Researchers hope to determine when ice can support loaded snowmobile

Wouldn't it be useful if Nunavik hunters could know exactly when it's safe to travel on the sea ice?

That's not possible yet, but the Kativik Regional Government's Silaup Asijjipallianinga project hopes to develop a reliable way to tell when the ice is thick enough to withstand the weight of a loaded snowmobile.

Then, weather forecasts for the region would include an "ice condition indicator" – similar to Environment Canada's wind chill forecast or the Weather Network's bug forecast – but this indicator would show the safety of the ice for travel.

The KRG's climate project, known in English as "Climate change in Nunavik: access to land and resources," is looking at how climate change affects traditional travel routes.

The search for an ice safety indicator is part of this project, which is intended to come up with ways for people to go out hunting or fishing without putting their lives at risk.

Since 2005, five Nunavik communities, Umiujaq, Akulivik, Ivujivik, Kangiqsujuaq and Kangiqsualujjuaq, and the Naspaki village of Kawawachikamach have been monitored by researchers from the communities, the KRG, Trent University, Université Laval, Consortium Ouranos, ArcticNet and the University of Manitoba.

Project researchers have tried to determine how many days of below-zero temperatures are needed to build up thick ice on lakes and on the waters of the Hudson and Ungava bays. They're searching for patterns in ice conditions and temperatures, which could be used to predict whether the ice has formed and it's safe for travel.

To date, the understanding of how ice forms on lakes is looking good, said Martin Tremblay, an environment specialist with the KRG and secretary of the Kativik Environmental Quality Commission.

But knowing whether sea ice is thick enough to travel on presents more of a challenge.

"Several factors can influence it: salinity, current, snow accumulation, depth … it is not working like we want, " Tremblay said.

That's why for now all the project researchers can suggest is for Nunavimmiut to be extra careful when they're traveling on ice.

To remain safe, they should take along a GPS, a satellite phone and survival gear, travel with a second snowmobile, stick to the inland trails and avoid river estuaries.

The report also suggests it may be safer to travel by sled dog teams, instead of snowmobiles, at the beginning and end of the winter.

"In the past, there were no accidents," notes Paulusi Quanaaluk from Ivujivik in the report. "When we started to use snowmobiles, mechanical break-downs would happen and some people died because of them. We know dogs follow the scent of a trail with their noses. Even if we don't know where we are, the dogs can tell where they are by the smell."

As part of the project, the KRG has set up a weekly ice-monitoring program in, and. Snow and ice are measured at strategic locations along the trail networks, while interviews with local ice experts provide descriptions of ice, snow and general weather conditions along the trail networks.

Much of this information is displayed and updated regularly on the website. But for now, the site only has up-to-date information on ice conditions in French.

Information in all three languages should be available by the fall. Researchers plan to visit communities involved to distribute their report, along with an interactive CD-ROM, with information about traditional trails, potentially risky places and shelters.

The project continues until next March.