2012-2013 mapping of mud ejections at Cape Bounty, Melville Island

Purpose: The purpose of this project is to systematically map the locations of mud ejections. Warming of the Arctic in recent years has led to changes in the active layer (layer above the permafrost that freezes and thaws seasonally) and uppermost permafrost. In particular, thick active layer formation thaws near surface ground ice. This addition of moisture, as well as infiltration from late season precipitation, results in high pore-water pressures (PWPs) at the base of the active layer and the formation of pressurized sediment slurries called mud ejections. These features are not well documented in literature, but could represent areas where subsurface porewater pressures are potentially hazardous (Holloway, J.E., Lamoureux, S.F., Montross, S.N., and Lafrenière, M.: Climate and terrain characteristics linked to mud ejection occurrence in the Canadian High Arctic, Permafrost Periglac. DOI: 10.1002/ppp.1870, 2016.).