MEDIA RELEASE — Aug. 18, 2026 — R0068
Members of the Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation have witnessed many changes unfold across the far reaches of their traditional territory in northern Yukon.
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.
Officials from the community have been working with Brock University Professor of Geography and Tourism Studies Kevin Turner’s 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.
For the past 20 years, the team has documented rainfall patterns, lake sizes, landslides known as “thaw slumps” 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.
“Over two decades, there have been many applications for this valuable data set, which provides a very strong baseline of information,” says Turner, who is cross appointed with the Department of Earth Sciences.
From this long-running work, Turner and his collaborators have published a number of research studies documenting drastic changes to the landscape, including lake drainages, fires, shrub growth, thaw slumps and increased lake drainage events with a higher proportion of annual rainfall.
The data shows several notable trends.
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.
The thawing permafrost also releases carbon that had accumulated and been trapped in the frozen ground over millennia, contributing to climate change feedback — a process that promotes continued or intensified climate change. This led to Turner finding a woolly mammoth bone during one of his research trips.
“Northern regions experience amplified responses to climate change, and our data provides important insight regarding how these important landscapes are responding,” he says. “The 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.”
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.
Nixon-Goebel’s 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.
The team also gathered sediment cores from lake bottoms to document changes in the area’s vegetation over the past few centuries.
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.
Turner’s research is funded by a 2016 and a 2023 grant from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council, the Canada Foundation for Innovation, Polar Knowledge Canada and Brock University’s Indigenous Research Grant.
For more information or for assistance arranging interviews:
*Maryanne St. Denis, Associate Director, Strategic Communications, Brock University, [email protected] or 905-246-0256
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