving practical issues related to the stability of
transportation infrastructures.
A domain of contribution of increasing importance in
2012-13 was the quantification of changes that affect
permafrost landscapes through active layer deepening
due to climate warming and the role of soil water as a
thermal factor in the processes. Impacts of permafrost
thawing and feedbacks on ecosystem changes through
sediments and carbon release in stream basins and
in coastal regions were also quantified. Through this
project, the combined impacts of climate warming
on permafrost and vegetation, particularly shrub
populations, were also better documented.
16
M. Allard and W. Pollard
The team also develops innovative technologies such
as new remote sensing approaches, e.g. InSar, and
laboratory analytic methods such as CT-Scan of cored
samples. Hand-held laser scanning is a new tool to
measure land form changes, melt rates and erosion
in the field. For the first time in permafrost science
and engineering, distributed temperature sensing with
kilometer long fiber optic cables was assayed.
Finally, support is continuously provided to Inuit
communities through mapping of permafrost
conditions in villages and training of community
members in managing land over their sensitive terrain.
New education initiatives to develop a “permafrost
culture” among Inuit youth shall eventually introduce
permafrost as a science subject matter in the teaching
curriculum in northern schools and colleges.
Acknowledgements and References
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(All ArcticNet refereed publications are available on the
ASTIS website (http://www.aina.ucalgary.ca/arcticnet/).
Allard, M., 2012, Le pergélisol et le changement
climatique au Québec nordique: les défis pour le
développement régional, Invited Talk. Québec-Mines,
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Regional Impact Study (IRIS) of climate change and
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Brown, R., 2012, From Science to policy in Nunavik
and Nunatsiavut: Synthesis and recommendations.
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and climate change in Nunavik and Nunatsiavut:
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infrastructures, From science to policy. An
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M. Allard and W. Pollard
Permafrost
integrated imact study (IRIS) of climate change and
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McGill- CSA Space Day, 1 March 2012, Montreal,
Quebec, Canada.
Allard, M., L’Hérault, E. and Sarrazin, D., 2012,
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annuel 2011-212., Mise à jour des données
climatologiques des stations. Réalisé pour le compte
du ministère des Affaires Municipales, des Régions
et de l’Occupation du territoire du Québec. Québec,
Centre d’études nordiques, Université Laval, 87 pp.
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Arctic bell-heather - annual growth in theCassiope
heath., Zackenberg Ecological Research Operations,
17th Annual Report, 2011. (ed. L. M. Jensen) Aarhus
University, DCE - Danish Centre for Environment and
Energy., 120 pp.
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Gagnon, O., Solomon-Côté, P. and Barrette, C.,
2012, Salluit, Nunavik: permafrost science in support
of community adaption to climate change, IPY,
Montréal.
Angelopoulos, M., Fox, D. and Pollard, W.H., 2012,
Geochemically-Induced Unfrozen Water Effects
on CCR Surveys of Massive Ground Ice, Western
Canadian Arctic, Proceedings, Tenth International
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Autonomous District, Russia, p. 27-33.
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2013, The application of CCR and GPR to characterize
ground ice conditions at Parsons Lake, Northwest
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Angelopoulos, M.C., Pollard, W.H., Couture, N.J.,
and Riseborough, D.W., 2013, The combined
application of thermal modelling and geophysics for
ice-rich permafrost warming projections, Journal of
Geophysical Research (Earth Surface).
Angelopoulos, M.C., Pollard, W.H., Cray, H.A.,
Couture, N.J. and Lantuit, H., 2012, Biogeophysical
characterization of polycyclic thermokarst on Herschel
Island, Yukon Territory, Annual ArcticNet Science
Meeting, 10-14 December 2012, Vancouver, British
Columbia, Canada.
Angelopoulos, M.C., Pollard, W.H., Redman, J.D.,
Ghent, R., Osinski, G., Annan, A.P., Parry, D. and
Dietrich, P., 2012, Lunar ground- penetrating radar
prototype: the effects of a rover on data products,
ArcticNet Annual Research Compendium (2012-13)
Barbier, B., Dziduch, I,. Liebner, S., Ganzert,L.,
Lantuit, H., Pollard, W. and Wagner, D., 2012,
Methane-cycling communities in a permafrost-affected
soil on Herschel Island, Western Canadian Arctic:
active layer profiling of mcrA and pmoA genes,
FEMS Microbiology Ecology, doi: 10.1111/j.15746941.2012.01332.
Becker, M.S., Pollard, W.H. and Cray-Sloan, H.A.,
2012, The Ecology of Decaying Ice-Wedges, Annual
ArcticNet Science Meeting, 10-14 December 2012,
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
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Lewkowicz, A., 2012, Landscape hazards in Yukon
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variations in the structure of the subarctic snowpack
and its effects on SAR satellite imagery at X- and
C-band, Oral presentation,, ArcticNet Annual Scientific
Meeting (ASM2012), Vancouver, BC, December 1014 2012.
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communication : Northern communities. Workshop
Presenter., ArcticNet Student Day 2012, 11th
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Impacts of current climate changes on high Arctic
vegetation., Oral presentation, ArcticNet Annual
Meeting, Vancouver, 12th December 2012.
Boulanger-Lapointe, N., Lévesque, E., Boudreau,
S., Henry, G. H. R. and Schmidt, N.M., 2012,
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Heterogeneous shrub population structures and
dynamics in the high Arctic: Insights from the Arctic
willow in Canada and Greenland., In review at Journal
of Biogeography.
Ducts, Actes du colloque adaptation aux changements
climatiques dans les régions nordiques et arctiques et
solution à la dégradation du pergélisol, 19-20 April
2012, Québec, Canada.
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H. R., Boudreau, S. and Schmidt, N.M., 2012,
Arctic willow population dynamics and growth
patterns in high Arctic Canada and Greenland., Oral
presentation, ArcticNet Annual Meeting, Vancouver,
12th December 2012.
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of Bylot Island at the Pliocene-Pleistocene
transition, 10th National Student Conference on
Northern Studies, University of Québec in AbitibiTemiscamingue, Val-d’Or, November 1-3 2012.
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Barrette, C., Bégin, Y., Bell, T., Bernier, M., Bleau,
S., Chaumont, D., Dibike, Y., Frigon, A., Leblanc, P.,
Paquin, D., Sharp, M.J. and Way, R., 2012, Climate
variability and change in the Canadian Eastern
Subarctic IRIS region (Nunavik and Nunatsiavut),
From science to policy. An integrated imact study
(IRIS) of climate change and modernization, p. 57-93.
Carbonneau, A-S., Allard, M., LeBlanc, A-M.,
L’Hérault, E., Mate, D., Oldenborger, G.A., Gosselin,
P. and Sladen, W.E., 2012, Surficial geology
and periglacial features, Pangnirtung, Nunavut,
Geological Survey of Canada, Canadian Geoscience
Map 65 (preliminary version), scale 1 : 5 000. Doi.
4095/289504.
Carbonneau, A.-S., Allard, M., LeBlanc, A.M., Oldenborger, G., L’Hérault, E., Sladen,
W., Gosselin, P., 2012, Permafrost conditions
in Pangnirtung, Nunavut: New information in
support of construction, land management and
hazard prevention., Report to the community of
Pangnirtung. Centre d’études nordiques and Canada
Nunavut Geoscience Office, 20 pp.
Champagne, E., Plante, S., Ropars, P., Boudreau, S.,
Lévesque, E. and Tremblay, J.-P., 2012, Caribou vs
climate change : status quo in shrub abundance ?,
Poster presentation at ArcticNet Annual Scientific
Meeting in Vancouver, Dec. 2012.
Coulombe, S., Fortier, D., 2012, Engineering
Techniques to Control Permafrost Degradation Under
Road Infrastructure: Longitudinal Air Convection
ArcticNet Annual Research Compendium (2012-13)
Coulombe, S., Fortier, D., 2012, Using Air Convection
Ducts to Control Permafrost Degradation Under
Road Infrastructure, Beaver Creek Experimental
Site, Yukon, Canada, Third Annual Workshop of
the Canadian Network of Expertise on Permafrost,
Pangnirtung, Nunavut, May 26-30, 2012.
Coulombe, S., Fortier, D., 2012, Characterization of
massive ground-ice at Bylot Island, Nunavut, Eight
ArcticNet Annual Scientific Meeting, Vancouver,
December 10-14, 2012.
Coulombe, S., Fortier, D., Stephani, E., 2012,
Using Air Convection Ducts to Control Permafrost
Degradation Under Road Infrastructures: Beaver
Creek Experimental Site, Yukon, Canada, Proceedings,
Fifteenth International Specialty Conference on Cold
Regions Engineering, Quebec, Canada, August 2012,
21-31.
Couture, N., Pollard, W. H. and Lantuit, H., 2012,
Coastal environment, In: Herschel Island Qikiqtaryuk:
A Natural and Cultural History of Yukon’s Arctic
Island, C.Burn (ed.), p. 72-78.
Cray, H.A., 2012, A characterization of vegetation
succession patterns related to retrogressive thaw
slumps on Herschel Island, Yukon Territory, Canada,
MSc Thesis, Mcgill University, Montreal, Canada,
Cray-Sloan, H.A. and Pollard, W.H., 2012, Vegetation
Patterns of Retrogressive Thaw Slumps, Herschel
Island, Southern Beaufort Sea, Yukon Territory,
Canada, Annual ArcticNet Science Meeting, 1014 December 2012, Vancouver, British Columbia,
Canada.
19
M. Allard and W. Pollard
Darrow, M. M., Daanen, R. P., Zottola, J. T., Fortier, D.,
de Grandpré, I., Veuille, S., Sliger, M., 2013, Impact
of Groundwater Flow on Permafrost Degradation and
Transportation Infrastructure Stability, Final Report,
Alaska Department of Transportation and Public
Facilities and Alaska University Transportation Center,
Fairbanks, AK, 139 pp.
Darrow, M., Fortier, D., Dannen, R., 2012, Impact
of Groundwater Flow on Permafrost Degradation
and Transportation Infrastructure Stability., AUTC
Quaterly Reports: January, April, July, and October
2012. Alaska University Transportation Center,
Institute of Northern Engineering, University of Alaska
Fairbanks, U.S.A., 25 pp.
De Grandpré, I., Fortier, D., 2012, Thermal impact
of groundwater flow on permafrost degradation: a
modeling approach, From Knowledge to Action, IPY
conference, 22-27 April 2012, Montreal, Canada.
De Grandpré, I., Fortier, D., 2012, Thermal impact
of groundwater flow on permafrost degradation: a
modeling approach, Actes du colloque adaptation aux
changements climatiques dans les régions nordiques
et arctiques et solution à la dégradation du pergélisol,
19-20 April 2012, Québec, Canada.
De Grandpré, I., Fortier, D., Stephani, E., 2012,
Groundwater flow under transport infrastructure:
potential heat flow impacting the thermal regime
of permafrost and the degradation of ground ice.,
Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences, v. 49, no. 8, 953962.
Ducharme, M.-A., Allard, M., L’Hérault, E., 2012,
Organic matter, ice content and structure determined
in a permafrost peatland trought GPR profiling and
computed tomography scanning, Salluit, Nunavik,
Canada., Association of Geophysical Union Fall
meeting, San Francisco, 3-7 december.
Dufour Tremblay, G., Boudreau, S., Lévesque, E.,
2012, Differential tree species recruitment at treeline:
importance of allelopathy and seedbed availability, In
press, American Journal of Botany.
ArcticNet Annual Research Compendium (2012-13)
Permafrost
Dufour Tremblay, G., De Vriendt, L., Lévesque,
E.,Boudreau, S., 2012, The importance of ecological
constraints on the control of multi-species treeline
dynamics in eastern Nunavik, Québec., American
Journal of Botany, v.99, no.10, 1638-1646.
Duguay, Y., Bernier, M., 2012, The Use of
Multifrequency and Multipolarization SAR Data to
Study Snow-Vegetation Interactions in Subarctic
Environments,, 33e Symposium canadien de
télédétection, Ottawa, Canada, 11 au 14 Juin 2012.
Duguay, Y., Bernier, M. (2012), 2012, The Use
of RADARSAT-2 and TerraSAR-X Data for the
Evaluation of Snow Characteristics in Subarctic
Regions, Germany, July 22-27 2012, IEEE Geoscience
and Remote Sensing Symposium (IGARSS 2012),
Munich, Germany, July 22-27 2012.
Duguay, Y., Bernier, M., Lévesque, E., Tremblay, B.
(2012) Remote Sensing Data, Montreal, Quebec,,
2012, The Importance of Vegetation Parameters for the
Retrieval of Snow Characteristics in Subarctic Regions
Using SAR, International Polar Year 2012, April 23-27
2012.
Fortier, D., De Grandpré, I., 2012, Heat advection
by groundwater flow at the Beaver Creek test
site: upscaling the model to the watershed scale,
Fall Meeting, Canadian Network of Expertise on
Permafrost , 19-20 November 2012, Quebec City.
Fortier, D., Kanevskiy, M., Shur, Y., Stephani, E.
Dillon, M., 2012, Cryostructures of Basal Glacier Ice
as an Object of Permafrost Study: Observations from
the Matanuska Glacier, Alaska,, Proceedings, Tenth
International Conference on Permafrost, Salekhard,
Russia, June 25-29, v 1, 107-112.
Fortier, D., Kurchatova A., N., Jorgenson, M., T.,
Godin, E., M-Lepage, M., Stephani, E., Kanevskiy,
M., Z., Shur, Y., 2012, Origin of massive ice
at Cape Marre-Sale, Yamal Peninsula, Siberia,
Russia: contrasting views, Transactions, American
Geophysical Union Fall Meeting, December 3-7, San
Francisco, USA, Abstract C13A-0605.
20
M. Allard and W. Pollard
Fortier, D., Lévesque, E., Coulombe, S., Godin,
E., Gérin-Lajoie, J., 2012, Bylot Island periglacial
ecosystems responses to climate change, Field report,
Parks Canada, 8 pp.
Fritz, M., Herzschuh, U., Wetterich, S., Lantuit, H.,
De Pascale, G.P., Pollard, W.H. and Schirrmeister,
L., 2012, Late glacial and Holocene sedimentation,
vegetation, and climate history from easternmost
Beringia (northern Yukon Territory, Canada),
Quaternary Research, v.78, 549-560.
Fritz, M., Herzschuh, U., Wetterich, S., Pollard, W.
H., and Lantuit, H., 2012, 16,000 years of climate and
environmental change from east Beringia (Northern
Yukon Territory, Canada), From Knowledge to Action.
IPY 2012 Conference, Montreal, Canada, 22 April
2012 - 27 April 2012.
Fritz, M., Lantuit, H., Meyer, H., Opel, T., Couture,
N. and Pollard, W. H., 2012, Dissolved Organic
Carbon (DOC) in Ground Ice: Is It Significant?, Tenth
International Conference on Permafrost, Salekhard,
Russia, June 25 - 29, 2012.
Fritz, M., Lantuit, H., Schwamborn, G., Pollard,
W. and Hubberten, H. W., 2012, Laurentide Ice vs.
Beringia: Coastal permafrost landscape development
in the southern Beaufort Sea area, IODP workshop;
Co-ordinated Scientific Drilling in the Beaufort Sea:
Addressing past, present and future changes in Arctic
terrestrial and marine systems, Kananaskis, Alberta,
Canada, 12 February 2012 - 15 February 2012.
Fritz, M., Wetterich, S., Schirrmeister, L., Meyer,
H., Lantuit, H., Preusser, F. and Pollard, W.H., 2012,
Eastern Beringia and beyond: Late Wisconsinan
and Holocene landscape dynamics along the
Yukon Coastal Plain, Canada, Palaeogeography,
Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, doi:10,1016/j.
paleo.2011.12.015.
Gibéryen, T., Allard, M., Barrett, M., Gagnon, M.,
Lévesque, E., Guérin-Lajoie, José, Samson, G., 2012,
Community Empowerment: life on permafrost.,
Arcticnet, Annual Scientific Meeting, Vancouver.
ArcticNet Annual Research Compendium (2012-13)
Permafrost
Godin, E, Fortier, D., 2012, Ice Wedge Thermo
Erosion Leading to Rapid Gully Development: Process
Overview and Implications for Linear Infrastructure
in the Canadian Arctic, Third Annual Workshop of
the Canadian Network of Expertise on Permafrost,
Pangnirtung, Nunavut, May 26-30, 2012.
Godin, E., Fortier, D., 2012, Fine Scale SpatioTemporal Monitoring of Multiple Thermo-Erosion
Gullies Development on Bylot Island, Eastern
Canadian Archipelago, Proceedings, Tenth
International Conference on Permafrost, Salekhard,
Russia, June 25-29, v. 1, 125-130.
Godin, E., Fortier, D. (2012) : 979-986, doi:
10.1139/e2012-015, 2012, Geomorphology and
spatio-temporal characterization of a thermo-erosion
gully in the valley of glacier C-79, Bylot Island,
Nunavut, Canada., Canadian Journal of Earth
Sciences, v. 49, no. 8, 979-986.
Grandmont, K., Fortier, D., Cardille, J., 2012, Multicriteria evaluation with geographic information
systems in changing permafrost environments:
Opportunities and limits, Proceedings, Fifteenth
International Specialty Conference on Cold Regions
Engineering, Quebec, Canada, August 2012, p. 666675.
Guertin-Pasquier, A., Fortier, D., Richard, P., StOnge, G., 2012, Paleoecology and paleoclimatology
of the Plio-Pleistocene Bylot Island Fossil Forest,
Nunavut, Canada, From Knowledge to Action, IPY
conference, 22-27 April 2012, Montreal, Canada.
Hachem, S., Duguay, C. and Allard, M., 2012,
Comparison of MODIS-derived Land Surface
Temperature with near-surface soil and near-surface
soil and air temperatures in continuous permafrost
terrain., The Cryosphere, v. 6, 51-69.
Haltigin, T., Pollard, W.H., Dutilleul, P. and Osinski,
G., 2012, Evolution of polygonal terrain networks
in the Canadian High Arctic: Evidence of increasing
regularity over time, Permafrost and Periglacial
Processes, v.23, no.3, 177-186.
21
M. Allard and W. Pollard
Permafrost
Haltigin, T., Williams, K. and Pollard, W., 2012, A
combined geomorphic/geophysical technique for high
arctic ice wedge volume estimation, Thomas Lee
Inlet, Devon Island, ArcticNet ASM2012, Extended
Abstract.
Leblanc-Dumas, J., Allard, M. and Tremblay, T., 2013,
Quaternary geology and permafrost characteristics
in central Hall Peninsula, Baffin Island, Nunavut,
Summary of Activities 2012, Canada-Nunavut
Geoscience Office.
Haltigin, T.W., Pollard W.H., Dutilleul, P, Osinski,
G.R. and Koponen L., 2012, Co-evolution of
polygonal and scalloped terrain, southwestern Utopia
Planitia, Mars, Earth and Planetary Science Letters.
Leblanc-Dumas, J., Allard, M. and Tremblay, T., 2012,
Quaternary geology and permafrost characteristics
in central Hall Peninsula, Baffin Island, Nunavut,
ArcticNet Annual Scientific Meeting, Vancouver,
Canada, December 10-14.
Jolivel, M. and Allard, M., 2013, Thermokarst
and export of sediment and organic carbon in the
Sheldrake River watershed, Nunavik, Canada., Journal
of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface.
L’Hérault E., M. Allard, C. Barrette, G. Doré, and
Sarrazin, D., 2012, Investigations géotechniques,
caractérisation du pergélisol et stratégie d’adaptation
dans un contexte de changements climatiques pour les
aéroports d’Umiujaq, Inukjuak, Puvirnituq, Akulivik,
Salluit, Quaqtaq, Kangirsuk et Tasiujaq, Nunavik.,
Rapport final. Réalisé pour le compte du ministère
des Transports du Québec. Québec, Centre d’études
nordiques, Université Laval., 224 pp.
Lantuit, H., Fritz, M. and Pollard, W. H., 2012,
Drilling on the Yukon Coast, Herschel Island and
in Herschel Basin, IODP workshop; Co-ordinated
Scientific Drilling in the Beaufort Sea: Addressing
past, present and future changes in Arctic terrestrial
and marine systems, Kananaskis, Alberta, Canada, 12
February 2012 - 15 February 2012.
Lantuit, H., Pollard, W. H., Couture, N., Fritz, M.,
Schirrmeister, L., Meyer, H. and Hubberten, H.
W., 2012, Modern and Late Holocene retrogressive
thaw slump activity on the Yukon Coastal Plain and
Herschel Island, Yukon Territory, Canada, Permafrost
and Periglacial Processes, v.23, no.1, 39-51.
Lenz, J., Fritz, M., Wetterich, S., Schirrmeister, L.,
Lantuit, H. and Pollard, W., 2012, Lake archives
in Canada and Alaska: Do we see effects of polar
climate change during the Early Holocene?, , IPY2012
Conference - From Knowledge to Action, Montréal,
Canada, 22 April 2012 - 27 April 2012.
Lévesque, E., Boudreau, S., Dufour Tremblay, G.,
Lavallée, C. and Tremblay, B., 2012, Recent warming
in Kangiqsualujjuaq, Nunavik : more shrubs, more
trees, less berries?, Conference presented at ArcticNet
Annual Scientific Meeting in Vancouver, Dec. 2012.
Lévesque, E., Hermanutz, L., Gérin-Lajoie, J. et al.,
2012, Chap. 9: Trends in vegetation cover dynamics
and impact on berry productivity., In Allard M. and M.
Lemay (eds). Nunavik and Nunatsiavut: from science
to policy. An Integrated Regional Impact Study of
climate change and modernization., ArcticNet Inc.,
Québec City, Canada.
L’Hérault, E. et Allard, M., 2012, Les conditions de
pergélisol au Québec nordique : Mise en contexte et
défis pour la conception, la construction et la gestion
des infrastructures de transport., Colloque AQTR :
Conception, construction et gestion des infrastructures
de transport en région nordique. 11 Décembre 2012,
Montréal, Qc., Canada.
Lavoie, C., Allard, M. and Duhamel, D., 2012,
Deglaciation landforms and C-14 chronology of the
Lac Guillaume-Delisle area, eastern Hudson Bay: A
report on field evidence., Geomorphology, 159-160,
142-155.
L’Hérault, E., Allard, M., Doré, G., Barrette, C.,
Sarrazin, D. et Guimond, A., 2012, Assessment of
Permafrost Conditions under Airfields and Access
Roads to Support Adaptation Strategies to Climate
Warming: A Case Study from Northern Quebec., From
Knowledge to Action, IPY conference, 22-27 April
2012, Montreal, Canada.
ArcticNet Annual Research Compendium (2012-13)
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M. Allard and W. Pollard
L’Hérault, E., Allard, M., Doré, G., Barrette,
C., Verreault, J., Sarrazin, D., Doyon, J., 2012,
Assessment of Permafrost conditions under Northern
Quebec’s airports: an integrative approach for the
development of adaptation strategies to climate
warming. Adaptation aux changements climatiques
dans les régions nordiques et arctiques et solutions à la
dégradation du pergélisol, The Northern Forum, 19-20
April, Québec, Québec, Canada.
L’Hérault, E., Allard, M., Fortier, D., Lemieux, C.
et Carbonneau, A.S., 2012, Production de cartes
prédictives des caractéristiques du pergélisol afin de
guider le développement de l’environnement bâti pour
les communautés de Puvirnituq, Akulivik, Kangirsuk
et Tasiujaq, Nunavik., Ouranos 5e symposium
scientifique: Climatologie et adaptation à l’échelle
régionale. 19-21 Novembre 2012, Montréal, Qc.,
Canada.
M-Lepage, J., Doré, G., Fortier, D, 2012, Thermal
effectiveness of the mitigation techniques tested at
Beaver Creek Experimental road site based on a
heat balance analysis (Yukon, Canada), Proceedings,
Fifteenth International Specialty Conference on Cold
Regions Engineering, Quebec, Canada, August 2012,
42-51.
M-Lepage, J., Doré, G., Fortier, D., Murchison,
P., 2012, Thermal Performance of the Permafrost
Protection Techniques at Beaver Creek Experimental
Road Site, Yukon, Canada, Proceedings, Tenth
International Conference on Permafrost, Salekhard,
Russia, June 25-29, v. 1, 261-266.
Malenfant-Lepage, J., Doré, G, Fortier, D., 2012,
(2012), Performance thermique des techniques de
protection du pergélisol au site expérimental de Beaver
Creek, Yukon, Actes du colloque adaptation aux
changements climatiques dans les régions nordiques
et arctiques et solution à la dégradation du pergélisol,
19-20 April 2012, Québec, Canada.
Mathon-Dufour, V. and Allard, M., 2012, Mapping
surficial geology and permafrost conditions at Iqaluit
Airport, Nunavut., From Knowledge to Action, IPY
conference, Montreal, Canada, April 22-27.
ArcticNet Annual Research Compendium (2012-13)
Permafrost
Mathon-Dufour, V. and Allard, M., 2012, Assessment
of permafrost conditions under the Iqaluit airport,
Nunavut., Fifteenth International Specialty Conference
on Cold Regions Engineering, Quebec, Canada,
August 21-31.
Mathon-Dufour, V., Allard, M. and Leblanc, A.-M.,
2012, Assessment of permafrost conditions under
the Iqaluit airport, Third Annual Workshop of the
Canadian Network of Expertise on Permafrost,
Pangnirtung, Nunavut, May 26-30.
Mathon-Dufour, V., Allard, M., Leblanc, A.-M.,
L’Hérault, E., Oldenborger, G.A. and Sladen, W.E.,
2012, Mapping surficial geology and assessment
of permafrost conditions under the Iqaluit airport,
Nunavut, Canada., American Geophysical Union Fall
Meeting, San Francisco, USA, December 3-7.
Mathon-Dufour, V., Allard, M., Leblanc, A.-M.,
L’Hérault, E., Oldenborger, G.A. and Sladen, W.E.,
2012, Mapping surficial geology and assessment
of permafrost conditions under the Iqaluit airport,
Nunavut, Canada., ArcticNet Annual Scientific
Meeting, Vancouver, Canada, December 10-14.
Murchison, P, Doré, G., Fortier, D., Stanley, B.
(2012) Stabilizing Highways Overlying Degrading
Permafrost in a Changing Climate Yukon, Canada,
IPY conference, 22-27 April 2012, Montreal, Canada,
2012, Stabilizing Highways Overlying Degrading
Permafrost in a Changing Climate Yukon, Canada,
From Knowledge to Action, IPY conference, 22-27
April 2012, Montreal, Canada.
Myers-Smith I. H., Lévesque, E., Grogan, P., Lantz,
T., Jacob, A., Hik, D. and Henry, G. H. R., 2012,
Feedbacks between shrubs and temperatures across
Northern Canada. Arctic, Tundra and Vegetation
Session. Présentation donnée au congrès annuel
ArcticNet à Vancouver, Dec. 2012.
Myers-Smith, I.H., Vellend, M., Lévesque, E., Hik, D.
S. and the Shrub Hub Data Synthesis Group., 2012,
Does temperature explain enhanced shrub growth in
the circumpolar Arctic?, Conference presented at the
International Polar Year Conference in Montréal, Apr.
2012.
23
M. Allard and W. Pollard
Paquette, M., Fortier, D., Mueller, D., Sarrazin, D.,
Vincent, W., F., 2012, Temporal monitoring and rapid
disappearance of perennial ice-cover on Canada’s
northernmost lake: Ward Hunt Lake, Nunavut,
Transactions, American Geophysical Union Fall
Meeting, December 3-7, San Francisco, USA, Abstract
C53A-0821.
Paquette, M., Fortier, D., Muller, D., Vincent, W.,
2012, Temporal Monitoring and the Complete Decay
of Perennial Ice-Cover on Canada’s Northernmost
Lake, Ward Hunt Island, Nunavut, From Knowledge to
Action, IPY conference, 22-27 April 2012, Montreal,
Canada.
Pelletier, M. and Allard, M., 2013, L’analyse du régime
thermique du pergélisol dans les argiles marines du
site FP-2 à Salluit., Mémoire de fin d’études (B.A.),
Géographie, Université Laval, Québec, 64 pp.
Pelletier, M. and Allard, M., 2012, Analysis of the
thermal regime in the marine clay permafrost of site
FP-2, Salluit, Nunavik., Project graduation (B.Sc),
64 pp.
Pelletier, M., Allard, M. and Lévesque, E., 2012,
The thermal and geomorphological impacts of
“shrubification” of a permafrost landscape, Umiujaq,
Nunavik., Conference and poster presented at
ArcticNet Annual Scientific Meeting in Vancouver,
Dec. 2012.
Perreault, N., Lévesque, E. and Fortier, D., 2012,
Remote sensing estimation of wetland depletion
surrounding thermo-erosion gullies, Bylot
Island, Nunavut, Canada, Poster presented at the
International Polar Year Conference in Montréal, Apr.
2012.
Provencher-Nolet, L., Bernier, M. and Lévesque, E., 2012,
Short term change detection of the tundra vegetation near
Umiujak, Nunavik, Poster presented at ArcticNet Annual
Scientific Meeting in Vancouver, Dec. 2012.
Provencher-Nolet, L., Bernier, M. et Lévesque, E., 2012,
Short term change detection of the tundra vegetation
near Umiujaq, Nunavik,, ArcticNet Annual Scientific
ArcticNet Annual Research Compendium (2012-13)
Permafrost
Meeting 2012 (ASM2012), Vancouver, British Columbia,
December 10-14 2012.
Sarrazin, D., Allard, M., Doré, G., L’Hérault, E.,
Roger, J. and Bilodeau, J-P., 2012, Évaluation des
conditions du pergélisol sous la piste 07-25 de
l’aéroport dde Kuujjuaq en prévision de l’impact
du réchauffement climatique., Rapport produit pour
Transports Canada. Centre d’études nordiques,
Université Laval., 175 pp.
Sliger, M., Fortier, D. and deGrandpré, I., 2012,
Hydrogeological regime at the Beaver Creek road test
site, Yukon, Partnership in Yukon science, Whitehorse,
October 18th, 2012.
Sloan, H. and Pollard, W.H., 2012, Vegetation
Patterns of Stabilized Retrogressive Thaw Slumps,
Herschel Island, Northern Yukon, Proceedings, Tenth
International Conference on Permafrost. Salekhard,
Yamal-Nenets Autonomous District, Russia, 389-395.
Stephani, E., Fortier, D., 2012, Terrain and
Permafrost Investigations at the Beaver Creek
Road Experimental Site (Alaska Highway,
Yukon, Canada), Actes du colloque adaptation
aux changements climatiques dans les régions
nordiques et arctiques et solution à la dégradation
du pergélisol, 19-20 April 2012, Québec, Canada.
Stephani, E., Fortier, D., Shur, Y., 2012,
Cryofacies evidences of a Yedoma development
during the last glacial maximum in Yukon
(Canada) along the current Alaska border,
Transactions, American Geophysical Union Fall
Meeting, December 3-7, San Francisco, USA,
Abstract C13A-0604.
Strauss, J., Shur Y., Kanevskiy M., Fortier D., Bjella
K., Breen A., Johnson C., 2012, Expedition Alaskan
North Slope / Itkillik 2012, , in Strauss, J. , M. Ulrich,
M. Buchhorn, M. Expeditions to permafrost 2012 :
Alaskan North Slope/Itkillik, Thermokarst in Central
Yakutia, and EyeSight-NAAT-Alaska, Reports on polar
and marine research, Bremerhaven, Alfred Wegener
Institute for Polar and Marine Research, 655, 3-28.
24
M. Allard and W. Pollard
Permafrost
Thompson, L., Osinski, G. and Pollard, W., 2012,
The dielectric permittivity of terrestrial ground ice
formations: Considerations for planetary exploration
using ground-penetrating radar, Journal of Geophysical
Research, v.117, E9.
Tremblay, B., Lévesque, E. and Boudreau, S., 2012,
Recent expansion of erect shrubs in the Low Arctic:
evidence from Eastern Nunavik., Environ. Res. Lett. 7
(2012), 35501.
Vincent, W., and 14 ADAPT researchers (including
Fortier, Lévesque, Allard), 2012, Arctic Development
and Adaptation to Permafrost in Transition., Discovery
Frontiers Northern Earth System Research Annual
Report , Centre for Northem Studies, Laval University,
Quebec City, 20 pp.
Williams, K.K., Haltigin, T.W. and Pollard, W.H.,
2012, Peering into the subsurface: Using ground
penetrating radar to study ice wedge geometry,
Geological Society of America Annual Meeting,
Abstract ID 212704.
Zottola, J., Darrow, M., Dannen, R., de Grandpré,
I., Fortier, D., 2012, Investigating the Effects of
Groundwater Flow on the Thermal Stability of
Embankments over Permafrost, Proceedings, Fifteenth
International Specialty Conference on Cold Regions
Engineering, Quebec, Canada, August 2012, 601-611.
ArcticNet Annual Research Compendium (2012-13)
25