Northern Canada Research Articles

Conceptual model for the formation of bedforms along subglacial meltwater corridors (SMCs) by variable ice‐water‐bed interactions

AbstractSubglacial meltwater landforms found on palaeo‐ice sheet beds allow the properties of meltwater drainage to be reconstructed, informing our understanding of modern‐day subglacial hydrological processes. In northern Canada and Fennoscandia, subglacial meltwater landforms are largely organized into continental‐scale networks of subglacial meltwater corridors (SMCs), interpreted as the relics of subglacial drainage systems undergoing variations in meltwater input, effective pressure and drainage efficiency. We review the current state of knowledge of bedforms (hummocks, ridges, murtoos, ribbed bedforms) and associated landforms (channels, eskers) described along SMCs and use selected high‐resolution DEMs in Canada and Fennoscandia to complete the bedform catalogue and categorize their characteristics, patterning and spatial distributions. We synthesize the diversity of bedform and formation processes occurring along subglacial drainage routes in a conceptual model invoking spatiotemporal changes in hydraulic connectivity, basal meltwater pressure and ice‐bed coupling, which influences the evolution of subglacial processes (bed deformation, erosion, deposition) along subglacial drainage systems. When the hydraulic capacity of the subglacial drainage system is overwhelmed glaciofluvial erosion and deposition will dominate in the SMC, resulting in tracts of hummocks and ridges arising from both fragmentation of underlying pre‐existing bedforms and downstream deposition of sediments in basal cavities and crevasses. Re‐coupling of ice with the bed, when meltwater supply decreases, facilitates deformation, transforming existing and producing new bedforms concomitant with the wider subglacial bedform imprint. We finally establish a range of future research perspectives to improve understanding of subglacial hydrology, geomorphic processes and bedform diversity along SMCs. These perspectives include the new acquisition of remote‐sensing and field‐based sedimentological and geomorphological data, a better connection between the interpreted subglacial drainage configurations down corridors and the mathematical treatments studying their stability, and the quantification of the scaling, distribution and evolution of the hydraulically connected drainage system beneath present‐day ice masses to test our bedform‐related conceptual model.

Whitehorse Trough records Late Triassic–Cretaceous accretionary orogenesis in the Northern Canadian Cordillera via detrital mineral thermochronometry

The Whitehorse Trough formed during early Mesozoic accretion of the Intermontane terranes to northwestern North America. Here we investigate its thermal history using detrital mineral thermochronology, including 171 single-crystal (U–Th)/He zircon (ZHe) ages from 35 samples, 158 single-crystal (U–Th)/He apatite (AHe) ages from 33 samples, and apatite fission track (AFT) ages from 12 samples. ZHe single crystal ages range from 222 to 42 Ma and define Triassic–Early Jurassic, Late Jurassic, and Cretaceous–Paleogene age groups. AFT central ages range from 95 to 30 Ma with a dominant age peak at ∼50 Ma, and AHe single crystal ages range from 228 to 13 Ma with a dominant age peak between 50 and 40 Ma. Forward and inverse models of thermochronological data are compatible with two regional burial/heating stages that variably reset He in zircon. Maximum temperatures of the Whitehorse Trough strata locally exceeded 150 °C during Early Jurassic burial and shortening into a fold and thrust belt. Following Middle to Late Jurassic exhumation-related cooling and development of a prominent unconformity, Whitehorse Trough strata were buried again. Temperatures locally exceeded 150 °C during the Cretaceous, suggesting maximum burial of between ∼4 and 7.5 km. Heating and cooling rates during the Early–Middle Jurassic were ∼10 °C/myr, coinciding with deposition, fold and thrust belt development, and regional crustal thickening during the final stages of Intermontane terrane accretion. Maximum heating rates during the Cretaceous were ∼4–7 °C/myr and likely correspond to regional crustal thickening of the northern Cordillera hinterland and establishment of an outboard, Andean-type continental arc system.

Improving Mental Health Within Indigenous Communities

In many places in the world, there are communities of Indigenous Peoples—the first Peoples that inhabited those lands. Each community has its own unique history, culture, practices, spiritual beliefs, and worldviews. I work as a psychologist in Indigenous Peoples’ communities in northern Canada, exploring how we can use scientific methods, combined with the traditional wisdom of communities and culture, to improve mental health. In this article, I will tell you about Indigenous Peoples, how many view health and wellness, and what I do to support their mental health—specifically with groups of young people who are having trouble with substance use. I hope that this article will inspire you to find ways to combine scientific approaches with traditional wisdom, to improve your own wellbeing.

From the Food Mail Program to Nutrition North Canada: The impact on food insecurity among Indigenous and non‐Indigenous families with children

AbstractFood insecurity is prevalent in northern Canada, especially among Indigenous peoples. As one approach to address this issue, the federal government subsidizes the shipping of necessities to remote northern communities, initially through the Food Mail Program and then Nutrition North Canada as of April 2011. We use the Canadian Community Health Survey (2007 to 2016) and a difference‐in‐differences model to estimate the impact of the policy change on food insecurity, testing for heterogeneity between Indigenous and non‐Indigenous families. Our results, which withstand several robustness checks, indicate that the policy change increased the likelihood of overall food insecurity by 8.9 percentage points (77.3% relative to the sample mean) and moderate/severe food insecurity by 7.1 percentage points (89.3% relative to the sample mean). It also increased severe food insecurity among Indigenous families by 7.3 percentage points (more than three times the sample mean). There was, however, variation across regions and subsamples of families with children. Specifically, the policy change was particularly harmful to Indigenous families in the territories and Inuit Nunangat. The detrimental impact was also heightened in the presence of children, especially when considering severe food insecurity among Indigenous families.

Critical Minerals in the Context of Canada: Concepts, Challenges and Contradictions

Increased use of renewable energy, coupled with electrification of the economy, is considered important in efforts to limit future climate change. This energy transition is predicted to increase demands for some commodities, many of which are now labelled as critical mineral. The quest for such commodities is now a persistent theme for the resource industry and emerging government policies. This review for non-specialists explains several key concepts but also explores some challenges and apparent contradictions in the context of Canada. Canada now has a list of 31 critical minerals, but this includes some major commodities for which domestic production is significant and supply risk is low. The differences between our list and those of other jurisdictions reflect our more specific definitions. Most other commodities on Canada’s list are also identified by other countries and some are specifically linked to the energy transition. These include cobalt, lithium, manganese, nickel, graphite and vanadium (used in electric vehicle batteries and static energy storage), rare earth elements (REE; used for magnets in EV motors and wind turbines) and some rarer elements (e.g. germanium, gallium, indium and tellurium) used in photovoltaic (solar) energy systems. Some of these are potential primary products (e.g. lithium, graphite and REE) but many others (e.g. cobalt, platinum group elements and the photovoltaic elements) are byproducts from the production of major commodities, notably nickel, copper and zinc. The REE represent coproducts that are closely associated in nature and very hard to separate from each other; they are produced as a group. There are some specific challenges in exploring for and developing critical mineral resources. The end-use technology driving demand evolves on a timescale of years, but mineral exploration and development now typically take multiple decades. Material substitutions and unpredictable developments in technology complicate the exact prediction of future demands. The forecasts of overall relative demand growth are impressive, but for some key commodities global production will remain small in absolute terms, which may limit the potential for new discoveries. Simple measures of grade and tonnage are not always guarantees of viability, because deposits of some commodities (e.g. the REE) are mineralogically complex. Byproduct commodities cannot be produced in isolation, and many of these are only extracted in smelting and refining. Domestic production of these commodities is effectively lost if concentrates are exported for processing. The emissions and environmental impacts associated with production of critical mineral resources will also become important if such activity is to be linked to wider climate goals. This may present challenges in northern Canada, where renewable or low-carbon energy options are limited. Most draft Land Use Plans in the north presently emphasize large-scale land conservation, which could limit future exploration access before resource potential is fully assessed. Given the strong divisions of opinion about resource development, especially in the north, controversy and polarized debate will not easily be avoided. There are no simple answers to challenges that are political or jurisdictional rather than technical, but there is definitely a need for more public geoscientific information. This will help to identify areas of greatest potential, evaluate known deposits and contribute to future sustainable development. For many of the commodities on our critical mineral resources list, data for Canada remains incomplete, especially in more remote regions that are generally considered to have the highest potential.

Zircon and the role of magmatic petrogenesis in the formation of felsic-hosted volcanogenic massive sulfide (VMS) deposits: a case study from the mid-Paleozoic Yukon-Tanana terrane, northern Canadian Cordillera

Magmatism is a critical component in sustaining hydrothermal convection and metal transport during the formation of volcanogenic massive sulfide (VMS) deposits. Previous studies of magmatic petrogenesis in VMS systems have demonstrated that ore-related volcanic rocks have distinct whole-rock geochemical and isotopic signatures (i.e., high HFSE, REE, Th, εHf-Nd, zircon saturation T) relative to barren volcanic rocks, which supports models of elevated crustal heat flow during periods of ore deposition; however, the petrologic characteristics and intrinsic parameters (e.g., T, fO2) related to these magmatic events in VMS districts remain poorly understood. Arc–back-arc assemblages from the mid-Paleozoic Yukon-Tanana terrane are well-characterized and include the Finlayson Lake VMS district, which is host to several felsic-hosted deposits (e.g., Kudz Ze Kayah, GP4F, Wolverine) that were generated in a peri-Laurentian continental back-arc tectonic setting. In this study, zircon from back-arc and coeval arc rocks in the Yukon-Tanana terrane was used as a proxy for primary magma formation conditions that generated VMS-proximal and VMS-distal stratigraphy. Our results indicate that zircon grains in VMS-proximal environments have unique textural, geochemical, and isotopic characteristics (e.g., low-aspect ratios, greater abundance of zircon-phosphate intergrowths, Th/U > 1, Zr/Hf > 80, Tzrc > 780 °C, εHfi > –7) that are clearly distinguished from zircon in VMS-distal rocks in both the back-arc and arc settings (Th/U < 1, Zr/Hf < 80, Tzrc < 780 °C, εHfi < –7). These signatures correlate to VMS-proximal magmas that were hotter, less fractionated, and contained greater juvenile melt contributions compared to VMS-distal magmas and reflect a series of high-flux magmatic events that directly correspond to the early tectonic development of Yukon-Tanana terrane. Moreover, this study underscores the importance of mineral-scale petrology, geochemistry, and geochronology in defining the primary magmatic conditions that generated VMS-related felsic rocks and highlights the utility of zircon as a prospectivity tool in both grassroots and brownfields VMS exploration.

Under Pressure: Diamond Mining and Everyday Life in Northern Canada By Lindsay A.Bell. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2023. 188 pp.

Under Pressure: Diamond Mining and Everyday Life in Northern Canada By Lindsay A.Bell. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2023. 188 pp.

Finite element modeling of wellbore stability in a fractured formation for the geothermal development in northern Quebec, Canada

Previous studies showed that deep geothermal energy can be a promising solution to support Canada's energy transition, which is particularly valuable for remote northern communities. Geological formations containing natural fractures in fault zones of the Canadian Shield prove advantageous for geothermal development from the perspective of permeability enhancement. However, it is crucial to ensure wellbore stabilities throughout the drilling and energy production processes. In remote communities, there is a lack of research investigating the overall performance of boreholes embedded in fractured formations under non-isothermal conditions. Both the sliding along fracture surfaces and yielding of rock matrix can contribute to a borehole failure, but there is limited research covering both in a borehole stability analysis with the consideration of thermal disturbance. In this study, a thermo-hydro-mechanical coupled finite element modeling is conducted to carry out poromechanical analysis of boreholes in fractured rock formations of a potential deep geothermal engineering site in northern Canada. Both plastic yielding in the rock matrix and sliding potential along specific fractures are quantified with the consideration of non-isothermal impacts. The simulation results indicate that the cooling effect should be given attention when drilling through rock formations containing natural fractures as excess pore pressure can be built up due to the enhanced flows through fractures. Even though the fractures are not intersecting with the borehole wall surface, sliding tends to be triggered along tilted fractures. In addition, it is also concluded that more plastic zones tend to be generated due to the cooling effect of drilling fluid. Findings from the present research are also closely relevant to deep geoenergy engineering projects in other studying areas with fractured geological formations.

The Canadian Northern Corridor Community Engagement Program: Results and Lessons Learned

The Canadian Northern Corridor Community Engagement Program: Results and Lessons Learned

A Review on In-Situ Denitrification Technology for Consideration in Jaffna Peninsula Aquifer Remediation

A Review on In-Situ Denitrification Technology for Consideration in Jaffna Peninsula Aquifer Remediation

Trends in groundberry cover under climate change in the southern and central Yukon, 1997–2022

Groundberries are an important component of the flora of the boreal forest and provide seasonally important food for many birds and mammals, as well as local people in northern Canada. Here, we ask whether there has been a change in the cover of groundberries in the Yukon boreal forest over the last two decades. We monitored five common species at undisturbed forest sites spaced 300 km apart. At our Kluane site, we monitored 710 fixed quadrats per year for 26 years (1997–2022), and at Mayo 500 quadrats per year for 18 years (2005–2022). The cover of four species, Arctostaphylos uva-ursi (L.) Spreng. (bearberry) , Arctostaphylos rubra (Rehder &amp; E.H. Wilson) Fernald (red bearberry) , Empetrum nigrum L. (crowberry), and Geocaulon lividum (Richardson) Fernald (toadflax), declined annually by 0.2%–0.8% at both sites. In contrast, Vaccinium vitis-idaea L. (lingonberry) increased annually by 0.5% and 0.8%. We tested whether increases in summer temperature and rainfall were correlated with the observed changes but found no significant relationships. These boreal plants are changing in abundance, but we have limited data on the extent and speed of these changes. We recommend experiments to understand the cause(s) of these changes in groundberry productivity. Our study is a start in monitoring important berry species in this critical ecosystem of northern Canada.

TWO LINEAGES OF ORIBATID MITES MORPHOLOGICALLY CORESPOND TO THE CIRCUMPOLAR SPECIES &lt;i&gt;AMERONOTHRUS NIGROFEMORATUS&lt;/i&gt; (ACARI, ORIBATIDA) BUT DIFFER GENETICALLY AS DISTINCT SPECIES ARE REVEALED ON THE KOLGUEV ISLAND

Until recently, data on the genetic characteristics of the oribatid mite Ameronothrus nigrofemoratus have been reported only from the Northern Canada. Analysis of the partial cytochrome oxidase I gene (COI) mtDNA sequence of the mites from Kolguev Island that morphologically correspond to this species has revealed two highly divergent phylogenetic lineages of A. nigrofemoratus (divergence of 7%), neither of which was found on the Canadian coast. One lineage differs by four COI amino acid substitutions from North American A. nigrofemoratus. This corresponds to the degree of difference between A. nigrofemoratus and its sister species A. lineatus.

Grasslands Grown: Creating Place on the U.S. Northern Plains and Canadian Prairies

Grasslands Grown: Creating Place on the U.S. Northern Plains and Canadian Prairies

A One Health Approach Addressing Dog Overpopulation in Northern Canadian Communities

Dog overpopulation in northern Canadian communities is a major health concern affecting humans, non-human animals, and the environment. Issues include aggression between dogs, contamination of soil and water systems, and a heightened risk of injury or zoonotic disease spread (Boissonneault &amp; Epp, 2018; Brook et al., 2010). These One Health concerns are worsened by barriers in northern Canadian communities including isolation from veterinary or medical services, high cost, and potential judgement over the treatment of companion animals (CBC News, 2018). Several grassroots organizations across Canada have developed initiatives to address aspects of the dog overpopulation problem. Despite these efforts, there are very few sustainable, long-term interventions targeting isolated northern Canadian communities such as Inuvik, Northwest Territories. The proposed initiative therefore aims to fill this gap, reducing the dog overpopulation problem over time by partnering with organizations to provide free-roaming or stray dogs with a chemical contraceptive. It also aims to raise awareness across Canada and draw in donations to fund these procedures using the “Sponsor-A-Dog” approach. This may reduce the effects of dog overpopulation on humans, non-human animals, and the environment, with potential for expansion to other northern communities or canine-related health concerns.

The Canadian Northern Corridor Roundtable Program: Results and Lessons Learned

The Canadian Northern Corridor Roundtable Program: Results and Lessons Learned

Perpetuating precarity in theory and in practice: a case study of work-integrated learning in the non-profit sector in Northern Canada

ABSTRACT Work-integrated learning (WIL) is a process of curricular experiential education within a workplace or practical setting. WIL is portrayed as a win-win, yet this research suggests that WIL perpetuates precarity and deepens inequalities between students, between different types of employers, and between geographic regions. Using the Human Development and Capabilities Approach (HDCA), this study investigated how eight diverse non-profit organisations (NPOs) in northern Canada are positioned to support students to develop personal agency through WIL. Most WIL research is urban-centric, focused on for-profit industries and framed within Human Capital Theory (HCT), making this study an outlier. Using a case study approach underpinned by critical and social realism, this study explores the ways in which WIL enables and constrains the development of agency at individual, social, and institutional levels. The research shows inconsistencies in current approaches to WIL. The increasingly precarious positioning of NPOs within the labour market threatens their ability to offer students (future) decent work. The institutional and policy environments that undergird WIL do not acknowledge the distinctness of non-profit organisations within a neoliberal economy and this makes invisible other dimensions that affect decent work, such as the regulatory environment, collectivisation, and the ‘contracting regime.’

What Gets Measured Gets Done: Challenges in Monitoring Water, Energy, and Food Security in Northern Canada

This paper describes the challenges that were encountered during the collection of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) indicators for water (SDG 6), energy (SDG 7), and food (SDG 2) security in northern Canada. Our findings indicate only 49% of indicator data were publicly available, while 21% had to be calculated using alternative sources or methods, 18% had to be replaced with proxy indicators for which data were available, and 12% of indicators were deemed unavailable entirely. The most common types of data challenges were associated with completeness, timeliness, and granularity. Given the current challenges faced by residents of northern Canada, with their livelihoods closely intertwined with the accessibility and availability of water, energy and food (WEF) resources, a comprehensive plan for data collection, storage, and management of WEF-related SDGs is required to advance WEF security from an aspirational to a transformative policy agenda.

Therapeutic recreation as a pathway to support mental health in Northern Canada: practitioners perspectives

ABSTRACT Residing in northern Canada presents unique contextual factors that can implicate one’s experience and management of their mental health. Scant evidence exists pertaining to the role of clinical therapeutic recreation services in northern Canada, specifically in supporting mental health. The purpose of this study was to explore the role of therapeutic recreation in supporting mental health in northern Canada, specifically in Yukon Territory. Seven Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialists participated in one-on-one semi-structured interviews, and data were analyzed using a process of content analysis. Findings are represented by four themes: (a) creating pathways to coping, (b) creating pathways to meaning, (c) creating pathways to connection and, (d) practicing therapeutic recreation in Yukon Territory: contextual considerations. Findings contribute to the understanding of how the therapeutic recreation profession can support mental health in Yukon Territory and can be extended to future practice across northern Canada and other similar contexts.

Informational analysis of the Canadian National Hydrometric program monitoring network

An information theory-based analysis was used to evaluate the Canadian National Hydrometric Network. The information theory approach used a mutual information based metric known as information quality ratio (IQR) to evaluate the reproducible information available in the network. The analysis was based on available data from 1 January 2009 to 31 December 2018, and compared using average daily discharge and average daily stage data from all months, summer months, and winter months to calculate the IQR. This evaluation showed that 63–77% of hydrometric stations providing discharge data and 87–90% of hydrometric stations providing stage data, depending on the season, have an IQR equal to or greater than 0.4. These results indicate that the majority of hydrometric stations provide an average or higher level of information during the analysis period. Based on the information theory analysis, the existing hydrometric network has been shown to be average in the gauged regions of Canada, excluding the Great Plains region. These results suggest that if new stations were to be added, greater effort should be focused in the ungauged areas of Northern Canada or to bolster information content of the Great Plains.

Experimentally determined traits shape bacterial community composition one and five years following wildfire.

Wildfires represent major ecological disturbances, burning 2-3% of Earth's terrestrial area each year with sometimes drastic effects above- and belowground. Soil bacteria offer an ideal, yet understudied system within which to explore fundamental principles of fire ecology. To understand how wildfires restructure soil bacterial communities and alter their functioning, we sought to translate aboveground fire ecology to belowground systems by determining which microbial traits are important post-fire and whether changes in bacterial communities affect carbon cycling. We employed an uncommon approach to assigning bacterial traits, by first running three laboratory experiments to directly determine which microbes survive fires, grow quickly post-fire and/or thrive in the post-fire environment, while tracking CO2 emissions. We then quantified the abundance of taxa assigned to each trait in a large field dataset of soils one and five years after wildfires in the boreal forest of northern Canada. We found that fast-growing bacteria rapidly dominate post-fire soils but return to pre-burn relative abundances by five years post-fire. Although both fire survival and affinity for the post-fire environment were statistically significant predictors of post-fire community composition, neither are particularly influential. Our results from the incubation trials indicate that soil carbon fluxes post-wildfire are not likely limited by microbial communities, suggesting strong functional resilience. From these findings, we offer a traits-based framework of bacterial responses to wildfire.