title: Melting the barriers of climate science literacy: A STEAM investigation of the effects of climate change on Western Canadian Arctic freshwater security through isotope hydrology and visual arts in Ekaluktutiak ᐃᖃᓗᒃᑑᑦᑎᐊᖅ, Nunavut
Creators: name: Leung, Megan
Publisher: name: Graduate Studies
Year: 2024
Subjects: subject: Isotope
subject: Hydrology
subject: Arctic
subject: Water
subject: Art
subject: Science communication
subject: Nunavut
subject: Northern Canada
subject: Remote communities
subject: water security
subject: climate change
subject: climate crisis
subject: Education--Sciences
subject: Fine Arts
subject: Geography
subject: Hydrology
subject: Physical Geography
subject: Geochemistry
subject: FOS: Earth and related environmental sciences
subject: Environmental Sciences
subject: Biogeochemistry

description: Effects of the climate crisis are amplified in the Arctic Circle due to extreme temperature sensitivity and abundance of snow, ice, and permafrost. Previous studies do not fully address the influence of meltwater generated from permafrost thaw as a source of freshwater in Arctic water balance and global ocean circulation pathways. Climate Normal data suggest a significant unaccounted source is contributing to annual runoff, speculated here as permafrost thaw. Degrading permafrost and increased freshwater discharge into the Arctic Ocean are negatively impacting local and global communities and ecosystems by increasing Arctic water and food insecurity, threatening Inuit practices and ways of life, and contributing to global climatological unpredictability. Stable isotopes in water, oxygen-18, δ18O, and deuterium, δ2H give insight to watershed storage and flow pathways through streamflow source indicators. An isotope mass balance model and local meteoric water line for Greiner Lake watershed near Ekaluktutiak on Inuit Nunangat was generated from δ18O and δ2H data on freshwater, snow, and precipitation collected between 2018-2022. Alongside meteorological and hydrological data, isotope framework end-members were used to determine seasonal local water balance. Discharge in the hot year was 1.6 higher than discharge in a normal temperature year, and higher precipitation appeared to increase storage capacity of the watershed and decrease discharge, indicating an inverse relationship between precipitation and residence time. Under RCP2.6 and RCP8.5, analyses revealed that precipitation may increase by 5 – 56 mm/yr, additional discharge of 110 – 695 mm/yr, and declines in residence times between 10 – 86 days. A real-world barrier to action is the knowledge disparity between scientific and public communities about the climate crisis. Science outreach and education are difficult due to the lack of accessibility, inclusivity, and personal bias of conventional science communication. A collaborative integration of science and the arts offers a more accessible, engaging method of knowledge mobilization, providing individuals an opportunity for a deeper, emotional, and place-based connection. My first science-art exhibition, Arctic Polarity, highlights changing Arctic hydrology, facilitating knowledge mobilization and dialogue between communities through a virtual and in-person gallery, and outreach events. In consequence of this, a collaborative SciArt residency combined with fieldwork helped me showcase the interwoven beauty of water of Northern Canada. These SciArt opportunities served as catalysts in the evolution of further opportunities to use the power of visual arts in the realm of communicating Arctic climate science to Canadian audiences. Utilizing the arts to evoke attention and conversation about climate change induced water crises in Northern Canada has the potential to equalize the knowledge disparity needed to take collective, creative action.