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The Cape Bounty Arctic Watershed Observatory (CBAWO), Melville Island, Nunavut (74°55′N, 109°34′W) was established in 2003 to examine Arctic ecosystem processes that would be impacted by climate warming and permafrost degradation. This paper provides a synthesis of how remote sensing has contributed to biogeophysical modelling and monitoring at the CBAWO from 2003 to 2023. Given the location and isolated nature of the CBAWO in the Canadian High Arctic, remote sensing data and derivatives have been instrumental for studies examining ecosystem structure and function at local and landscape scales. In combination with field measurements, remote sensing data facilitated mapping and modelling of vegetation types, % vegetation cover and aboveground phytomass, soil moisture, carbon exchange rates, and permafrost degradation and disturbance. It has been demonstrated that even in an environment with limited vegetation cover and phytomass, spectral vegetation indices (e.g., the normalized difference vegetation index) are able to model various biogeophysical variables. These applications are feasible for research sites such as the CBAWO using high spatial resolution remote sensing data across the visible, infrared, and microwave regions of the electromagnetic spectrum. Furthermore, as the satellite record continues to expand, we will gain a greater understanding of the impacts arising from the expected continued warming at northern latitudes. Although the logistics for research in the Arctic remain challenging, today's technologies (e.g., high spatial resolution satellite remote sensing, automated in situ sensors and data loggers, and wireless communication systems) can support a host of scientific endeavours in the Arctic (and other remote sites) through modelling and monitoring of biogeophysical variables and Earth surface processes with limited but critical field campaigns. The research synthesized here for the CBAWO highlights the essential role of remote sensing of terrestrial ecosystems in the Canadian Arctic.

As climate change intensifies, Inuvialuit in Canada's Western Arctic are facing a rapidly changing environment and associated impacts on human health, safety, and food security. Learning to cope with these changes requires context-based and current information that can inform subsistence activities and environmental management, and no one is better positioned to acquire this information than Inuvialuit themselves. This paper presents findings from in-depth interviews conducted in 2012 with six knowledge holders and seasonal residents of Kendall Island (Ukiivik in Uummarmiutun), a traditional whaling camp situated along the Beaufort Sea coast bordering the Okeevik Tarium Niryutait Marine Protected Area. A transdisciplinary and Inuvialuit-led effort, this research documents observations of change at this culturally important site and explores how residents are adapting to changing conditions. Interview transcripts were analyzed using iterative rounds of qualitative coding in NVivo software. Findings reveal pervasive social and environmental change on Kendall Island and in adjacent harvesting areas and highlight how changing conditions are affecting residents’ lives. This study identifies benchmarks upon which to compare and evaluate subsequent changes at this site and documents Inuvialuit knowledge and perspectives that can inform local-scale environmental monitoring, management, and climate change adaptation planning.

This paper documents the first comprehensive inventory of thermokarst and thaw-sensitive terrain indicators for a 2 million km2 region of northwestern Canada. This is accomplished through the Thermokarst Mapping Collective (TMC), a research collaborative to systematically inventory indicators of permafrost thaw sensitivity by mapping and aerial assessments across the Northwest Territories (NT), Canada. The increase in NT-based permafrost capacity has fostered science leadership and collaboration with government, academic, and community researchers to enable project implementation. Ongoing communications and outreach have informed study design and strengthened Indigenous and stakeholder relationships. Documentation of theme-based methods supported mapper training, and flexible data infrastructure facilitated progress by Canada-wide researchers throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. The TMC inventory of thermokarst and thaw-sensitive landforms agree well with fine-scale empirical mapping (69%–84% accuracy) and aerial inventory (74%–96% accuracy) datasets. National- and circumpolar-scale modelling of sensitive permafrost terrain contrasts significantly with TMC outputs, highlighting their limitations and the value of empirically based mapping approaches. We demonstrate that the multiparameter TMC outputs support a holistic understanding and refined depictions of permafrost terrain sensitivity, provide novel opportunities for regional syntheses, and inform future modelling approaches, which are urgently required to comprehend better what permafrost thaw means for Canada's North.

This study is a meta-analysis of recent global research articles on hydrogeochemical modelling of permafrost regions to determine trends and consensus on research gaps and future research directions. The hydrogeochemical response of permafrost to climate change remains challenging to estimate and forecast despite evidence of large-scale impacts on freshwater and ecological cycles. We investigate the feasibility, need, and potential for hydrogeochemical modelling of permafrost landscapes by reviewing recommendations from previous modelling, review, and primer papers, including discussing ways to advance this type of modelling science. Key permafrost hydrogeochemical processes are discussed, including heat transfer and associated freeze–thaw regimes, biogeochemical processes and rates, and surface and subsurface flow. Modelling considerations (i.e., model dimension, scale, heterogeneity, and permafrost zonation) and model parameters are subsequently examined. Finally, limitations and additional considerations for advancing permafrost hydrogeochemical modelling efforts are reviewed. The findings of this review are summarized in recommendations, tables, and two schematics incorporating key considerations for future hydrogeochemical modelling initiatives in permafrost environments.

Subsistence is the basis for food access for Inuvialuit in the western Canadian Arctic and has strong economic, dietary, and cultural importance. Inuvialuit harvest beluga whale (Delphinapterus leucas (Pallas, 1776)) from the eastern Beaufort beluga population during summer months within parameters established through co-management. Over the past thirty years there has been a dramatic decline in the number of beluga harvested by Inuvialuit from the community of Aklavik, Northwest Territories. This paper investigates the potential drivers of change, both social and ecological, affecting the beluga harvest. Data were collected using 32 semi-directed interviews and experiential learning. Results revealed that ecological changes, notably coastal erosion at preferred whaling camps and unpredictable and severe weather have made harvesting more difficult, expensive, and often impractical. These changes are being experienced together with social changes including the loss of elders and their knowledge, and changing values and motivations for harvesting beluga. We conclude that no one driver is responsible for the decline in the beluga harvest, but rather it is the result of multiple social-ecological changes operating across scales that affect the feasibility of the harvest and motivation to participate. Isumatuyut ikayuqtuat avvakuyaa niqimun pimagaa Inuvialuit uataani Canadian Arcticmi nakuuyuq manik, niqilu, inuusiq nakuruallaktuaq. Inuvialuit katitait qilalugaq (Delphinapterus leucas (Pallas, 1776)) kivanmun Beaufort qilalugaq suli auyaqmi savaktiit. Sivulliqmi inuinnaq-qulit ukiuqmi mikliyuat tapqua qilalugaq katitait Inuvialuit Aklavik, Northwest Territoriesmi. Una makpiraaq ilisaqtuat anguniaqtuat, iluqatik inuuniarvikmi imaqmilu, tutqaanaittuq qilalugaq katitait. Kisitchiun katitait atugaa inuinnaq-qulit-malruknik apiqsiyuat asulu ilisaqtuat. Taimaagaa takupkagaa imaqmilu allauyuaq, taamna sallirq maqaigaa nuna taamna qilalugaqmun tanmaaq asulu allauyuaq silakluk asiin katitait tutqaanaittuq, akituyuqlu tutqaanaittuq. Taamna allauyuat illisaktuat atautchikun inuuniarvik ila tuquyuat innait asulu ilisimaruat, allauyuat pitqusiqlu ikayuqtuaq katitait qilalugaq. Uvagut taimagaa anguniaqti mikliyuat qilalugaq katitait taimagaa inugiaktut inuuniarvikmi imaqmilu allauyuaq savaktuat tutqaanaittuq asulu katitait ikayuqtuat ila taputiyaa.

This paper documents Inuvialuit traditional ecological knowledge of beluga, including ecology and behavior, hunting techniques, and food preparation under changing climatic conditions in Tuktoyaktuk, NT. Beluga whale (Delphinapterus leucas) is an important food source for Inuvialuit in the western Canadian Arctic, a region that is experiencing dramatic climate change. Data were collected using semi-directed interviews with 17 Inuvialuit beluga harvesters and participant observation. The research found that Inuvialuit beluga harvesters possess detailed rational knowledge of beluga, particularly regarding hunting techniques and food preparation, both which are guided by a moral code about how to behave with respect to beluga. In terms of beluga ecology and behavior, Inuvialuit knowledge is limited to anecdotal reasoning drawing on generalized observations of beluga and the accounts of others. Inuvialuit are experiencing the effects of climate change, but seem to be coping thus far in the context of beluga harvesting but ongoing change in the region may increase the risks associated with hunting and preparing beluga in the future.