Community engagement and outreach near Kluane Lake, Yukon, Canada

Introduction:

The Gulf of Alaska (GoA) region, which includes Alaska, the Yukon and parts of British Columbia, contains over 40 mm of sea level rise in its many alpine glaciers and icefields (Farinotti et al., 2019). The heavily glaciated region also sustains some of the world’s highest levels of warming and glacier mass loss, even compared to other polar regions experiencing amplified warming (Farinotti et al., 2019; Hugonnet et al., 2021; Zemp et al., 2019). Alaskan glaciers alone have both already contributed more to sea level rise, and continue to lose ice mass faster, than any other glaciated alpine region, excluding Greenland and Antarctica (Hugonnet et al., 2021). Warming in high alpine sectors of the GoA region is leading to an increase in surface melt production, firn temperature, and firn liquid water content, altering regional hydrology and climate records contained in the ice (Kindstedt et al., 2025; Ochwat et al., 2021). Eclipse Icefield (St. Elias Mountains, Yukon, Canada) is one high alpine site that has to date remained largely dry, but is experiencing increased surface melt production and alteration of the firn pack with rising atmospheric temperatures. Previous work at Eclipse has included the recovery of several firn and ice cores reaching up to 350m depth (Kelsey et al., 2012; McConnell, 2019; Yalcin et al., 2006). However, more recent high-resolution surveying of the icefield shows that at its deepest point, an ice core reaching over 700 m depth could be recovered from Eclipse, potentially containing 10,000 years of climate history. Because of the time-sensitive nature of ice core (and climate record) recovery at Eclipse, given its warming firn pack, an upcoming ice drilling campaign is scheduled to take place in 2027, with preparatory geophysics in 2026. With that in mind, a small team from the University of Maine traveled to Yukon in 2025 for an onsite preparatory field season. The goal of this field season was to lay the groundwork in terms of logistics and local relationship building for a smooth 2026-2027 ice coring campaign.

Results and significance:

Our team accomplished four objectives during our 2025 visit. First and foremost, we connected with representatives from Kluane First Nation (KFN) and Champagne and Aishihik First Nation (CFN) to solidify local community connections and discuss local research interests to shape our plans for an upcoming ice coring campaign. This took the form of more formal discussion about the science opportunities presented by an ice coring project, as well as informal community building by assisting with some planting in a local greenhouse.

Second, we spent a day with the Haines Junction sixth grade class running an interactive ice core learning activity, touring a local hydroponics system, completing a native language scavenger hunt, and getting to know the students and teachers over a game of soccer on the shores of Kluane Lake. The icecore activity was a trial run of an ice core outreach kit, and part of an effort to develop a modular model for community outreach that can be easily adapted and deployed to suit different communities’ needs.

Third, we presented on the past and potential future at Eclipse at a research outreach event that was open to the public and hosted by Kluane Lake Research Station.

Finally, we met with Kluane National Park and Reserve (KNPR) ranger Jonny Cromwell to discuss the scope of our 2027 work and establish any park or permitting requirements needed to accomplish that scope. This included standard science and mountaineering permits, as well as any additional considerations related to transporting heavy equipment and personnel to and from the icefield such as specialized aircraft requirements.

All four of these objectives communicated our motivations for drilling a deep ice core at Eclipse with various community groups, and provided venues for input in the development of the project and research priorities. In addition, the face-to-face conversations we had during our visit have set the tone for an ice coring campaign that prioritizes community engagement, interests, and continue involvement in the research process.

Acknowledgements: We thank the Robert and Judith Sturgis Family Foundation Exploration Fund and the University of Maine School of Earth and Climate Sciences for supporting this work.

References:

Farinotti, D., Huss, M., Fürst, J. J., Landmann, J., Machguth, H., Maussion, F., & Pandit, A. (2019). A consensus estimate for the ice thickness distribution of all glaciers on Earth. Nature Geoscience, 12(3), Article 3. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-019-0300-3

Hugonnet, R., McNabb, R., Berthier, E., Menounos, B., Nuth, C., Girod, L., Farinotti, D., Huss, M., Dussaillant, I., Brun, F., & Kääb, A. (2021). Accelerated global glacier mass loss in the early twenty-first century. Nature, 592(7856), Article 7856. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-021-03436-z

Kelsey, E. P., Wake, C. P., Yalcin, K., & Kreutz, K. (2012). Eclipse Ice Core Accumulation and Stable Isotope Variability as an Indicator of North Pacific Climate. Journal of Climate, 25(18), 6426–6440. https://doi.org/10.1175/JCLI-D-11-00389.1

Kindstedt, I., Winski, D., Stevens, C. M., Skelton, E., Copland, L., Kreutz, K., Mannello, M.,Clavette, R., Holmes, J., Albert, M., & Williamson, S. N. (2025). Ongoing firn warming at Eclipse Icefield, Yukon, indicates potential widespread meltwater percolation and retention in firn pack across the St. Elias Range. The Cryosphere, 19(9), 3655–3680. https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-3655-2025

McConnell, E. A. (2019). Mechanisms of Ice Core Stable Isotope Variability in the Upper Kaskawulsh-Donjek Region, St. Elias Mountains, Yukon, Canada [The University of Maine]. https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/etd/3069

Ochwat, N. E., Marshall, S. J., Moorman, B. J., Criscitiello, A. S., & Copland, L. (2021). Evolution of the firn pack of Kaskawulsh Glacier, Yukon: Meltwater effects, densification, and the development of a perennial firn aquifer. The Cryosphere, 15(4), 2021–2040. https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-2021-2021

Yalcin, K., Wake, C. P., Kreutz, K. J., & Whitlow, S. I. (2006). A 1000-yr record of forest fire activity from Eclipse Icefield, Yukon, Canada. TheHolocene, 16(2), 200–209. https://doi.org/10.1191/0959683606HL920RP

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