Shifting snowfall and moving muskox begin YK science series

Changes in Yellowknife lake snowfall and the return of muskox to the boreal forest are the first topics in a new public science series starting this week.

The Spring Speaker Series is created by Wilfrid Laurier University, the Cold Regions Research Centre and Aurora Research Institute.

The opening two presentations take place at Makerspace YK from 6-7:30pm on Thursday, April 24. More will follow in May and June.

Each presentation lasts for 20 minutes. The sessions are free and open to everyone, with organizers saying their goal is to “make northern science accessible and relevant.”

Wilfrid Laurier PhD candidate Alicia Pouw is one half of Thursday’s opening event, presenting her research into changing snowfall on Yellowknife lakes and why it matters.

Pouw told Cabin Radio recent years have brought unusually high levels of October and November snow to the city.

Hear more: Listen to Afternoons at the Cabin from 1-2pm on Wednesday, April 23 to hear Alicia Pouw describe her research in more detail. Listen via the Cabin Radio website or get the app.

That kind of heavy early snow “is going to have a direct impact on the lake ice freeze-up time, as well as the type of ice that’s forming,” said Pouw. Ultimately, that can affect construction of ice roads – becoming a likely factor in the ultra-late opening of the Dettah ice road in January 2024.

Pouw takes regular measurements of snowfall on lakes around Yellowknife. Her research is aimed at understanding how different scenarios affect the condition of the ice beneath.

For example, she said, plenty of early snow can result in “snow ice,” a type of ice that’s not as strong as the clear black ice that is the tourists’ favourite in ice road photos.

“That’s what we all want. It’s beautiful. That is the stronger ice,” said Pouw of the black ice. “That occurs when the water in the water column freezes without that snow. But when there’s snow present on top of that ice, what happens is because it’s so insulative, it can slow the growth of that ice formation in the water column.

“The more snow we have accumulating on the ice, it’s going to affect how fast the ice grows.”

Pouw said she wants to provide data to help northerners better understand what might happen in future as the climate continues to change.

“We’re actually going out there and studying it. Getting this detailed information will allow us to be able to open it up and look at it on a bigger scale,” she said.

Thursday’s second presentation comes from Christine Dunbar, a master’s student at Wilfrid Laurier.

A poster for the event describes Dunbar’s topic as an investigation into “why muskox are returning to the boreal forest from the tundra after more than a century.”

On May 8, presentations will examine permafrost changes and carbon movement. A session on June 5 will look at wildfire, metals and water alongside permafrost mapping and groundwater in Whatì.

Lastly, June 26’s final session will look at algal blooms in Jackfish Lake alongside one more topic to be confirmed.