The first field trip of the season was up to Inuvik in Northern Quebec from 6–12 June 2016. Stephan, Julia, Nick and Emily traveled to Umiujaq but due to strong winds, had to spend a night in Kuujjuarapik for a night on the way there. After a relaxing day exploring the last of the sea ice on the beach in Kuujjuarapik, the winds eventually abated and the group made it to Umiujaq the next day.
Accommodation was made possible by Laval’s Centre d’études nordiques which operates a field station in town. It was perfect spot to spend the evenings digitizing the day’s notes while the wind and rain howled outside. Two researchers from L’Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières who were already at the station were a tremendous help to get oriented and figure out logistics in the area. The staff from the nearby Tursujuq park were also very welcoming and shared a lot of information about the area.
5 soil temperature stations and 4 rock temperature stations were instrumented for a total of 23 sensors spanning a diversity of terrain types. These are part of a growing network of sites across Canada which will be used to test and develop ground temperature models for permafrost research.
