Main content | back to top
Protecting the permafrost
At the Arctic’s edge in Canada researchers are studying the effects of climate change on the landscape. Earthwatch, an international environmental charity, sends volunteers to help. Many are Shell employees.
Beneath almost a quarter of the Earth’s land is a permanently frozen layer. This so-called permafrost is estimated to contain almost 50% of the world’s carbon: if it melts it can release CO2 into the atmosphere.
Teams of researchers are monitoring the permafrost in Canada’s Mackenzie Mountains and the vast peatlands near the town of Churchill. They share their results to encourage governments to act on climate change and companies to help protect the permafrost – for example by rerouting pipelines – and keep the carbon locked in.
Stepping forward
Dr Pete Kershaw retrieves microclimate data from a monitoring site station in Churchill, Canada
Dr Pete Kershaw, a Canadian university professor, has been conducting research in the area since the 1970s. In 2000 Earthwatch recognised the value of his work and started to provide him with support.
Shell also recognises the potential significance of this research. We are using the results of the 10-year project to understand more about the permafrost and to help guide our plans to operate in the Arctic. Some of our employees are taking part in the project. “Energy companies must consider how they lay pipelines and drill wells to protect the permafrost,” says Pete.
At Churchill volunteers use satellite navigation systems to find sampling points mapped out over 100km2. In summer they take soil samples and measure the depth of the thaw above the permafrost.
Working in Arctic conditions is tough. Robert Blaauw, Shell’s Senior Arctic Advisor, joined the Churchill research team for two weeks in 2010. “The days were long,” he says. “We travelled on basic roads, before hiking over swamps and wading through water to study sites.”
Back in the laboratory researchers analyse the samples for its salt content, acidity, carbon and water content. This can reveal more about the history of the landscape: for example, the amount of salt can show that an area used to be under sea.
They have also found plants preserved in the permafrost that are thousands of years old and indicate the vegetation and climate in the past, such as needles from forest trees or shrubs that would have grown in dry conditions.
Changing landscape
Pete has aerial photographs of the region dating back to the 1940s. “We can see that large peat mounds with permafrost cores in this area are shrinking,” he says. “The rate is relatively quick – the mounds have shrunk by around 1% a year. Some have disappeared completely.”
Earthwatch volunteers at the Arctic’s edge, Canada.
Over the last 20 years Pete has gathered information which shows that the higher the annual temperature the thicker the summer thaw layer over the permafrost. The results show that the permafrost is warming and disappearing in areas with different kinds of vegetation and in locations ranging from high land to coastal areas. The common factor seems to be regional warming linked to global rises in temperature.
Many of these study areas are now within half a degree Celsius of thawing completely. The permafrost would release CO2 into the atmosphere. If that happens roads and pipelines could collapse.
“My research results can inform governments and industry,” he says. “It is vital to limit CO2 emissions and to develop Arctic resources with carefully.”
Shell works in partnership with global environmental organisations to improve its access to scientific expertise and support biodiversity conservation. For over 10 years, Shell has worked with international environmental charity Earthwatch to help our staff improve their understanding of critical sustainability challenges. It allows Shell staff to participate in Earthwatch’s global research and conservation projects for up to two weeks at a time.
