Fort Simpson (Jun 02/06) - Permafrost monitoring sites in the Deh Cho could increase from seven to 20 if everything goes according to plan for the Geological Survey of Canada (GSC).

Shiqiang Ye, with the Geological Survey of Canada, points to the map showing proposed sites to expand permafrost monitoring in the Deh Cho. - Roxanna Thompson/NNSL photo

Since the mid 1980s, the GSC has built and maintained a permafrost monitoring network in the Mackenzie Valley.

The network detects changes in permafrost temperatures and active layer thickness. The GSC hopes to close gaps in their existing network, including areas in the Deh Cho, said Shiqiang Ye, a permafrost scientist.

Ye was in Fort Simpson on May 25 to hold an information session on the proposed expansion. He also visited Wrigley, Trout Lake and Jean Marie River, the other communities along the monitoring network. Part of the purpose of the sessions was to insure the proposed sites are not on culturally important lands, Ye said. The sites were selected close to highways, winter roads or pipelines to allow for easy access and to minimize environmental disruptions, he said.

Ye said the sites have a small footprint of 10m by 10m and can fully recover in one year. Each site takes only four people three days to set up. "We don't want to disturb the land to get the baseline information," he said.

At each site two boreholes will be drilled between 15-20 meters deep. A PVC pipe will be installed to hold the cable that monitors temperature. Equipment will also track moisture in the ground. Staff will visit the site annually to retrieve the data. The gathered baseline data provides information to help understand the impacts of climate change, the design of northern infrastructure and the assessment of environmental impacts, Ye told the four people at the information session.

Data collected since 1984 shows that permafrost is decreasing. The change has been more rapid in the North.

Permafrost temperatures at a depth of 10 meters in Norman Wells have increased 0.3C per decade compared to 0.1C in Wrigley. Ye said it's hard to place an exact number on Fort Simpson, but things are melting near the village.

If all of the paperwork, goes smoothly, Ye said he hopes the project can move ahead this November or December.