CIMP 211 Impacts of Permafrost Thaw Slump Extent, Severity, and Persistence on Stream Biotic Health

Our ability to monitor geomorphological, bio-geochemical and hydrological impacts of permafrost disturbances and
accurately map aerial extent and sediment displaced by slumping (and the affected downstream networks) has improved
over the past decade. These advances in understanding watershed scale effects of thaw slump disturbance create an
opportunity to investigate effects on aquatic health in a way not previously possible. Our project will use advances in
mapping and physico-chemical understanding of permafrost disturbance to fill substantial knowledge gaps associated
with the: (1) impact of thaw slumps on stream food-web dynamics; (2) persistence of thaw slump effects over time; and
the (3) effects of magnitude/severity of thaw slumps on biotic communities in streams. We plan to address these
knowledge gaps using a multi-tiered approach that includes assessment of environmental conditions.

Citation

Wilfrid Laurier University. 2023-09-18. "CIMP 211 Impacts of Permafrost Thaw Slump Extent, Severity, and Persistence on Stream Biotic Health" (dataset). 3.0.0. DataStream. https://doi.org/10.25976/gp92-nc90.

Data Collection Information

Between July 29 and August 12, 2021, our team consisting of 1 MSc. Student, 4 Indigenous environmental monitors associated with the Tetlit Gwich’in Renewable Resource Council, and 1 GNWT colleague (Krista Chin) surveyed over 35 thaw slumps in the Stony Creek and Willow River watersheds and were able to sample a total of 27 stream locations in the Stony Creek watershed. A paired design was used, with reference sites located upstream of a slump and impacted sites located downstream of the slumps. Sites were accessed via helicopter or road. At each site, representations of each trophic level in the stream food webs were sampled the exception of fish, which will be sampled in 2022. Canadian Aquatic Biomonitoring Network methods were used to collect benthic macroinvertebrates, water quality, and habitat measurements. Water quality parameters were quantified at Taiga labs and data will be uploaded to the Mackenzie Datastream by March 2022. Stable isotope analysis will occur shortly at the University of Waterloo Environmental Isotope Laboratory to investigate the structure food webs in thaw slump-affected streams. Taxonomic composition of benthic invertebrate data is currently being processed at Cordillera Consulting. Data analysis and preliminary results will become available in spring 2022 and will help guide year 2 of field sampling for the project.

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API Access

curl -G https://api.datastream.org/v1/odata/v4/Records --data-urlencode "\\$filter=DOI eq '10.25976/gp92-nc90'" -H "x-api-key: PRIVATE-API-KEY"

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