Noble gas and isotope geochemistry in western Canadian Arctic watersheds: tracing groundwater recharge in permafrost terrain

Utting, Nicholas; Lauriol, Bernard; Mochnacz, Neil J.; Aeschbach–Hertig, Werner; Clark, Ian D.

doi:10.1007/s10040-012-0913-8

Cited by 32 publications

(38 citation statements)

References 37 publications

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“…Recharge takes place in carbonate karst, through talik zones. Groundwater springs in the upper reaches of the Hornaday are of typical karst discharge with a Ca(Mg)-HCO 3 facies, similar to the situation that maintains open water throughout the winter at Fishing Branch River, Yukon Territory (Utting et al, 2013).…”

Section: Study Areamentioning

confidence: 91%

Spawning, Overwintering and Summer Feeding Habitats Used by Anadromous Arctic Char (<i>Salvelinus alpinus</i>) of the Hornaday River, Northwest Territories, Canada

Harwood¹,

Babaluk²

2014

ARCTIC

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ABSTRACT. Radio telemetry and t-bar tagging were used to locate sites used by Hornaday River Arctic char (Salvelinus alpinus) for overwintering, spawning, and summer feeding. Thirty char, 21 in August 1995 and nine in July and August 1999, were captured, radio-tagged, and released back into the Hornaday River. Tracking was done over 14 months in 1995 -96 and over three months in 1999, using either aircraft (10 flights) or snowmobiles traveling on the river ice in winter (7 trips). Of 12 radio-tagged char that were relocated during winter 1995 -96 and not caught in the 1995 upstream migration fall fishery, 11 (92%) ultimately overwintered in the reach of the Hornaday between Coalmine and Akluk Creek; three of these did so in consecutive years. This area is characterized by groundwater inputs and deep pools (> 2 m) that do not freeze to the riverbed in winter. Another important overwintering site was found in a similarly deep channel on the west side of the Hornaday River estuary, where half of the char radio-tagged in fall 1999 spent the winter of 1999 -2000. Spawning locations were discerned through circumstantial evidence from the movements of three radio-tagged fish over entire annual cycles. The locations that were indicated as spawning habitat were all in the main stem of the Hornaday River, in deep (> 2 m), groundwater-fed pools between Coalmine and Akluk Creek. Fourteen percent of 239 char t-bar tagged at Pearce Point in July -August 1997 were caught at the mouth of the Hornaday River, on average within 25 days of tagging, which indicates that the nearshore area of Pearce Point, characterized by upwelling and enhanced productivity, is an important summer feeding area for this stock. This identification of overwintering, spawning, and summer feeding habitats contributes to an emerging list of areas for which it would be prudent to monitor habitat quality, change, and integrity given contemporary changes in climate and the potential for near-future anthropogenic activities in this watershed.Key words: Arctic char, Hornaday River, Salvelinus alpinus, migration, Northwest Territories, overwintering, spawning, summer feeding, tagging RÉSUMÉ. La radiotélémesure et les étiquettes en T ont été employées pour repérer les lieux utilisés par l'omble chevalier (Salvelinus alpinus) de la rivière Hornaday pour l'hivernage, le frai et l'alimentation estivale. Trente ombles ont été capturés dans la rivière Hornaday, soit 21 en août 1995 et neuf en juillet et en août 1999. Des radio-émetteurs ont été posés sur ces ombles, après quoi ils ont été relâchés dans la rivière. Nous les avons suivis pendant 14 mois en 1995-1996 ainsi que pendant trois mois en 1999, en avion (dix vols) ou en motoneige sur la glace de la rivière pendant l'hiver (sept expéditions). Parmi les 12 ombles dotés de radio-émetteurs qui ont été relocalisés à l'hiver 1995-1996 et n'ont pas été attrapés pendant la pêche de la montaison automnale en 1995, 11 (92 %) ont fini par passer l'hiver dans le passage de la Hornaday situé entre Coalmine et le ruisseau A...

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Section: Study Areamentioning

confidence: 91%

Spawning, Overwintering and Summer Feeding Habitats Used by Anadromous Arctic Char (<i>Salvelinus alpinus</i>) of the Hornaday River, Northwest Territories, Canada

Harwood¹,

Babaluk²

2014

ARCTIC

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“…Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems suprapermafrost and subpermafrost groundwater flows (Clark et al, 2001;Deming, 1993;Deming et al, 1992;Kane et al, 2013;Lecher, 2017;Lemieux et al, 2016;Utting et al, 2013;Walvoord & Striegl, 2007). The Mackenzie River year-round flow with temperatures consistently above freezing suggests hydraulic connection between surface waters and a regional subsurface reservoir.…”

Section: 1029/2018gc007623mentioning

confidence: 99%

Freshwater Seepage Into Sediments of the Shelf, Shelf Edge, and Continental Slope of the Canadian Beaufort Sea

Gwiazda

Paull

Dallimore

et al. 2018

Geochem Geophys Geosyst

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Long‐term warming of the continental shelf of the Canadian Beaufort Sea caused by the transgression associated with the last deglaciation may be causing decomposition of relict offshore subsea permafrost and gas hydrates. To evaluate this possibility, pore waters from 118 sediment cores up to 7.3‐m long were taken on the shelf and slope and analyzed for chloride concentrations and δ180 and δD composition. We observed downcore decreases in pore waters Cl− concentration in sediments from all sites from the inner shelf (<20‐m water depth), from the shelf edge, from the outer slope (down to 1,000‐m water depths), and from localized shelf features such as midshelf pingo‐like features and inner shelf pockmarks. In contrast, pore water freshening is absent from all investigated cores of the Mackenzie Trough. Downcore pore waters Cl− concentration decreases indicate regional widespread freshwater seepage. Extrapolations to zero Cl− of pore water Cl− versus δ180 regression lines indicate that freshwaters in these environments carry different isotope signatures and thus are sourced from different reservoirs. These isotopic signatures indicate that freshening of shelf sediments pore waters is a result of downward infiltration of Mackenzie River water, freshening of shelf edge sediments is due to relict submarine permafrost degradation or gas hydrate decomposition under the shelf, and freshening of slope sediments is consistent with regional groundwater flow and submarine groundwater discharge as far as 150 km from shore. These results confirm ongoing decomposition of offshore permafrost and suggest extensive current groundwater discharge far from the coast.

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“…While some groundwater research in permafrost areas has been completed, it has usually only been in the context of conceptual models and numerical modeling of hypothetical systems . Most existing studies have relied on various indirect sources of groundwater information such as river baseflow, springs, icings and mine sites, while only a few have used direct observations with piezometers or deep boreholes …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…To account for the complex interactions between groundwater and permafrost under changing climatic conditions, groundwater flow dynamics must be better characterized. To fill this data gap, hydrogeochemical characterization, including major ions, nutrients, stable isotopes and dating tools, has therefore also been very useful to gain insight into flow systems including residence times and recharge conditions …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Groundwater hydrogeochemistry in permafrost regions

Cochand

Molson

Lemieux

2019

Permafrost & Periglacial

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This review paper provides a summary of the current state of knowledge regarding groundwater hydrogeochemistry in permafrost regions and presents expected impacts of permafrost degradation on groundwater quality. Using published case studies, the most practical monitoring approaches are reviewed, possible monitoring issues are highlighted, and links between groundwater chemistry signatures and associated flow systems in northern climates are identified. Hydrogeochemical characteristics of groundwater in permafrost regions depend on the same reactions as in nonpermafrost regions, but in acting as a confining layer, permafrost can affect groundwater chemistry by restricting recharge and limiting exchange of energy and mass between the ground surface, surface water and groundwater. Rock (mineral)–water interactions can also increase due to longer residence times. The impacts of climate change on groundwater quality in permafrost regions are thought to be linked to the loss of this confining layer. Various studies have reported significant modifications in shallow and deep groundwater contributions to surface water, marked by a decrease in dissolved organic carbon and an increase in total dissolved solids in stream water linked to declining permafrost coverage. Future studies related to hydrogeology in permafrost areas should include better in situ hydrogeochemical characterization of groundwater to assess its potential for future use as the climate warms.

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Noble gas and isotope geochemistry in western Canadian Arctic watersheds: tracing groundwater recharge in permafrost terrain

Cited by 32 publications

References 37 publications

Spawning, Overwintering and Summer Feeding Habitats Used by Anadromous Arctic Char (<i>Salvelinus alpinus</i>) of the Hornaday River, Northwest Territories, Canada

Spawning, Overwintering and Summer Feeding Habitats Used by Anadromous Arctic Char (<i>Salvelinus alpinus</i>) of the Hornaday River, Northwest Territories, Canada

Freshwater Seepage Into Sediments of the Shelf, Shelf Edge, and Continental Slope of the Canadian Beaufort Sea

Groundwater hydrogeochemistry in permafrost regions

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