{"id":111157,"date":"2026-08-17T17:22:23","date_gmt":"2026-08-17T21:22:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/?p=111157"},"modified":"2026-08-17T17:22:23","modified_gmt":"2026-08-17T21:22:23","slug":"20-years-of-research-shows-how-climate-change-has-vastly-impacted-canadas-north","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/2026\/08\/20-years-of-research-shows-how-climate-change-has-vastly-impacted-canadas-north\/","title":{"rendered":"20 years of research shows how climate change has vastly impacted Canada\u2019s North"},"content":{"rendered":"

Members of the Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation have witnessed many changes<\/a> unfold across the far reaches of their traditional territory in northern Yukon.<\/p>\n

Tundra grasslands are being replaced by shrubs. Permafrost is thawing at an accelerated rate. Lakes are draining more than in the past. River and lake shorelines are eroding more quickly. And fires are burning within and beyond the boreal treeline.<\/p>\n

Officials from the community have been working with Brock University Professor of Geography and Tourism Studies Kevin Turner\u2019s research lab and Parks Canada staff to track measurements that quantify these changes in Van Tat, commonly known as Old Crow Flats, a 15,000-square-kilometre watershed north of the Arctic Circle and south of the Beaufort Sea.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/a>

Professor of Geography and Tourism Studies Kevin Turner (left) and PhD in Biological Sciences candidate Quinn Nixon-Goebel (right) gather water samples from Old Crow River north of Old Crow Flats, Yukon.<\/p><\/div>\n

For the past 20 years, the team has documented rainfall patterns, lake sizes, landslides known as \u201cthaw slumps\u201d along river shorelines, the presence of carbon in waterways, the rate of permafrost thawing and changes to the vegetation cover, among other things. In addition to assessing the magnitude and frequency of these events, the team is also exploring how they influence downstream lakes and rivers.<\/p>\n

\u201cOver two decades, there have been many applications for this valuable data set, which provides a very strong baseline of information,\u201d says Turner, who is cross appointed with the Department of Earth Sciences.<\/p>\n

From this long-running work, Turner and his collaborators have published a number of research studies documenting drastic changes<\/a> to the landscape, including lake drainages<\/a>, fires, shrub growth, thaw slumps<\/a> and increased lake drainage events with a higher proportion of annual rainfall<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The data shows several notable trends.<\/p>\n

Higher temperatures have led to extended thaw seasons allowing for an accelerated rate of permafrost thaw that hinders landscape stability. Soil and other materials from these landslides are added to the water, resulting in changes to river structure and water chemistry, Turner says.<\/p>\n

The thawing permafrost also releases carbon that had accumulated and been trapped in the frozen ground over millennia, contributing to climate change feedback \u2014 a process that promotes continued or intensified climate change. This led to Turner finding a woolly mammoth bone<\/a> during one of his research trips.<\/p>\n

\u201cNorthern regions experience amplified responses to climate change, and our data provides important insight regarding how these important landscapes are responding,\u201d he says.\u00a0\u201cThe data also serves as a valuable reference when evaluating whether the results of future surveys and samples are similar or if landscape changes are continuing to accelerate.\u201d<\/p>\n

This June, Turner joined PhD in Biological Sciences candidate Quinn Nixon-Goebel and collaborators from Vuntut National Parks and the Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation to collect samples from lakes, rivers and plants.<\/p>\n

Nixon-Goebel\u2019s research is focused on identifying spatial patterns in vegetation change across Old Crow Flats and the greater Porcupine River Watershed. Her analysis will provide valuable information about the vegetation species, size, age and timing of their growth as it relates to trends identified in 40 years of satellite information, Turner says.<\/p>\n

The team also gathered sediment cores from lake bottoms to document changes in the area\u2019s vegetation over the past few centuries.<\/p>\n

Analysis of water chemistry from lake and river samples will provide insight on how upstream changes, detected using satellite remote sensing, have influenced aquatic environments, Turner says.<\/p>\n

Turner\u2019s research is funded by a 2016<\/a> and a 2023 grant<\/a> from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council, the Canada Foundation for Innovation<\/a>, Polar Knowledge Canada and Brock University\u2019s Indigenous Research Grant<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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