A long-term record of sea ice thickness in the Canadian Arctic

Sea ice plays a vital role in the Arctic region and affects numerous processes: it influences the radiative budget by reflecting sunlight and acts as a barrier for heat transport between atmosphere and ocean; it influences Arctic ecosystems as a habitat for different species; it is important for hunting and travel for local communities; and it acts as a hazard for marine shipping. Monitoring sea ice, specifically its thickness, is essential in understanding how it is changing with ongoing global warming.This thesis presents a novel method to create a long-term record (1996-2020) for sea ice thickness in the Canadian Arctic and assesses how sea ice thickness changed and what the impacts of these changes are.This thesis initially aimed to extract a long-term sea ice thickness record for the Canadian Arctic from satellite altimetry. However, it revealed that assumptions regarding the snowpack, sea ice density, and processing algorithms highly influence conclusions on sea ice thickness state and trends, and this approach was rejected. Instead, this thesis presents a proxy sea ice thickness product for the Canadian Arctic using ice charts, which for the first time consistently covers the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. In the final research chapter, this sea ice thickness proxy product and ice charts are used to assess sea ice changes in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago and their impact on accessibility.Sea ice has thinned across most of the Canadian Arctic region, with a mean change over the full area of 38.5 cm for November and 20.5 cm for April over the period 1996-2020. Moreover, the marine navigability is shown to increase in the access channels to the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, which enhances the possibilities for resupply for local communities. However, with continuing dynamic influx of old and thick sea ice, there is no change in full navigability of the Northwest Passage connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans

Of Conservatism and Mysticism, Democracy and Things

Reviews Canadian environmental research of the last decade including the International Biological Program, Man and the Biosphere Program, and the Arctic Land Use Research Program. Discusses the role of the Canadian Arctic Resources Committee and the Berger Inquiry in the proposed development of Canadian Arctic resources

Mercury in the marine environment of the Canadian Arctic: Review of recent findings

AbstractThis review summarizes data and information which have been generated on mercury (Hg) in the marine environment of the Canadian Arctic since the previous Canadian Arctic Contaminants Assessment Report (CACAR) was released in 2003. Much new information has been collected on Hg concentrations in marine water, snow and ice in the Canadian Arctic. The first measurements of methylation rates in Arctic seawater indicate that the water column is an important site for Hg methylation. Arctic marine waters were also found to be a substantial source of gaseous Hg to the atmosphere during the ice-free season. High Hg concentrations have been found in marine snow as a result of deposition following atmospheric mercury depletion events, although much of this Hg is photoreduced and re-emitted back to the atmosphere. The most extensive sampling of marine sediments in the Canadian Arctic was carried out in Hudson Bay where sediment total Hg (THg) concentrations were low compared with other marine regions in the circumpolar Arctic. Mass balance models have been developed to provide quantitative estimates of THg fluxes into and out of the Arctic Ocean and Hudson Bay.Several recent studies on Hg biomagnification have improved our understanding of trophic transfer of Hg through marine food webs. Over the past several decades, Hg concentrations have increased in some marine biota, while other populations showed no temporal change. Marine biota also exhibited considerable geographic variation in Hg concentrations with ringed seals, beluga and polar bears from the Beaufort Sea region having higher Hg concentrations compared with other parts of the Canadian Arctic. The drivers of these variable patterns of Hg bioaccumulation, both regionally and temporally, within the Canadian Arctic remain unclear. Further research is needed to identify the underlying processes including the interplay between biogeochemical and food web processes and climate change

Who Will Rescue You in the Arctic? A Legal Perspective on Canada’s Search and Rescue Obligations

This paper analyzes the search and rescue obligation in the Canadian Arctic. It takes a forward-looking approach to potential legal issues and highlights legislative gaps and opportunities for improvement. The research question is: what legal issues may arise in Canadian Arctic search and rescue operations, considering Canada’s existing international obligations and current legal framework

Variability of total and solid precipitation in the Canadian Arctic from 1950 to 1995

Trends in solid and total precipitation, as well as in the ratio of solid to total precipitation (hereinafter S/T ratio), in the Canadian Arctic in recent decades have been investigated. In addition, the influence of air temperature and circulation factors (atmospheric and oceanic) on the above-mentioned precipitation characteristics have been examined. Recently updated and adjusted data by the Canadian Climate Centre from 16 stations located in the Canadian Arctic and two stations from the sub-Arctic were used for the investigation. The southern boundary of the study area was taken after Atlas Arktiki (Tresjinkov, A. 1985. Glavnoye Upravlenye Geodeziy i Kartografiy: Moscow; 204 pp). The majority of the data cover the period from 1950 to 1995. A statistically significant increase in all kinds of areally averaged seasonal and annual precipitation for the Canadian Arctic over the period 1950–95 has been found. On the other hand, the S/T ratio did not change significantly, except for summer values, and its behaviour was also in accord with small variations noted in air temperature. An increase in air temperature in the Canadian Arctic most often led to a rise in all kinds of annual precipitation sums, but only when the warmest and coldest years were chosen based on individual stations. The pattern of the relationship is significantly more complicated, and can even be opposite to that presented above, when the sets of the warmest and coldest years are chosen based on the areally averaged annual temperature for the Canadian Arctic. Significantly more stable results of changes were found for the S/T ratio, which in warmer periods was usually lower. However, more detailed and reliable investigations of temperature–precipitation relationships conducted for individual stations showed that though the S/T ratio in warmer periods may well be lower, this only applies to the southern (warmer) part of the Canadian Arctic (<70 °N). During periods with high positive values of the North Atlantic Oscillation Index (NAOI), a decrease in precipitation is observed in the south-eastern part of the Canadian Arctic, i.e. in the area where strong cooling was also observed. During El Niño events most of the Canadian Arctic had both greater precipitation and a higher S/T ratio than during La Niña events. The most unequivocal results of precipitation and S/T ratio changes were found for changes in the Arctic Ocean circulation regimes. In almost the whole study area, a lower precipitation and S/T ratio were noted during the anticyclonic circulation regime in the Arctic Ocean

The mining industry in Canada north of the 55th parallel : a maritime traffic generator?

This paper reviews and assesses the state of the mining industry in Canada north of the 55th parallel. It aims to describe and monitor to what extent the development of mining projects in the Canadian Arctic are likely to trigger and expand commercial shipping in Canadian Arctic waters. Based on a literature and statistical review of publicly available information, the results show that only 3 actives mines out of 10 rely on a shipping logistics through Canadian Arctic waters to export raw materials. Once active and in operation, seven other mining projects will likely increase commercial shipping activities through Canadian Arctic waters, while it remains difficult to quantify precisely. However, this paper argues that the viability of northern mineral development is related to a wide variety of conditions including access to capital and foreign direct investment for the development and construction of infrastructure, international market conditions, and shifting demand which largely determines commodity prices and the profitability of a project, harsh environmental conditions, and high operating costs in northern latitudes. In this context, there is no Arctic mining rush and all these factors contribute to increasing the cost of doing business in the north

Who Owns the Land?

The editor shares his views on the creation of an Antarctic-type treaty for the Canadian Arctic Islands with reasonable and shared access for everyone. "By offering Canadian arctic islands and associated waters as a demilitarized international park, say under the control of the United Nations, the Canadian nation would be seen to be taking an enormous step forward on the world scene by dissociating itself from the global arms race and by showing an enlightened and determined leadership never before contemplated in northern latitudes.

An enigmatic group of arctic island caribou and the potential implications for conservation of biodiversity

We investigated the status of caribou classified as Rangifer tarandus pearyi by DNA analyses, with an emphasis on those large-bodied caribou identified as ultra pearyi that were collected in summer 1958 on Prince of Wales Island, south-central Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Our comparative assessment reveals that the ultra pearyi from Prince of Wales Island belong to a group of pearyi and are not hybrids of pearyi x groenlandicus, as we found for the caribou occurring on nearby Banks Island and northwest Victoria Island. The ultra pearyi from Prince of Wales Island cluster with high arctic pearyi and are separated genetically from the caribou populations that we sampled on the low Canadian Arctic Islands and the Canadian mainland. Our findings reveal biodiversity below the level of subspecies or regional designations. These results support the position that to retain the biodiversity present among caribou populations on the Canadian Arctic Islands, conservation efforts should be targeted at the smaller scale level of the geographic population, rather than on a wider regional or subspecific range-wide basis

Climatic Regions of the Canadian Arctic Islands

As a result of a comprehensive assessment of the climate of the Canadian Arctic Islands and adjacent waters, five climatic regions were identified. The regional boundaries were delineated by an analysis of the influence of the major climatic controls while further regional subdivisions were arrived at through consideration of the fields of the standard observed meteorological elements. Short discussions of the climatic characteristics of each sub-region are given and tables outlining values of selected climatic elements are presented. A brief discussion of climatic change across the entire area is included.Key words: Canadian Arctic Islands, climate, climatic change, meteorolog

East Canadian Arctic Kayak

This profile discusses the various designs of the East Canadian Arctic kayak. Several main regional styles are distinguished as North Baffin, northwest Greenland (c. 1860-1930), East and South Baffin and north Labrador, Atlantic Labrador, and West Labrador; finer distinctions are also possible. Although they vary considerably in size and shape, these kayaks share a recognizable basic pattern, with a long, rising bow, low stern, wide, flat deck and narrower bottom, usually but not always flat. Load capacity varied but was comparatively great given the ample hull volume, with displacement increasing quickly from the flared sides as the waterline rose. Various uses and hunting methods and utensils are also described. However the origins of the early kayaks arose, the East Arctic kayak was well suited to its use and provided the Inuit a vital edge in their hunting pursuits