RADILIH KOE'/FORT GOOD HOPE
Have a question about permafrost in and around Fort Good Hope? Ask Grade 9 student Islombek Mukhamadiev.

Islombek Mukhamadiev, Grade 9 student at Chief T'Selehye School in Fort Good Hope, is going to the 2016 Canada-Wide Science Festival at McGill University in Montreal next May. - photo courtesy of Kathy Pelletier

The Chief T'Selehye School student spent months researching and field sampling to gather the data he needed for his science fair project; The Effects of Peat, Vegetation and Disturbance atop Permafrost Depths in Fort Good Hope, Northwest Territories.

"The main reason I did this project was because I wanted to study and find out driving factors which affect permafrost, its depth and variability," Mukhamadiev said.

When other kids were playing and travelling on their summer breaks, Mukhamadiev spent the month of July researching scientific papers and gathering information, trying to learn everything he could about permafrost.

In August, he began his field study, travelling to 18 different spots around Fort Good Hope ranging from de-forested areas to places with large amounts of vegetation.

At each spot, he made note of the time, weather and GPS location, as well as the topography, micro topography and vegetation.

After analyzing soil samples from each plot, Mukhamadiev categorized the plots into three different categories: undisturbed, disturbed and stressed.

Undisturbed plots were untouched by forest fires or humans and contained a wide variety of vegetation, he said. Disturbed plots were in areas with higher rates of human activity, such as de-forested areas. Stressed plots had a mixture of both.

Mukhamadiev discovered that the presence of peat in the soil has a direct impact on permafrost, he said.

"The plots at undisturbed sites would have high diversity of vegetation, low water table, permafrost at shallow depths and also having very deep layers of peat," he said.

Mukhamadiev also learned that soil layers have an impact on each other. The presence of vegetation on the top layer of soil directly affects the peat layer underneath.

"I concluded that peat is the main driving factor which affects permafrost, its depth and variability, meaning if there is a deeper layer of peat, there is more chance of getting permafrost at shallower depths," he said. "If the peat is absent in the soil, there is few chance of getting permafrost in the soil. But peat itself is also affected by two other factors, which are disturbance and vegetation. If there is low amount of vegetation, there are few chances of getting deep peat layers in the soil."

However, there were a few surprises. Two of the plots were located in wet, polluted environments, yet Mukhamadiev hit permafrost after digging down less than a metre.

"My hypothesis on the absence of permafrost being absent in open and wet regions has been proved wrong," he said in his report. "Permafrost can exist and be present in open and wet regions."

Mukhamadiev's work earned him first place at the Sahtu Regional Science Fair at Chief Albert Wright School in Tulita earlier this month. He will now move on to the 2016 Canada-Wide Science Festival at McGill University in Montreal next May.

He said while he is thrilled to be attending the festival, he's even more excited because his younger sister, Patricia Mukhamadiev who is in Grade 7, will be going with him.

Patricia's science fair project studying the impact of soil content on the pH of distilled water earned her a third place spot at the regional fair, which means she will also compete in Montreal.

"I'm much happier than I expected to be because my sister will be there with me, too," he said.

Mukhamadiev, who also attended the Canada-Wide Science Festival in New Brunswick last year, said his parents' encouragement is key to his accomplishments.

"I would like to thank my parents for the greatest support in my life," he said. "Without them this project wouldn't be possible. From my childhood, they encouraged me to be involved in science or in any field I want."

Mukhamadiev said he already knows which field he would like to enter when he finishes high school.

"I'll be planning to go to one of the top universities in the world," he said. "I would like to be a doctor, a neurologist."

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