What is PAWS?

The People, Animals, Water, and Sustenance (PAWS) Project is interested in gaining a better understanding of the relationships Iqaluit Inuit have with dogs, water, and food. Currently there are gaps in our understanding of the interactions between dogs, water, and food in a Northern context. In-depth interviews on these topics coupled with sampling of dog feces, water, and clams will help us understand how these relationships interact together and how these relationships may be changing.

Mercury (Hg) is a toxic heavy metal that changes into various chemical forms through geochemical processes. It is an element that occurs naturally in the environment but with industrialization, humans have altered its cycle by adding more mercury in the water, air, and soil.

A community project in Pond Inlet. We are a group of 3 young Mittimatalirmiut and we wish to research water quality and develop more skills in research! Access to healthy water is of paramount importance for Mittimatalirmiut. Water is important to keep us alive, sturdy and healthy; and bad water can be harmful for our people- our beloved elders, youth and infants. Water also an important cultural value to our people since many of us are going out on the land in order to provide our family with fresh water, just as our elders used to and they proudly taught us.

Carbon cycle dynamics in response to permafrost degradation is a ‘hot topic’ in northern research. We are particularly interested in greenhouse gases (CO2, CH4) emitted from ‘thermokarst’ aquatic ecosystems, i.e. ponds and lakes formed by the thawing of ice-rich permafrost. Such thawing results in the atmospheric release (as CO2 and CH4) of old carbon formerly trapped frozen in the ground. One of the main challenges is to sample efficiently these gases, especially small bubbles rising through the water column.

ᑲᑎᑎᑦᓯᕙᑦᑐᑦ ᖃᐅᔨᒪᔪᕐᔪᐊᓂᒃ ᐊᐅᓚᑦᒥᔨᓂᓗ ᓄᓇᒥ ᐃᓄᓐᓂ ᖃᓄᐃᓐᓂᖏᓐᓄᑦ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐃᓅᓯᕐᒧᑦ ᑐᑭᓯᓇᓱᐊᕆᐊᓕᓐᓄᑦ ᑲᑎᑎᑦᓱᑎᒃ ᑲᑐᔾᔨᖃᑎᒌᑦᑐᓂᒃ ᐃᓄᐃᑦ ᑎᒥᖁᑎᖏᓐᓂᒃ, ᐅᑭᐅᖅᑕᑐᒥ ᓄᓇᓕᓐᓂᒃ, ᒐᕙᒪᑐᖃᒃᑯᓐᓂ ᐊᕕᑦᑐᖅᓯᒪᔪᓂᓗ ᑎᒥᐅᔪᓂᒃ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᓇᒻᒥᓂᖃᖅᑐᓂᒃ ᕿᒥᕐᕈᖃᑎᒌᑦᓱᑎᒃ ᐊᑦᑐᐃᓂᖏᓐᓂᒃ ᓯᓚᐅᑉ ᐊᓯᔾᔨᕐᓂᖓᑕ ᓯᓈᖏᓐᓂ ᑲᓇᑕᐅᑉ ᐅᑭᐅᖅᑕᖅᑐᖓᑕ.

ᓇᓗᓇᐃᔭᐃᒍᑎᒋᓗᒍ ᐊᑦᑐᐃᓂᖏᓐᓂᒃ ᓯᓚᐅᑉ ᐊᓯᔾᔨᕐᓂᖓᑕ ᐱᓱᑦᑏᑦ ᐆᒪᔾᔪᑎᖏᓐᓂᒃ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐃᒪᑦᓯᐊᑉ ᖃᓄᐃᑦᑑᓂᖓᓂᒃ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐊᑐᐃᓐᓇᐅᓂᖓᓂᒃ ᖁᑦᓯᑦᑐᒥ, ᓴᖅᑮᓯᒪᔪᒍᑦ ᐃᒪᓕᕆᕕᒻᒥᒃ ᓄᓇᒥᓪᓗ ᐅᒪᔾᔪᑎᓂᒃ ᖃᐅᔨᓴᕈᑎᓂᒃ.

ᐅᓇ ᐊᐅᓚᓂᐅᔪᖅ ᑲᑎᑎᑦᓯᔪᖅ ᑕᕆᐅᑉ ᓯᑭᖓᓂᒃ ᖃᐅᔨᓴᖅᑎᓂᒃ ᕿᒥᕐᕈᓪᓗᑎᒃ ᐊᐅᓚᓂᐅᔪᓂᒃ ᐱᔾᔪᑕᐅᔪᓂᒃ ᑕᑯᔭᐅᓯᒪᔪᓄᑦ ᐊᓯᔾᔨᕐᓂᐅᔪᓄᑦ ᐃᒪᕕᒻᒧᑦ ᓯᑯᓄᑦ, ᐊᐳᑎᖃᕐᓂᖓᓄᑦ, ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᑕᐅᑦᑐᖓ ᑕᕆᐅᕐᒥ ᓯᑯᓕᒻᒥ ᐊᕙᑎᒥ.

ᑐᕌᒐᖅ ᑖᑦᓱᒧᖓ ᐊᐅᓚᓂᐅᔪᑦ ᐊᑐᐃᓐᓇᐅᑎᑦᓯᓂᖅ ᑐᓐᖓᕕᑦᓴᒥᒃ ᓯᕗᓂᕐᒥ ᐊᑦᑐᖅᑕᐅᓂᕐᒧᑦ ᖃᐅᔨᓴᕐᓂᐅᔪᓄᑦ ᑲᓇᑕᐅᑉ ᐅᑭᐅᖅᑕᖅᑐᖓᑕ ᕿᑭᖅᑕᖏᓐᓂ ᓯᑯᓂᒃ, ᑕᕆᐅᕐᒥᒃ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐃᒪᕐᒥ ᓂᕿᐅᖃᑎᒌᑦᑐᓂᒃ.

ᓯᓚᐅᑉ ᓂᕈᒥᑦᓯᕙᓪᓕᐊᓂᖓ ᐊᔭᐅᕐᒪᑦ ᓱᑲᑦᑐᐊᓗᒻᒥᒃ ᐊᓯᔾᔨᐸᓪᓕᐊᓂᔪᓂᒃ ᐅᑭᐅᖅᑕᖅᑐᒥ ᐆᒪᖃᑎᒌᑦᑐᓄᑦ, ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᖃᐅᔨᓴᕐᓂᖃᓪᓚᕆᒋᐊᖃᕋᑦᑕ ᑐᐊᕕᕐᓇᖅᑐᒥᒃ ᒪᓐᓂᑦᓯᐅᑎᓯᒪᓂᖏᓐᓂᒃ ᑕᕆᐅᑉ ᐃᖅᑳᓃᑦᑐᑦ ᐆᒪᔪᐊᕐᔪᐊᐃᑦ ᐊᓯᔾᔨᕐᓂᐅᔪᓄᑦ ᐃᖏᕐᕋᓕᕇᖅᑐᓄᑦ.

ᐃᓚᖏᑦ ᐊᑲᐃᓪᓕᐅᕈᑕᐅᔪᑦ ᓯᓚᐅᑉ ᐊᓯᔾᔨᕐᓂᖓᓄᑦ ᑕᕆᐅᕐᒥ ᐅᑭᐅᖅᑕᖅᑐᒥ ᐆᒪᖃᑎᒌᑦᑐᓄᑦ ᑕᑯᑦᓴᐅᔪᑦ. ᓲᕐᓗ, ᓇᓄᐃᑦ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᓇᑦᓰᑦ ᓇᓗᓇᓐᖏᑦᑐᖅ ᐊᑦᑐᖅᑕᐅᓂᕐᓗᓐᓂᐊᖅᑐᑦ ᓯᑯᐃᕈᑦᑐᒧᑦ ᑐᓐᖓᕕᐅᕙᑦᑎᓪᓗᒋᑦ ᐊᖑᓇᓱᓐᓂᖏᓐᓄᑦ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᕿᑐᕐᖏᐅᕐᓂᖏᓐᓄᑦ. ᐊᓯᖏᑦ ᐊᑦᑐᖅᑕᐅᓂᐅᔪᑦ ᑕᑯᑦᓴᐅᓗᐊᓐᖏᑦᑐᑦ.