NÉVÉFLO: Northern Environmental Variability at the Expedition Fiord Landscape Observatory

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The Canadian Arctic hosts the largest area of glaciers outside of Greenland and Antarctica, and is the largest contributor to rising sea-level from glaciers and ice caps due to greater warming in the Arctic than elsewhere. It is therefore essential that we improve our ability to anticipate glacier changes quickly. This will help coastal communities and insurance companies plan for and reduce the risks of rising sea-level. Changing climate impacts both the production of meltwater and runoff from glaciers, as well as the speed at which ice flows to lower, warmer elevations where melt conditions prevail. Field-based studies into the glacier-climate processes and the impact on downstream ecosystems are limited and rarely span >10 years due to logistical challenges. However, the region of Expedition Fiord on Axel Heiberg Island, NU, hosts more than 50 years of continuous glacier research and a large collection of increasingly critical baseline data about the high-Arctic environment. Building upon this legacy of research, the proposed Northern Environmental Variability at the Expedition Fiord Landscape Observatory (NÉVÉFLO) program will lead the continuation of the glacier measurements in the region, while advancing our knowledge of the sensitivity, stability, and downstream consequences of glacier change in the Canadian Arctic. The proposed research will 1) address knowledge-gaps concerning processes at the glacier-atmosphere and glacier-bed boundaries, and 2) assess how these processes impact downstream environments. At the glacier-atmosphere boundary, unknowns include the amount and distribution of meltwater stored in high-elevation snowfields (nÉvÉ), and how the refreezing of meltwater in these snowfields will impact the internal temperature and deformation-rate of glacier ice. At the glacier-bed boundary, there are still large unknowns concerning the mechanics of ice deformation and sliding at the base of cold, polar glaciers. These glacier-bed processes control ice velocities, erosion, and the landscapes formed as glaciers retreat. Together, these processes control the quantity, chemistry, and sediment load of freshwater released from glaciers, and will ultimately impact the downstream river, fiord, and ocean ecosystems. NÉVÉFLO will use a combination of ground- and satellite-based observations of glacier change, along with models incorporating weather observations and future climate scenarios, to determine the amount of water and sediment released by glaciers. In addition to helping predict sea-level rise, the proposed research will reveal how changing glaciers impact the creation and alteration of landforms, watersheds, and ecosystems. Over five-years, this program will support scientific and transferable skills training for 19 highly-qualified personnel (HQP), including 3 PhD, 6 MSc, 5 BSc, and 5 northern students. It will also foster the development of a glacier watershed monitoring program in the northern community of Grise Fiord, NU.