Immatsiak network of groundwater monitoring at Umiujaq in Nunavik, Quebec, Canada
Abstract
Following the 2006-2012 action plan on climate change entitled "Le Québec et les changements climatiques, un défi pour l’avenir", the Government of Quebec implemented the tools needed to ensure that Quebec can adapt to the impacts of climate change that will affect Quebec over the next decades. Action 22 of this plan focuses on strengthening the monitoring network of climate, water resources and groundwater. The deployment of the monitoring network of groundwater in Quebec (réseau de surveillance des eaux souterraines au Québec or RSESQ) by the Department of Environment of Quebec (Ministère du Développement durable, de l’Environnement, de la Faune et des Parcs or MDDEFP) which was completed in 2012 addresses this issue. A subnetwork of the RSESQ was deployed near the Northern Village of Umiujaq in Northern Quebec (Fortier et al., 2013a). This subnetwork is called "Immatsiak network" which means source of fresh water in Inuktitut. During a drilling campaign in summer 2012 in a valley leading to the north end of Lac Guillaume-Delisle, nine groundwater monitoring wells were installed according to the norms of the MDDEFP in seven sites located in the valley. Water levels measured in these wells since their installation are available on the MELCC website. Three other wells down to a depth of 35 m have been also installed in three of the seven sites. In addition to a thermistors cable driven in the previous observation well, a thermistor under a solar radiation shelter was also installed to measure the air temperature in each of the three sites. Hourly air temperature and soil data are recorded using an automatic data acquisition system. Each hourly data is the average of data measured during the preceding 60 minutes period. The owner of these data is the MELCC. However, these data are available in this electronic publication of Nordicana D.
Data citation
Fortier, R. 2026. Immatsiak network of groundwater monitoring at Umiujaq in Nunavik, Quebec, Canada, v. 1.5. Nordicana D19, doi: 10.5885/45309SL-15611D6EC6D34E23.
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Key references
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Dagenais, S., Molson, J.W., Lemieux, J.-M., Fortier, R. et R. Therrien, 2020. Coupled cryo-hydrogeological modelling of permafrost dynamics near Umiujaq (Nunavik, Canada). Hydrogeology Journal, Topical Collection
DOI: 10.1007/s10040-020-02111-3 - Fortier, R., Lemieux, J.-M., Molson, J., Therrien, R. et M. Ouellet, 2013b. Étude des impacts des changements climatiques sur les eaux souterraines dans un bassin versant pergélisolé près d’Umiujaq au Québec nordique. GéoMontréal 2013, 66ième Conférence Canadienne de Géotechnique, Montréal (Québec), Canada, 8 p.
- Fortier, R., Lemieux, J.-M., Therrien, R. et J. Molson, 2012. Projet de déploiement du réseau Immatsiak: Campagne de levés géophysiques pour des informations complémentaires aux sites des villages nordiques de Whapmagoostui, Umiujaq, Kuujjuaq et Salluit. Rapport de la phase II du projet de déploiement du réseau Immatsiak remis au MELCC, 229 p., 8 planches de synthèse de levés géophysiques et 4 cartes des dépôts quaternaires.
- Fortier, R., Lemieux, J.-M., Therrien, R. et J. Molson, 2013a. Campagne de forages pour l’installation de puits d’observation des eaux souterraines dans un petit bassin versant pergélisolé à Umiujaq. Rapport de la phase III du projet de déploiement du réseau Immatsiak remis au MELCC, 89 p.
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Banville, D.R., Fortier, R. et C. Dupuis, 2016. Objective interpretation of induced polarization tomography using a quantitative approach for the investigation of periglacial environments. Journal of Applied Geophysics.
DOI: 10.1016/j.jappgeo.2016.04.019 -
Cochand, M., Molson, J.W., Barth, J.A.C., van Geldern R., Lemieux J.-M., Fortier R. et R. Therrien, 2020. Rapid groundwater recharge dynamics determined from hydrogeochemical and isotope data in a small permafrost watershed near Umiujaq (Nunavik, Canada). Hydrogeology Journal, Topical Collection.
DOI: 10.1007/s10040-020-02109-x - Fortier, R., Allard, M., Lemieux, J.-M., Therrien, R., Molson, J. et D. Fortier, 2011. Stratégie de déploiement du réseau Immatsiak: Cartographie des dépôts quaternaires et compilation des informations disponibles des villages nordiques de Whapmagoostui, Umiujaq, Salluit et Kuujjuaq. Rapport de synthèse de la phase I remis au MELCC, 126 p. et 4 cartes des dépôts quaternaires.
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Fortier, R., Banville, D.R., Lévesque, R., Lemieux, J.-M., Molson, J., Therrien, R. et M. Ouellet, 2020. Development of a three-dimensional geological model, based on Quaternary chronology, geological mapping, and geophysical investigation, of a watershed in the discontinuous permafrost zone near Umiujaq (Nunavik, Canada). Hydrogeology Journal, Topical Collection, 20 p.
DOI: 10.1007/s10040-020-02113-1 - Fortier, R., Lemieux, J.-M., Molson, J., Therrien, R. et M. Cochand, 2017. Rapport de synthèse sur le déploiement du réseau Immatsiak à Umiujaq au Québec nordique pour le suivi des eaux souterraines en régions froides. Rapport remis au MELCC, 303 p.
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Lemieux J.-M., Fortier, R., Murray, R., Dagenais, S., Cochand, M., Delottier, H., Therrien, R., Molson, J.W., Pryet, A. et M. Parhizkar, 2020. Groundwater dynamics within a watershed in the discontinuous permafrost zone near Umiujaq (Nunavik, Canada). Hydrogeology Journal, Topical Collection.
DOI: 10.1007/s10040-020-02110-4
Contributors
Lemieux, Jean-Michel
Centre d’études nordiques, Département de géologie et de génie géologique, Université Laval
Molson, John
Centre d’études nordiques, Département de géologie et de génie géologique, Université Laval
Ouellet, Michel
Ministère de l’Environnement et de la Lutte contre les changements climatiques du Québec (MELCC)
Talbot Poulin , Marie-Catherine
Ministère de l’Environnement et de la Lutte contre les changements climatiques du Québec (MELCC)
Therrien, René
Centre d’études nordiques & Département de géologie et de génie géologique, Université Laval
Version history
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Version 1.5 (2012–2023)Updated February 8, 2026
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Version 1.4 (2012–2019)Updated June 3, 2020
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Version 1.3 (2012–2016)Updated January 18, 2017
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Version 1.2 (2012–2015)Updated December 4, 2015
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Version 1.1 (2012–2014)Updated November 24, 2014
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Version 1.0 (2012–2013)Updated February 4, 2014
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Version 0.9 (2012–2013)Updated February 3, 2014
You can request an older version by contacting nordicana@cen.ulaval.ca
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