68th Canadian Geotechnical Conference and 7th Canadian Permafrost Conference

IMPACT OF LAND COVER DISTURBANCE ON PERMAFROST LANDSCAPES: CASE STUDIES FROM YUKON COMMUNITIES

Session: Northern Communities / Communautés nordiques

Katerine Grandmont, Northern Climate ExChange, Yukon Research Centre, Yukon College, YT, Canada; Centre d’études nordiques, Université Laval, Québec, QC, Canada; Geocryolab, Département de Géographie, Université de Montréal, QC, Canada (Canada)
Louis-Philippe Roy, Northern Climate ExChange, Yukon Research Centre, Yukon College, YT, Canada (Canada)
Isabelle de Grandpré, Northern Climate ExChange, Yukon Research Centre, Yukon College, YT, Canada (Canada)
Daniel Fortier, Geocryolab, Département de Géographie, Université de Montréal, QC, Canada (Canada)
Bronwyn Benkert, Northern Climate ExChange, Yukon Research Centre, Yukon College, YT, Canada (Canada)
Antoni Lewkowicz, Department of Geography, University of Ottawa, ON, Canada (Canada)

Using examples from three case studies in Yukon communities, we investigate the role of anthropogenic disturbance on permafrost landscapes. Landscape modifications investigated include alternations to surface vegetation for fire protection adjacent to communities, and land clearing to support economic activities like surface mining and agriculture. In most cases, the removal of protective vegetative cover resulted in permafrost degradation, leading to the development of near-surface taliks over decadal-scale time periods. Conversely, light alteration to vegetative cover (e.g., stand thinning for fire protection) does not appear to have altered permafrost presence or distribution. Results have implications for community-scale land use planning in the context of a changing climate.