Natural Hazards and climate in Nunavik

Détermination et analyse des vulnérabilités du Nunavik en fonction des composantes environnementales et des processus physiques naturels liés au climat

Michel Allard, Emmanuel L’Hérault, Sarah Aubé-Michaud, Antoine Boisson, Denis Sarrazin et Carl Barrette

Centre d’études nordiques, Université Laval

« Natural Hazards and climate in Nunavik »

Kuujjuaq, 19 April 2018

Natural hazards are risks that can occur under given geomorphological settings andconditions. In Nunavik those conditions pertain to hill and valley slopes (e.g. rockfalls,landslides and avalanches), permafrost, floods, and coastal ice. They are often triggeredby extreme climatic events (e.g. abundant snow fall, fast snow ice and melt, heavy rains,heat waves, etc.)

Natural Hazards in Nunavik

Natural hazards and climate change

• Climate projections predict a significant rise of temperatures and precipitations over northernQuébec.

• Higher potential occurrence and intensity of climate-induced hazards.

• Coastal submergence events

• Coastal erosion

• River floods

• Thawing of permafrost

• Windstorms and snow blizzards

• Forest fires

• Etc.

TMAA ↑ 2,7 à 3,4°C (MRCC: horizon 2050)

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« Les changements climatiques auront de effets significatifs sur les niveaux d’eau extrêmes, particulièrement pour les villages sur la côte est de la baie d’Hudson » (Le Groupe-Conseil LaSalle, 2013)

Project objectives

Main objective of the research project:

« Assess vulnerabilities in Nunavik » i.e. Provide to stakeholders and decisionmakers (Governments, Industry, Indigenous organizations, etc.) essential landscape-based knowledge of hazards (georisks) to support decision makingfor the safe development of Nunavik.

4 axes

• I. Document and make an inventory of natural hazards in Nunavik.

• II. Improve knowledge on permafrost distribution and properties overNunavik.

• III. Map the Nunavik coastline and assess its vulnerability to climateevents

• IV. Improve the climate data acquisition in Nunavik by installing stations inpoorly equipped areas (inland Nunavik)

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Axis 1: Document and make an inventory of natural hazards inNunavik.

Documentary research Local knowledge

Photo-interpretation Site visits

Collaboration

Hazard• Type• Occurrence/frequency• Speed• Intensity• Spatial extent• Probability of re-

occurence

Axis 1: Document and make an inventory of natural hazards inNunavik.

Documentary and media research

• Scientific literature, media survey.

• Make a synthesis and an analysis of types of events and their probable causes.

• Compile et locate the gathered information in a geodatabase (SIG)

• Type

• Location

• Date

• Photo

• Reference

• Quality of the information (metadata)

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Case example: ice-jams and floods

Kuujjuaq 1979

Source: Bleau (2011)

Axe 1: Inventory and documentation of hazards

Local knowledge

• Information gathering in communities and in the land. (KRG, MSP, CEN)

• Meeting with community members

• Discussions

• Mobile kiosk (Coop stores)

• Observations in the field

• Seven communities : Ivujivik, Inukjuak, Umiujaq, Quaqtaq, Kangiqsualujjuaq, Inukjuaket Kangiqsujuaq.

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Photo-interpretation on remote sensing images• Orthomosaïc Rapid Eye (résolution 5 m x 5 m)• Orthomosaic of villages (résolution 15 cm x 15 cm)• Availabe satellite images from previous research projects

(resolution variable from 0.6 m to1 m)

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Relevés photographiques du territoire

• 68 354 photos 2013-2015 (MRNF, DIF)

• 37 000 photos du littoral 2015-2016 (9500 km de littoral) (CEN)

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Interpretation and inventory on hand held camera photographsby MFFP scientists

Compilation results

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39% of the photographsanalysed (n=26 633)

N = 2644

Making of an illustrated guide toidentify hazards

• Categories- Mass movements (landslides, avalanches, rockfalls)- Permafrost thawing- Erosion (gulluing, coastal and fluvial erosion)- Icings and frost blisters- Hydrological processes (flodding, ice jams)- Climatic (blizzard, storms, etc.)- Earthquakes

• Protocol for data and meta data acquisition.• Type• Location• Date• Photo• Reference• Quality of the information (metadata)

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Axis 2: Permafrost 2.0

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Objective:To map permafrost according to its ground temperature regime in function of surficial geology, surface conditions and actual climate. New permafrost maps(2.0) of Nunavik.

Presentationby

Emmanuel L’Hérault

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Boisson, 2015

Secteurs non survolés

Axis 3:Map the Nunavik coastline and assess itsvulnerability to climate events

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PresentationBy

Antoine Boisson

Axis 4Improve the climate data acquisition in Nunavik by installing

stations in poorly equipped areas (inland Nunavik)

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Axis 4

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Acknowledgements

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