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39-724: The Gahcho Kué Diamond Mine is located on the Canadian tundra in the Northwest Territories . It is situated at Kennady Lake ( 63°26′04″N 109°11′10″W  /  63.43444°N 109.18611°W  / 63.43444; -109.18611  ( Kennady Lake ) ), in the Akaitcho Treaty 8 Territory claim block, which is 85 km (53 mi) southeast of the Snap Lake Diamond Mine and approximately 280 km (170 mi) east northeast of Yellowknife . The site

78-537: A temperate grassland , restricting southern tundra to coastal Antarctica and its islands. The flora and fauna of Antarctica and the Antarctic Islands (south of 60° south latitude) are protected by the Antarctic Treaty . Alpine tundra does not contain trees because the climate and soils at high altitude block tree growth. The cold climate of the alpine tundra is caused by the low air temperatures, and

117-473: A company’s excellence in project management. Phase 1 of the AP60 project, part of Rio Tinto Alcan’s strategic development plan, consisted of commissioning 38 first-generation AP60 cells that require an unprecedented 600 kA of current. Construction of the new plant showcases, on an industrial scale, how these new AP60 pots can produce 40% more aluminum at a lower cost and with fewer emissions. The Niagara Tunnel Project

156-750: A local climate in which at least one month has an average temperature high enough to melt snow (0 °C (32 °F)), but no month with an average temperature in excess of 10 °C (50 °F). The cold limit generally meets the EF climates of permanent ice and snows ; the warm-summer limit generally corresponds with the poleward or altitudinal limit of trees, where they grade into the subarctic climates designated Dfd , Dwd and Dsd (extreme winters as in parts of Siberia ), Dfc typical in Alaska, Canada, mountain areas of Scandinavia , European Russia , and Western Siberia (cold winters with months of freezing). Despite

195-479: Is a risk of wildfire, such as the 1,039 km (401 sq mi) of tundra which burned in 2007 on the north slope of the Brooks Range in Alaska. Such events may both result from and contribute to global warming. Carbon emissions from permafrost thaw contribute to the same warming which facilitates the thaw, making it a positive climate change feedback . The warming also intensifies Arctic water cycle , and

234-409: Is a type of biome where tree growth is hindered by frigid temperatures and short growing seasons. There are three regions and associated types of tundra: Arctic tundra, alpine tundra , and Antarctic tundra. Tundra vegetation is composed of dwarf shrubs , sedges , grasses , mosses , and lichens . Scattered trees grow in some tundra regions. The ecotone (or ecological boundary region) between

273-449: Is characterized by plants that grow close to the ground, including perennial grasses , sedges , forbs , cushion plants , mosses , and lichens . The flora is adapted to the harsh conditions of the alpine environment, which include low temperatures, dryness, ultraviolet radiation, and a short growing season. Tundra climates ordinarily fit the Köppen climate classification ET , signifying

312-558: Is expected to annually mine 3,000,000 tonnes (3,000,000 long tons ; 3,300,000 short tons ) of kimberlite, and to produce 4,500,000 carats (900 kg) per year over an 11-year life. In 2005, the Mackenzie Valley Environmental Impact Review Board (MVEIRB), after an initial environmental assessment, ruled that De Beers applications for a land use permit and water license would require a full Environment Impact Review. De Beers appealed this decision to

351-771: Is home to several peoples who are mostly nomadic reindeer herders, such as the Nganasan and Nenets in the permafrost area (and the Sami in Sápmi ). Arctic tundra contains areas of stark landscape and is frozen for much of the year. The soil there is frozen from 25 to 90 cm (10 to 35 in) down, making it impossible for trees to grow there. Instead, bare and sometimes rocky land can only support certain kinds of Arctic vegetation , low-growing plants such as moss, heath ( Ericaceae varieties such as crowberry and black bearberry ), and lichen . There are two main seasons, winter and summer, in

390-630: Is light, evaporation is also relatively minimal. During the summer, the permafrost thaws just enough to let plants grow and reproduce, but because the ground below this is frozen, the water cannot sink any lower, so the water forms the lakes and marshes found during the summer months. There is a natural pattern of accumulation of fuel and wildfire which varies depending on the nature of vegetation and terrain. Research in Alaska has shown fire-event return intervals (FRIs) that typically vary from 150 to 200 years, with dryer lowland areas burning more frequently than wetter highland areas. The biodiversity of tundra

429-694: Is low: 1,700 species of vascular plants and only 48 species of land mammals can be found, although millions of birds migrate there each year for the marshes. There are also a few fish species. There are few species with large populations. Notable plants in the Arctic tundra include blueberry ( Vaccinium uliginosum ), crowberry ( Empetrum nigrum ), reindeer lichen ( Cladonia rangiferina ), lingonberry ( Vaccinium vitis-idaea ), and Labrador tea ( Rhododendron groenlandicum ). Notable animals include reindeer (caribou), musk ox , Arctic hare , Arctic fox , snowy owl , ptarmigan , northern red-backed voles , lemmings ,

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468-689: Is served by Gahcho Kue Aerodrome , which has both an ice runway in winter and a year-round gravel runway, and a spur of the Tibbitt to Contwoyto Winter Road from Lupin Mine . the main camp is at 63°26′05″N 109°12′02″W  /  63.43472°N 109.20056°W  / 63.43472; -109.20056  ( Gahcho Kué Diamond Mine, north site ) , north of the ice strip, with a smaller site at 63°25′48″N 109°12′00″W  /  63.43000°N 109.20000°W  / 63.43000; -109.20000  ( Gahcho Kué Diamond Mine, south site ) , south of

507-404: Is similar to polar climate . Alpine tundra is generally better drained than arctic soils. Alpine tundra transitions to subalpine forests below the tree line; stunted forests occurring at the forest-tundra ecotone (the treeline ) are known as Krummholz . Alpine tundra can be affected by woody plant encroachment . Alpine tundra occurs in mountains worldwide. The flora of the alpine tundra

546-503: The EPCM engineering firm. The Mine began production in 2016. The site consists of open pits , a concentration and recovery plant that converts kimberlite ore to rough diamonds , and support facilities including a camp, airport, and other infrastructure. As of 2020, the 5034 and Hearne pits are in full production and initial sampling of the Tuzo pit has begun. In 2020, De Beers Group announced plans for

585-569: The Kerguelen Islands . Most of Antarctica is too cold and dry to support vegetation, and most of the continent is covered by ice fields or cold deserts. However, some portions of the continent, particularly the Antarctic Peninsula , have areas of rocky soil that support plant life. The flora presently consists of around 300–400 species of lichens, 100 mosses, 25 liverworts , and around 700 terrestrial and aquatic algae species, which live on

624-468: The mosquito , and even polar bears near the ocean. Tundra is largely devoid of poikilotherms such as frogs or lizards. Due to the harsh climate of Arctic tundra, regions of this kind have seen little human activity, even though they are sometimes rich in natural resources such as petroleum , natural gas , and uranium . In recent times this has begun to change in Alaska , Russia, and some other parts of

663-784: The NWT Supreme Court, but was denied in April 2007, and the review process began in 2007. Due to economic factors, De Beers delayed filing the required Environment Impact Statement (EIS) to the review board and the review process was suspended in May 2010. De Beers gave notice in November and filed the EIS on 23 December 2010, and after some subsequent revisions to address a few deficiencies, the MVEIRB accepted it on 26 July 2011. Construction began in 2013 with Hatch as

702-629: The area for Mountain Province Mining Joint Venture (now Mountain Province Diamonds ). Exploration began in the area with a camp being set up in 1995. In 1997, Monopros, now De Beers Canada , took over the camp when they joined the Mountain Province Mining Joint Venture. In 1998 De Beers began sampling the kimberlite to evaluate the four Gahcho Kué pipes. More drilling followed and the positive results led to

741-583: The areas of exposed rock and soil around the shore of the continent. Antarctica's two flowering plant species, the Antarctic hair grass ( Deschampsia antarctica ) and Antarctic pearlwort ( Colobanthus quitensis ), are found on the northern and western parts of the Antarctic Peninsula. In contrast with the Arctic tundra, the Antarctic tundra lacks a large mammal fauna, mostly due to its physical isolation from

780-561: The atmosphere, creating a feedback cycle that changes climate. The term is a Russian word adapted from the Sámi languages . Arctic tundra occurs in the far Northern Hemisphere , north of the taiga belt. The word "tundra" usually refers only to the areas where the subsoil is permafrost , or permanently frozen soil. (It may also refer to the treeless plain in general so that northern Sápmi would be included.) Permafrost tundra includes vast areas of northern Russia and Canada. The polar tundra

819-528: The chilly atmosphere, but as a rule potential evapotranspiration is extremely low, allowing soggy terrain of swamps and bogs even in places that get precipitation typical of deserts of lower and middle latitudes. The amount of native tundra biomass depends more on the local temperature than the amount of precipitation. Hatch Ltd The company was founded in Toronto, Ontario , Canada, by W.S. Atkins as W.S. Atkins & Associates in 1955. The company initially

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858-483: The climate system activated around 2 °C (3.6 °F) of global warming suggested that at this threshold, permafrost thaw would add a further 0.09 °C (0.16 °F) to global temperatures by 2100, with a range of 0.04–0.16 °C (0.07–0.29 °F) Antarctic tundra occurs on Antarctica and on several Antarctic and subantarctic islands, including South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands and

897-790: The company began an expansion program by purchasing several aligned engineering companies including Billiton Engineering (1996), Rescan Mining (1998), BHP Engineering (1999), Kaiser Engineers (2000), Acres International (2004), and MEK Engenharia (2012). By 2005 the combined billing of the company was around CDN $ 700= million. Hatch today provides consulting, operations support, technologies, process design, and project and construction management to clients in three principal sectors: mining and metals ; energy ; and infrastructure . The company's main offices are in Canada , Australia , South Africa, Chile , China , Brazil , Peru , United Kingdom, and United States. They also have several smaller offices around

936-550: The decision to proceed. A project study was started in 2004. An evaluation program in 2006 was followed by a drilling and sampling program in 2007. In September 2009 a feasibility study on a proposed mine was started, which was completed in September 2010. De Beers and its partners approved it in June 2011 and are preparing a plan and budget for a final decision on whether to go ahead with the mine project. If it proceeds to an operating mine,

975-690: The full development in three successive phases, each one under budget, ahead of schedule, already capable of achieving nameplate capacity, and with an outstanding safety record with only two lost time injuries in over 8 million work-hours. Hatch was awarded the PMI-Montréal Project of the Year 2013 for Phase 1 of the AP60 Project in Jonquière, Québec, Canada. The Project of the Year Award from PMI-Montréal honors

1014-417: The globe. On November 1, 2020, Hatch acquired LTK Engineering Services – a global engineering firm in the rail transportation sector. The Newcastle Coal Infrastructure Group (NCIG) project won the 2013 Bulk Handling Facility of the Year Award (Resources and Infrastructure). In 2005 Hatch, in joint venture with Aurecon, assisted in the engineering and project management. The partnership went on to complete

1053-488: The increased amounts of warmer rain are another factor which increases permafrost thaw depths. The IPCC Sixth Assessment Report estimates that carbon dioxide and methane released from permafrost could amount to the equivalent of 14–175 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide per 1 °C (1.8 °F) of warming. For comparison, by 2019, annual anthropogenic emission of carbon dioxide alone stood around 40 billion tonnes. A 2018 perspectives article discussing tipping points in

1092-750: The mine to become carbon neutral by 2030. Gahcho Kué is the traditional Chipewyan , a Dene people, name for the Kennady Lake area and in Dene Suline means "Place of the Big Rabbit". The area, also known for Barren-ground caribou , has been traditionally used by Dene from Łutselk'e and the Métis of Fort Resolution . In earlier times Tłı̨chǫ (Dogrib), also Dene, people used the area as well. Download coordinates as: Tundra In physical geography , tundra ( / ˈ t ʌ n d r ə , ˈ t ʊ n -/ )

1131-478: The only subantarctic orchids; the royal penguin ; and the Antipodean albatross . There is some ambiguity on whether Magellanic moorland , on the west coast of Patagonia , should be considered tundra or not. Phytogeographer Edmundo Pisano called it tundra ( Spanish : tundra Magallánica ) since he considered the low temperatures key to restrict plant growth. More recent approaches have since recognized it as

1170-607: The other continents. Sea mammals and sea birds, including seals and penguins, inhabit areas near the shore, and some small mammals, like rabbits and cats, have been introduced by humans to some of the subantarctic islands. The Antipodes Subantarctic Islands tundra ecoregion includes the Bounty Islands , Auckland Islands , Antipodes Islands , the Campbell Island group , and Macquarie Island . Species endemic to this ecoregion include Corybas dienemus and Corybas sulcatus ,

1209-413: The polar tundra areas. During the winter it is very cold, dark, and windy with the average temperature around −28 °C (−18 °F), sometimes dipping as low as −50 °C (−58 °F). However, extreme cold temperatures on the tundra do not drop as low as those experienced in taiga areas further south (for example, Russia's, Canada's, and Alaska's lowest temperatures were recorded in locations south of

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1248-522: The potential diversity of climates in the ET category involving precipitation, extreme temperatures, and relative wet and dry seasons, this category is rarely subdivided, although, for example, Wainwright, Alaska can be classified ETw and Provideniya, Russia ETs , with most of the rest of the tundra fitting into the ETf subcategory. Rainfall and snowfall are generally slight due to the low vapor pressure of water in

1287-479: The runway. The Gahcho Kué Diamond Mine is a joint venture between Mountain Province Diamonds (49%) and De Beers Canada (51%). The mine, which opened officially on 20 September 2016, consists of the Gahcho Kué kimberlite pipes , which lie underneath Kennady Lake. There are also several unexplored kimberlite occurrences scattered over several kilometres. In 1993, Canamera Geological began sampling and surveying

1326-444: The subject of habitat conservation programs. In Canada and Russia, many of these areas are protected through a national Biodiversity Action Plan . Tundra tends to be windy, with winds often blowing upwards of 50–100 km/h (30–60 mph). However, it is desert-like, with only about 150–250 mm (6–10 in) of precipitation falling per year (the summer is typically the season of maximum precipitation). Although precipitation

1365-412: The tree line). During the summer, temperatures rise somewhat, and the top layer of seasonally-frozen soil melts, leaving the ground very soggy. The tundra is covered in marshes, lakes, bogs, and streams during the warm months. Generally daytime temperatures during the summer rise to about 12 °C (54 °F) but can often drop to 3 °C (37 °F) or even below freezing. Arctic tundras are sometimes

1404-481: The tundra and the forest is known as the tree line or timberline. The tundra soil is rich in nitrogen and phosphorus . The soil also contains large amounts of biomass and decomposed biomass that has been stored as methane and carbon dioxide in the permafrost , making the tundra soil a carbon sink . As global warming heats the ecosystem and causes soil thawing, the permafrost carbon cycle accelerates and releases much of these soil-contained greenhouse gases into

1443-588: The world: for example, the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug produces 90% of Russia's natural gas. A severe threat to tundra is global warming , which causes permafrost to thaw. The thawing of the permafrost in a given area on human time scales (decades or centuries) could radically change which species can survive there. It also represents a significant risk to infrastructure built on top of permafrost, such as roads and pipelines. In locations where dead vegetation and peat have accumulated, there

1482-666: Was involved in subway tunneling and other civil engineering projects, and expanded into metallurgy when Gerry Hatch joined the company in January 1958 as president. Over the next decade, the company grew from five employees to 60. He purchased the company in 1962, renaming It Hatch. Hatch counts among its metals clients the major mining and metals companies in the world, including Alcan , Alcoa , BHP , Barrick Gold , BlueScope , Glencore (and predecessor Falconbridge ), Vale (and predecessor Inco ) and Rio Tinto . Hatch retired as president in 1988 and as chairman in 1990. In 1996,

1521-516: Was named the North American Project of the Year by International Water Power and Dam Construction magazine in their June 2013 edition. Hatch, in association with Hatch Mott MacDonald, provided "owner's representative" services to Ontario Power Generation for the design and construction of the project. Hatch's scope included preparation of design/build contract documents, design review, construction monitoring and contract administration. For

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