Natalya Saprunova
Permafrost thaw and coastal erosion are increasingly affecting Inuvialuit lands in the Canadian Arctic. Canada has the world’s longest inhabited Arctic coastline, with impacts visible along the Beaufort Sea in communities such as Tuktoyaktuk, Inuvik, Ulukhaktok, Sachs Harbour, and Pelly Island.
These changes are causing land subsidence, road damage, flooding, and accelerating coastal erosion, with settlements likely to shift within 30 to 50 years. Researchers warn permafrost may thaw before the end of the century, affecting infrastructure, air quality, and global ecosystems.
As frozen ground collapses, trapped carbon, CO₂, organic matter, microbes, and heavy metals are released into the ocean, contributing to climate change and threatening marine life. This also impacts Inuvialuit communities who rely on hunting and the sea for their livelihoods and cultural practices.
Scientists study these processes through soil, ice, and water sampling, while some communities are already considering relocation, becoming among Canada’s first climate-displaced populations.
Inuit Women on Changing Land, 2024, Inuvik, Northwest territories, Canada.
Tattoos hold deep cultural significance in Inuit tradition, especially for women, who use them to express pride in their connection to their ancestors and the land. However, as permafrost in the Canadian Arctic rapidly thaws due to climate change, the land itself - the very foundation of Inuit identity - is disappearing. Communities like those in the Northwest Territories are witnessing the erosion of their physical environment and cultural heritage, as thawing permafrost threatens their homes, traditional ways of life, and ecosystems.
Eroding Arctic Shores, 2024, Sachs Harbour, Banks Island, Northwest Territories, Canada.
Permafrost cliffs along the community of Sachs Harbour, in the High Canadian Arctic, are rapidly disappearing. As the frozen ground thaws, the sediments become unstable, forming cracks and causing the land to subside. Rising air temperatures driven by climate change are forcing the community to confront accelerating coastal erosion and to consider the possibility of relocation.
The Fishing Tradition, 2024, Ulukhaktok, Victoria island, Northwest territories, Canada.
Fish such as Arctic char, whitefish, Arctic cod, and trout are vital food sources for Inuit communities. In places like Ulukhaktok, residents devote significant time to catching and preparing fish for their families, often drying them during the extended daylight of the polar summer. However, permafrost thaw is increasingly threatening this essential resource. Thawing destabilizes land, disrupts freshwater ecosystems, and alters fish habitats and migration patterns. It also accelerates coastal erosion and introduces contaminants like mercury and carbon-rich organic material (CO2) into the water, increasing acidity and further endangering the quality and availability of fish for these communities.
Permafrost Thaw Reshapes Arctic Migration, 2023, Near Tuktoyaktuk, Northwest Territories, Canada.
As permafrost thaws across the Arctic, the ground is transforming. Thermokarst landscapes, marked by sinking polygons and rising pingos, are becoming common. These ice-cored hills and uneven depressions, while striking, create physical barriers for wildlife.
For species like caribou, migration depends on clear, predictable paths. But pingos block routes, and polygonal fractures fragment the terrain. Animals face disrupted access to food and breeding grounds, their traditional corridors rewritten by the thaw. In the Western Canadian Arctic, these changes carry consequences beyond wildlife. As the land becomes less navigable, human communities who rely on these animals for food also feel the strain. Mobility declines. Food security wavers. The thaw is not just melting ice, it is reshaping the map upon which animals and people have always relied.
Celebrating Culture, 2023, Tuktoyaktuk, Northwest territories, Canada.
A woman from Tuktoyaktuk soars above a traditional blanket toss on National Indigenous Peoples Day. The large moose-skin blanket, held by members of her community, launches her high into the air - a joyful celebration of Inuit culture and heritage passed down through generations.
This gathering on June 21 is more than festivity. It is an act of resilience. As permafrost thaws across the Arctic, transforming the land with sinking polygons and rising pingos, Inuit communities continue to honor their traditions.
Shifting Seasons, 2024, Tuktoyaktuk, Northwest territories, Canada.
The migration of geese and ducks to the Canadian North traditionally occurs during the annual spring ice thaw. This migration is crucial for the Inuit people, as the birds provide a vital subsistence food source, ensuring food for the entire year. A local hunter stands on the tundra in an area of snowmelt, using decoy-geese to lure the birds. However, climate change and permafrost thaw are causing shifts in both the timing and routes of bird migration. Rising temperatures in the Arctic are leading to the early melt of ice, altering the habitats where birds traditionally stop. Additionally, thawing permafrost destabilizes the land and accelerates coastal erosion, further threatening the food security of local communities. These changes in bird migration, alongside the shifting ice thaw, disrupt the predictable availability of birds and traditional hunting patterns, placing additional strain on the Inuit way of life.
Growing Threat to Marine Ecosystem, 2024, Sachs Harbour, Banks Island, Northwest Territories, Canada.
The ringed seal rests on a sand spit on Banks Island, 25 km from the Inuvialuit community of Sachs Harbour in the Canadian Arctic. On a hot July day, rapidly melting sea ice leaves the seal stranded on the landward side. The seal's habitat, once along the ice edge, is increasingly threatened by climate change and rising temperatures, driven by the reduction of Arctic sea ice. At the same time, thawing permafrost is releasing large quantities of sediment, which carries mercury into the ocean. Traces of this toxic metal have been found in seal fat by researchers. These contaminants threaten marine life and disrupt the ocean's chemistry and food chain. The health of humans who rely on marine animals for food is also at risk.
Investigating Contaminants in Arctic Waters, 2023, Near Tuktoyaktuk, Northwest Territories, Canada.
Kirsi Keskitalo, a postdoctoral fellow from Northumbria University, is studying contaminant levels in coastal waters near thawing permafrost. She is looking at the differences between fresh water and salt water interactions with natural and anthropogenic coastlines. The Mackenzie River is a known source of mercury (the Hg and MeHg fluxes from the Mackenzie River to the Beaufort Sea averaged 2.2 tonnes per year) to the Beaufort sea ecosystem that can be dangerous for marine animals and fish that is the important source of food for Inuvialuit people.
Most rapidly changing island in the world, 2023, Pelly Island, Northwest territories, Canada.
Pelly Island, made up of permafrost, otherwise known as the disappearing island in North-Western Canada along the Arctic Ocean. Increased air temperature and coastal storms have caused this frozen ground to erode at a rate of 46 m/yr. This makes Pelly Island one of the fastest-changing islands in the world, showcasing the profound impacts of climate change in the region. Dustin Whalen, a scientist with Natural Resources Canada, has been monitoring the coastline across the Inuvialuit Settlement Region to better understand how permafrost thaw affects human populations, marine life, and sensitive Arctic ecosystems. As the permafrost along the coast is destroyed, contaminants, including organic carbon, are released into the atmosphere, contributing to greenhouse gas emissions and ocean acidification.