A Geospatial Approach to Display the Hydrological Impacts of Permafrost Disturbances on the Geochemistry of Streams, Lower Peel River and Western Mackenzie Basin, Northwestern Canada

• Main Author: Paquette, Catherine
• Other Authors: Lacelle, Denis
• Format: Thesis
• Language: English
• Published: Université d'Ottawa / University of Ottawa 2015
• Subjects: Hydrology; Geochemistry; Thermokarst; Permafrost; Canada; Peel River; Richardson Mountains; Ice; Mackenzie Basin; permafrost
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10393/32081; https://doi.org/10.20381/ruor-2779

Retrogressive thaw slumps are one of the most dynamic geomorphic features in ice-rich permafrost environments. These features impact aquatic environments by releasing previously frozen organic and inorganic sediments into nearby waterbodies. The objective of this study is to quantify the effect of thaw slumps growth on the hydro-geochemical regime of streams in the Richardson Mountains–Peel Plateau region, northwestern Canada (Fig. 1), within a geospatial hydrological framework (sub-basin, watershed and sub-watershed units). The sub-basin level is determined as the most effective to represent the geochemical properties because of the higher number of sample points within each unit. Based on correlation values, the average surface area of slumps has the most impact on stream geochemistry (as opposed to the number of slumps). Larger single slumps (>5ha) contribute more to changes in geochemistry than clusters of smaller slumps. These slumps can alter the geochemistry of the water to such levels as to exceed limits for freshwater aquatic life.