Investigating The Impact Of Cryogenic Landslides On Lakes In The Eastern Mackenzie Delta, NT, Canada Using A Paleolimnological Framework

The Canadian Northwest is warming at an accelerated rate compared to other Arctic regions, the rest of Canada, and the rest of the globe. Enhanced temperatures can influence the development of thermokarst features, including cryogenic landsliding, which can impact downstream limnological systems physically, chemically, and biologically. In the summer of 2023, sediment cores were collected from three landslide-impacted lakes and one control lake at the eastern edge of the Mackenzie Delta (Northwest Territories, Canada). They were analyzed for total mercury, nitrogen, and carbon content.

This research shows how cryogenic landslides can impact the conditions of receiving waterbodies in the eastern Mackenzie Delta, which is particularly important because permafrost thaw can affect people, wildlife, and natural environmental processes. Researchers, ecosystem managers, and land users can use this paleoenvironmental data to support informed decision-making regarding the trajectories of lake ecosystem change associated with terrestrial mass movement into lakes following permafrost thaw.