Guest blog: Tuk toy what?

Here's a guest blog that was sent to me by Sam Hayes, a PhD student from Northumbria University and regular commenter on the Arctic Sea Ice Forum. For his studies Sam is out on a research expedition in the Arctic Circle.

 

In this first guest blog Sam describes his impressions so far. If he finds the time (you're supposed to do science stuff day and night on these expeditions), he'll go into more detail on some of the sites that are are visited and the methods the research team is using.

 

Thanks for sharing, Sam!

 

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Tuk Toy what?
by Sam Hayes

 

For 7 days now I’ve been in Tuktoyaktuk, a small hamlet nestled along the Arctic coastline in the Northwest Territories, Canada (picture 1). In that time, I’ve been soaked by ocean water, covered in mud, sun burned, drenched in sweat, shivered with cold, ached, pained, bled and loved every moment of it!

 

Map view and aerial view of Tuktoyaktuk

 

The landscape often appears to be pulled straight from works of science fiction, with lakes, ice cliffs, pingos and all manner of thermokarst wherever you look (picture 2,3). The Inuvialuit people, who account for the majority of the 850 inhabitants, have a culture that is rich, fascinating and generous, with incredible local knowledge and wonderful stories, while the motley crew of researchers, academics, field assistants, pilots, drivers, etc., all with their own interests, stories and personalities make this a fantastic team to be a part of. Of course, lest we forget, there’s also a science element to all this!

 

Thaw slumping and thermokarst lakes near Tuktoyaktuk

 

The topic that has brought us all to this remote locale is that of Arctic coastal change. This is a subject affecting everything from coastal erosion and nearshore ocean geochemistry, to fisheries and infrastructure, much of which is undergoing accelerated and drastic alterations in large part due to the rapidly warming Arctic climate. And for the people living out here, this isn’t a topic of purely academic interest—this affects their homes, livelihoods, and heritage.

 

Sediment transport from thawing, eroding permafrost is changing the nutrient balance along rivers and the nearshore, formerly reliable sea ice retreat dates, ocean temperatures and numerous other shifting facets of this environment are altering the whaling and fishing opportunities in ways many of the local Inuvialuit have never seen. And perhaps the most important issue here, erosion of the islands that have historically provided a barrier to powerful Arctic storms, means that much of Tuktoyaktuk itself will soon be exposed, with the loss of large portions of the town an inevitable result.

 

The research team assembled here, many of which are still to arrive, are applying their dozens of years of research and field experience to understanding many of these problems. Here’s a brief introduction to those that have arrived so far:

 

First off, there are three from Geological Survey of Canada, part of Natural Resources Canada.
Dustin Whalen, the de facto leader, the guy who makes things happen, brings people together and somehow juggles a myriad of projects at once.
Paul Fraser, a technical expert carrying out geomorphological surveys using techniques such as GPS and drone imaging.
Vladimir Kostylev, a benthic ecologist studying sediment transport and its effects on ecology along Tuktoyaktuk Peninsula and Kugmallit Bay.

 

Drone based model based on the structure from motion method

Ellen Lea, from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, a fish biologist studying the impact of climate and landscape changes on fisheries around Tuktoyaktuk, with Emily Wai-Nee, marine zoologist and field assistant from the Fisheries Joint Management Committee.

 

And then there’s Mike Lim, senior lecturer from Northumbria University, and myself, a PhD student of Mike’s, and we’re out studying the thermal and geotechnical properties of permafrost coasts and how they influence the variable erosional mechanisms at play, such as block failure and thaw slumps.

Many more will be arriving over the coming days

 

Different coastal erosion mechanisms:
Block failure left (USGS) and thaw slump right

The cold, white north

Dustin, Paul, Vlad, Mike and I arrived in Tuktoyaktuk late afternoon on August 10^th after a short flight from Inuvik. Loading up field gear for transport with temperatures in the mid-20s made for some sweaty work and after a 40 minute flight in slightly tight conditions but with spectacular thermokarst scenery, the Arctic ocean came into my view for the first time. Flat, gray and rather featureless, appearances didn’t matter. The sense of anticipation and excitement amongst the team was palpable as we touched down on the gravel runway in Tuk, with temperatures still in the low 20s—not what we expected (there was a record breaking heatwave just east of here). Regardless, we eagerly set to loading and unloading yet more gear while discussing the plans ahead.

 

Bit of a tight fit on the flight to Tuk!

 

Tuk itself is made up of colourfully painted small dwellings and occasional larger buildings, lining over a 1km stretch of the Tuktoyaktuk Peninsula. A few general stores, BnB’s, an abandoned hotel (that Courtney Love is rumoured to have thrashed at while staying for a concert in the 80s), and more, all linked by gravel roads, with a horizon dotted by some of the largest pingos on the planet. Surrounding Tuk are countless bays, inlets, and lakes, with sea surface temperatures resembling those of more Mediterranean climates thanks to the long daylight hours and shallow coastal shelf.

After finally finishing arranging equipment and settling in at the largest of the rented houses, we settled in to eat and discuss field sites, transport, and other work for the week ahead. Gradually, a detailed plan began to come together. Over the next 2 weeks, we’d be carrying out drone surveys, doing sea bed mapping, collecting moorings, capturing photos for Structure from Motion models, installing thermistors, time lapse cameras, thermal imaging, testing an autonomous underwater vehicle and much more.

 

But the weather cares little for our plans!

Comments

[Artful Dodger]

Hi Sam,

Congrats on your first post on the ASI blog! Keep up the good work in Tuk, and make sure to "get the t-shirt" ;^)

Cheers,
Lodger

[Jim Hunt]

See also the Arctic Coastal Change thread over on the forum.

[I Ballantinegray1]

Hi Sam! GW here! I'd wondered where our weekly data updates had gone.... I'd expected you'd taken a nice summer hol but this is something else!!!
It is so nice to see you progressing in your choice of career and not just stuck keyboard warrioring like myself ( not that I'm able to take the rigours you're putting yourself through any more.....my excuse and i'll stick to it ta!). you are an inspiration to all of us on the sites you post on!!!
Ahd Mor !!!

[Kevin McKinney]

Most unexpected bit:

"Surrounding Tuk are countless bays, inlets, and lakes, with sea surface temperatures resembling those of more Mediterranean climates thanks to the long daylight hours and shallow coastal shelf."

Mediterranean!?!?!

Should have expected it, I suppose--that's why most people with summer cottages in the Sault Ste. Marie of my boyhood had built them on Batchewana Bay, as opposed to some less sheltered bit of Lake Superior! And they only get something like 15 hours of sun at midsummer.

[Susan Anderson]

This is wonderful. I hope there will be time to add to it, but I believe we will happily wait for updates. Nothing like real reports from the ground.

I only recently appreciated that when the sun doesn't go down it gets pretty hot in summer!

Thank you. I've been over to the forum and will try to keep up with that as well.

[Knoxkp]

Wanted to say many thanks for your blog and the work you do. I check in all the time looking for new info on what's happening in the arctic - also I've been up that way in 1978 working on an oil rig (tearing one down) and the planes that go up there are always loaded just like in the pic! And I've dipped my feet in that ocean just to say I did and while the water was warm the bottom was slimy, very slimy.