The development of Kangiqsualujjuaq and the threat of snow avalanches in a permafrost degradation context, Nunavik, Canada
Slope processes are active in the rolling plateau landscapes of Nunavik, Northern Québec, Canada. There are a few short but very steep escarpments in this region. On January 1st, 1999 a powerful snow avalanche struck Kangiqsualujjuaq, one of the 14 Inuit villages in Nunavik. Nine people died and 25...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Université des Sciences et Technologies de Lille
2021-01-01
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| Series: | Espace populations sociétés |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://journals.openedition.org/eps/10497 |
| _version_ | 1818386899814842368 |
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| author | Armelle Decaulne Najat Bhiry Janie Faucher-Roy Clara Pelletier Boily |
| author_facet | Armelle Decaulne Najat Bhiry Janie Faucher-Roy Clara Pelletier Boily |
| author_sort | Armelle Decaulne |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Slope processes are active in the rolling plateau landscapes of Nunavik, Northern Québec, Canada. There are a few short but very steep escarpments in this region. On January 1st, 1999 a powerful snow avalanche struck Kangiqsualujjuaq, one of the 14 Inuit villages in Nunavik. Nine people died and 25 were injured. This village and its surrounding are located within a glacial valley, in a periglacial environment. There is significant population growth, as well as in the other villages in Nunavik. As early as 1999-2000, there was a significant spatial reorganization of the village's infrastructures to avoid the impact of other snow-avalanche events. The main objective of this paper is to examine the village expansion in response to snow-avalanche process and population growth, within an area constrained with permafrost thawing and steep slopes. From naturalist geomorphologic methods, written sources such as archive documents and aerial photographs, the results show that slopes above Kangiqsualujjuaq are prone to release snow avalanches during blizzards from uncommon directions, and that the newly built housing may be at risk in some places, due to the conjunction of snow avalanches and permafrost thawing. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-14T04:01:23Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-3136550789ed47af9a4bf31c8a7d324d |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 0755-7809 2104-3752 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-14T04:01:23Z |
| publishDate | 2021-01-01 |
| publisher | Université des Sciences et Technologies de Lille |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Espace populations sociétés |
| spelling | doaj.art-3136550789ed47af9a4bf31c8a7d324d2022-12-21T23:17:56ZengUniversité des Sciences et Technologies de LilleEspace populations sociétés0755-78092104-37522021-01-01202010.4000/eps.10497The development of Kangiqsualujjuaq and the threat of snow avalanches in a permafrost degradation context, Nunavik, CanadaArmelle DecaulneNajat BhiryJanie Faucher-RoyClara Pelletier BoilySlope processes are active in the rolling plateau landscapes of Nunavik, Northern Québec, Canada. There are a few short but very steep escarpments in this region. On January 1st, 1999 a powerful snow avalanche struck Kangiqsualujjuaq, one of the 14 Inuit villages in Nunavik. Nine people died and 25 were injured. This village and its surrounding are located within a glacial valley, in a periglacial environment. There is significant population growth, as well as in the other villages in Nunavik. As early as 1999-2000, there was a significant spatial reorganization of the village's infrastructures to avoid the impact of other snow-avalanche events. The main objective of this paper is to examine the village expansion in response to snow-avalanche process and population growth, within an area constrained with permafrost thawing and steep slopes. From naturalist geomorphologic methods, written sources such as archive documents and aerial photographs, the results show that slopes above Kangiqsualujjuaq are prone to release snow avalanches during blizzards from uncommon directions, and that the newly built housing may be at risk in some places, due to the conjunction of snow avalanches and permafrost thawing.http://journals.openedition.org/eps/10497Nordic villageslopesactive layerdemographic growthsnow avalanchesCanada |
| spellingShingle | Armelle Decaulne Najat Bhiry Janie Faucher-Roy Clara Pelletier Boily The development of Kangiqsualujjuaq and the threat of snow avalanches in a permafrost degradation context, Nunavik, Canada Espace populations sociétés Nordic village slopes active layer demographic growth snow avalanches Canada |
| title | The development of Kangiqsualujjuaq and the threat of snow avalanches in a permafrost degradation context, Nunavik, Canada |
| title_full | The development of Kangiqsualujjuaq and the threat of snow avalanches in a permafrost degradation context, Nunavik, Canada |
| title_fullStr | The development of Kangiqsualujjuaq and the threat of snow avalanches in a permafrost degradation context, Nunavik, Canada |
| title_full_unstemmed | The development of Kangiqsualujjuaq and the threat of snow avalanches in a permafrost degradation context, Nunavik, Canada |
| title_short | The development of Kangiqsualujjuaq and the threat of snow avalanches in a permafrost degradation context, Nunavik, Canada |
| title_sort | development of kangiqsualujjuaq and the threat of snow avalanches in a permafrost degradation context nunavik canada |
| topic | Nordic village slopes active layer demographic growth snow avalanches Canada |
| url | http://journals.openedition.org/eps/10497 |
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