Tracking climate change on the ground

MARKUS DYCK

“Climate change” is a term that finds its way into the media and scientific literature very easily these days, and doomsday pictures are drawn by many.

What people tend to forget is that scientists draw these predictions using computer models, and to do that, they need raw data from the ground.

Since research is very expensive, especially in the North, many variables collected come from satellite imagery, or from only a few northern sample locations. The more real ground data is collected across a large area, the better these models can work to predict future outcomes of our climate and associated changes.

That’s where the Environmental Technology Program at Nunavut Arctic College in Iqaluit comes in.

Predictions for climate change have already been confirmed for sea ice areas, through science and experience from hunters. But the effects of climate change on freshwater lakes, especially in the North, are very poorly understood.

ETP chose Crazy Lake, a popular fishing spot about 12 km outside of Iqaluit, to launch a long-term monitoring project in April 2005, and continue the research in another field camp this page April.

The college strives to simulate real-world working situations that resemble possible employment opportunities for graduates. Students had to learn the sampling protocol, they needed to make decisions in what to buy for provisions, and they had to solve problems with limited resources (for example, when equipment broke and students had to fix it).

Students were also confronted with a working situation in contrast to a school situation where days are broken apart by coffee breaks and early evenings. In the field where time is costly, and daylight is limiting, work starts early and lasts until all is done to be ready for the next day’s work — that can sometimes mean from 6 a.m. until 11 p.m.

In total, the class drilled about 60 holes through the lake, using an ice auger, which was not always easy considering the solid snow, the cold temperatures, and continuous equipment failures —reasons why winter limnology (the study of freshwater systems) is only undertaken by very few individuals. Most researchers prefer the summer.

The students found some surprising results, including several deep spots at Crazy Lake, which has depths of 20 to 22 metres —something I am sure most readers did not expect.

The average snow and ice cover of the lake was less this year as compared to 2005. The total lake cover (snow and ice combined) was about 2 m in 2005, and 1.7 m this year.

To gather data about the water chemistry, we teamed up with a researcher from the University of Manitoba and his assistant who lent a hand, and provided sophisticated sampling equipment, which had never really been tested before at -20 C.

To make sure the probe would survive the cold, we used a dome tent with the floor cut out over the drilled hole, and a Coleman stove to heat the interior just enough for the probe not to freeze.

The probe worked well, and several chemical variables (for example, oxygen, pH, water temperature) where taken at 1 m intervals to show students how these values change with water depth.

The temperature of the water is usually colder under the ice, and gets a bit warmer at the bottom. The lake is relatively cold throughout, so the water holds lots of oxygen, as compared to warmer water. This is important for the Arctic char that live in Crazy Lake because they prefer deeper cooler waters in general.

What we collected thus far can be considered a baseline —values that we can compare to future information. We intend to keep this data collection up for as many years as there are limnology field camps.

However, this is only one location in Nunavut. Ideally, there should be such projects in every community. It requires not much gear, a few students, and somebody who is keen, motivated, and inspired to follow in these footsteps.

A project like this could easily be incorporated into high schools where students in a science class could go camping for a few days, learn about a local lake near their community that is used for fishing, and collect snow and ice depths for a long time to come.

This sort of participation makes the students owners of data: they participate and contribute to something meaningful, and they can learn about climate and how it affects their immediate environment.

Once partnerships are established between the schools and researchers that visit the communities, students might become inspired to continue education, obtain more technical training, and eventually decide to work in an environmental field in Nunavut.

The data then can be shared and used for better climate change modeling, and more accurate predictions are possible.

Aside from these benefits, students learn what it means to work under harsh working conditions, become more flexible and tolerant when it comes to live with other individuals in a tent for some time, and they can make new friendships that might last a lifetime.

Markus Dyck is a senior instructor with the Environmental Technology Program at Nunavut Arctic College in Iqaluit. If your school is interested, contact the Environmental Technology Program at 867-979-7282.