Permafrost is both a climatic and a geological phenomenon. As the recent increases in temperatures and precipitations are forecasted to continue over the coming decades, the trends will be to deeper depths of the active layer and ground destabilization. Traditional ways of designing infrastructure need to be reconsidered in an adaptive approach when planning for the municipal growth that an expanding population commands in Nunavut, Nunavik and other Arctic regions. There is a need for improved knowledge of permafrost conditions on community lands where the high spatial variability of ground thermal regime, soil texture and ground ice content creates a major challenge.
