Rapid landscape evolution at the permafrost-glacier interface

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Permafrost underlies a large portion of Canada's landscape and in some locations, massive amounts of ice have been preserved for thousands of years. However, much of the permafrost in Canada is thawing, resulting in the melt-out of ground ice and dramatic alterations to the landscape and overall terrestrial environment. This is resulting in a step change (a tipping point) in the rate and character of landscape evolution - something seldom taken into account in the climate change impact predictions due to its complexity. It is most obvious in the Arctic where glaciers are rapidly retreating, producing large volumes of melt water impacting the frozen ground and massive buried ice surrounding the glaciers. The result is an environment which is changing in ways we have not witnessed before. Four interrelated projects designed to better understand the changes occurring are: