In 1994, when Sandy and Sarah Adam moved into their home on The Point, Tuktoyaktuk, on the northern tip of the Northwest Territories, there was a spacious backyard and a beach separating their house from the ocean.
Sandy Adam on The Point, August 2018. He said he doesn’t allow his grandchildren to play on the rip-rap anymore as the boulders have become dangerously unstable.
The Point, an area at the end of Tuktoyaktuk’s scenic Beaufort Drive.
Map of Tuktoyaktuk by Hunter French.
The ocean-facing side of The Point, August 2019.
Erosion projection map of Tuktoyaktuk to 2100, courtesy of Natural Resources Canada.
Thawing permafrost creates an undercut in the eroding shore while the top layer that freezes and thaws seasonally is temporarily held together by vegetation.
Geotextile meant to reinforce Tuktoyaktuk Beach, tattered by the waves.
An aerial view of shore erosion and exposed ground ice at Peninsula Point, about five kilometres west of Tuktoyaktuk. The ground in the area is 90 percent ice.
An aerial view of the eroding shore of Pelly Island.
Pelly Island is one of the fastest eroding islands in the world, with sections of its coast receding up to 40 metres a year.
A boy pulls a fishing net in Tuktoyaktuk’s inner harbour.
Sarah Adam looks at available lots, August 2018. She said that the most important thing is that the new location is safe for her grandchildren to play.