2010
14-17/12/2010, Ottawa, ON
a
TABLE OF CONTENTS
General Conference Programme
p. 2
Student Day Programme
p. 3
Plenary Session Programme
p. 5
Topical Session Programme
p. 8
Plenary Session Oral Abstracts
p. 16
Topical Session Oral Abstracts
p. 25
Poster Abstracts
p. 90
Participants
p. 172
Sponsors
p. 186
Exhibitors
p. 189
Sponsor Advertisements
p. 194
Conference Floor Plans
p. 199
ASM2010 Conference Programme and Abstracts
GENERAL CONFERENCE PROGRAMME
TUESDAY
14 DECEMBER
WEDNESDAY
15 DECEMBER
THURSDAY
16 DECEMBER
Student Day
Plenary Session
Plenary Session
(Confederation Ballroom 1 and 2)
(Confederation Ballroom 1 and 2)
FRIDAY
17 DECEMBER
09:00-10:30
08:30 - 10:00
Plenary Session
(Confederation Ballroom 1 and 2)
10:00 - 10:30
Coffee Break
10:30 - 12:00
Student Day
12:00 - 13:30
Lunch
Coffee Break
Coffee Break
10:30-11:00
Coffee Break
Topical Sessions
Topical Sessions
11:00-12:30
Topical Sessions
12:30-14:00
(Governor General Ballroom)
Lunch
(Governor General Ballroom)
Lunch
(Governor General Ballroom)
Lunch
(Governor General Ballroom)
14:00-15:30
13:30 - 15:00
Student Day
Plenary Session
Plenary Session
(Confederation Ballroom 1 and 2)
(Confederation Ballroom 1 and 2)
ArcticNet Plenary
(Confederation Ballroom 1 and 2)
15:00 - 15:30
Coffee Break
15:30 - 17:00
Student Day
17:00 - 19:00
Coffee Break
15:30
Meeting Adjourns
Registration/Reception
(4th Floor Foyer)
Topical Sessions
Poster Session
(Confederation Ballroom 3)
19:30
(Dinner on your own)
19:00 - 23:00
Coffee Break
Topical Sessions
Poster Session
(Confederation Ballroom 3)
19:30
Dinner on your own
Qapirangajuq
Banquet
(Confederation Ballroom 1 and 2)
(Confederation Ballroom 1 and 2)
2
ASM2010 Conference Programme and Abstracts
STUDENT DAY PROGRAMME
TUESDAY, 14 DECEMBER
ArcticNet Student Day
Plenary Session (Confederation Ballroom 1 and 2)
08:30
Brent Else, Marc Cadieux &
Martin Fortier
Opening Remarks
09:10
Keynote Speaker: Jennifer Gardy
Why Didn’t Anyone Tell Me That? Things I Wish I Had Known
as a Fledgling Scientist
10:00
Break (final sign up for breakout sessions)
10:30
Lucette Barber, Sophie Charvet &
Inga May
Summary of ArcticNet ASA Outreach Activities
10:45
Breanne Reinfort
Bottom’s up! A Community-Perspective Approach on
Communicating Mercury Contaminant Information to the ISR
11:00
Magaly Chambellant
Ringed Seals as Indicators of Ecosystem Change
Morning Breakout Sessions
“Careers After Graduation”
11:15
12:00
Room
Sector
Speakers
Quebec
Academic
Maurice Levasseur &
C.J. Mundy
Provinces I
Private
Jennifer Gardy &
Peter Calamai
Provinces II
Public
Hamed Sanei &
Peter Outridge
Les Saisons
Northern Employment
Tom Sheldon &
Stephanie Meakin
Lunch
3
ASM2010 Conference Programme and Abstracts
STUDENT DAY PROGRAMME
Plenary Session (Confederation Ballroom 1 and 2)
13:30
Arnaud Tarroux
Surviving the Arctic Winter on Bylot Island: Insights into the
Foraging Tactics of a Terrestrial Predator
13:45
Erika Hille
Climatic Factors Driving the Hydrological and Geochemical Responses of Tundra Upland Lakes to Landscape
Perturbation
14:00
Maxime Geoffroy
Migrations and Aggregations of Arctic Cod during Winter in the
Amundsen Gulf (Southeastern Beaufort Sea)
Afternoon Breakout Sessions
“Careers After Graduation”
14:15
15:00
Room
Sector
Speakers
Quebec
Academic
Zou Zou Kuzyk &
Trevor Bell
Provinces I
Private
Cynthia Pyć &
Mike Peters
Provinces II
Public
Leah Braithwaite &
Jennifer Nield
Les Saisons
Northern Employment
Nick Xenos &
Marc O’Connor
Break (Final chance to hand in Nomination Form to be part of the 2010 ASA Executive Committee)
Plenary Session (Confederation Ballroom 1 and 2)
15:30
Cynthia Pyć
Hydrocarbon Exploration in the Arctic: Time Lines,
Regulations, and Industry - ArcticNet Collaboration
15:45
Marc Cadieux & Brent Else
Closing Remarks
16:00
ASA Annual General Meeting (2010 ASA Executive Committee Election)
4
ASM2010 Conference Programme and Abstracts
PLENARY SESSION PROGRAMME
WEDNESDAY, 15 DECEMBER - 8:30 to 10:00
(Confederation Ballroom 1 and 2)
08:30
Opening Remarks
08:50
Greg Henry
09:10
Frederick Wrona
09:30
Trudy Wohlleben
Professor, University of British Columbia
Professor, University of Victoria
Ice Forecaster, Canadian Ice Service
Impacts of Climate Change on Tundra Ecosystems in Canada:
Preliminary Synthesis of Results from the Canadian IPY Project
Cicat
Arctic Freshwater Systems: Trans-ecosystem Integrators of Climate
and Environmental Change
A Summary of Significant Canadian Arctic Ice Events in 2010
WEDNESDAY, 15 DECEMBER - 13:30 to 15:00
(Confederation Ballroom 1 and 2)
13:30
13:50
14:10
14:30
Geoff Green
Founder, Executive Director and Expedition Leader,
Students on Ice
The Greatest Classrooms on Earth
Scot Nickels
Inuit Qaujisarvingat: The Inuit Knowledge Centre and Arctic
Science – Emerging Research Opportunities
Director, Inuit Qaujisarvingat: Inuit Knowledge Centre,
Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami
Thierry Rodon
Professor, Carleton University / Researcher, CIERA,
Université Laval
Barry Smit
Professor, University of Guelph
Improving Access to University Education in the Canadian Arctic :
Learning from Past Experiences and Listening to the Inuit Students
Communities and Environmental Change: The Arctic and Beyond
5
ASM2010 Conference Programme and Abstracts
PLENARY SESSION PROGRAMME
THURSDAY, 16 DECEMBER - 8:30 to 10:00
(Confederation Ballroom 1 and 2)
08:30
08:50
09:10
09:30
Crystal Lennie
Manager, Health Projects, Inuvialuit Regional Corporation
Eric Dewailly
Professor and researcher, Département de médecine sociale
et préventive, Université Laval
Overview of Key Findings and Current Projects: International
Polar Year Inuit Health Survey
Think Big, Eat Small: How Science Could Help For a
Sustainable Nutritional Policy in the Arctic?
Implications of Changing Natural and Socio-Economic
Environments: An Integrated Regional Impact Study (IRIS) of
the Canadian Eastern Subarctic Region
Michel Allard
Professor, Université Laval
Gilles Gauthier1 & Dominique Berteaux2
1 Professor, Université Laval
2 Professor, Université du Québec à Rimouski
Is the Tundra Food Web Controlled by Top Predators? New
Evidence from the Arcticwolves Project
THURSDAY, 16 DECEMBER - 13:30 to 15:00
(Confederation Ballroom 1 and 2)
13:30
13:50
14:10
14:30
Whitney Lackenbauer1 & Rob Huebert2
1 Professor, St. Jerome’s University, Waterloo
2 Professor, University of Calgary
David Hik
Professor, University of Alberta
Russel Shearer
Director, Northern Science and Contaminants Research Directorate,
Indian and Northern Affairs Canada
John Hugues Clarke
Professor, University of New Brunswick
Arctic (In)Securities: International Dimensions and
Northerners’ Perspectives
ArcticNet Science for Sustainable Communities and National
and Global Policy and Decision-Making
Joy to the World: ArcticNet’s Research Results Shared
Throughout the Arctic Council Circumpolar World
ArcticNet Seabed Mapping Capability: Meeting both Science
and Safety Requirements in a Sparsely Charted Environment
6
ASM2010 Conference Programme and Abstracts
PLENARY SESSION PROGRAMME
FRIDAY, 17 DECEMBER - 9:00 to 10:30
(Confederation Ballroom 1 and 2)
09:00
09:30
09:50
Bernard W. Funston
President, Northern Canada Consulting
Chairperson, Canadian Polar Commission Board of Directors
Sustainable Development and the Arctic: the Search for Balance
Derek Buxton
The Canadian Polar Icebreaker - Project Update,
Milestones, Science Installations, Fittings and
Capability
Project Manager, Polar Icebreaker, Canadian Coast Guard,
Fisheries and Oceans Canada
Danielle Labonté
Director General, Northern Policy and Science Integration Branch,
Indian and Northern Affairs Canada
Building the Knowledge Necessary to Support Canada’s
Northern Strategy
FRIDAY, 17 DECEMBER - 14:00 to 15:30
(Confederation Ballroom 1 and 2)
14:00
15:30
Louis Fortier
Professor, Université Laval / Scientific Director, ArcticNet
ArcticNet: Where Do We Go from Here?
Meeting Adjourns, Meeting Rooms Available if Needed
7
ASM2010 Conference Programme and Abstracts
TOPICAL SESSION PROGRAMME
(Schedule)
WEDNESDAY, 15 DECEMBER - 10:30 to 12:00
Arctic Marine Mammals (Part I)
Provinces I
10:30
10:45
Ferguson, Steven
Bailleul, Frédéric
11:00
Breton-Honeyman, Kaitlin
11:15
11:30
Pokiak, Rynee
Doniol-Valcroze, Thomas
Killer Whales in the Canadian Arctic: What Me Worry?
Variability in Seasonal Movement Patterns, Diving Behaviour and Habitat Features Among
Neighbouring Populations of Beluga (Delphinapterus Leucas) in Sub-Arctic Canada
Nunavimmuit Knowledge of Beluga: Understanding Beluga (Delphinapterus Leucas) Migratory and Local Movement in Nunavik
Traditional Knowledge on Beluga Health in the Inuvialuit Settlement Region
Evolutionary Responses to Stock Depletion: Skewed Age Structure in an Intensely
Harvested Beluga Population
Arctic Lakes, Rivers and Estuaries (Part I)
Provinces II
10:30
Charvet, Sophie
10:45
Culp, Joseph
11:00
Dibike, Yonas
11:15
11:30
Rautio, Milla
Hille, Erika
11:45
Peters, Daniel
Algae that Behave Like Animals: Dominance of High Arctic Lakes by Mixotrophic
Chrysophytes
Establishing Legacy Conditions for Canadian Arctic River Biodiversity and Function
Climate Impacts on Northern Hemisphere Lake-Ice Characteristics and Water
Temperature Patterns
Life Under the Ice: Exploring Food Webs in Subarctic Lakes
Climatic Factors Driving the Hydrological and Geochemical Responses of Tundra
Upland Lakes to Landscape Perturbation
Isotope Hydrology of Arctic Tundra Lakes along the Proposed Mackenzie Gas Pipeline in
Northwestern Canada
Ocean Mapping, Coastal & Shelf Processes (Part I)
Quebec
10:30
Fox, Dave
10:45
Angelopoulos, Michael
11:00
Lantuit, Hugues
11:15
Lantuit, Hugues
11:30
Malone, Laura
Can Molar Gas Ratios Positively Identify the Nature and Origin of Massive Ground Ice of
Herschel Island, Yukon?
Integrated Geophysical Approach for the Detection and Assessment of Ground Ice at
Parsons Lake, NWT and Herschel Island, YT
Cyclic Activity and Nutrient Release From Retrogressive Thaw Slumps in the Arctic
Coastal Zone
Dissolved Organic Carbon (Doc) from Massive Ground Ice along the Yukon Coast - Why
Does it Matter?
Investigation of Thaw Slump Disturbances on Water Quality near Fort Mcpherson, NWT,
Canada
8
ASM2010 Conference Programme and Abstracts
Community Adaptation & Vulnerability in Arctic Regions (Part I)
Confederation 1 and 2
10:30
Sheldon, Tom
10:45
Pearce, Tristan
11:00
Wolf, Johanna
11:15
Laidler, Gita
11:30
Goldhar, Christina
Tukisinnik (‘To Understand’): A Community Research Forum in Nunatsiavut to Discuss
The Nature and Value of Research in the Region
Transmission of Environmental Knowledge and Land Skills in Adaptation to Climate
Change in the Arctic
“Stuck in Slush”: Values and Cultural Identity in Adaptation to Climate Change in Two
Labrador Communities
Evaluating the Floe Edge Service: How Well Can SAR Imagery Address Community
Concerns around Sea Ice Change and Travel Safety?
Water Ways: Community Relations with Freshwater and Freshwater Systems on the
Labrador North Coast, and Resilience to Environmental Change
Arctic Sea Ice
Les Saisons
10:30
Haas, Christian
10:45
Ferguson, James
11:00
11:15
Burchill, Nick
Prinsenberg, Simon
11:30
Peterson, Ingrid
11:45
Hannah, Charles
Ice Conditions in the Lincoln Sea and Plans For a Future Canadian Arctic Sea Ice Mass
Balance Observatory
Twelve Days under the Ice with an AUV in the Canadian Arctic
HUGIN 1000 AUV for Arctic Applications
Observing the Snow and Ice Properties in the Arctic Coastal Waters of the Canadian
Beaufort Sea with Helicopter-Borne Ground-Penetrating Radar, Laser and
Electromagnetic Sensors
Wind Effects on Ocean Volume Transport, Air Temperature, and Sea-Ice Area in the
Canadian Arctic Archipelago
Modelling Ocean and Sea-Ice Conditions in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago Using a
High-Resolution Nested Model within a Pan-Arctic Model
WEDNESDAY, 15 DECEMBER - 15:30 to 17:00
Arctic Marine Mammals (Part II)
Provinces I
15:30
15:45
Dale, Aaron
Petersen, Stephen
Marine Mammal Co-Management in Canada’s Arctic
Genetic Relationships among Narwhal Sampled from a 2008 Ice-Entrapment Event
16:00
16:15
16:30
Higdon, Jeff
Luque, Sebastian
Chambellant, Magaly
Seals and Sea Ice: Evolution, Biogeography, and Conservation of World Pinnipeds
Seasonal Foraging Behaviour of Ringed Seals in Hudson Bay
Ringed Seals as Indicators of Ecosystem Changes
9
ASM2010 Conference Programme and Abstracts
Arctic Lakes, Rivers and Estuaries (Part II)
Provinces II
15:30
15:45
16:00
Prowse, Terry
Christoffersen, Kirsten
Gantner, Klaus
16:15
Rolland, Nicolas
16:30
Rouillard, Alexandra
16:45
Salcedo-Castro, Julio
River and Lake Ice: Responses to Climate Variability and Change
Plankton Population Dynamics during Summer and Winter in High Arctic, Shallow Lakes
Lake Food Webs in the Northwestern Canadian Tundra - Can Climate Induced
Permafrost Thaw Slumping Affect Fisheries Habitat?
Postglacial Paleoclimates of the Foxe Peninsula (Nunavut, Canada): A Multiproxy Lake
Sediment Archive Study
Paleolimnological Assessment of Environmental Changes from Pim Island, Nunavut,
High Arctic Canada
Modeling Estuarine Circulation Induced by Subglacial Freshwater Discharges in Glacial
Fjords
Ocean Mapping, Coastal & Shelf Processes (Part II)
Les Saisons
15:30
Bennett, Robbie
15:45
Blasco, Steve
16:00
James, Thomas
Seabed Morphology, Processes, and Geologic Framework of Northern Baffin Bay and
Lancaster Sound
Geological Processes on the Canadian Beaufort Outer Shelf and Upper Slope
Sea-Level Fingerprinting, Vertical Crustal Motion from Postglacial Rebound, and
Projections of Relative Sea-Level Change in the Canadian Arctic
Arctic Marine Shipping
Les Saisons
16:15
Church, Ian
16:30
Dawson, Jackie
16:45
Comtois, Claude
The Clipper Adventurer Grounding: CCGS Amundsen Response and Implications for
Navigational Safety in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago
Navigating a Warming Arctic: Risks and Opportunities of Policies Governing the Cruise
Sector in Arctic Canada
Transforming the Infrastructural Arena: Canadian Arctic Ports and Shipping
Community Adaptation & Vulnerability in Arctic Regions (Part II)
Confederation 1 and 2
15:30
Armitage, Derek
15:45
Larrivée, Caroline
16:00
16:15
16:30
Fleming, Laura
Knotsch, Cathleen
Amundsen, Helene
Co-Management Institutions and Environmental Change: Learning to Adapt in Canada’s
Arctic
From Research to Adaptation: Ouranos’ Role in Helping Push Forward Adaptation to
Climate Change
Climate, Change and the Future: Adapting in Nunatisavut
The Contribution of IBAs to Community Capacity: The Case of Baker Lake, Nunavut
Sense of Place as a Driver for Adaptation to Changes in Coastal Communities in
Northern Norway
10
ASM2010 Conference Programme and Abstracts
Arctic Marine Ecosystems (Part I)
Quebec
15:30
Lansard, Bruno
15:45
Kuzyk, Zou Zou
16:00
16:15
Tucker, Jane
Miquel, Juan-Carlos
The Relative Contributions of Freshwater Inputs by the Mackenzie River and Sea-Ice Melt
to the Seawater Carbonate System
Arctic Margin Sediments as a Sink: Perspectives from Pb-210 And Cs-137 Distribution
along the North American Arctic Margin
Microbial Processes in the Beaufort Sea
Carbon Sources and Flux in the Coastal Beaufort Sea: Results of the Malina 2009 Survey
THURSDAY, 16 DECEMBER - 10:30 to 12:00
Arctic Marine Ecosytems (Part II)
Provinces I
10:30
Maps, Frédéric
10:45
11:00
Winegardner, Amanda
Geoffroy, Maxime
11:15
11:30
11:45
Matley, Jordan
Link, Heike
Carr, Christina
Understanding Copepod Life-History and Diversity Using a Next-Generation
Zooplankton Model
Zooplankton Metacommunity Responses to Environmental Change in the Sub Arctic
Migrations and Aggregations of Arctic Cod (Boreogadus Saida) during Winter in the
Amundsen Gulf (Southeastern Beaufort Sea)
The Interactions of Marine Seabirds Feeding on Arctic Cod (Boreagadus Saida)
Spatio-Temporal Variation in Benthic Boundary Fluxes in the Canadian Arctic
The Polar Barcode of Life Project: Discovering and Documenting Diversity
Arctic Lakes, Rivers and Estuaries (Part III)
Provinces II
10:30
10:45
McCullough, Greg
Guéguen, Céline
11:00
Knopp, Jennie A.
11:15
Dorn, Shannon
11:30
Sinnatamby, R. Nilo
Underice Freshwater Circulation in the Nelson River Estuary, Hudson Bay
Fluorescence and Absorption Properties of Colored Dissolved Organic Matter in Nelson
River Estuary
Two Bodies of Knowledge, One Community Monitoring Plan: Understanding the Effect
of Environmental Change on Arctic Char Using Science and Traditional Knowledge
Factors Affecting Differential Mercury Levels in Land-Locked and Anadromous Arctic
Charr (Salvelinus Alpinus) from Labrador
Temporal Analysis of Otolith-Inferred Temperatures Experienced by Young-Of-The-Year
Arctic Charr, Salvelinus Alpinus, in Labrador, Canada
11
ASM2010 Conference Programme and Abstracts
Human Health (Part I)
Ontario
10:30
10:45
11:00
Chateau-Degat, Marie-Ludivine
Cunsolo Willox, Ashlee &
Shiwak, Inez
Douglas, Vasiliki
11:15
Minich, Katherine
11:30
11:45
El Hayek, Jessy
Flannelly, R. Chris
The International Inuit Cohort Study: Beginnings of the Database Integration
"Will We even Exist?" The Emotional Health and Well-Being Impacts of Climatic and
Environmental Change in Rigolet, Nunatsiavut, Canada
Change and Adaptation in an Inuvialuit Settlement Region Community: Preliminary
Results of the Food and Cultural Security in the Inuvialuit Settlement Region Project
Inuit Housing and Homelessness: Results from the International Polar Year Inuit Health
Survey 2007-2008
Older Age and Lower Adiposity Protects against Low Vitamin D Status in Inuit Adults
Arctic Industrial Development and Inuit Health Care: The Medical Insurance Plan for the
North Rankin Nickel Mine, 1957-63.
Arctic Community Infrastructure
Quebec
10:30
10:45
Daraeikhah, Mohsen
Borsy, Emily
11:00
Flanders, David &
Kautuk, Gordon
Carson, Lee
11:15
Sustainable Energy Systems for Climate Change Adaptation in the Arctic
Granular Resource Management Planning and Climate Change in the Inuvialuit
Settlement Region: From Research to Implementation
4D Visioning for Climate Change Decision-Making in Clyde River, Nunavut
A Discussion of the Role of Science in Canada’s Northern Strategy
Impact of Climate Change on Canadian Eastern Sub-Arctic (Part I)
Les Saisons
10:30
10:45
11:00
11:15
11:30
Brown, Ross
Lévesque. Esther
Vincent, Warwick
Côté, Steeve
Cossette, Stéphane
Climate Variability and Change in the Canadian Eastern Subarctic Iris Region
Vegetation Changes In Nunavik And Nunatsiavut.
Freshwater Resources in a Changing Subarctic Environment.
Caribou Herd Dynamics: Impacts of Climate Change on Traditional and Sport Harvesting
Les parcs nationaux et autres statuts d'aires protégées au Nunavik: stratégies de
conservation
12
ASM2010 Conference Programme and Abstracts
THURSDAY, 16 DECEMBER - 15:30 to 17:15
Arctic Tundra and Vegetation (Part I)
Quebec
15:30
Fréchette, Bianca
15:45
Grogan, Paul
16:00
Henry, Greg
16:15
Gérin-Lajoie, José
16:30
McLennan, Donald
Arctic Biome Changes on Baffin Island Within the Past 200,000 Years: Lessons from Past
Warm Times
Soil Bacterial Diversity in the Arctic is not Fundamentally Different from that Found in
other Biomes
Recent Tundra Vegetation Change: Results of Plot Based Monitoring Across the Tundra
Biome
From Nain, Nunatsiavut to Kugluktuk, Nunavut: Analysing Vegetation Change by
Interviewing Local Experts from 8 Inuit Communities across the Canadian Arctic.
IPEM - A Cost Effective Predictive Modelling Approachfor Developing Process-Based
Ecological Inventories for Arctic National Parks
Education and Outreach
Provinces II
15:30
15:45
Pit, Mare
Kurszewski, Denise M.
And…Action! The Success of Shooting Polar Science
Introduction to Research Using Photovoice
16:00
Loring, Eric
16:15
16:30
Green, Geoff
Solomon, Eric
16:45
17:00
Heath, Joel
Reinfort, Bréanne
A Community-Based Story of Contaminants in the Arctic – The Quest for Knowledge
Through Elearning Tools
University of the Antarctic: Accredited Field-Courses with Students on Ice
Rethinking our Relationship with the Public: Why the Public can't Relate to Arctic Science,
Why it Matters, and What We Can Do About it
People of a Feather and the Arctic Sea Ice IPY Project
Bottom’s Up! A Community-Perspective Approach on Communicating Mercury
Contaminant Information in the ISR
Human Health (Part II)
Ontario
15:30
15:45
Ford, James D.
Hirsch, Rachel
16:00
Ip, Morgan
16:15
Lardeau, Marie-Pierre
16:30
16:45
Sheikh, Nelofar
Wolfrey, Charlotte &
Shiwak, Inez &
Cunsolo Willox, Ashlee
Climate Change and Food Security among at-Risk Populations in Regional Inuit Centres
Sharing Research Findings in the Canadian Arctic: Assessing the Integrationof Inuit
Knowledge in Policy Communications about Climate Change Related Food Insecurity
A Comparative Analysis of the Gender Specific Determinants of Diet Choice in Three
Communities in Nunavut, Canada
The Use of Photovoice to Explore the Food Security of Users of Community Food
Programs in Iqaluit, Nunavut
Assessment of Traditional and Market Foods Consumption Over Time in Inuit Population
"My Word": Using Digital Storytelling for Climate-Health Research in Rigolet, Nunatsiavut
13
ASM2010 Conference Programme and Abstracts
Space-Based Earth Observations for the Arctic
Provinces I
15:30
Piekutowski, Thomas
15:45
Babin, Marcel
16:00
16:15
De Abreu, Roger
Kapfer, Mark
16:30
Chamberland, Joseph
16:45
Zorn, Paul
17:00
Royer, Alain
Space-borne Earth Observation Opportunities for Arctic Science and Operations:
Overview Of EO at the CSA
Pan-Arctic Primary Production: State-of-the-Art on Estimation from Ocean Color Remote
Sensing
Operationally Monitoring Sea Ice in Canada's Changing Arctic
The Floe Edge Monitoring Service: Providing an Expanded Suite of Near Real Time
Image Products to Monitor Sea Ice Conditions for Communities in the Canadian Arctic
From ERS to Sentinel-1, from R&D to Operational Service – Present and Future of Ship
and Iceberg Detection/Discrimination with SAR
Parkspace – Developing Satellite-Based Protocols to Monitor Change in the Ecological
Integrity of Canada’s Arctic National Parks
Snow Properties Retrieval in Subarctic Regions Using Passive Microwave Remote Sensing
and Modeling
Impact of Climate Change on Canadian Eastern Sub-Arctic (Part II)
Les Saisons
15:30
Allard, Michel
15:45
Owens, Sandra
Permafrost and Climate Change : Importance for Municipal and Transportation
Infrastructures
Health Survey and Health Knowledge: Nunavik and Nunatsiavut
16:00
16:15
16:30
Power, Michael
Furgal, Christopher
Furgal, Christopher
Charr in a Changing Climate: How Will Charr Like the Tropics?
Impacts of Cimate Change on Food Security in Nunavik and Nunatsiavut
Factors Influencing Adaptation to Climate Change
FRIDAY, 17 DECEMBER - 11:00 to 12:30
Arctic Tundra and Vegetation (Part II)
Quebec
11:00
Harper, Karen
11:15
Siegwart Collier, Laura
11:30
Cuerrier, Alain
11:45
Walker, Xanthe
12:00
12:15
Boulanger-Lapointe, Noémie
Champagne, Émilie
Is the Arctic Shrinking? Results from an Interdisciplinary Study of Changes in the
Forest-Tundra Ecotone
Berry Shrub Performance along an Altitudinal Gradientin Nain, Nunatsiavut
Pigugunnatuvut Nunagijavut, Our Plants Our Land: Bridging Generations Together
Through a Plant Workshop
The Reproduction, Establishment, and Growth of White Spruce at Its Northern Range
Limit in Canada
Trends in Shrub Dynamic in the High-Arctic: The Case of the Arctic Willow
Can Caribou Control their Resources ? Simulating Herbivory on a Key Summer Food
Resource, the American Dwarf Birch
14
ASM2010 Conference Programme and Abstracts
Ocean Atmosphere Interactions
Les Saisons
11:00
Cullingford, Tim
11:15
Thomas, Helmuth
11:30
Mariani, Zen
11:45
Else, Brent
12:00
Pucko, Monika
12:15
Grenier, Patrick
Catlin Arctic Survey 2010 - Arctic Ocean Carbon Cycle and Ocean Acidification Studies
During the Winter-Spring Transition
Barium And Carbon Fluxes in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago
Using Infrared Emission Spectroscopy to Study Arctic Atmospheric Chemistry and
Radiation
Annual Pco2sw Cycling in Amundsen Gulf and Eddy Covariance Measurements of
Air-Surface Co2 Flux: New Understandings of Gas Exchange Processes in an Arctic
Polynya
The Influence of the Atmosphere-Snow-Ice-Ocean Interactions on the Levels of
Hexachlorocyclohexanes (Hchs) in the Arctic Cryosphere.
Macrophysical Characterization of Arctic Winter Mixed-Phase Stratiform Clouds
Arctic Wildlife
Provinces I
11:00
Taillon, Joëlle
Contrasting Body Condition of Migratory Caribou Female-Calf Pairs at Calving and
Weaning
Non-Structured Shorebird Distribution at a Sub-Arctic Stopover Site
11:15
Pollock, Lisa
11:30
11:45
Bilodeau, Frédéric
Robus, Jennifer
Life Under the Snow: The Effects of Snow Cover on Lemming Population Dynamics
Linking Science and Traditional Knowledge in Understanding Impacts of Climate Change
on Geese in the Hudson Bay Lowland
12:00
Tarroux, Arnaud
Surviving the Arctic Winter on Bylot Island: Insights into the Foraging Tactics of a
Terrestrial Predator
Arctic Hydrology
Provinces II
11:00
Abnizova, Anna
11:15
Assini, Jane
11:30
Scott, Neal
11:45
Herod, Matt
Seasonal Hydrology and DOC Dynamics at an Extensive Low-Gradient Wetland, Polar
Bear Pass, Bathurst Island, Canada
Snowcover and Melt at Polar Bear Pass, Bathurst Island, Nunavut: Present and Future
Conditions
Quantifying the Watershed-Scale Carbon Balance of Intact and Disturbed High-Arctic
Ecosystems at Cape Bounty, Melville Island, Nunavut
The Dispersion of 129i in Arctic and Subarctic Watersheds
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ASM2010 Conference Programme and Abstracts
PLENARY SESSION ORAL ABSTRACTS
IMPLICATIONS OF CHANGING NATURAL
AND SOCIO-ECONOMIC ENVIRONMENTS: AN
INTEGRATED REGIONAL IMPACT STUDY (IRIS)
OF THE CANADIAN EASTERN SUBARCTIC
REGION
Allard, Michel1,2,3 (michel.allard@cen.ulaval.ca) and M.
Lemay2,3
Département de Géographie, Université Laval, Québec,
Qc, G1V 0A6
2
Centre d’études nordiques (CEN), Université Laval,
Québec, Qc, G1V 0A6
3
ArcticNet Inc., Université Laval, Québec, Qc, G1V 0A6
1
The overarching goal of the IRIS approach is
to study the impacts of climate change in the Canadian
Eastern Subarctic and transfer this knowledge to help
northern societies and industries prepare for the challenges
and opportunities that lie ahead. The IRIS framework
is based on consultative and participative processes that
involve communities, stakeholders, managers, policy makers
and scientists working together to identify key priority issues
or systems to be addressed. Throughout the consultative
committee of the Ouranos Northern Environment
Program that brings together partners sharing a mandate in
the Eastern Subarctic Region, priority issues and knowledge
gaps for the region were identified.
The report is organized according to priority
issues identified for the region, which are human health,
safety and security, vulnerability of infrastructures,
resource exploitation and socio-economic development.
The breadth of topics covered by the ArcticNet research
program included the thawing of permafrost soils, shifts
in vegetation, changes in animal populations, impacts of
climate on lakes and rivers, human health issues related
to the shifts in the diversity and quality of country food
supplies, drinking water quality and supplies, contaminant
loadings, and climate-related changes in infectious diseases.
The assessment also examines the adaptation capacities
of northern communities, the cultural self-determination
in the face of environmental changes and the ways to
integrate scientific and traditional knowledge together. Its
key findings and conclusions will convey a synthesized
vision of the impacts of climate change and modernization
across the region while providing local communities with
knowledge leading to affordable strategies that respect Inuit
perspectives.
The IRIS report is organised in four main parts:
Part I provides an overview of the report and is structured
as an executive summary that defines the main issues
addressed. Part II and part III constitute the core of the
assessment that presents the supporting scientific evidence
of the assessment. The Climate and Cryosphere (part
II) provides a synthesis of the past and recent climate
trends of the IRIS regions as well as climate projections
upon which experts based their assessments of expected
changes. In the part III, the priority issues of adaptation are
addressed through 10 chapters covering natural, social and
health topics ranging from the consequences of thawing
and erosion of permafrost, to the shifts in the diversity of
food supplies from hunting to cultural self-determination
in the face of environmental change and modernization.
Finally, Part IV conveys a synthesis of the key findings and
recommendations presented in this assessment.
POLAR ICEBREAKER - PROJECT UPDATE,
MILESTONES, SCIENCE INSTALLATIONS,
FITTINGS AND CAPABILITY
Buxton, Derek (Derek.Buxton@dfo-mpo.gc.ca) and S.
Julien
Canadian Coast Guard, Fisheries and Oceans Canada,
Ottawa, ON, K2P 1L5
Canadian Coast Guard’s largest and most capable
icebreaker, CCGS Louis S. St-Laurent, is scheduled for
decommissioning in 2017. Budget 2008 provided funds for
the acquisition of a new Canadian-built multi-purpose Polar
Icebreaker.
The Polar Icebreaker will be named after former
Prime Minister John George Diefenbaker (CCGS John G.
Diefenbaker), one of Canadian history’s great champions
of developing and protecting Canada’s North. CCGS
John G. Diefenbaker will be one of the centerpieces of the
Government of Canada’s high profile Northern Strategy.
The Polar Icebreaker will be capable of operating
in Canada’s Arctic farther north and for a longer period of
time each year. It will provide the Canadian Coast Guard
with increased coverage in the Canadian Arctic and adjacent
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ASM2010 Conference Programme and Abstracts
waters and will be able to operate for three seasons in the
Arctic, over a larger area and in more difficult ice conditions.
From decision to delivery, designing and building
a Polar Icebreaker is a major national project that can
take eight to ten years to complete. The new icebreaker
should enter into Arctic service in 2017, in time for the
decommissioning of CCGS Louis S. St Laurent.
The project timeline identified the development
of the Indicative Operational Requirements as one of the
first steps. Consultations with Canadian Coast Guard Fleet
and Stakeholders working groups were conducted and by
February 2010, the requirements document was completed.
The Design Phase is currently underway with a Conceptual
Design being developped by the Coast Guard Vessel
Procurement Group and a Design Contract will be awarded
in mid 2011. It is anticipated that approximately 24 months
will be necessary to complete the design work and produce a
construction specification. Construction will commence in
the Fall of 2013. The construction of the Polar Icebreaker
will be completed in late 2016 and after contractor sea
trials Coast Guard will deploy the vessel to the Arctic for
performance trials in November 2017.
Since the begining of the project, Canadian Coast
Guard has been working closely with the Canadian scientific
community in order to determine the essential features that
the Polar Icebreaker should have as a platform to support
Arctic science. Within budget constaint, Canadian Coast
Guard is proposing to equip the ship with arrangements
and fixtures that will allow research in all types of weather
and conditions normally encountered in the Canadian
Arctic. Among them is a moon pool surrounded by an
ocean sampling room which will allow sampling and
the deployment of scientific equipment in a sheltered
environment. General purpose labs, dedicated wet and dry
labs, and a coring capability are also envisioned. Further,
the ship will be able to transport 350 cubic meters of
scientific cargo in a dedicated hold additional to five cargo
containers and five containerized labs. Accomodation will
permit up to 40 scientists and program staff to board the
vessels.
THINK BIG, EAT SMALL: HOW SCIENCE COULD
HELP FOR A SUSTAINABLE NUTRITIONAL
POLICY IN THE ARCTIC?
Dewailly, Eric1 (eric.dewailly@crchul.ulaval.ca) and D. C. G.
Muir2
Departement de médecine sociale et préventive, Université
Laval, Québec, Québec, G1V 2M2
2
Canada Center for Inland Waters, Environment Canada,
Burlington, Ontarion, L7R 4A6
1
Effective fisheries management is usually based
on catch restriction, gear modification, and closed areas.
However, consumers can also play a role in the future of
fisheries and health is a strong determinant of fish species
choice. The demand for fish continues to increase yearly—is
it possible to maintain the benefits of fish consumption
while minimizing the risks to both human health and global
fisheries and how this paradigm could apply to the Arctic?
In temperate and tropical regions, harvesting from
higher trophic levels in the marine food chain eventually
leads us to make nutritionally and ecologically incompetent
choices. We are eating the wrong kinds of fish and too many
of them. There is good indication that some of the smaller
fish species have more to offer to human health with less
risk than larger fish closer to the top of the food chain.
There are several reasons for this. Fish at the top of the
food chain can become significant repositories for a range
of contaminants both natural and anthropogenic and may
also have low concentrations of key nutrients. The flesh
of most large predator fish from warm water fisheries (big
tuna, swordfish, marlin, shark) usually is low in omega-3
fatty acids and high in mercury/selenium ratios compared to
small pelagic fish, such as sardines, herrings, anchovies, and
mackerel. In addition, these species have not been subject
to the same over-fishing pressure that has befallen almost
all of the larger fish species. They not only provide higher
levels of beneficial nutrients, but are also significantly lower
in contaminants ubiquitous to the marine food chain. They
are also very affordable.
In the Arctic, work has been done to balance the
toxicological risk (POPs and mercury) with the nutritional,
cultural and economical benefit (omega-3, selenium, vitamin
D etc) but this has not been really evaluated according
to the a trophic level perspective. Over the last 15 years,
omega- 3 fatty acids in red blood cell membranes of
Nunavummiut has decreased from 7.4% to 5.6 % in the
18-29 yrs group. Similar decreases were observed in older
groups. Public health authorities will have soon to promote
the consumption of rich-nutrients marine foods but will
need information on risk, benefits and how the resource
can support different policy scenario. For example, for a
similar intake of nutrients, beluga fat contains 3 to 10 times
more PCBs and other POPs and beluga muscle about 2-fold
higher amounts of mercury, respectively, than seal. It is
even more evident for sea run arctic char in which mercury
concentrations range from 0.01-0.1 ug/g (wet wt) and PCBs
from 0.005 to 0.015 ug/g ww. Apart from arctic char, only a
limited number of marine fish and invertebrate species have
been analysed in the Canadian arctic but all contain relatively
low mercury and PCBs. For e.g. mussels from Nunavik
contain very low mercury (0.01-0.02 ug/g ww) and PCBs
0.005-0.05 ug/g ww). Also mercury–selenium ratios in fish
and invertebrates are very low. Additional measurements
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ASM2010 Conference Programme and Abstracts
contaminants and nutrients in low trophic level fishes and in
invertebrates that are available to arctic communities would
help health authorities give advice on risk/benefits and on
healthy alternatives.
THE GREATEST CLASSROOMS ON EARTH
Green, Geoff (expedition@studentsonice.com)
Students on Ice, Gatineau, Québec, J9J 3N7
IS THE TUNDRA FOOD WEB CONTROLLED BY
TOP PREDATORS? NEW EVIDENCE FROM THE
ARCTIC WOLVES PROJECT
Gauthier, Gilles (gilles.gauthier@bio.ulaval.ca) and
Dominique, Berteaux (Dominique_Berteaux@uqar.qc.ca)
Département de biologie and Centre d’études nordiques,
Université Laval, Québec City and
Université du Québec à Rimouski
The extent to which the tundra food web is
controlled by predators (top-down) or primary production
(bottom-up) remains controversial. Yet, this is a crucial
question that may determine how the tundra ecosystem
will respond to current climate change. The International
Polar Year project ArcticWOLVES (Arctic Wildlife
Observatories Linking Vulnerable EcoSystems) addressed
this question using a circumpolar network of field sites.
Over a 4-year period, a team of more than 140 researchers,
students and collaborators from 8 countries studied several
species of predators and their prey at 14 primary field sites
using innovative technologies such as analysis of stable
isotopes or satellite-tracking of animals. We will present
an overview of some of the key results of this project. We
found that the risk of nest predation in birds decreases with
increasing latitude, indicating that predation is an important
agent influencing avian migratory behaviour and species
distribution in the Arctic. Shared predators also result in
indirect interactions among prey species, which may affect
the population dynamic of alternative prey. In North
America, predators have a strong influence on lemmings, a
keystone species of the tundra food web, and in particular
on their cyclic pattern of abundance. However, climatic
conditions, and especially the quality of the winter snow
cover, also affect lemming cycles and may lead to their
disappearance under some conditions. We found that many
top predators of the tundra may benefit from allochthonous
exchanges with the marine ecosystem, in particular during
winter, which could contribute to the maintenance of
their populations. Our results show that predation plays a
dominant role in the functioning and structuring of arctic
terrestrial ecosystems and suggests that animal populations
are strongly impacted, and sometimes driven, by predatorprey interactions.
Drawing from his experiences as leader of over
100 polar expeditions in the last 17 years, Geoff Green
will reflect on the successes, challenges and surprises of
experiential polar education... and take a look to «what’s
next» in the decade ahead.
Outcomes of expeditions for students, teachers,
scientists, leaders and experts – particularly during the
International Polar Years – have demonstrated that guided
educational experiences to the Arctic and Antarctic can
inspire, motivate and catalyze interest and action in areas of
science, environment, arts, culture, socio-economic issues,
politics, activism and more.
Geoff will describe how captivating the hearts and
minds of young people has helped the public to understand
how much the polar regions matter now more than ever. He
will also share several exciting new polar education initiatives
being planned for students, scientists, educators and the
general public in Canada and around the world.
Geoff is the Founder and Executive Director of
the Students on Ice Foundation. He was a member of
Canada’s National Committee for the International Polar
Year. Most recently, Geoff was recognized as one of the top
25 Transformational Canadians.
IMPACTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE ON TUNDRA
ECOSYSTEMS IN CANADA: PRELIMINARY
SYNTHESIS OF RESULTS FROM THE
CANADIAN IPY PROJECT CICAT
Henry, Greg1 (greg.henry@geog.ubc.ca) and the CiCAT
project group2
Department of Geography, University of British
Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z2
2
the 32 principal investigators and other members of the
project will be identified in the presentation.
1
Tundra ecosystems currently cover ca. 30 % of
Canada, play important roles in the energy balance and
carbon cycles of the planet and provide crucial services and
resources to northern people. Canada also has the greatest
variety of tundra systems, largely due to the enormous
latitudinal breadth (>20º) and the myriad gradients in
moisture, snow cover, soil development, etc. Over the
past 30 years, the Arctic climate has warmed and changes
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ASM2010 Conference Programme and Abstracts
in tundra systems have been observed by residents and
by scientists that are consistent with predictions from
warming experiments and ecosystem modelling studies.
Despite these and other facts, we do not have a good
baseline of information on tundra ecosystems in Canada
from which we can determine the degree and extent of
changes as the climate continues to warm. Attempting
to provide such a baseline and to assess the current state
of the tundra systems in Canada was the major objective
of our IPY project: CiCAT (Climate change impacts on
Canadian Arctic tundra ecosystems: interdisciplinary and
multi-scale assessments). Our project involved 32 principal
researchers from northern aboriginal associations, northern
communities, governments, and universities and spanned
scales from molecules to regions. However, the number of
people involved in the research over the past 3 years was
>250. The project was conducted by groups of researchers
in the interlinking themes of vegetation, soils, carbon
dynamics, modelling, and community based research. Within
each theme there were subgroups, determined by factors
such as methods used, scales of studies, and components
of the ecosystems. One group has worked on applying new
approaches to monitoring ecosystem integrity in the Arctic
National Parks. In this presentation, we summarize and
synthesize the preliminary results across the project. We
show that the environment is changing across the Arctic:
northerners have observed that the vegetation has changed
with a general increase in the height and density of shrubs;
satellite imagery shows changes in caribou habitat consistent
with increased plant growth in summer ranges, but increased
fire in winter ranges. We also provide the first coordinated
measurements of CO2 fluxes across a range of tundra
types in Canada, and find that all sites are currently sinks
for carbon during the growing season. We have also found
that High Arctic tundra soils are important sources of N2O,
which will alter how we view feedbacks to climate change.
Results from these scientific studies are used in ecosystem
modelling to project changes in net primary production
and carbon cycling into a warming future. As part of the
legacy of our project, we have initiated community-based
studies on the berry producing shrubs at nine communities
across the Arctic. These studies involve elders and students
working together to bring traditional knowledge and
scientific approaches together to understand what has and
will happen to the important species used by northerners.
Finally we will present a general synthesis of our results and
their importance for the future of research in the Arctic.
ARCTICNET SCIENCE FOR SUSTAINABLE
COMMUNITIES AND NATIONAL AND GLOBAL
POLICY AND DECISION-MAKING
Hik, David1(dhik@ualberta.ca), S. Meakin2, S. Nickels3 and
C. Furgal4
University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
Inuit Circumpolar Council, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
3
Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
4
Trent University, Peterborough, Ontario, Canada
1
2
The impact of ArcticNet research can be perceived
at several levels, and may be both direct and indirect. I
will provide a brief summary of emerging results from a
collection of studies that contribute to our understanding
of how to improve the use, translation and transfer of
scientific research results and TK/IQ into sound policy.
Scientists and decision makers need to support each other
in identifying the most effective ways to use and translate
research results on urgent issues, such as climate change,
into action at the local, region, national and international
levels. Effective translation and uptake of research results
may be constrained by several factors. Our results suggest
that a simple ‘matrix’ analysis can be used to identify
common factors that influence the knowledge translation
process, including the scope of the relevant scientific
domain, the thematic focus of the research within the
science–policy interface, the accessibility of data, and the
relevance of the research for various users within society.
An a priori understanding of this process may facilitate the
best use of knowledge generated through diverse research
activities.
ARCTICNET SEABED MAPPING CAPABILITY:
MEETING BOTH SCIENCE AND SAFETY
REQUIREMENTS IN A SPARSELY CHARTED
ENVIRONMENT. SHIPPING HAZARD RISK
MANAGEMENT AND THE NEED FOR MORE
SURVEYS
Hughes Clarke, John E. (jhc@omg.unb.ca), D. Cartwright, I.
Church, S. Brucker, J. Muggah, P. Kuus and T. Hamilton
Ocean Mapping Group, Dept. Geodesy and Geomatics
Engineering, University of New Brunswick
The spate of groundings this summer in the
Canadian Arctic Archipelago has highlighted the fact
that those waters remain incompletely mapped. With the
increasing shipping traffic density, and specifically traffic
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ASM2010 Conference Programme and Abstracts
that is not constrained to the shipping lanes, there is a very
real risk of further groundings.
In order to deliver on the mandated ArcticNet
science program, the CCGS Amundsen needs to operate
outside the existing shipping lanes. Outside those lanes,
the chart source diagrams indicate only that those areas
have “track or spot soundings”. Taking advantage of the
Amundsen’s hull-mounted and launch-mounted multibeam
survey capability, the current approach has been threefold:
1) where spot sounding suggest > 100m depths and/or little
variability in relief, virgin transit tracks may be attempted at
the bridge’s discretion; 2) where a pre-existing charted track
is reported, that is followed; and 3) wherever the Amundsen
has safely transited before, that multibeam corridor is
strongly preferred.
Option 1 contains the most risk. Unlike commercial
shipping, however, the ArcticNet team have access to
some of the underlying sounding databases from the CHS.
This provides significantly more information about the
actual spot sounding density, facilitating risk assessment.
Unfortunately, this data is not publicly available at the
present time. Additionally, where inferred shoal regions
are suspected, the Amundsen can deploy her launch-based
multibeam system to clear a safe corridor ahead of the
mother ship.
Option 2 has been actively used but such tracks
may be misleading as they were often referenced using
uncertain horizontal datums and thus being on the apparent
track is no guarantee that the vessel is really reproducing
that passage. For example the Clipper Adventurer was
following one of those corridors. In both 2006 and 2010
the Amundsen was able to use her launch-based multibeam
capability to investigate suspected sills along such tracks.
Wherever possible, Option 3 has been employed.
To date, the strategy of the CCGS Amundsen has been to
accumulate a growing dataset of multibeam corridors.
Wherever shoal regions are suspected, these corridors
are preferred and widened by successive passes. These
multibeam corridors are served up dynamically on the
bridge displays as the vessel transits between science stations
to supplement the published charting information.
Ultimately, it is clear that there is a pressing
need to expand the safe shipping corridors in the Arctic
Archipelago. Dedicated government charting platforms
such as those that used to be operated for the Canadian
Hydrographic Service in the 1980’s and early 90’s are no
longer available (CSS Baffin retired in 1989 and CSS Tully
was reallocated in 1994). Replacement platforms with
equivalent capability are not scheduled to be available until
2017. The Amundsen is unique in that she in the only vessel
operating in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago that carries
both hull and launch mounted multibeam sonars. Using
this she can simultaneously build up corridors safely in
support of science, general shipping and search and rescue
operations.
BUILDING THE KNOWLEDGE NECESSARY TO
SUPPORT CANADA’S NORTHERN STRATEGY
Labonté, Danielle (Danielle.Labonte@ainc-inac.gc.ca)
Northern Policy and Science Integration Branch, Indian and
Northern Affairs Canada
As a northern nation, Canada needs knowledge
to support the development and stewardship of its vast
Arctic. In its Northern Strategy, the Government of Canada
recognized the critical role of science and technology
in providing the foundation for sound decision making
in the North. To that end, the Government has made
significant investments in Arctic science including the
Canadian High Arctic Research Station, the Arctic Research
Infrastructure Fund, northern monitoring, and three new
Canada Excellence Research Chairs. These and other new
investments are strengthening Canada’s leadership in Arctic
science and building the knowledge necessary to support
Canada’s Northern Strategy. Canada will host the “From
Knowledge to Action” conference in April 2012 to link
International Polar Year science to policy and decision
making. As this major international effort draws to a close,
we need to ensure that these new investments are leveraged
to sustain the momentum of IPY and to address the
growing challenges and opportunities in Canada’s North.
ARCTIC (IN)SECURITIES: INTERNATIONAL
DIMENSIONS AND NORTHERNERS’
PERSPECTIVES
Lackenbauer, P. Whitney1 (pwlacken@uwaterloo.ca) and R.
Huebert2
Department of History, St. Jerome’s University, Waterloo,
Ontario, N2L 3G1
2
Department of Political Science, University of Calgary,
Calgary, Ontario, T2N 1N4
1
Climate change is fundamentally reshaping
the Arctic region. Boundary disputes, newly viable
transportation routes, access to resources, and governance
issues have generated significant questions about Arctic
security and circumpolar geopolitics in the twenty-first
century. Anticipating future prospects for competition,
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ASM2010 Conference Programme and Abstracts
conflict and cooperation in the region requires a systematic
examination of the new forces at play, both internationally
and domestically. But what is Arctic security? What should
policy makers anticipate that the circumpolar world will
look like in the future, given the various forces that are now
transforming this region?
Our presentation will frame the current state of
the international and national debates about the meaning of
Arctic security and the evolving Arctic security environment.
We will critically assess the interplay between traditional,
state-based military security and environmental, health, and
societal security concerns. What is the best framework/
model to incorporate the complexity of the new forces,
and explain the actions that are now being taken? How
do nations and non-governmental organizations view the
international legal system, and how do they interpret the
legal regimes and specific legal rules that exist and apply
to the Arctic? Are states ultimately moving to defend their
northern interests through unilateral action predominately
through assertive diplomatic policies supported by
increasing their power? Or will the north become an area
of cooperation in which new modes of cooperation can
be established through good will and trust? Although the
literature makes reference to the centrality of Northern
residents’ views in terms of security and safety in the
changing North, how do their perspectives relate to the
central debates?
OVERVIEW OF KEY FINDINGS AND CURRENT
PROJECTS: INTERNATIONAL POLAR YEAR
INUIT HEALTH SURVEY
Lennie, Crystal1( CLennie@irc.inuvialuit.com), H. Saudny2,
M. Wood3, G. Osborne4 , T. K. Young5 and G. M. Egeland2
Inuvialuit Regional Corporation, Inuvik, NT X0E 0T0
Centre for Indigenous Peoples’ Nutrition and
Environment, McGill University, Ste. Anne-de-Bellevue,
QC, H9X 3V9
3
Nunatsiavut Government, Department of Health, Happy
Valley-Goose Bay, NL A0P 1E0
4
Department of Health and Social Services, Government
of Nunavut, Iqaluit, Nunavut, XOA OHO
5
Dalla School of Public Health, Unversity of Toronto, ON,
M5T 3M7
1
2
Inuit-specific data are needed to help guide health
promotion and interventions that are appropriate for
Inuit communities. The Canadian Federal Program for
International Polar Year provided a unique opportunity to
develop a comprehensive health survey involving 3 Inuit
jurisdictions: Inuvialuit Settlement Region of Northwest
Territories, Nunavut, and Nunatsiavut of Northern
Labrador. Partnerships with ArcticNet and the Canadian
Coast Guard enabled a 10,000 km voyage representing the
largest geographic area ever covered in a single health survey
with community-university agreements signed in all 36
participating communities. Steering committees worked with
university investigators through an historic participatory
research process. Key overview of results and the many
ongoing research projects utilizing the analytically rich
database will be presented. Communication to communities
involved a plain language report of key findings and will be
supplemented through northern outreach communication
activities throughout the upcoming year. The results of
the research project holds promise of informing public
health policy with the overall goal of improving health and
wellness in Inuit communities.
INUIT QAUJISARVINGAT: THE INUIT
KNOWLEDGE CENTRE AND ARCTIC SCIENCE –
EMERGING RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES
Nickels, Scot (nickels@itk.ca) and C. Grable
Inuit Qaujisarvingat: The Inuit Knowledge Centre, Inuit
Tapiriit Kanatami, Ottawa, Ontario, K1P 5E7
Issues of sovereignty, resource development,
climate change and militarization have attracted surging
interest in the Arctic, creating increasing demands for the
best available knowledge. These global and national drivers
are influencing Arctic science through increasing demands
for timely scientific information as well as the engagement
and knowledge of arctic Indigenous peoples. These changes
present many opportunities and challenges to building
sustainable Inuit communities in Canada and finding
innovative ways that connect Inuit knowledge to sound
science, research, and policy development.
This presentation will talk about a new initiative –
Inuit Qaujisarvingat: The Inuit Knowledge Centre (IKC)
– that has been launched by Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami to
work towards addressing these opportunities. The IKC
will focus efforts to ensure an increasingly active role for
Inuit in research that leads to the generation of innovative
knowledge for improved research, science and policy
decision making within a Canadian and global context. The
continuing opportunities for partnership between ArcticNet,
the IKC, and broader science and research initiatives will be
discussed.
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ASM2010 Conference Programme and Abstracts
IMPROVING ACCESS TO UNIVERSITY
EDUCATION IN THE CANADIAN ARCTIC :
LEARNING FROM PAST EXPERIENCES AND
LISTENING TO THE INUIT STUDENTS
Rodon, Thierry1 (thierry.rodon@pol.ulaval.ca), Marise
Lachapelle1 (marise.lachapelle@gmail.com), F. Abele2, F.
Walton3 and F. Laugrand1
Université Laval, Québec, Qc, G1V 0A6,
2
School of Public Policy and Administration, Carleton
University, Ottawa, Ontario K1S 5B6
3
University of Prince Edward Island, Charlottetown, PEI,
C1A 4P3
1
Increased participation in postsecondary
education is of primary concern for Inuit. The goal of
this communication is to present the preliminary results of
a research on Inuit participation in University education
throughout Inuit Nunaat. This research is based on a survey
conducted amongst university program delivered in Inuit
Nunaat and among Inuit students that had a university
experience. In addition, in-depth interviews were conducted
amongst a selected sample of students.
Based on the surveys and interviews, we will
present our preliminary results on the following issues
1) Inventory and evaluation of past and present university
initiatives in Inuit Nunaat or for Inuit in term of curriculum,
delivery methods and success.
2) Evaluation the Inuit Peoples needs and experiences with
postsecondary programs or courses allowing us to better
understand educational paths and university successes from
the point of view of the Inuit
3) Presentation of different scenarios to improve access
to university education for Inuit and Northerners in Inuit
Nunaat. The data has been collected through surveys
and in-depth interviews and workshops convening all the
stakeholders in University education in the Canadian arctic.
We expect this research will provide evidencebased data on the Inuit students university experience. and
will promote a national discussion amongst provider of
university program in Inuit Nunaat, Northern institutions
and Inuit organizations in order to develop a more
coordinated effort in university program delivery and
curriculum development.
JOY TO THE WORLD: ARCTICNET’S RESEARCH
RESULTS USED TO IDENTIFY SCIENCE GAPS
AND INFORM POLICY AND DECISION-MAKING
PROCESSES THROUGHOUT THE ARCTIC
COUNCIL CIRCUMPOLAR WORLD
Shearer, Russel (Russel.Shearer@ainc-inac.gc.ca)
Chair of Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme
(AMAP) under the Arctic Council and Director of
Northern Science and Contaminants Research, Indian and
Northern Affairs Canada
The Arctic Monitoring and Assessment
Programme (AMAP) is one of the working groups under
the circumpolar Arctic Council. The primary objectives
of AMAP are to monitor and assess the levels, trends
and effects of pollution (e.g. persistent organic pollutants,
heavy metals (mercury), radionuclides, acidification and
petroleum hydrocarbons) and climate change on Arctic
ecosystems and people. AMAP conducts major scientific
assessments which are prepared by AMAP Expert Groups
composed of scientists and experts nominated by the Arctic
countries, Arctic Indigenous Peoples’ Organizations and
other countries and international science organizations.
These Expert Groups are established by the AMAP
Working Group to deliver scientifically independent, peer
reviewed assessments on topics of concern to the Arctic
Council. Based on the scientific assessments, AMAP
reports the key findings and recommendations for action
to the Arctic Council Ministers and Senior Arctic Officials
for their consideration. The recommendations are used to
inform policy and decision-making processes by the Arctic
Council participants, particularly the eight Arctic nations
and the Arctic indigenous people organizations (Permanent
Participants of the Arctic Council).
AMAP is nearing completion of two major
scientific assessments in which ArcticNet data and network
investigators have contributed significantly to over the
past two years. These assessments are the Climate Change
and the Cryosphere: Snow, Water, Ice and Permafrost in
the Arctic (SWIPA), which is a follow-up to the Arctic
Climate Impact Assessment 2004, and the AMAP Mercury
Assessment. The latter assessment addresses the question :
What controls mercury levels in the Arctic, and what are the
effects on Arctic biota and people?
Future AMAP assessments where ArcticNet will
be called upon to contribute include the Arctic Ocean
Acidification (AOA) assessment (2011-2013) as well as a
proposal for a broad-scale integrated Arctic Change project
(2011-2017) which is awaiting a decision by the Arctic
Council.
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ASM2010 Conference Programme and Abstracts
It will be critically important for the future work
of AMAP’s activities to engage young scientists into the
process now or in the near future in order for them to gain
the necessary international experience. They could stand to
take on a more leadership role in the future, particularly for
some activities that may be conducted over the long-term.
COMMUNITIES AND ENVIRONMENTAL
CHANGE: THE ARCTIC AND BEYOND
Smit, Barry (bsmit@uoguelph.ca)
University of Guelph, Department of Geography, Guelph,
Ontario N1G 2W1
Research on adaptation to changing environmental
conditions in the Arctic is compared to similar investigations
in other parts of the world. Distinct contributions of the
work include exploration of interactions between ecological
and human systems, direct involvement of decision-makers
in the research, and the documentation of current and
past experience as a basis for assessing strategies for the
future. Among the accomplishments of the program are 3
recent volumes which demonstrate the impact of ArcticNet
research.
A SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT CANADIAN
ARCTIC ICE EVENTS IN 2010
Wohlleben, Trudy (trudy.wohlleben@ec.gc.ca)
Canadian Ice Service, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1A 0H3
Numerous anomalous ice events were observed
in and around the Canadian Arctic in 2010, emphasizing
the importance of remote sensing in these areas. This
past winter, the sea ice in Nares Strait once again failed to
consolidate, making this only the third year in the 1983-2010
period of the Canadian Ice Service ice chart record (along
with 2007 and 2009) in which this occurred. Additionally,
extensive fracturing and mobility of the sea ice in the
western Canada Basin and in the Arctic Ocean between
Ellesmere Island and the North Pole were observed
during the January to April period of this year, leading
to challenging ice and weather conditions for scientists
working on the UNCLOS project, for the JTFN military
exercises along the north coast of Ellesmere Island and for
expeditions leaving Ellesmere Island for the North Pole.
Within the Canadian Arctic Archipelago (CAA), along the
northern route of the Northwest Passage, only the ice
in Viscount Melville Sound - a narrow section of Parry
Channel - consolidated and became truly land-fast in the
winter of 2009-2010. M’Clure Strait at the western end of
Parry Channel and Barrow Strait and Lancaster Sound at the
eastern end did not consolidate as per normal. This led to
an early break-up and extensive clearing of Parry Channel
this summer, and the CIS record for least ice coverage in
western Parry Channel was broken. Significant coastal ice
breakages were also observed in the far north this past
summer. On August 4, the Petermann Glacier in northwest
Greenland calved a large ice island close to 300km2 in area,
the largest all-in-one piece of ice to break off an Arctic ice
shelf or floating glacier tongue in decades. Additionally,
fracturing of the Ward Hunt Ice Shelf (the largest remaining
ice shelf along the northern Ellesmere Island coast)
continued in summer 2010 and in mid-August a section
totaling 50km2 was lost. All of these events highlight sea
ice thickness and distribution trends which have became
particularly pronounced within the Canadian Arctic during
the past decade, and underscore the necessity for increased
monitoring of the area (preferably using high-resolution
active microwave satellite-based sensors such as are found
on Radarsat-2).
ARCTIC FRESHWATER SYSTEMS: TRANSECOSYSTEM INTEGRATORS OF CLIMATE AND
ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE
Wrona, Frederick J.1 (Fred.Wrona@ec.gc.ca), T. D. Prowse1,
E. McCauley2, D. Peters1, K. Flanagan3, K. Gantner1, P. D.
di Cenzo1, L. de Rham1, M. Thompson1, P. Mesquita1, E.
Hille1, P. Moquin1 and S. Kokejl4
Water and Climate Impacts Research Centre, University of
Victoria, Victoria, BC
2
National Centre for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis,
University of California Santa Barbara, California, CA
3
Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary,
Calgary, AB
4
Water Resources Division, Indian and Northern Affairs
Canada, Yellowknife, NT
1
Projected changes/shifts in climatic regimes in the
Arctic regions are expected to have far-reaching cascading
impacts on the hydrology and ecology of northern/Arctic
freshwater ecosystems. Freshwater systems are particularly
sensitive to climate variability and change (CVC) because
numerous hydro-ecological processes respond to even small
changes in the climate and related cyrospheric regimes.
Furthermore, hydrological and ecological processes may
change either gradually or in an abrupt manner when
environmental/ecosystem thresholds are exceeded. A
23
ASM2010 Conference Programme and Abstracts
significant amount of uncertainty still remains however,
in predicting the direct and indirect physical, geochemical
and ecological responses of arctic freshwater ecosystems to
CVC.
Under ArcticNet, we have been conducting a series
of integrated hydrological and ecological studies assessing
the impacts of landscape and freshwater-ice related
cryospheric changes on the hydrology, geochemistry, and
food web responses of upland Arctic lakes. Drawing upon
examples from our and other relevant studies, I will discuss
the importance of freshwater systems as trans-ecosystem
integrators of climate and environmental change. In
addition, I illustrate some of the major challenges involved
in understanding and predicting impacts and responses at
appropriate spatial and temporal scales and will provide
some perspectives on future research directions.
24
ASM2010 Conference Programme and Abstracts
TOPICAL SESSION ORAL ABSTRACTS
SEASONAL HYDROLOGY AND DOC DYNAMICS
AT AN EXTENSIVE LOW-GRADIENT WETLAND,
POLAR BEAR PASS, BATHURST ISLAND,
CANADA
Abnizova, Anna (anna_abnizova@yahoo.ca) and K. L.
Young
PERMAFROST AND CLIMATE CHANGE:
IMPORTANCE FOR MUNICIPAL AND
TRANSPORTATION INFRASTRUCTURES
Allard, Michel1,2(michel.allard@cen.ulaval.ca), M. Lemay2, C.
Barrette2 and T. Bell3.
Département de Géographie, Université Laval, Québec,
Qc, G1V 0A6
2
Centre d’études nordiques (CEN), Université Laval,
Québec, Qc, G1V 0A6
3
Department of Geography, Memorial University of
Newfoundland, St. John’s, NF, A1C 5S7
1
Department of Geography, York University, Toronto,
Ontario, M3J 1P3
Numerous ponds and lakes exist at Polar Bear Pass
(PBP), a National Wildlife area. This large wetland (100
km2) situated in the middle of Bathurst Island is considered
one of the most critical ecological sites in the area and is
home to migratory birds, muskox and caribou. Detailed
hydrological and hydrochemical investigations were initiated
here in the summer of 2007 and have continued through
to 2010. In this talk we explore the seasonal variability of
a range of ponds typical of the area and examine trends
in the movement and sources of dissolved organic carbon
(DOC) into them.
Our hydrologic results suggest that ponds are highly
dependent on the presence and/or absence of linkages
to water sources, such as late-lying snowbeds occurring in
the lee of slopes or hillslope creeks which drain into the
low-lying wetland from the surrounding plateau, especially
in warm years (e.g. 2007). Importance of these linkages
is minimized in wet cool years (2008, 2009), when high
summer rainfall keeps water tables high in ponds and
connectivity between ponds, wet meadows and small creeks
is enhanced.
Seasonal dynamics of DOC into ponds was
highly dependent on the timing and duration of a pond’s
hydrologic connectivity to its catchment. Evaluation of
terrestrial pathways of carbon showed distinct differences
in DOC concentrations into ponds based on these
different water sources (e.g. lingering snowbank, creek).
Understanding pond hydrology, and pond linkages to its
surrounding catchment (i.e. other water sources), along
with terrestrial pathways for DOC will help to identify
carbon pathways in this wetlands and perhaps lead to better
estimates of carbon budgets in these expansive low-gradient
wetlands.
The presence of permafrost (i.e. soil or rock at
temperatures below the freezing point of water) is one
of the key factors that make the Arctic highly sensitive
to climate change. A warmer climate leads to greater
depths of thaw in summer (the active layer depth) with
the consequence that the surface of the ground settles.
Increased thaw depth also destabilizes slopes and accelerates
down slope soil movements such as gelifluxion or even
triggers landslides. The thawing of permafrost often gives
way to the formation of hollows and lakes which are termed
thermokarst lakes. Those changes affect both natural
environments, with major ecological impacts, and built
environments, with potentially damaging consequences for
buildings and transportation infrastructures. In Nunavik
and Nunatsiavut, the climate warming that occurred since
1992 resulted in a general increase of 1.5 °C in near surface
ground temperatures (4 m deep) and lead to major changes
in the abundance of discontinuous permafrost. The
impacts also affected roads and runways since they were
not designed to face the ongoing climate warming and, also,
because the importance of local effects was ignored such
as the impacts of infrastructures on snow cover and soil
drainage. Over the same period, the northern population
increased by 10% generating an important need for new
housing construction. The communities are expected
to expand over permafrost terrain in the coming years.
Existing infrastructures such as roads and airports will have
to be stabilized and expanded while some new ones may
be required. The approach used to support community
adaptation and expansion consists principally in producing
high resolution maps of permafrost conditions integrating
data from numerous sources such as drilling, geophysics,
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ASM2010 Conference Programme and Abstracts
thermistor cables, and laboratory analyses of permafrost
samples. Numerical simulations of ground thermal regime
and active layer changes until 2050 are made to assess
how the terrain will evolve and choose the best building
foundation designs adapted for each terrain conditions.
This information is compiled into GIS systems and then
transferred and discussed with community representatives,
involved ministries (Municipal affairs, Transports) and other
stakeholders to orient policies and decisions.
SENSE OF PLACE AS A DRIVER FOR
ADAPTATION TO CHANGES IN COASTAL
COMMUNITIES IN NORTHERN NORWAY
Amundsen, Helene1,2 (helene.amundsen@cicero.uio.no)
CICERO Centre for Climate and Environmental Research,
Oslo, P.B. 1129, 0318 Oslo, Norway
2
Department of Sociology and Human Geography,
University of Oslo, P.B. 1096 Blindern, 0317 Oslo, Norway
show through their actions a strong sense of place, which
translates into a range of adaptation activities.
This paper shows that climate change adaptation
research needs to include sense of place as a motivation
for developing adaptive capacity. Communication and
discussion of adaptation in communities should therefore
focus on sense of place as a driver of adaptation to develop
adaptive capacity. Impacts of climate change are currently
not the driver of adaptation, but it is sense of place and a
motivation to maintain aspects of quality of life that induces
adaptive responses.
INTEGRATED GEOPHYSICAL APPROACH
FOR THE DETECTION AND ASSESSMENT OF
GROUND ICE AT PARSONS LAKE, NWT AND
HERSCHEL ISLAND, YT
1
Angelopoulos, Michael1, Wayne H. Pollard1, Nicole J.
Couture2 and Robert Gowan3
Department of Geography, McGill University, Montreal,
Quebec, Canada, H3A 2K6
2
Geological Survey of Canada, Natural
Resources Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
3
Indian and Northern Affairs Canada, Gatineau, Quebec,
Canada
1
The subjective dimension is largely missing in
the climate adaptation research. This paper proposes that
researching the subjective dimension is necessary in order
to understand how communities are responding to a suit of
changes and why they are making those choices. One such
subjective aspect is sense of place, which has received little
attention within climate adaptation research. Sense of place
encapsulates the subjective meaning attached to a place
and sense of place is taken to include both the physical
characteristic specific to a place and the subjective meaning
attached to it. Arguably, a strong sense of place translates to
a commitment to the place and a willingness to act to make
the place better or, as in this case, to make it possible to
continue living in the communities. In this paper I present
research showing the importance of sense of place as a
motivating factor for adaptation.
It has been established through a number of case
studies that climate change combined with other stressors
already has profound consequences for communities in the
Arctic and their livelihoods. While much of the literature
focuses on the impacts of these stressors on places, this
paper uses insights from place and sense of place literature
to understand the drivers of adaptation.
Research in two municipalities in northern Norway
reveals how sense of place is important when analysing
adaptation processes to current challenges. In the two
municipalities, the main current challenge is declining
populations and this is the area where adaptation activities
are most visible. The concern over declining populations is
linked to concerns over livelihoods and provision of public
services. Interviewees in the two municipalities express and
The mapping of ground ice distribution is
fundamentally important for natural resource development
in the Arctic, because the melting of ice within permafrost
destabilizes the ground, which could lead to the destruction
of infrastructure. Although borehole drilling provides
accurate information, the process is expensive, time
consuming, and only generates point samples. Surfacebased geophysical techniques, however, are non-destructive,
relatively cheap, and can survey a large area. My research
focuses on the detection and characterization of ground
ice using ground-penetrating radar (GPR) and capacitivelycoupled resistivity (CCR) at Parsons Lake, NWT, a
natural gas field 75 km north of Inuvik. Using detailed
borehole logs from March 2004, the first phase of my
MSc is to evaluate how well geophysical tools predict ice
content under various ground thermal regimes, ground ice
structures, and enclosing sediments. Fieldwork activities
were conducted at Parsons Lake in winter 2010, as well as
summers 2009 and 2010. Preliminary graphs showing the
relationship between electrical resistivity and ice content
(measured gravimetrically) in summer reveal clusters of
points associated with varying types enclosing materials,
including ice, peat, as well as coarse-grained and fine-grained
sediments. The scattering of points within clusters can be
partially explained by the fact that additional environmental
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ASM2010 Conference Programme and Abstracts
factors like ground temperatures control resistivity
values, especially in summer. In summer, warmer ground
temperatures lead to a greater prevalence of unfrozen
water content. Further analysis shows that the range of ice
content is high for values of high resistivity and low ground
temperatures. Hence, one can be observing enclosing
sediment types of ice, ice/coarse, or coarse material.
Current results, however, demonstrate that GPR is capable
of mapping contacts between the aforementioned materials.
On the subject of seasonal changes, it is clear that there
is a better relationship between resistivity and ice content
in winter rather than summer. This could be due to the
fact that in winter, ground temperatures are much lower,
and hence, the prevalence of unfrozen water content is
reduced. For all summer data points (includes all enclosing
sediments as one group), ground temperature is significant
at 95% confidence. For all winter data points, the natural
log of ice content is significant for 95% confidence. Due
to changes in the prevalence of unfrozen water content,
there is a seasonal shift in terms of which variable is most
important in controlling resistivity. Multiple regression
models including the aforementioned variables produce
R-squared values of 0.57 and 0.50 for summer and winter
respectively. In order to improve the model, quantitative
estimates of unfrozen water content will be made. In order
to accomplish the latter, the borehole data must be used
in conjunction with Inuvik weather data from 2010 to
generate a ground thermal regime model for 2010. Secondly,
GPR must be applied to quantify ice structure, which
affects unfrozen water connectivity, and thus, electrical
resistivity. The knowledge gained from Parsons Lake will
be used to help model thermokarst development adjacent
to retrogressive thaw slumps on Herschel Island, Yukon
Territory.
CO-MANAGEMENT INSTITUTIONS AND
ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE: LEARNING TO
ADAPT IN CANADA’S ARCTIC
Armitage, Derek1 (darmitage@wlu.ca), F. Berkes2, A. Dale1,
E. Kocho-Schellenberg2 and E. Patton2
Geography and Environmental Studies, Wilfrid Laurier
University, Waterloo, Ontario N2L 3C5
2
Natural Resources Institute, University of Manitoba,
Winnipeg, Manitoba R3T 2N2
1
Responding to environmental change in Canada’s
Arctic will require a broad range of adaptation measures in
the short- and long-term (e.g., infrastructure change, altering
hunting patterns). Land claims-based co-management
institutions in the Canadian Arctic may be particularly
important in this regard. Research on these co-management
institutions highlights their role in facilitating adaptation and
enabling learning through change by enhancing the flow of
resources and information (e.g., for monitoring), bringing
together diverse perspectives, and creating incentives for
individual and collective action. In this institutional context,
learning is recognized as central to effective adaptation,
while social learning processes associated with multi-level
institutional partnerships are increasingly recognized as
a crucial type of adaptation in situations facing rapid
environmental change. Still emerging, however, is an
understanding of the specific mechanisms through which
these co-management institutions create the conditions
for social learning, defined here as the on-going action,
reflection and deliberation of individuals and groups
collaborating to seek solutions to complex, multi-scale
challenges. We draw on the outcomes of a team project
in three co-management contexts in Canada’s Arctic to
examine how social learning is enabled or constrained,
and highlight the role of knowledge co-production as a
key mechanism in this process. We examine the multiple
dimensions of knowledge co-production (i.e., gathering,
sharing, integrating, interpreting, applying), as well as the
relational attributes of co-management arrangements that
influence when, where and how knowledge is produced.
The implications for co-management policy and institutional
adaptation are highlighted.
SNOWCOVER AND MELT AT POLAR BEAR PASS,
BATHURST ISLAND, NUNAVUT: PRESENT AND
FUTURE CONDITIONS
Assini, Jane (jassini@yorku.ca) and K. L. Young
Department of Geography, York University, Toronto,
Ontario, M3J 1P3
In this talk we explore the present and future
snowcover and melt patterns of Polar Bear Pass (PBP),
an extensive low-gradient wetland situated in the
middle of Bathurst Island, Nunavut. Our measured and
modelled snowcover results from 2008 and 2009 indicate
that snowcover here is largely controlled by wind and
topography. Exposed hilltops are blown free of much
snow, while stream valleys and lee of slopes collect the
most. Within the wetland itself, subtle variations in microtopography (ponds, lakes, wet meadows, frost cracks)
ensures some variability in the end-of winter snowcover
and ensuing melt pattern. In addition, snowcover and
melt varied across the Pass (both east to west and north
to south). Snowcover receipt in 2008 and 2009 was low in
comparison to other studies, while probability and snow
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ASM2010 Conference Programme and Abstracts
depletion curves indicate similar melt rates. Projected
changes in northern climate (e.g. warmer temperatures,
enhanced snowfall) will have an effect on the timing and
duration of spring melt here. Our modelled results indicate
that the snowfree season could be increased by up to three
weeks at PBP. Future spatial and temporal changes in
snowmelt could have potential consequences on the timing
of other hydrologic processes such as runoff, ground thaw
and evaporation loss as well as vegetation communities at
PBP.
PAN-ARCTIC PRIMARY PRODUCTION: STATEOF-THE-ART ON ESTIMATION FROM OCEAN
COLOR REMOTE SENSING
Babin, Marcel1,2 (marcel.babin@takuvik.ulaval.ca) and S.
Bélanger3
Québec-Océan, Département de Biologie, Université
Laval, Québec, Qc, G1V 0A6, CANADA
2
Laboratoire d’Océanographie de Villefranche, BP 8, 06238
Villefranche-sur-Mer Cedex, FRANCE
3
Département de biologie, chimie et géographie, Université
du Québec à Rimouski, Rimouski, Qc, G5L 3A1, CANADA
1
The ongoing decrease in perennial ice and
increase in rivers discharge will strongly impact on Arctic
marine ecosystems and, notably, on primary production
by phytoplankton. But how primary production will
evolve over the next decades is highly uncertain. While ice
receding will allow more solar radiation to penetrate the
water column and fuel photosynthesis, enhanced vertical
stratification may prevent the injection of the new nutrients
needed to support additional algal growth in the lit layer. In
this study, we use ocean color remote sensing to analyze the
spatial and temporal variations in primary production over
the whole Arctic Ocean. We first address the possible flaws
in the use of ocean color remote sensing in Arctic through
a number of sensitivity analyses. We then examine annual
trends since 1998 and identify the physical mechanisms and
biogeochemical processes that may be responsible for the
observed trends.
VARIABILITY IN SEASONAL MOVEMENT
PATTERNS, DIVING BEHAVIOUR AND
HABITAT FEATURES AMONG NEIGHBOURING
POPULATIONS OF BELUGA (DELPHINAPTERUS
LEUCAS) IN SUB-ARCTIC CANADA
Bailleul, Frédéric 1, Thomas Doniol-Valcroze1, Véronique
Lesage1, D.W. Doidge2, Michael Power3, Adam Lewis2,3 and
Mike O. Hammill1
Maurice Lamontagne Institute, 850 route de la Mer, MontJoli, Quebec, G5H 3Z4, Canada
2
Nunavik Research Center, Makivik Corporation, Kuujjuaq,
Quebec, J0M 1C0, Canada
3
Department of Biology, University of Waterloo, 200
University Ave. West, Waterloo, Ontario, N2L 3G1, Canada
1
Seasonal variability in environmental characteristics
can drive distributional patterns, habitat use and selection,
as well as migration and foraging strategies of wild animals.
Understanding these fundamental patterns of animal
ecology may have important implications for the design and
implementation of adequate conservation and management
strategies. In the present study, we have synthesized
information on seasonal diving activity, movement patterns
and associated environmental correlates for beluga from
two different but neighbouring geographical regions of the
Hudson Bay complex, in northern Canada, to gain insights
into seasonal habitat use and the potential influence of
environmental changes.
Fourty-six beluga were captured between 1993
and 2009 and equipped with satellite-linked time-depth
recorders: 32 individuals in Eastern Hudson Bay (EHB)
and 14 animals in James Bay (JB). Beluga from these two
regions differed markedly in their seasonal movements. The
EHB beluga had migrated out of Hudson Bay by October
and exhibited three seasonally-dependent residency areas:
the EHB, the Ungava Bay(UB), and the Labrador Sea (LS)).
In contrast, all JB beluga remained in JB and stayed there
until their last day of transmission (mid November to
mid March). In EHB, beluga preferentially used relatively
shallow waters (58 +/- 28 m) characterized by strong
thermal stratification, with a thermocline located at around
40 m where animals dove preferentially. In September,
diving activity increased where the water column was more
homogeneous in temperature (no thermocline) at around
3°C. In UB, beluga used generally deeper waters (119 +/84 m). However, no particular depth was more intensively
used in this area. Water column in UB was homothermic at
around 1°C. In the LS, beluga preferentially selected an area
on the continental plateau characterized by a deep trough
(353 +/- 171 m). There, sea surface temperature reached
-1.8°C, and most of the water column was at around 0°C
except for a deep zone at around 3 or 4°C where beluga
systematically dove. The habitat preferentially used by
belugas in JB was shallow (25 +/- 10 m) and the water
column was generally warm during the summer months
(around 7°C). In November, water temperatures began to
decrease significantly to reach negative values in December.
An intensification of beluga diving activity was observed at
that time.
In the past, environmental conditions in EHB
and in JB appear to have been more similar to one another
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ASM2010 Conference Programme and Abstracts
than they currently are. Long-term changes in sea surface
temperature and decreases in sea ice concentration, both
linked to global warming, are known to have occurred in the
region since the early 1990s. The evolution, distribution, and
ecology of the beluga whales are influenced by the dynamic
nature of the seasonal pack ice, which suggests the timing
and geographical patterns of seasonal migrations and the
time spent in select summering and wintering grounds may
be changing in the current climatic context.
SEABED MORPHOLOGY, PROCESSES, AND
GEOLOGIC FRAMEWORK OF NORTHERN
BAFFIN BAY AND LANCASTER SOUND
Bennett, Robbie1 (rbennett@nrcan.gc.ca), S. Blasco1, C.
Campbell1, J. Hughes-Clarke2 and I. Church2
Geological Survey of Canada (Atlantic), P.O. Box 1006,
Dartmouth, NS, B2Y 4A2
2
Ocean Mapping Group, Dept of Geodesy and Geomatics
Engineering, University of New Brunswick, P.O. Box 4400,
Fredericton, NB, E3B 5A3
1
The Greenland portion of Northern Baffin Bay is
currently undergoing extensive hydrocarbon exploration and
is the site of oil and gas discoveries in recent years. There
has been no exploration activity in the Canadian portion
of Northern Baffin Bay and Lancaster Sound since the
late 1970’s due to concerns about the lack of knowledge
about this unique and sensitive environment. Over thirty
years later the shallow geology and geohazard potential
of this region is not well understood even though the
area represents an un-drilled and under-explored potential
hydrocarbon basin that is equivalent in size to the BeaufortMackenzie Basin. These issues must be addressed in order
to make informed decisions about the future of this area.
Under the ArcticNet seabed mapping project, the CCGS
Amundsen has been acquiring multibeam echosounder
and sub-bottom profiler data in the Northern Baffin Bay
and Lancaster Sound since 2004. In 2008, the Geological
Survey of Canada and University partners at the University
of Quebec at Rimouski and the University of Quebec
at Montreal completed a research cruise in the Northern
Baffin Bay and Lancaster Sound area onboard the CCGS
Hudson which collected 13 piston cores and about 700 km
of high resolution seismic data. These data sets are being
integrated to understand the shallow geology of the area in
order to identify and analyze potential seabed geohazards.
The seabed of Lancaster Sound has been
influenced by past glaciations as shown by glacial fluting
and deep water ice scours that are observed on multibeam
data throughout the Sound. The current understanding
of the geologic framework is that Lancaster Sound is
comprised of bedrock overlain by discontinuous glacial
till. Thin glaciomarine sediments drape the till and/or
bedrock. Localized accumulations of Holocene sediment
infill depressions with thickness varying from <1 to ~10 m.
The seabed of Northern Baffin Bay is dominated by a very
large deep water fan which has been collecting sediments
since the Eocene from fluvial deltaic sources followed by
sediment derived from glacial-interglacial sequences.
A naturally occurring hydrocarbon vent at Scott Inlet
(in Northern Baffin Bay) was first observed in 1976 and
continues to be active today. The area has been mapped
by multibeam and a submersible dive using the CCGS
Amundsen’s ROV in 2009 was able to image gas escaping
from the seabed. Understanding these features is important
to establishing a baseline of natural hydrocarbons present in
the waters of the Northwest Passage.
Ice Scours have been observed to water depth of
850m at the mouth of Lancaster Sound. These scours are
of interest as present day ice berg keels have been observed
to have a maximum draft of 450 – 500m in the Arctic. Ice
scours in 850m water depth may have been caused during
the last glaciation when sea level was about 100m lower
and glacial ice up to 1000m thick was present in the area.
The study of these deep water scours is important in order
to distinguish them from the shallow water scours that are
being generated from the present ice conditions.
LIFE UNDER THE SNOW: THE EFFECTS OF
SNOW COVER ON LEMMING POPULATION
DYNAMICS
Bilodeau, Frédéric1 (frederic.bilodeau.4@ulaval.ca), G.
Gauthier1 and D. Berteaux2
Département de Biologie, Université Laval, Québec,
Québec, G1V 0A6
2
Département de Biologie, Chimie et Géographie, UQAR,
Rimouski, Québec, G5L 3A1
1
Rising temperatures and changes in the
precipitation regime will have a strong impact on both the
quality and depth of the snow cover in the Arctic. A snow
cover of high quality is thought to be an important factor
for maintaining the cyclic dynamic of lemming (Dicrostonyx
groenlandicus and Lemmus sibiricus) populations in the tundra.
A good snow cover will insulate lemmings from extreme
variations in external temperature and will protect them
from most predators in winter but will also allow them an
easy access to food plants in the sub-niveau space. On Bylot
Island, Nunavut, we tested the hypothesis that greater snow
depth will enhance lemming density and reproduction rate
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ASM2010 Conference Programme and Abstracts
during winter by experimentally increasing the snow depth
on a 7.29 ha experimental plot with multiple lines of snow
fence from 2007 to 2010. The snow fences increased snow
depth by about 50% compared to a control site but not
uniformly across the experimental plot. Preliminary results
show an increase in lemming winter nests density due to
enhanced snow depth but no other effect on demographic
parameters. We also examined how the snow cover
influenced the amplitude of the lemming cycles. Using a
16-year time series of lemming abundance on Bylot Island,
we modeled their cycle of abundance using two approaches.
We adjusted an autoregressive model, which included
lemming density in the previous year, and a sinusoidal
model. Support for the autoregressive model would indicate
that density-dependent effects drive the cycle (likely through
a bottom-up process), whereas support for the sinusoidal
model would rather suggest that external processes (such
as predation) drive the cycle. So far the sinusoidal model
fits the data better than the autoregressive one, pointing
to external factors as a more probable cause of lemming
cycles at our study site. We added three snow cover
related variables (snow density and depth and subnivean
temperature) to these models. Preliminary results show that
adding the snow cover variables significantly improves the
fit of both models to the data. This suggests that quality of
the snow cover in winter may have a strong impact on the
high-amplitude lemming cycles.
GEOLOGICAL PROCESSES ON THE CANADIAN
BEAUFORT OUTER SHELF AND UPPER SLOPE
Blasco, Steve1 (sblasco@nrcan.gc.ca), R. Bennett1, K.
MacKillop1, J. Hughes-Clarke2 and I. Church2
Geological Survey of Canada (Atlantic), P.O. Box 1006,
Dartmouth, NS, B2Y 4A2
2
Ocean Mapping Group, Dept of Geodesy and Geomatics
Engineering, University of New Brunswick, P.O. Box 4400,
Fredericton, NB, E3B 5A3
1
Beaufort Sea seabed research is being conducted in
response to the recent federal government release of deep
water leases for hydrocarbon exploration drilling. Under the
ArcticNet seabed mapping project, the CCGS Amundsen
has continued to acquire multibeam, subbottom profile and
sediment sample data to define the geological framework for
geohazard assessment. Initial interpretation of these data is
providing an insight into the geological processes that have
been active on the Canadian Beaufort outer shelf and upper
slope.
The dynamics of the Beaufort outer shelf and
upper slope are influenced by shelf processes that have
been ongoing over the last 18,000 years. Progradational
distal glacial outwash deposits cover the shelf and upper
slope. Sediment laden meltwater discharge across the
shelf from the ablating Laurentide ice sheet provided the
sediment source. Sheet flow shifted to channel flow during
deglaciation. Late glacial meltwater density flows eroded well
defined linear drainage channels into the outwash deposits
both across the shelf and down slope.
During the last glacial period with the associated
sea level lowstand, the shelf was subaerially exposed out
to the 100m isobath. Subaerial deposition of the glacial
outwash on the exposed shelf was accompanied by the
aggradation of permafrost. The northern limit of icebearing permafrost appears to be correlative with the shelf
break and sea level lowstand at the 100 m isobath. Pingolike features and gas venting occur discontinuously at the
shelf edge. The spatial association of these features with the
northern edge of permafrost probably indicates that fluids
are migrating along the base of the relatively impermeable
permafrost and escaping at the shelf edge. Rising sea level
resulted in erosion of the outwash sediments and the
deposition of thin transgressive deposits. At the shelf edge
in 100m of water these sediments at 0.3 m below seabed
are dated at 9000 BP. Overlying recent mud deposits form a
thin veneer at the shelf edge that thickens significantly down
slope. Upwelling processes at the shelf edge over time have
prevented the accumulation of sediment over the last 9,000
years.
GRANULAR RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
PLANNING AND CLIMATE CHANGE IN THE
INUVIALUIT SETTLEMENT REGION: FROM
RESEARCH TO IMPLEMENTATION
Borsy, Emily1, 2 (eborsy@irc.inuvialuit.com), J. Fraser1 and F.
Duerden2
Inuvialuit Land Administration, Tuktoyaktuk, NT X0E
1C0
2
Department of Geographic Analysis, Ryerson University,
Toronto, Ontario M5B 2K3
1
As the impacts of climate change become more
apparent in Arctic communities and as permafrost degrades,
it will become more important for resource managers
to plan for aggregate resources required for adapting
infrastructure to environmental change. This presentation
provides a review of the results of ArcticNet funded
research to implement a Granular Resources Management
Plan in the Inuvialuit Settlement Region, in the Beaufort
Delta region of the Northwest Territories. A comparative
analysis of how aggregates were managed in the Inuvialuit
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ASM2010 Conference Programme and Abstracts
Settlement Region before and after the development of the
ISR Granular Resources Management Plan is presented.
At the 2007 ArcticNet ASM, the presenting author
presented a poster titled “Impacts of Climate Change on
the Availability of Granular Resources in the Inuvialuit
Settlement Region, NWT.” It suggested that community
infrastructure in the Inuvialuit Settlement Region is
vulnerable to climate change, and that aggregate availability
is critical to ensuring that community infrastructure is
protected from environmental change. It also outlined
several initiatives that might be important for an integrated
approach to adaptation, including: the creation of an
aggregate inventory for the Inuvialuit Settlement Region,
the completion of aggregate demand forecasts for each
community in the Region, and the development of a
Granular Resources Management Plan which takes into
consideration community needs and environmental changes.
In 2008, the Inuvialuit Land Administration
began working in collaboration with Indian and Northern
Affairs Canada to define how granular resources could be
cooperatively managed in the Inuvialuit Settlement Region.
The research, completed in 2009 by the author3,4, was used
as a basis for the development of the Inuvialuit Settlement
Region Granular Resources Management Plan which was
formally adopted by the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation in
2010, and is currently undergoing implementation.
The Management Plan identifies a number
of circumstances which may affect the adaptation of
community infrastructure to environmental change.
These include potential difficulties accessing aggregates as
transport conditions change, increased demand to enhance
foundations, road-beds and runways in the face of warming,
increased demand resulting from community growth and
development, increased demand associated with oil and
natural gas development and the construction of all weather
highways to replace winter roads.
Building on the outcome of the ArcticNet project
the Management Plan recognises that the identified
inventory of aggregates is relatively low and irregularly
distributed in the Inuvialuit Settlement Region (ISR),
and there are significant cost implications for developing
aggregate sources for community supply. Climate change
will also further decrease the availability of aggregates as a
result of reduced ice and winter road transportation seasons,
and due to the melting of ground ice within granular
deposits.
TRENDS IN SHRUB DYNAMIC IN THE HIGHARCTIC: THE CASE OF THE ARCTIC WILLOW
Boulanger-Lapointe, Noémie1 (boulangn@uqtr.ca), E.
Lévesque1, N.M. Schmidt2, C. Baittinger3, S. Boudreau4 and
M. C. Forchhammer2,5
Département de chimie-biologie, Université du Québec à
Trois-Rivières, Trois-Rivières, Québec, G9A 5H7
2
Department of Arctic Environment, National
Environmental Research Institute, Aarhus University, DK4000 Roskilde, Denmark
3
Environmental Archeology, National Museum of
Denmark, DK-1220 Copenhagen, Denmark
4
Département de biologie, Université Laval, Québec,
Québec, G1V 0A6
5
Greenland Climate Research Center, Greenland Institute
of Natural Ressources, 3900 Nuuk, Greenland
1
Modification of plant abundance and distribution,
especially shrubs, has been predicted by warming
experiments using open-top chambers and confirmed by
aerial photography analyses and land based observations in
the Low-Arctic. In the High-Arctic, even though satellite
images analyses suggest an increase in NDVI and warming
experiments have had a positive effect on shrub cover, little
is known about natural system responses. Arctic willow
(Salix arctica Pall.) is a structuring species in these harsh
environments that could induce noticeable vegetation
cover changes, either by increased growth of established
individuals and/or by colonization of new sites.
Species cover, population age structure and
individual annual growth analyses have been conducted
at four locations in Canada (Resolute Bay, Alexandra
Fjord, Sverdrup Pass and Lake A; from 74°N 94°W to
83°N 75°W) and one in Eastern Greenland (Zackenberg
Research Station; 74°N, 20°W). Study sites are located in
relatively exposed sites with sparse vegetation cover (< 5%)
representative of polar desert communities. Vegetation
survey records over the last 10 years indicate that most
of the sites have experienced a slight, but not significant,
increase in willow cover. Population age structure, obtained
through the dendrochronological analyses of over 200
willows established by seed, tends toward the same
conclusion: populations are not in expansion but have had a
peak of colonization between the 60s and the 80s. However,
in the most protected sites, annual individual growth has
increased in time. Productivity might thus be enhanced in
areas where inhibiting factors such as water limitation and
growing season length are not the main determinants of
ecosystem composition. In addition, detailed colonization
investigations pursued in Zackenberg have demonstrated
that seedling establishment is possible. On the studied
site, year seedling density have reach 8 seedlings/m2 with
a survival rate of approximately 25% in the five following
years. The findings of this research lead to address with
caution to High-Arctic barren landscapes the hypothesis
of a greening of the Arctic associated with increase shrub
cover.
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ASM2010 Conference Programme and Abstracts
THE ECOLOGICAL DETERMINANTS OF
MUSKRAT ABUNDANCE AT THE NORTHERN
EDGE OF THEIR RANGE: RESULTS AND
IMPLICATIONS FOR TRADITIONAL FOOD
USERS
Brammer, Jeremy (jeremy.brammer@mail.mcgill.ca)
Department of Natural Resource Sciences, McGill
University, Ste Anne de Bellevue, Quebec, H9X 3V9
As a part of the multidisciplinary International
Polar Year (IPY) project entitled “Yeendoo Nanh
Nakhweenjit K’atr’ahanahtyaa – Environmental Change
and Traditional Use of the Old Crow Flats in Northern
Canada” we have been studying the traditionally harvested
wildlife of the Old Crow Flats (OCF), Yukon. The OCF
is a vast wetland complex comprised of more than 2700
lakes located in the Northern Yukon. It forms an integral
component of the traditional territory of the Vuntut
Gwitchin First Nation and is a major source of local
traditional food security.
Here I present results pertaining to the muskrat
(Ondatra zibethicus), a small, broad ranging, semi-aquatic
rodent that plays an important role in wetland ecosystems.
In the OCF, muskrats represent a significant portion of
the traditional harvest of the Vuntut Gwitchin. With this
in mind, it is the goal of this research to document the
environmental determinants of muskrat abundance at the
northern edge of their range.
Using aerial surveys of muskrat pushups
constructed upon lake ice, I have quantified muskrat
abundance within 200 lakes across the whole of the
OCF for the past three years. These abundance data can
be compared with environmental variables based on
LANDSAT and RADARSAT images. In particular, I wish
to examine what role the relative phenology of spring ice
melt plays in determining muskrat abundance. Spring ice
phenology will be considered along with lake morphological
characteristics, productivity and surrounding land cover.
Given the context of Arctic warming and the
declines in other traditional food species like the caribou,
understanding the ecology of other locally harvested
species becomes an issue of greater concern. The muskrat
represents a species that is likely to benefit from regional
trends of warming and could play a greater role in
traditional harvesting activities in the future.
NUNAVIMMUIT KNOWLEDGE OF
BELUGA: UNDERSTANDING BELUGA
(DELPHINAPTERUS LEUCAS) MIGRATORY AND
LOCAL MOVEMENT IN NUNAVIK
Breton-Honeyman, Kaitlin1 (kaitlinbreton@trentu.ca), C.
Furgal1, M. Hammill2, V. Lesage2, W. Doidge3 and B. Hickie1
Environmental and Life Sciences Program, Trent
University, Peterborough, Ontario, K9J 7B8
2
Maurice-Lamontagne Institute, Department of Fisheries
and Oceans, Mont-Joli, Québec, G5H 3Z4
3
Nunavik Research Centre, Makivik Corporation, Kuujjuaq,
Québec, J0M 1C0
1
Unprecedented rates of climatic change in the
Arctic may be altering Arctic marine mammal ecology. One
species of particular interest, likely influenced by current
trends in environmental variables in the North, is the beluga
whale (Delphinapterus leucas). The beluga whale remains
important to the subsistence livelihood and culture of the
Inuit. Further, this species can be regarded as a sentinel
for marine ecosystem health. The use of Inuit Traditional
Ecological Knowledge (TEK) in marine mammal ecology
and management has been growing in recent decades. Our
research focuses on two populations of beluga, both of
which are considered to be endangered by the Committee
on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada. These
populations have been slow to recover following the end
of commercial hunting one century ago, and continued
subsistence harvesting.
TEK about beluga was collected and documented
from expert hunters and elders to increase the
understanding of ecological factors influencing habitat
use. Thirty-nine semi-directive interviews following an
ethnocartographic format were conducted in four Nunavik
communities (Kangiqsualujjuaq, Quaqtaq, Ivujivik and
Kuujjuaraapik) in the winter of 2009 and 2010. Interviews
were analyzed using NVivo (qualitative analysis software).
Interviews covered a broad range of topics including, prey
species, changes in body condition, stock differentiation,
accounts of predation and local and migration movement
patterns. A presentation of TEK data on migratory and
local movements illustrates the detail and depth of the
knowledge held by hunters and elders in Nunavik on this
species. Data presented covers the topics of: timing of
migration, migratory patterns, descriptions of movements
and factors influencing movement patterns and habitat use
as well as observed changes in migration. This research
is part of an interdisciplinary project to increase the
understanding of beluga habitat selection and use via a
combination of TEK and scientific survey techniques.
Ultimately, the project will identify critical factors
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ASM2010 Conference Programme and Abstracts
influencing habitat use and preference and the ecological
variables associated with these areas of importance.
Increased understanding of ecology and habitat selection is
essential in understanding and promoting conservation and
recovery of this species in Nunavik marine waters.
the Torngat Mountains. These areas are also characterized
by the climate model as having the largest natural climate
variability.
HUGIN 1000 AUV FOR ARCTIC APPLICATIONS
CLIMATE VARIABILITY AND CHANGE IN THE
CANADIAN EASTERN SUBARCTIC IRIS REGION:
A SUMMARY OF CHAPTER 2 OF THE IRIS-4
ASSESSMENT
Burchill, Nick(nick.burchill@kongsberg.com), E. Gustafson,
B. Jalving and Ø. Engelhardtsen
Brown, Ross1,2, M. Allard3, C. Barrette3, T. Bell4, M. Bernier5,
S. Bleau5, D. Chaumont2, A. Frigon2, M. Lemay3 and D.
Paquin2
The increase in human activity in the Arctic region
has led to a need for improved knowledge about the subsea
Arctic environment. Requirements for bathymetric and
geophysical mapping of the seafloor in ice-covered areas
are increasing, as well as the need to gain more knowledge
about the ice itself. Seabed mapping requirements stem
from several sources, including Minerals Management
Service (MMS), academic research and national territory
mapping. Requirements for mapping the underside of
ice floes are being formulated as the concept of Ice
Management emerges as a critical risk-reducing measure for
offshore Oil & Gas companies.
An autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) is the
natural tool to employ for under-ice surveying, in both
shallow and deep waters, and for both seabed- and ice
underside mapping. Traditionally, AUVs have provided
significant cost benefits for deep-water survey work, where
tow-body based systems suffer from comparatively lower
operational efficiency. However, for efficient under-ice
mapping of large areas, AUVs are even more attractive due
to the presence of the ice itself.
A range of new challenges arise when using AUVs
for under-ice surveying. These include risk of collision with
the ice, increased risk of a lost AUV, and a more challenging
environment for maintaining long-range autonomous
navigation accuracy. Additionally, AUV launch and recovery
(L&R) operations will require innovative solutions to keep
the risk of damage at an acceptable level.
The HUGIN 1000 Arctic Class AUV system
addresses the challenges of the Arctic environment.
Operational risk is minimized by employing high area
coverage rate (ACR) sensors, such as interferometric
synthetic aperture sonar (Kongsberg HISAS 1030) and
multibeam echo sounder. The HUGIN AUV concept
includes a number of enabling technologies for underice operations, including collision avoidance algorithms
specifically developed for under-ice operations and radiothrough-ice localization and communication systems.
Environment Canada, Climate Research Division
Ouranos Consortium
3
Centre d’études nordiques, Université Laval
4
Memorial University
5
INRS-ETE, Université du Québec
1
2
This presentation will provide a summary of the
material included in the Climate Chapter of the IRIS4 assessment. The chapter provides an overview of the
factors influencing the climate of the Nunavik-Nunatsiavut
region on seasonal and decadal to multi-decadal time scales
with reference to observed and proxy information on air
temperature, precipitation, ice and snow cover, glaciers,
and the ground thermal regime (ground temperature and
active layer depth). The Chapter presents information on
recent trends in key climate variables and indicators as well
as scenarios of projected changes in a range of climate
variables selected for their potential to be impacted by
climate change and their relevance to northern communities.
The climate scenarios were developed for the 2050 timeframe (averaged over 2041-2070) based on a six member
ensemble of projections from the Canadian Regional
Climate Model (CRCM) run at Ouranos.
The historical precipitation and temperature record
for the region shows evidence of important multi-decadal
scale variability with the period from the early 1990s
characterized by rapid warming, decreases in snow and
ice cover, abrupt decline in glacier extent in the Torngat
Mountains, and continuous deepening of the permafrost
active layer. The climate change scenarios for the 2050
period suggest that mean annual temperatures over the
Nunavik-Nunatsiavut region will be ~3°C warmer with a
~10-25% increase in mean annual precipitation. Important
seasonal and spatial differences in the magnitude of these
projected changes are highlighted in the presentation.
Some of the largest relative changes are projected to occur
along the Hudson Bay coast, the Ungava Peninsula and
Kongsberg Maritime, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, B3B 2B6
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ASM2010 Conference Programme and Abstracts
THE POLAR BARCODE OF LIFE PROJECT:
DISCOVERING AND DOCUMENTING
DIVERSITY
Carr, Christina (carrc@uoguelph.ca), S. J. Adamowicz and P.
D. N. Hebert
Biodiversity Institute of Ontario, University of Guelph,
Guelph, Ontario, N1G2W1
The Polar Barcode of Life program (PolarBOL)
is an international initiative aiming to discover and
catalogue terrestrial, freshwater, and marine diversity in
polar environments. PolarBOL participants aim to obtain
DNA barcodes for 20K species by 2015 and in the process
to provide novel insights into the magnitude of polar
biodiversity, the distributions and associations of species,
biogeographic patterns, and climate change effects. This
campaign is led by scientists from Norway, New Zealand,
and Canada with increasing and welcome participation from
other nations. A focal project within PolarBOL is one of the
first attempted all-taxon biodiversity inventories to employ
DNA barcoding, conducted at the boreal/Arctic transitional
site of Churchill, Manitoba, Canada. To date, this project
has generated ~40K barcode records representing ~4K
species and has revealed a striking and unexpected level
of diversity within some taxonomic groups. Here, we
present circum-Arctic barcode results for one marine group
(Polychaeta), discussing its species diversity, trans-Arctic
invasion history, and biogeography. These data suggest that
1/4 of polychaete morphospecies are actually complexes
of multiple species and that ‘widespread’ species show
significantly more geographic structure than previously
thought. The extent and patterning of sequence divergence
among trans-Arctic polychaete species suggests that
interglacial range expansion and subsequent vicariance
occurred at multiple times throughout the Pleistocene, and
provided a powerful opportunity for the calibration of a
molecular clock. We also highlight key gaps in the dataset as
well as potential future directions for marine research within
PolarBOL.
A DISCUSSION OF THE ROLE OF SCIENCE IN
CANADA’S NORTHERN STRATEGY
Carson, Lee (lee.carson@norstrat.ca)
NORSTRAT Consulting, 3 Arbuckle Crescent, Ottawa, ON,
K2G 5G9
interconnected pillars addressing sovereignty, promoting
economic and social development, protecting our
environmental heritage, and providing Northerners with
more control over their economic and political destiny.
Along with this Strategy, the government has
already announced some $8B worth of major engineering
projects directly aimed at implementing elements of that
strategy. Many of these large, ambitious, and risky projects
are planned to be implemented in the 2012-2016 timeframe.
Making these announcements a reality represents a huge
challenge for Canada, and yet it is a challenge we as a Nation
can’t afford to have fail.
This paper explores the role of science in the
Northern Strategy, both as a key element in its own right,
but also as a vital enabling element to the engineering mega
projects announced to date and anticipated in the future.
Although the Northern Strategy is generally
described in terms of its four pillars, that structure does
not serve as an ideal framework for describing the capital
projects already announced and still needed to implement
the strategy. A better framework might be the Prime
Minister’s speech of 2008 in which he stated “To develop
the North, we must know the North. To protect the North,
we must control the North.”
“Knowing the North” certainly involves science of
the North and education about the North, two elements of
which are clearly a focus of ArcticNet and their Schools on
Board program. Knowing the North is also the link between
the Northern Strategy and the recently announced High
Arctic Research Station planned for Cambridge Bay.
However Knowing the North also covers a number of
ambitious engineering and infrastructure development
project announcements including mapping, surveillance, and
weather forecasting systems. All will require innovative, out
of the box thinking and scientific advancement in order for
them to succeed.
The paper will first itemize and summarize the $8B
of Arctic Strategy projects that have been identified so far
and describe a new engineering program structure for these
projects. Gaps will be identified and additional projects will
be proposed.
Next, the paper will discuss the key areas of
scientific and technical risk associated with these planned
and proposed projects, summarize some of the key
scientific innovations made to date, and outline some of the
key scientific challenges remaining to make these projects
successful.
Finally the paper will present some ideas and
opportunities for collaboration between the government,
industry, and the scientific community in addressing these
scientific problems and risks.
The Government of Canada has developed
and announced an Arctic Strategy, comprised of four
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ASM2010 Conference Programme and Abstracts
RINGED SEALS AS INDICATORS OF
ECOSYSTEM CHANGES
Chambellant, Magaly1 (mchambellant@yahoo.fr) and S. H.
Ferguson1,2
Department of Biological Sciences, Univeristy of
Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, R3T 2N2
2
Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Winnipeg, Manitoba, R3T
2N6
1
Recently, Hudson Bay experienced unidirectional
trends in temperature, sea-ice extent, time of break-up,
and length of the open-water season. Predicted impacts
on population dynamics of ice-associated species include
habitat loss and shift in prey availability. The ringed seal
(Phoca hispida) depends on a stable ice platform with
sufficient snow depth and a productive open-water season
for reproduction and survival. Evidence of ringed seal
sensitivity to environmental variations has been reported,
but mechanisms involved were poorly understood. In
western Hudson Bay, density, life-history traits, and diet of
ringed seals were monitored over two decades, providing an
opportunity to understand the effects of climatic variations
on the population dynamics of this long-lived carnivore.
Ringed seal density was estimated through strip-transect
analyses after aerial surveys were flown in western Hudson
Bay in late spring during the annual moult in the 1990s and
2000s. During these periods, ringed seals were also sampled
from Inuit subsistence fall harvests In Arviat, NU, and
ages, reproductive status, percentage of pups in the harvest,
and diet were assessed. Strong inter-annual variations in
these parameters were observed, and a decadal cycle was
suggested and related to variations in the sea-ice regime. The
exceptionally cold and heavy ice conditions that prevailed
in the eastern Arctic in 1991-92 likely induced a shift from
pelagic to benthic in the Hudson Bay productivity, reducing
the availability to ringed seals of sand lances (Ammodytes sp.),
their major prey. Ringed seals were not able to compensate
for the energy loss from sand lances by feeding benthically
and the nutritional stress endured, combined with an
increased predation pressure by polar bears (Ursus maritimus)
and arctic foxes (Alopex lagopus), led to a decrease in ringed
seal reproductive performances, pup survival, and density
during the 1990s. The recovery of ringed seal demographic
parameters and number in the 2000s was associated with the
immigration of pups, juveniles, and young adults into the
western Hudson Bay area. Variations in ringed seal density,
demographic parameters and above all, feeding habits
reflected changes in the sea-ice regime, productivity, and fish
community of western Hudson Bay, confirming that the
ringed seal is a good indicator species of ecosystem changes,
and long-term monitoring of the species in Hudson Bay
should be a priority.
FROM ERS TO SENTINEL-1, FROM R&D TO
OPERATIONAL SERVICE – PRESENT AND
FUTURE OF SHIP AND ICEBERG DETECTION/
DISCRIMINATION WITH SAR
Power, D.1, J. Chamberland2, S. Churchill2 and P. Adlakha3
C-CORE, Morrissey Road, St. John’s, Newfoundland and
Labrador, A1B 3X5
2
C-CORE, 400 March Road, Kanata, Ontario, K2K 3H4
3
C-CORE, 16 Ingram Drive, Fall River, Nova Scotia, B2T
1E7
1
Satellite synthetic aperture radar (SAR) is naturally
applicable to monitoring icebergs and vessels with their
ability to provide images in either day or night, through
cloud or fog, and various wind conditions. Conditions, like
cloud, fog and high winds can impede traditional monitoring
methods such as areal surveillance. Radar satellites also offer
the advantage of monitoring areas that are not feasible to
monitor through areal surveillance such as extreme north
and south latitudes or very large area surveillance. It is in
this context that C-CORE provides an operational SARbased iceberg and ship surveillance service. This service
is downstream GMES service offered through the ESA
funded Polar View, a project with a team of over 80 partners
in 14 countries. Polar View (whose origins started in 2002)
provides advanced environmental monitoring services from
satellites. The services are focused on operational users
requiring timely information on an ongoing basis.
Polar View’s iceberg and ship surveillance service
has been realized through a solid foundation of fourteen
years of ongoing research and development with funding
from the oil and gas industry, the Canadian Ice Service,
the Canadian and European Space Agencies and Defence
Research and Development Canada. Iceberg detection
programs have been conducted by C CORE in virtually
every place on the earth that are subject to icebergs
including Eastern and Northern Canada, Alaska, Greenland,
the Barents Sea, the South Atlantic, Pacific and Indian
Oceans and Antarctica. The SAR satellites that C-CORE
has investigated include ERS, RADARSAT-1/2, ALOS
PALSAR, ENVISAT ASAR, TerraSAR-X and CosmoSkymed.
The primary topics of research have included the
ability of SAR to detect icebergs and vessels as a function
of sea-state, frequency, polarization and resolution. Equally
important to detection is the reliable discrimination
between ships and icebergs as misclassification can result
in expending significant resources for investigation. Thus,
research has also included the ability of multi-frequency
multi-polarization SAR to classify ship and icebergs targets.
The paper will primarily concentrate on recent results of
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ASM2010 Conference Programme and Abstracts
detection and classification analyses with C-Band SAR,
derived from ASAR, Convair-580 SAR and RADARSAT-2.
Detection performance, as a function of polarization,
will be presented by means of receiver operating
characteristic curves that provide a plot of probability
of missed detection versus probability of false alarms.
Classification performance has been derived using a
multivariate maximum likelihood classifier that incorporates
detection morphology, polarization features, coherent
target decompositions and radar cross section measures.
A methodology to extend this analyses to simulations of
Sentinel-1 and RADARSAT Constellation Mission will be
presented to allow the quantification of expected service
performance once these mission are launched in the near
future.
CAN CARIBOU CONTROL THEIR RESOURCES ?
SIMULATING HERBIVORY ON A KEY SUMMER
FOOD RESOURCE, THE AMERICAN DWARF
BIRCH
Champagne, Emilie1,2, J-P. Tremblay1,2 and S. D. Côté1,2
Département de Biologie, Université Laval, Québec,
Québec, G1V 0A6
2
Centre d’Étude Nordique, Québec, Québec, G1V 0A6
1
In the last few decades, large populations of
migratory caribou (Rangifer tarandus) occurred in Nunavik
and Nunatsiavut. At high abundance and in arctic
ecosystems with low productivity, large herbivores can
influence the availability and quality of plants. This can
in turn exert retroactive feedbacks on the life history
of caribou. Our objective was to evaluate the effects
of herbivory levels on a key resource for caribou: the
American dwarf birch (Betula glandulosa Michx.). Because
the abundance of this resource has been hypothesized
to partly buffer the decrease of caribou herds following
overuse of lichens, we were interested in understanding
how it responds to variation in browsing pressure. The
compensatory continuum hypothesis stipulates that plant
response to browsing, and potential compensatory growth
to replace lost tissues, is a function of nutrient availability.
Based on this hypothesis, we predicted that dwarf birch
could compensate for moderate tissue removal only when
supplied with nitrogen. Alternatively, the limiting resource
model suggests that plant response to browsing is a function
of the resource limiting plant growth vs. the resource
affected by browsing. According to this hypothesis, we
predicted compensation to occur at moderate browsing with
or without nitrogen addition because browsing is removing
photosynthetic tissues using carbon while the resource
limiting growth in arctic tundra is nitrogen. Both hypotheses
predict undercompensation under heavy browsing pressure.
In spring 2009, we implemented a simulated browsing
experiment in the summer range of the Rivière-aux-Feuilles
caribou herd by allocating two levels of nitrogen input (0
and 10g/m2 of urea) and three levels of browsing pressure
(0%, 25% and 75% of available shoots) in five replicated
blocks. We estimated the above-ground primary productivity
with the point intercept method and monitored individual
branches after 2 years of treatment. Preliminary results
indicate that birches with 25% of their shoots browsed
had an above-ground primary productivity similar to
unbrowsed birches. At high browsing pressure, the aboveground primary productivity was lower than for unbrowsed
shrubs. Compensation at low browsing pressure occurred
independently of the nitrogen treatment, a scenario
corresponding to the prediction of the limiting resource
model. Our results indicate that a low browsing pressure has
a neutral effect on birch biomass, which could be positive
for a rising or declining caribou population. On the other
hand, a large caribou population could deplete one of their
key summer resources in a short time. Our results could
also be affected by the structure of birches, as the number
of leaves or their size could be modified by browsing.
Structural data will be examined in the near future.
ALGAE THAT BEHAVE LIKE ANIMALS:
DOMINANCE OF HIGH ARCTIC LAKES BY
MIXOTROPHIC CHRYSOPHYTES
Charvet, Sophie1,2,3 (sophie.charvet.1@ulaval.ca), W.F.
Vincent1,3 and C. Lovejoy 1,2
Département de Biologie, Université Laval, Québec,
Québec, G1V 0A6
2
Québec-Océan, Université Laval, Québec, Québec, G1V
0A6
3
Centre d’Études Nordiques, Université Laval, Québec,
Québec, G1V 0A6
1
Classical microscopy and pigment analyses were
combined with an 18S rRNA gene survey to investigate
protist biodiversity in three High Arctic lakes (latitudes 75˚
to 83˚N) in late summer. Although the protist community
at each site had a unique species composition, they were all
characterised by chrysophyte dominance. Chrysophyceae
accounted for 50 to 80% of the total biomass as determined
by microscopy and were the most commonly retrieved
sequences from clone libraries. Accessory pigment analysis
showed a corresponding abundance of fucoxanthin, a
marker carotenoid for several groups of heterokonts,
especially chrysophytes. Chrysophyte genera Dinobryon,
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ASM2010 Conference Programme and Abstracts
Kephyrion and Erkenia were detected via microscopy,
and many of the 18S rDNA sequences clustered with
similar known cultured chrysophytes. The gene survey
provided new insights into Chrysophycean phylogeny, with
some novel sequences emerging at the base of a strongly
supported monophyletic Chrysophyceae group.
In arctic aquatic environments, mixotrophy, or the capacity
to combine photosynthetic carbon fixation and with
the ingestion of food particles, would enable the algae
to maintain a basal metabolic activity during the dark
winter months when photosynthesis is impossible. Many
chrysophyceans are mixotrophic and different clades
associated with mixotrophs Ochromonas, Dinobryon or
Cyclonexis were abundant in the all three lakes studied.
The dominance of mixotrophs, at the end of the growing
season, in lakes of different hydrological and nutrient
characteristics suggests that features of the Arctic
environment strongly select for this group of organisms.
THE INTERNATIONAL INUIT COHORT
STUDY: BEGINNINGS OF THE DATABASE
INTEGRATION
Chateau-Degat, Marie-Ludivine1 (marie-ludivine.chateaudegat@crchul.ulaval.ca), B. Abdous1, P. Bjerregaard2, E.
Dewailly1, G. M. Egeland3, C. Furgal4, S. Owens1 and K. T.
Young5
Axe de recherche en santé des populations et
Environnmentale, CRCHUQ, Université Laval, Québec
G1V 2M, Canada
2
Department of Family and Health, University of Southern
Denmark, DK-1353 Copenhagen, Denmark
3
School of Dietetics and Human Nutrition,Ste. Anne de
Bellevue, Quebec H9X 3V9, Canada
4
Departments of Indigenous Studies and Environment
and Resource Studies/Science, Gzowski College Trent
University, Peterborough, K9J 7B8, ON, Canada
5
Dalla Lana School of Public Health ,Toronto, ON M5T
3M7, Canada
1
The radical diet and lifestyle modifications seen in
circumpolar Inuit populations over the past half-century
are associated with profound changes in health status.
The international adult Inuit cohort study entitled «The
Inuit Health in Transition Study» will study this specific
phenomenon. The cohort includes circumpolar Inuit
populations from Nunavik (component region 1), Nunavut,
Nunatsiavut, Northwest Territories (Inuvialuit Settlement
Region) (component region 2), and Denmark/Greenland
(component region 3) and each study has a cross-sectional
population based design. Although, previous 3 companion
studies had similar protocol, additional work is needed to
operationalize the collaboration among the three study
sections. This paper will provide an overview of this
recently initiated ArcticNet project and propose first results
of our analysis in order to show the significance of these
type of analyses at regional level for stakeholders.
PLANKTON POPULATION DYNAMICS DURING
SUMMER AND WINTER IN HIGH ARCTIC,
SHALLOW LAKES
Christoffersen, Kirsten (kchristoffersen@bio.ku.dk)
Freshwater Biological Laboratory, University of
Copenhagen, Denmark
High Arctic lakes are characterized by ice coverage
for approx. 10 month but due to logistical complications
most studies take place during the very short ice-free
summer period. The seasonal variations of snow and ice
overages are large and unforeseen between years but is
also known to affect the water temperatures and nutrient
availability. The aim of the project was therefore to describe
and analyze the biological activity of plankton under
influence of snow and ice as well as to evaluate role of
the winter period for the functioning of two high-arctic
ecosystem at Zackenberg, N.E. Greenland. It appeared
that the phyto- and zooplankton populations remained
active under the ice during two winters and indicated that
lake metabolism continued during winter although only
little or no light reached the water column and the benthic
photosynthetic layers in the lakes.
THE CLIPPER ADVENTURER GROUNDING:
CCGS AMUNDSEN RESPONSE AND RISK
MITIGATION WITH NEAR REAL-TIME
CONSTRUCTION OF SAFE SHIPPING
CORRIDORS
Church, Ian (ichurch@unb.ca), D. Cartwright and J. Hughes
Clarke
Ocean Mapping Group, Department of Geodesy and
Geomatics Engineering, University of New Brunswick,
Fredericton, New Brunswick, E3B 5A3
The CCGS Amundsen happened to be the closest
vessel to the MV Clipper Adventurer grounding on the
27th of August, 2010. As a result she was called upon to
undertake the removal of passengers and non-essential crew.
The Clipper Adventurer had gone aground while following
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ASM2010 Conference Programme and Abstracts
an old transit track through otherwise unsurveyed waters
on the southern side of Coronation Gulf. The vessel had
knowingly navigated away from the recommended and
properly surveyed shipping lanes to the north. Thus to
approach the grounded vessel required that the Amundsen
share the same risk in traversing uncharted regions.
Coronation Gulf is transected by several island
chains. These consist of basaltic escarpments (the
“Coronation Sills”) that are known to be steep (often
vertical) allowing little opportunity for a vessel to avoid if
approached without prior knowledge. Charted shipping
lanes through the area were established on the northern side
of the Coronation Gulf to avoid these escarpment features
and provide a safe thoroughfare for the Northwest Passage.
The southern region of the Coronation Gulf is sparsely
charted with only a collection of ship tracks and spot
soundings of unknown origin with vast areas of white chart.
In 2005 and 2006, the Amundsen had established a
safe multibeam-surveyed corridor along an old transit line
through the southern Coronation Gulf, 5 nautical miles
to the north of the grounding site. Had this corridor not
existed and her approach to the Clipper Adventurer been
constrained to using just the existing shipping lanes, the
Amundsen could have only safely approached the grounded
vessel to within 25 nautical miles. A rescue operation at
this distance using the barge and zodiac launch craft in
unprotected waters would have taken many days and been
potentially unsafe.
At the closest point of approach within the
multibeam corridor, there remained no option but to transit
through uncharted waters along the potential underwater
extension of the sills to approach the vessel. To achieve this
safely, the ship’s barge was used with its recently-installed
high resolution multibeam sonar. This provided a safe and
reliable means of establishing a shipping corridor towards
the vessel. The corridor was ultimately extended to the
grounding site and included a survey around the vessel,
clearly defining the shoal.
With the existing corridor established by the
Amundsen and only a few hours of additional mapping
with the multibeam-equipped barge, a safe corridor was
constructed between the community of Kugluktuk and
the grounded Clipper Adventurer. This corridor allowed the
Amundsen to approach the grounded ship without risk of
succumbing to the same fate, minimized the risk associated
with transporting passengers between the two ships
and greatly increased the efficiency of the entire rescue
operation.
TRANSFORMING THE INFRASTRUCTURAL
ARENA: CANADIAN ARCTIC PORTS AND
SHIPPING
Comtois, Claude (Claude.Comtois@umontreal.ca), Julien
Croteau-Dufour (Julien.Croteau.Dufour@hotmail.com) and
P. Bourbonnais
Department of Geography, Interuniversity Research Center
on Enterprise Networks, Logistics and Transportation,
University of Montréal, Montréal, P.O. BOX 6128,
Downtown Branch, QCX H3C 3J7 Canada.
There is a vast literature on the impacts of climate
change on shipping opportunities in the Canadian Arctic.
Paradoxically, the understanding of the vulnerability of
maritime transport and port infrastructure in coping with
these changes remains largely unknown. This raises a series
of key issues. How are Canadian shipping companies
shaping arctic routes and port system? How vulnerable
is Canada’s Arctic shipping industry to respond to new
opportunities arising from environmental changes? Above
all, how can these changes affect public and private
investment strategies? These issues are addressed by
examining Canadian northern route patterns in terms of
frequency of services, ports-of-call and capacity. After
outlining the effects of environmental changes on marine
activities in terms of water level, land take, marine access
and soil quality, we provide an analysis of the vulnerability
of marine transport infrastructure. A key feature of the
study is the focus on Canada’s marine industry investment
priorities.
LES PARCS NATIONAUX ET AUTRES
STATUTS D’AIRES PROTÉGÉES AU NUNAVIK:
STRATÉGIES DE CONSERVATION. UNE
CONTRIBUTION AU IRIS 4 ASSESSMENT
Cossette, Stéphane1 (stephane.cossette@mddep.gouv.qc.ca),
F. Brassard1, F. Poisson1 and N. Girard2
Ministère du Développement durable, de l’Environnement
et des Parcs, Direction du prtrimoine écologique et des
parcs, Québec, Québec, G1R 5V7
2
Parcs Nunavik, Administration régionale Kativik, Kuujjuaq,
Québec, J0M 1C0
1
Au Québec, la responsabilité de créer et de gérer
les parcs nationaux et les autres statuts d’aires protégées
relève principalement du gouvernement et plus encore du
ministère du Développement durable, de l’Environnement
et des Parcs (MDDEP). Les cadres légaux, les conventions
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ASM2010 Conference Programme and Abstracts
en vigueur ainsi que les ententes conclues avec les nations
autochtones font en sorte que les stratégies et les façons de
faire sont modulées pour tenir compte du contexte propre à
chaque territoire.
Actuellement, ce sont 57 102,32 km2 de territoire
qui sont protégés au Nunavik. Deux territoires se sont vus
attribuer un statut permanent de protection. Il s’agit des
parcs nationaux des Pingualuit et Kuururjuaq. Les autres
territoires ont des statuts temporaires de protection.
La création de ces aires protégées s’inscrit dans le
cadre d’une stratégie gouvernementale adoptée en 2000.
L’un des principaux objectifs de cette stratégie est de créer
un réseau d’aires protégées représentatif de la biodiversité
du Québec. La récente publication du Portrait du réseau
d’aires protégées au Québec – période 2002-2009, a permis
de mettre à jour les variables de représentativité utilisées
pour constituer le réseau du Québec et de déterminer des
critères permettant de mesurer son efficacité à assurer
la conservation de la biodiversité sur le territoire. Selon
l’analyse de carences réalisée avec le Cadre écologique
de référence du Québec, les milieux naturels côtiers
sont généralement bien représentés dans le réseau
d’aires protégées de cette zone. Les principales pistes
d’amélioration à rencontrer sont observées dans les portions
centrales de ces provinces naturelles.
Les parcs nationaux du Québec, les réserves de
biodiversité et les réserves aquatiques sont créés en vertu
de la Loi sur les parcs et de la Loi sur la conservation du
patrimoine naturel. L’application de ces lois au Nunavik
diffère de celle du Québec méridional en raison de
la Convention de la Baie-James et du nord québécois
(CBJNQ). Une attention particulière doit être apportée à
cette situation, car les principes inscrits dans la Convention
guident les actions du gouvernement dans la mise en place
de son réseau d’aires protégées. De plus, puisqu’il s’agit
d’un traité reconnu au sens de la constitution canadienne, la
CBJNQ a préséance sur ces lois.
La consultation des communautés occupe une
place importante dans le processus de création des parcs
au Nunavik. Habituellement, les communautés consultées
sont celles les plus près du projet. Une des premières
étapes du processus est la constitution d’un groupe de
travail. Ce dernier est composé de représentants de l’ARK,
des corporations des villages nordiques, des corporations
foncières, de la Société Makivik et du MDDEP.
À l’automne 2009, le gouvernement du Québec
lançait le Plan Nord. Il s’est engagé à mettre à l’abri
d’activités industrielles 50% de la superficie de ce territoire,
dont 12% serait dédié aux aires protégées. Il y a donc un
contexte propice au parachèvement de la qualité du réseau
d’aires protégées et de la protection de l’ensemble de la
biodiversité.
IRIS 4 ASSESSMENT - CARIBOU HERD
DYNAMICS: IMPACTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE ON
TRADITIONAL AND SPORT HARVESTING
Côté, Steeve D.1 (steeve.cote@bio.ulaval.ca), C. Hins1, M.
Festa-Bianchet2, C. Dussault3, J.-P. Tremblay1, V. Brodeur4,
M. Simard5, J. Taillon1, M. Le Corre1 and S. Sharma1
Département de Biologie and Centre d’études nordiques,
Université Laval, Québec, Québec, G1V 0A6
2
Département de Biologie and Centre d’études nordiques,
Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Québec, J1K 2R1
3
Ministère des Ressources Naturelles et de la Faune,
Québec, Québec, G1S 4X4
4
Ministère des Ressources Naturelles et de la Faune,
Chibougamau, Québec, G8P 2Z3
5
Société Makivik, Kuujjuaq, J0M 1C0
1
Caribou (Rangifer tarandus) are a key species in
Arctic ecosystems including northern Québec and Labrador.
They play a central role in the ecology of predators and
the structure of Arctic plant communities. In addition,
caribou provide socioeconomic and cultural benefits from
subsistence and sport hunting activities. Changes in the
distribution and abundance of caribou due to global climate
change would have serious biological, societal, and economic
implications. Direct and indirect consequences of climate
change on migratory caribou herds may include alteration
in habitat use, migration patterns, foraging behaviour
and demography. For example, caribou may experience a
further northerly shift in distribution due to several factors
including longer ice-free periods, increases in snowfall and
extreme weather events, alterations in the fire regime, and
changes in the distribution of insects and predators. Future
research by Caribou Ungava, a research group interested in
the ecology of migratory caribou in the context of climate
change, will address the factors outlining variations in the
population dynamics of caribou, implications for survival
and reproduction, as well as the response of caribou habitat
to different climate change scenarios. Management efforts
focusing on mitigating greenhouse gases to reduce the
potential effects of climate change, preserving high quality
habitat, limiting anthropogenic landscape disturbances, and
managing hunting in a sustainable manner, could alleviate
stressors on migratory caribou in the Québec-Labrador
peninsula.
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ASM2010 Conference Programme and Abstracts
PIGUGUNNATUVUT NUNAGIJAVUT, OUR
PLANTS OUR LAND: BRIDGING GENERATIONS
THROUGH A PLANT WORKSHOP
Cuerrier, Alain¹ (alain.cuerrier@umontreal.ca), L.
Hermanutz², A. Downing¹, L. Siegwart Collier², A. Fells²,
S. Karpik4 and the elders and youth participants of Nain,
Nunatsiavut³
¹ Institut de recherche en biologie végétale, Université de
Montréal, Montréal, Québec, H1X 2B2
² Department of Biology, Memorial University, St. John›s,
Newfoundland, A1C 5S7
³ Nain, Newfoundland, A0P 1L0
4
Nunatsiavut Government, Nain, NL, A0P 1L0
Compared with other aboriginal peoples, plant
use by Inuit is generally not well documented. This is
true in the Nunatsiavut region of northern Labrador,
where elder knowledge of plant use is being lost without
transmission to younger generations. In the summer of
2010, 27 community members from Nain, Nunatsiavut
took part in ethnobotanical interviews to elucidate the
naming of plants in Inuktitut and their uses. To ensure
that this knowledge is passed on to younger and future
generations, a plant workshop (“Our Plants Our Land”)
was held in Nain in mid-September, and served as an
opportunity for the youth of Nain to come together with
their elders. Eight students and eight elders took part in a
semi-structured learning experience. The first day of the
field trip took place on Paul’s island where researchers and
youth teamed up to collect plants. Plants were brought
back to the elders and the youth did their best to learn and
document the names and uses of these plants while being
out on the land. A “boil up” lunch served to feed hungry
minds and bodies with traditional foods and strengthened
ties between youth, elders and researchers. The following
day the plant collection was sorted so that each elder could
get an opportunity to discuss all of the plants together
with the youth. Researchers demonstrated how to create
herbarium specimens and the importance of preserving
a plant collection. Students worked together to press all
of the plants that were collected and this collection is
currently being prepared by students in Nain. The collection
as well as information gathered from the ethnobotanical
study will be maintained in the Nunatsiavut Government
archives. Posters that were already drafted were reviewed
by the elders at the workshop and are being posted in
the community. A plant guide book that will include
Inuktitut names and ethnobotanical uses is expected to
be published in cooperation with Memorial University,
Montreal Botanical Garden, Nunatsiavut Government and
Parks Canada by March 2011. As community involvement
and information sharing are of the utmost importance to
this research group, a photo essay of the workshop and
project update have been posted on the Tukisinnik research
facebook group page. We hope that efforts to maintain an
ongoing dialogue with the community of Nain will help
garner a continued interest in the transfer of knowledge
concerning the traditional uses of plants. In completing the
workshop we saw that the project was successful in bonding
together elders and students as this was voiced by several
participants. Elders and students also expressed an interest
in having an annual workshop that could take place over a
longer period of time and it is our goal to help make this a
reality.
CATLIN ARCTIC SURVEY 2010 - ARCTIC OCEAN
CARBON CYCLE AND OCEAN ACIDIFICATION
STUDIES DURING THE WINTER-SPRING
TRANSITION
Cullingford, Tim1 (tim@geomission.co.uk), H. S. Findlay
2
, S. Comeau3, G. Cooper4, L. A. Edwards5, C. N. Lewis6,
O. Wurl4, R. Clement7, J-P. Gattuso3, J. A. Gilbert2, N.
Hardman-Mountford2, C. Lovejoy8 and L. Miller4
Geo Mission Ltd, London, EC3R 7DD, UK
Plymouth Marine Laboratory, Plymouth PL1 3DH, UK
3
Laboratoire d’Océanographie de Villefranche, Station
Zoologique, UMR 7093, B.P. 28, 06234 Villefranche-sur-Mer
Cedex, France
4
Institute of Ocean Sciences, Fisheries and Oceans Canada,
Sidney, British Columbia, V8L 4B2, Canada
5
School of Ocean Sciences, Bangor University, Anglesey,
LL59 5AB, UK
6
School of Biosciences, University of Exeter, Exeter EX4
4PS, UK
7
Crew Building, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9
3JN, UK
8
Department de Biologie, Université Laval, Québec,
Québec, G1K 7P4, Canada
1
2
Ocean acidification resulting from the uptake of
anthropogenic atmospheric carbon dioxide into the oceans
is becoming a major global concern. The term describes
a decrease in the naturally alkaline pH of seawater, and
reports globally indicate ocean pH has already decreased
by 0.1 unit (an approximate 1.3 fold increase in acidity)
since pre-industrial times. It directly affects the biology
and biochemistry of most calcium carbonate-dependent
marine species (corals, molluscs, starfish, coccolithophores,
foraminifera, crustacea), since increasing acidity reduces
the availability of carbonate ions for shell and skeleton
formation. For organisms less dependent on calcium
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ASM2010 Conference Programme and Abstracts
carbonate including primary producers (phytoplankton),
primary consumers (zooplankton) and detritivores
(flagellates, invertebrates) at the lowest trophic levels, it
may nevertheless impact on their metabolism, behaviour,
biodiversity etc.
The Arctic Ocean is thought to be a ‘bellwether’
of ocean acidification, since it has naturally lower carbonate
ion concentrations due to increased CO2 solubility and
increased sensitivity of acid-base dissociation coefficients in
colder waters and ocean mixing patterns. Model projections
suggest that surface waters of the Arctic Ocean will become
undersaturated with respect to aragonite (a type of calcium
carbonate) by the end of this century at current CO2
emission rates.
The potential environmental and socioeconomic
consequences of ocean acidification in the Arctic region
include destabilization of North Atlantic fish stocks
(through changes at lower trophic levels), changes in food
supplies for endangered species (eg. Arctic fox and polar
bear) and possible changes in diet for indigenous Inuit
populations. In spite of this, baseline data on predicted
ocean acidification in the Arctic is limited, especially in
winter when sea-ice prevents access by ship. Moreover,
studies on the exchange of CO2 between the ocean and the
atmosphere are inherently complicated by the sea ice barrier.
The Catlin Arctic Survey 2010 set out to study
carbon cycle biology, biochemistry and physics related to
ocean acidification during the transition from late winter to
early spring through:
• Temporal studies at a Canadian High Arctic Ice Base off
Ellef Ringnes Island (78ON)
• Spatial/Temporal studies via a Explorer Team trek (85 ON
to North Pole)
The data retrieved include CTD, seawater and seaice carbonate chemistry, nutrients, plankton and atmospheric
CO2 collected over a 7 week period to obtain details of the
dynamics occurring within and below sea-ice during the
winter-spring transition. In addition the Ice Base performed
studies on key Arctic Ocean marine ‘food-chain’ organisms
(molluscs, crustaceans and micro-organisms) subjected to
different future acidification scenarios.
ESTABLISHING LEGACY CONDITIONS FOR
CANADIAN ARCTIC RIVER BIODIVERSITY AND
FUNCTION
Culp, Joseph. M1,2 (joseph.culp@ec.gc.ca), R. A. Curry2, R.
B. Brua3, J. Lento2, E. A. Luiker1,2, W. Monk2, A. Ritcey2, J.
Sweetman4 and F.J. Wrona5
Environment Canada (NWRI), Dept. Biology, Univ. New
Brunswick, Fredericton, NB, E3B 6E1
1
Canadian Rivers Institute, Univ. New Brunswick,
Fredericton, NB, E3B 6E1
3
Environment Canada (NWRI), Saskatoon, SK, S7N 3H5
4
Parks Canada, Western and Northern Services Centre,
Winnipeg, MB, R3B 0R9
5
Environment Canada, WCIRC, Dept. Geography, Univ.
Victoria, Victoria, BC, V8W 3R4
2
Ecological structure and function of Arctic
rivers are expected to be modified significantly by climate
change and variability with increased temperature, nutrient
availability and sediment input likely to be key drivers of
this change. Through the Arctic BioNet IPY project we
established an extensive sampling network of 58 rivers (120
sites) along a large latitudinal gradient in Canada’s Eastern
Arctic (i.e., 58o to 82o N). Our aim was to determine baseline
information for physical-chemical characteristics, functional
processes of primary production and decomposition,
and benthic invertebrate community structure of these
rivers. This bioassessment also incorporates stable isotope
analysis of carbon and nitrogen to examine food web
structure along this gradient. Latitudinal trends in algal
communities demonstrated declining specie richness with
increasing latitude; these shifts are related to changes in
water chemistry. Diatoms were dominant in all rivers while
green algal abundance decreased at high latitudes. Algal
biomass also decreased with latitude and mean chlorophyll a
values were always less than 0.003 g/m2. Macroinvertebrate
richness also decreased with latitude; mayfly and stonefly
larvae were rare above 63o N and dipteran larvae dominated
high Arctic rivers. The most counterintuitive finding was
observed in carbon isotope patterns, such that high latitude
food webs were largely based on terrestrial carbon sources.
Low Arctic webs utilized carbon fixed in both terrestrial
and aquatic communities. These findings represent the
first detailed bioassessment of rivers along this latitudinal
gradient and will serve as a baseline to which future
biological change can be compared.
“WILL WE EVEN EXIST?” THE EMOTIONAL
HEALTH AND WELL-BEING IMPACTS OF
CLIMATIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE IN
RIGOLET, NUNATSIAVUT, CANADA
Cunsolo Willox, Ashlee1 (ashlee@uoguelph.ca), S. Harper2,
V. Edge3, and the Rigolet Inuit Community Government4
School of Environmental Design & Rural Development,
University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, N1G 2W1
2
Department of Population Medicine, University of
Guelph, Guelph, ON, N1G 2W1
3
Department of Population Medicine, University of
1
41
ASM2010 Conference Programme and Abstracts
Guelph, Guelph, ON, N1G 2W1
4
Rigolet, Nunatsiavut, NL, Canada, A0P 1P0
“Time is everything, and I don’t think we have too
much of that left. I believe [climate change] needs to be
addressed immediately, or our whole way of living will cease
to exist. And I wonder: will we even exist?” Excerpt from a
digital story created in Rigolet, Nunatsiavut
Over the last 50 years, both scientific measurements
and oral knowledge confirm that Canada’s Arctic regions
have experienced rapid climatic and environmental changes.
In the last decade, Northern communities have reported
changes in precipitation levels, ice thickness, snow levels,
access to land foods and fresh drinking water, and weather
patterns. Activities such as hunting, fishing, trapping, and
going to cabins, are being affected by this environmental
and climatic variation, and as a result, it is becoming
increasingly challenging for many Inuit to continue to
practice land-based activities or to regularly travel on the
land during winter months.
While there are numerous published studies
examining the natural science aspects of climate change in
the North, there are fewer works examining the impacts of
these changes on human health and well-being (physical,
mental, emotional, and spiritual). Fewer studies still examine
the emotional and mental dimensions of climatic variation
and environmental change, and how this impacts the wellbeing of Northern residents. Given the close connection
to the local environment that many Inuit experience, and
the rapidity of changes experienced in the North, Inuit
communities potentially face even greater impacts on health
and well-being because of these changes. Indeed, there is
a growing body of literature which studies—and seriously
considers—the connections between and among climatic
and environmental change, and emotional and mental health
and well-being.
From research results garnered as part of a largescale, multi-year, community-driven project that examines
the impacts of climate change on human health and
well-being in the community of Rigolet, Nunatsiavut,
Labrador, Canada, it is clear that the emotional and mental
consequences of climatic and environmental change are of
increasing concern and importance to Northern residents.
Rigolet community members have shared that this change
and variation impact local ecologies in myriad ways, and in
so doing, elicits feelings of anxiety, depression, stress, and
melancholia, as well as grief, loss, and lament for having
connections with the surrounding ecologies change at a
rapid, and often disorienting, pace.
In order to address this aspect of health and wellbeing further, this presentation will examine the emotional
and mental impacts of climatic and environmental change
within Rigolet. Drawing from the research findings in 2009
and 2010, this presentation will analyze the emotional and
mental impacts of climatic and environmental change,
and argue that changes in the land and local ecologies
directly impact the health and well-being of individuals and
communities in the North. Community perspectives will
be shared through data from interviews, focus groups, and
digital stories created by Rigolet residents, and avenues for
future research will be discussed.
MARINE MAMMAL CO-MANAGEMENT IN
CANADA’S ARCTIC
Dale, Aaron¹ (aaron.dale@torngatsecretariat.ca) and D.
Armitage²
¹ Torngat Wildlife, Plants and Fisheries Secretariat, Nappy
Valley – Goose Bay, Newfoundland and Labnrador, A0P
1E0
² Department of Geography and Environmental Studies,
Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo, Ontario, N2L 3C5
This paper examines the challenge of knowledge
co-production and the implications for learning and
adapting in the context of a marine mammal comanagement in Nunavut, Canada. Knowledge coproduction is the collaborative process of bringing a
plurality of knowledge sources and types together to
address a defined problem and build an integrated or
systems-oriented understanding of that problem. The
paper considers knowledge co-production by examining
five interrelated dimensions: knowledge gathering,
sharing, integration, interpretation and application. Voices
of hunters, community representatives and managers
engaged in co-management are highlighted to identify
primary challenges and opportunities. The analysis reveals
how differentiated and compartmentalized views of
knowledge continue to constrain adaptive and collaborative
management. An understanding of knowledge coproduction processes, however, may help to overcome the
resilience of top-down management approaches.
SUSTAINABLE ENERGY SYSTEMS FOR
CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATION IN THE
ARCTIC
Daraeikhah, Mohsen1 (daraeikh@ualberta.ca), E. G. R.
Davies1, J. V. Lukovich2, C. M. Furgal3 and S. P. Simonovic4
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering,
University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, T6G 2W2
2
Centre for Earth Observation Science, Department of
1
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ASM2010 Conference Programme and Abstracts
Environment and Geography, University of Manitoba,
Winnipeg, Manitoba, R3T 2N2
3
Department of Indigenous Studies, Trent University,
Peterborough, Ontario, K9J 7B8
4
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering,
University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, N6A 5B9
NAVIGATING A WARMING ARCTIC: RISKS AND
OPPORTUNITIES OF POLICIES GOVERNING
THE CRUISE SECTOR IN ARCTIC CANADA
Over time, Arctic climate change is expected to
disrupt energy systems, land transportation routes, northern
infrastructure, human health, and traditional subsistence
practices. This study describes a quantitative model
currently under development that uses the system dynamics
methodology to identify and evaluate effective adaptation
strategies for Arctic communities. System dynamics is a
widely-used participatory modelling approach that directly
involves stakeholders in problem identification, model
construction, and model analysis. This study includes
stakeholder participation in Arviat and Rankin Inlet,
Nunavut; however, the research approach and the model
structure will also be adaptable to other Arctic regions.
In its recent energy strategy, Ikummatiit, the
Government of Nunavut describes plans to foster the
use of alternative energy sources, develop sustainable
energy policies, improve energy efficiency for buildings,
transportation and electricity generation, and reduce
dependence on expensive and economically volatile
petroleum products. To support Nunavut’s efforts in
energy policy development, we have begun to develop a
systems model that links energy supply to demand for heat,
transportation and electricity for the Territory. This model
will show monthly electricity and fuel costs of different
energy systems for each household, effects of district
heating and other efficiency measures, reliability of different
options, and finally the broader environmental, social and
financial effects of diesel use versus combinations of
alternative energy technologies.
Energy-system modelling represents the first part
of the study. The next steps in model development tie the
energy component to a larger economic sector, which will
focus on natural resources development and management
as compared with traditional subsistence practices, and
will facilitate the connection of socio-economic systems
with environmental change. Such connections will focus
on feedbacks between permafrost melt, air temperature,
wind patterns, sea ice cover, coastal erosion, water quality,
renewable energy availability, population change, energy
consumption, transportation and infrastructure. The larger
model will help to identify community vulnerabilities to
environmental change and the broader effects of potential
adaptation strategies.
1
Dawson, Jackie1 (dawsonj@uoguelph.ca), E. J. Stewart2 and
A. Johnston3
Department of Geography (Global Environmental Change
Group), University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, N1G 2W1
2
Faculty of Environment, Society and Design, Lincoln
University, Lincoln, New Zealand
3
Department of Outdoor Recreation, Parks and Tourism,
Lakehead University, Thunder Bay, Ontario, P7B 5E1
Changes in seasonal climate patterns including
a decrease in sea ice thickness has facilitated an overall
increase in navigable cruise shipping routes in certain
regions of Arctic Canada. The number of planned cruise
itineraries through the Northwest Passage increased by
70% between 2005 and 2010 and an upward trend is likely
to continue. There have also been an increasing number of
pleasure craft vessels arriving unannounced in communities.
Although these ‘surprise’ ships provide a sense of novelty
in small Arctic hamlets, some have voiced concerns
regarding security. In addition to security issues growth
in marine transportation in Arctic Canada also presents
regulatory challenges. The biggest cause for concern is
a general perception that the increasingly ice-free Arctic
waterways are safe for passage. Despite an overall decrease
in sea ice thickness and abundance there remain significant
navigation hazards including hull-penetrating multi-year ice
that floats south from the Arctic Ocean and chokes popular
transportation routes. These ice conditions force ships to
take alternate routes through areas with known navigation
hazards including shallow sand bars and rocks. The region
has also been criticized for outdated and poor navigation
charts. These dangers were highlighted during the 2010
summer season with the grounding of two separate icestrengthened ships within one week. On August 27th the
Clipper Adventurer, a cruise ship carrying 110 passengers
came to a halt on a known hazard, but one that did not
appear on the captain’s charts, in the Coronation Gulf about
100 km east of Kugluktuk. A few days later on September
3rd a fuel tanker carrying nine million liters of diesel
fuel became stuck on a sandbar just southwest of Gjoa
Haven. Fortunately these incidents ended positively but
the outcomes could have been disastrous had the Clipper
Adventurer sunk as the Explorer did in the Antarctic in
2007 or the fuel ship leaked as with major oil tanker spills of
the past. This presentation provides an analysis of changing
cruise patterns throughout Arctic Canada, outlines existing
marine policies governing the industry, and discusses the
risks and opportunities associated with existing governance
43
ASM2010 Conference Programme and Abstracts
frameworks. Discussion will be based upon results of a
preliminary analysis of over 150 stakeholder interviews
(community residents, policy makers, & operators)
conducted between August and October 2010 as part of the
SSHRC funded C-TAC (Cruise Tourism in Arctic Canada)
project (see research webpage – http://www.uoguelph.ca/
gecg/page.cfm/JackiePDawson).
OPERATIONALLY MONITORING SEA ICE IN
CANADA’S CHANGING ARCTIC
De Abreu, Roger, M. Arkett, T. Carrieres, M-F. Gauthier and
L. Braithwaite
Canadian Ice Service, Environment Canada
Environment Canada’s Canadian Ice Service
(CIS) promotes safe and efficient maritime operations and
protects Canada›s environment by providing reliable and
timely information about ice and iceberg conditions in
Canadian waters. Daily and seasonal ice charts describing
the extent, type and concentration of sea ice and icebergs
are provided to support navigation and other activities in
coastal waters. In addition, the CIS is now responsible for
the daily satellite detection and reporting of oil pollution in
Canada’s coastal waters, including the Arctic.
Today, the CIS relies on a suite of space-borne
visible, infrared and microwave sensors to operationally
monitor Canadian coastal and inland waterways. Short
and long-term forecasts of ice conditions are provided
regularly by experienced ice forecasters and increasingly
via numerical models. Changing ice conditions in Canada›s
Arctic represent new challenges to both the monitoring
and forecasting of ice. A reduction in ice cover has resulted
in increased activity into, onto and outside the margins
of sea ice in support of offshore exploration, marine
transport, scientific research, security operations and policy
development. As a result, the demand for current, future
and historical ice information is increasing significantly and
changing in scope. The presentation will describe these
operational challenges for the CIS, the related knowledge
gaps in terms of ice monitoring and forecasting and
importantly, highlight how research partnerships, like with
Arcticnet, are assisting the CIS understand and respond to
this new ice monitoring regime.
CLIMATE IMPACTS ON NORTHERN
HEMISPHERE LAKE-ICE CHARACTERISTICS
AND WATER TEMPERATURE PATTERNS
Dibike, Yonas1 (Yonas.Dibike@ec.gc.ca), T. Prowse1, T.
Saloranta2 and R. Ahmed1
Water and Climate Impacts Research Centre, Environment
Canada, University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia,
V8P 5C2
2
Norwegian Water Resources and Energy Directorate
(NVE), Oslo, Norway, N-0301
1
There is increasing concern regarding how climate
change will affect lake-water thermal structure and lakeice characteristics, particularly ice formation, duration,
breakup, thickness and composition. This study employs
a one-dimensional process-based multi-year lake ice
model, MyLake, to simulate the evolution of the Northern
Hemisphere lake-ice and thermal structure patterns under
a changing climate. Large-scale simulations are conducted
over the major land masses of the Northern Hemisphere
subarctic regions between 40o and 75oN using hypothetical
lakes positioned at 2.5º latitude and longitude resolution.
For the baseline period of 1960 to 1999, the lake-ice model
was driven by gridded atmospheric forcings from the ERA40 global reanalysis data set. Trend analysis performed
on the 40 years simulations of lake-ice phenology and
lake-ice thickness shows that the generally accepted global
warming trend in the second half of the 20th century is
well reflected in the results. Modeling results for the baseline
period are also compared to that of a future climatic period
(2040-2079) projected by an ensemble of three Global
Climate Models based on the SRES A2 emissions scenario.
Analysis of the modelling results indicate that lake-ice
freeze-up timing will be delayed and break-up will advance,
thereby resulting in an overall decrease of lake-ice duration
and reduced lake-ice thickness. The changes in snow depth
on the lake-ice and in white-ice thickness depends on the
geographic location and other climate parameters. The
future warming will also result in an overall increase in lakewater temperature, with summer stratification starting earlier
and extending later into the year.
EVOLUTIONARY RESPONSES TO STOCK
DEPLETION: SKEWED AGE STRUCTURE
IN AN INTENSELY HARVESTED BELUGA
POPULATION
Doniol-Valcroze, Thomas1 (thomas.doniol-valcroze@dfompo.gc.ca), V. Lesage1, D. W. Doidge2, L. Postma3 and M.
Hammill1
Maurice-Lamontagne Institute, Fisheries and Oceans
Canada, Mont-Joli, Québec, G5H 3Z4
2
Nunavik Research Centre, Makivik Corporation, Kuujjuaq,
Québec, J0M 1C0
3
Freshwater Institute, Fisheries and Oceans Canada,
Winnipeg, Manitoba, R3T 2N6
1
44
ASM2010 Conference Programme and Abstracts
Intensive wildlife harvesting can elicit evolutionary
responses in wild stocks. Nunavik communities have
traditionally harvested beluga whales along their shores.
The targeted beluga belong mostly to two populations: the
Western Hudson Bay (WHB), which numbers about 60,000
individuals, and the depleted Eastern Hudson Bay (EHB),
which now numbers about 3,000 individuals.
Harvest statistics showed significant reductions
in age of EHB beluga in recent years compared to beluga
caught during the early 1980s. Hunt closures in EHB have
limited our ability to monitor age changes in the population.
However, harvesting has continued in the waters of Hudson
Strait, a migration route for both populations. Here, we
combined aging techniques based on teeth examination to
determine the age structure of the catch with mitochondrial
DNA analysis to determine stock of origin. Results
show clear differences in age structure between the two
populations, with the EHB harvest being strongly skewed
towards younger individuals and showing a paucity of older
individuals, characteristic of depleted stocks.
These observations raise important management
questions, such as the possible consequences of harvesting
adults, particularly mature females, and the resulting impacts
in a strongly social care-giving unit. These results also
hint at the potential long-term consequences of overharvesting. Life-history changes experienced by species
subject to intensive harvesting practices can bring forth
evolutionary responses when target traits are heritable.
For example, size-selective harvesting can favour reduced
investment in growth and earlier age at reproduction. EHB
beluga are known to be of smaller size than other Canadian
populations, which could reflect changes induced by overharvesting resulting in early maturation and reproduction of
females.
These changes can have detrimental effects.
For instance, female reproducing at a younger age could
experience higher adult or calf mortality, especially if there
are few experienced females in their group. Such changes
away from the naturally selected optima will be extremely
difficult to reverse, and could have impacts on the dynamics
of the population. Wildlife managers should consider the
evolutionary implications of alternative harvest strategies in
order to facilitate rebound of over-exploited populations.
FACTORS AFFECTING DIFFERENTIAL
MERCURY LEVELS IN LAND-LOCKED AND
ANADROMOUS ARCTIC CHARR (SALVELINUS
ALPINUS) FROM LABRADOR
Department of Biology, University of Waterloo, Waterloo,
Ontario, N2L 3G1
2
Water Science and Technology Directorate, Environment
Canada, Burlington, Ontario, L7R 4A6
3
Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Science Branch, St. John’s,
Newfoundland, A1C 5X1
1
Earlier studies have shown that anadromous Arctic
charr have lower total mercury concentrations (THg)
than conspecifics from nearby lake resident populations.
Previously, mercury concentrations in many fish species
have been positively related to age, size, and trophic level
(TL). In some species, a negative relationship between
mercury and growth rate, suggestive of a growth dilution
effect, has been found. Possible explanations of the
phenomenon in Arctic charr include: 1) growth dilution,
with faster growing fish expected to have lower THg; 2)
differences in trophic structure between the marine and
lacustrine foodwebs, with individuals feeding at a higher
TL expected to have higher THg; and 3) differences in
the THg of prey items at a given TL, with individuals
consuming high mercury prey expected to have higher
THg. Anadromous Arctic charr were collected from the
Fraser River in Labrador (56°37’44.62”N, 62°31’12.85”W),
and lake residents were obtained from Coady’s Pond
#2 (56°38’30.55”N, 63°37’30.51”W), 68 km west of
the anadromous collection site. Dorsal muscle samples
were used for matched THg and stable isotope analyses
and combined with similar analyses of foodweb items
(e.g., forage fish, zooplankton, insect larvae, molluscs,
amphipods, algae) obtained from the lacustrine and marine
environments. Mercury concentrations in lacustrine Arctic
charr from Coady’s Pond #2 (THg = 119 ± 42 μg/kg)
were 6 times higher than those found in the anadromous
charr from the Fraser River (THg = 21.6 ± 7.6 μg/kg). The
difference in THg was not due to growth dilution, as charr
from both environments grew similarly as indicated by an
ANCOVA used to compare ln age versus ln length in Arctic
charr from the two locations. Anadromous Arctic charr had
a significantly higher average trophic level (TL = 3.7 ± 0.12)
than lacustrine charr (TL = 3.2 ± 0.13). Therefore, the lower
THg concentrations found in the anadromous Arctic charr
cannot be attributed to consistent use of lower trophic level
prey resources. Current efforts are focused on examining
the remaining hypothesis that the THg in foodweb items
collected from the lacustrine and marine foodwebs are
different, and that the lower THg of anadromous charr is
related to lower average prey mercury concentrations.
Dorn, Shannon1 (sdorn@sciborg.uwaterloo.ca), D. Muir2, B.
Dempson3 and M. Power1
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ASM2010 Conference Programme and Abstracts
CHANGE AND ADAPTATION IN AN
INUVIALUIT SETTLEMENT REGION
COMMUNITY: PRELIMINARY RESULTS OF
THE FOOD AND CULTURAL SECURITY IN THE
INUVIALUIT SETTLEMENT REGION PROJECT
Douglas, Vasiliki (douglasv@unbc.ca) and L. Chan
Community Health Sciences, University of Northern British
Columbia
Objectives: To determine how the changes in the
physical and socio-economic environment of a community
in the Inuvialuit Settlement Region has affected its cultural
and physical food security.
Study Design: This is a comparative anthropological
analysis using ethnographic field research technique coupled
with narrative analysis of the research literature.
Methods: The ongoing changes to diet and lifestyle
in a community in the ISR were documented by the field
researcher and compared with the analogous cases of the
Japanese Ainu, Eastern Arctic Inuit and Greenlandic Inuit
to locate adaptation in its historical and anthropological
context.
Results: Physical food security is currently not an
issue in the community, but cultural food security, defined as
an adequate supply of country food, is. The community is
adapting to change through adoption of market foods, while
maintaining access to country foods to a degree that varies
from symbolic to nutritionally significant depending upon
species and socio-economic circumstances.
Conclusions: Physical food security is unlikely to
become an issue in the ISR unless disruptive change to its
socio-economic structure occurs. Cultural food security is
more problematic, but ongoing adaptations point the way
toward an equilibrium that is both community-generated
and environmentally and culturally sustainable.
OLDER AGE AND LOWER ADIPOSITY
PROTECTS AGAINST LOW VITAMIN D STATUS
IN INUIT ADULTS
El Hayek, Jessy1,2, H. Weiler 1,2 and G. M. Egeland 1,2
School of Dietetics and Human and Nutrition, McGill
University, MacDonald Campus, Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue,
Québec, H2V 3X9
2
Centre for Indigenous Peoples’ Nutrition and
Environment, McGill University, MacDonald Campus, SteAnne-de-Bellevue, Québec, H2V 3X9
1
Background: Low vitamin D status may be a risk
factor for many health conditions, including osteoporosis,
cardiovascular disease, and cancer. Evidence since the
Nutrition Canada Survey (1973) suggests that Aboriginal
people have low intakes of vitamin D and are shifting
away from the consumption of traditional foods. Further
risk factors including age, higher body mass index
(BMI), ethnicity, elevated parathyroid hormone (PTH)
concentrations and low socio-economic status predispose
Aboriginal populations to low vitamin D status.
Objectives: 1) Determine the prevalence of vitamin
D deficiency and insufficiency in Inuit adults and 2) Identify
risk factors for low vitamin D status (gender, age, vitamin
D intake, BMI, household crowding, and socio-economic
status.)
Methods: 2595 Inuit adults (18 - 90 y) participated
in the 2007-2008 Inuit Health Survey. Households
were selected randomly from communities in Nunavut,
Nunatsiavut and Inuvialuit Settlement Region. All data
were collected in the field and through a mobile research
laboratory, the Amundsen Research Ship. Dietary intake was
assessed through the administration of a 24 h recall and
a Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ). Anthropometric
measurements and information about household living
conditions, supplement use and health status were
collected through interviews. Nurses collected blood
samples and serum 25(OH)D and PTH were measured by
Chemiluminesent technology (Diasorin, Liaison). Statistical
analysis, including student t test, ANOVA, chi-square and
logistic regression were performed using STATA 10.
Results: At the end of the summer, 72% of
Inuit adults had insufficient 25(OH)D concentrations (>
75nmol/L) with a mean of 58.5±33.3 nmol/L. Older adults
(> 50 years old) had higher vitamin D concentrations and
intake than younger adults (47.6±27.2 vs 83.8±32.4 nmol/L,
p<0.05). Men had higher vitamin D status and intake than
women (60.6±34.2 vs 57.2±32.7 nmol/L, p<0.05). The
strongest predictors of vitamin D status among Inuit adults
were age and percent body fat.
Conclusions: This is the first population
assessment of vitamin D status in Inuit adults. Based on
our results, there is a need for interventions promoting
the consumption of traditional foods rich in vitamin D
particularly among young adults. Further, assessment of
vitamin D status in the winter across wider age ranges is
advised.
ANNUAL PCO2SW CYCLING IN AMUNDSEN
GULF AND EDDY COVARIANCE
MEASUREMENTS OF AIR-SURFACE CO2 FLUX:
NEW UNDERSTANDINGS OF GAS EXCHANGE
PROCESSES IN AN ARCTIC POLYNYA
Else, Brent1 (b_else@umanitoba.ca), T. Papakyriakou1, R.
Galley1, H. Thomas2, L. Miller3 and E. Shadwick1
46
ASM2010 Conference Programme and Abstracts
1
Centre for Earth Observation Science, University of
Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, R3T 2N2
2
Department of Oceanography, Dalhousie University,
Halifax, Nova Scotia, B3H 4J1
3
Centre for Ocean Climate Chemistry, Institute of Ocean
Sciences, Sidney, British Columbia, V8L 4B2
2
The traditional understanding of air-sea CO2
exchange in an Arctic polynya is that in-phase cycles of
dissolved sea surface CO2 (pCO2sw) and ice concentration
drive a significant net annual uptake of CO2 (Yager et
al., 1995). Supersaturation of pCO2sw with respect to the
atmosphere exists during the winter when ice coverage
prevents gas exchange, and strong undersaturations driven
by biological productivity exist during the summer when
ice concentrations are low and gas exchange can proceed
normally. Here we present results from the 2007-2008
IPY ArcticNet and Circumpolar Flaw Lead System Study
projects which show that this model is not applicable for the
Cape Bathurst polynya/flaw lead complex (Amundsen Gulf,
Canada).
Observations of sea-surface pCO2sw made with
a continuous on-track sensor from Oct. 2007-August
2008 show that under-ice values in the region were never
supersaturated (ranging from 300-380 uatm). A significant
decrease in pCO2sw (to 304uatm) was observed in the spring,
but did not achieve the levels of undersaturation observed
in other polynyas (Miller et al., 2002; Yager et al. 1995).
This was followed by a significant summertime increase in
water temperatures that returned pCO2sw values to nearatmospheric levels, reducing the potential for significant
CO2 uptake.
In addition to the pCO2sw patterns not fitting with
the standard model of a polynya, our eddy covariance
observations revealed episodic uptake of CO2 at significant
rates in the winter months. Based on observations
from RADARSAT-1 imagery and sensible heat flux
measurements, we were able to attribute these fluxes the
open water flaw leads that were ubiquitous in the region. We
hyptothesize that this enhanced gas exchange is driven by
sea ice formation, and that it may be a significant process
in the annual air-sea gas exchange budget of polynyas and
other mobile ice regions.
Northern nations have begun to collect data in the
arctic to assert their sovereignty claims under Article 76 of
United Nations Law of the Sea Convention (UNCLOS).
With an arctic landmass second only in area to that of
Russia, Canada has a major interest in this.
While climate change predictions suggest the
possibility of open water in much of the Canadian Arctic
by 2040 or 2050, arctic operations still have to contend with
significant ice-cover. However, the ice is thinner and there is
now much more open water than even in the past few years.
This results in prolonged periods of low visibility, which
have made surface-based operations over long distances
hard to support with an aircraft.
The Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV)
can solve this problem. Operating without a tether, it can
make undersea transits or surveys hundreds of kilometers
in length, and it can collect data at the seabed resulting in
higher resolution surveys. In early 2010, an ISE Explorer
AUV, built for Natural Resources Canada (NRCan),
was deployed to Canada’s high arctic. Its mission was to
undertake under-ice bathymetric surveys in support of
Canada’s submission to establish the outer limits of its
continental shelf under the UNCLOS.
Two ISE Explorer vehicles have been built for
NRCan equipped with a 4000m depth rated variable
ballast system, a 1300Hz long-range homing system and
an under-ice charging and data transfer capability, to make
them suitable for arctic survey work. The Explorer’s range
was extended to approximately 450km by adding extra
batteries. The scientific payload onboard includes a Seabird
Conductivity-Temperature-Depth sensor, a Knudsen
117kHz singlebeam echosounder, and a 200kHz Kongsberg
Simrad EM2000 multibeam echosounder.
In April 2010 one of the Explorer AUVs
completed its first UNCLOS mission under the arctic ice. It
was launched from a main ice-camp close to Borden Island
on a survey that covered 360 kilometers. On arrival near the
camp, it homed in to a 36” diameter hole, where it remained
under the ice, was recharged, reprogrammed and released
on another mission heading farther north. It returned to
the ice-hole at the remote camp after collecting data along a
320 kilometer route. This was challenging as the ice-hole on
which the remote camp was located actually drifted 10km
per day.
The AUV was recharged again and dispatched to
the main ice-camp covering another 360 kilometers. In total,
12 DAYS UNDER THE ICE WITH AN AUV IN THE
CANADIAN ARCTIC
Crees, Tristan 1, C. Kaminski1, James Ferguson1, J. M.
Laframboise1, A. Forrest2, J. Williams3, E. MacNeil4, D.
Hopkin4 and R. Pederson4
ISE, 1734 Broadway St., Port Coquitlam, BC, V3C2M8,
Canada. www.ise.bc.ca
1
Department of Civil Engineering, UBC, 6250 Applied
Science Lane, Vancouver, BC, V6T1Z4, Canada.
3
University of Southern Mississippi, 1020 Balch Blvd,
Stennis Space Center, MS 39529 USA.
4
DRDC Atlantic, 9 Grove Street, Dartmouth, NS, B2Y 3Z7,
Canada.
47
ASM2010 Conference Programme and Abstracts
the Explorer conducted 12 days of continuous operation
under ice (a record). It carried out over 1000 kilometers
of seabed survey (a record) and made the second deepest
dive by an AUV under ice, reaching a depth of 3163 meters
on the second leg. NRCan are now preparing for a 2011
deployment to collect additional arctic survey data.
Our paper will discuss the configuration of the
vehicle for arctic under ice operations, the probability
of loss assessment process which we adopted, and the
process of qualifying the vehicle systems for long range
unsupervised missions under ice. We will also provide
further details of the mission itself.
KILLER WHALES IN THE CANADIAN ARCTIC:
WHAT ME WORRY?
Ferguson, Steven. H.1,2,3, J. W. Higdon2, C. J. D. Matthews3,
S.D. Petersen1, B. G. Young2 and M. C. S. Kingsley4
Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Central and Arctic Region,
Winnipeg, MB, Canada
2
Department of Environment and Geography, University
of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, Canada
3
Department of Biological Sciences, University of
Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, Canada
4
Eqalugalinnguit 97A, P.O. Boks 570, Nuuk, DK-3900,
Greenland
1
Killer whales (Orcinus orca) occur throughout the
world’s oceans but have recently been observed more
frequently in the Canadian Arctic. For example, killer
whales had not been reported present in Hudson Bay prior
to the mid-1900s yet observations have since increased
exponentially concurrent with a decrease in summer sea ice.
Killer whale activity during the open water season has been
concentrated in areas where marine mammal prey is diverse
and abundant. They have been observed killing and eating
bowhead (Balaena mysticetus), narwhal (Monodon monocerus),
beluga (Delphinapterus leucas), and seals. The impact of killer
whale predation on marine mammal species is unknown but
of particular interest given their greater use of Arctic waters
where Inuit subsistence hunting depends on the same prey.
We modeled basic predator-prey dynamics to assess possible
impacts of loss of sea ice refugia and concurrent increases
in predation. Results suggest that the some marine mammal
populations may be negatively impacted by recent changes
in killer whale predation. We conclude that conservation
of marine mammals with continued warming of the Arctic
should consider trophic effects of invasive temperate
species occupying polar regions.
ARCTIC INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT
AND INUIT HEALTH CARE: THE MEDICAL
INSURANCE PLAN FOR THE NORTH RANKIN
NICKEL MINE, 1957-63
Flannelly, R. Chris (chris.flannelly@gmail.com) and F. Tester
School of Social Work, University of British Columbia,
Vancouver, British Columbia, V6T 1Z2
From 1957 until it closed in the summer of
1962, North Rankin Nickel Mines Limited operated an
underground nickel mine at Rankin Inlet on the west coast
of Hudson’s Bay. Following the construction of the Distant
Early Warning (D.E.W.) Line, it was the first industrial
development undertaken in the eastern Arctic. The
present-day community owes its existence to this industrial
operation, as no settlement existed at this location prior to
the opening of the mine. The North Rankin Nickel mine is
of considerable importance to a historical examination of
relationships developing between a colonizing culture and
Inuit of what is now Nunavut Territory. Many Inuit went
from land-based hunting and trapping camps, tents and
igloos, to living in shack and wood frame housing in and
around Rankin Inlet in a matter of months: from hunters
and trappers to miners working underground. Meeting the
health care needs of Inuit presented the company and the
Indian and Northern Health Services with new and serious
challenges at a time when the provision of health care to
Canadians was a matter of private subscription. Some of
these were cultural and brought Inuit ideas about health
and the timely provision of care into conflict with taken
for-granted, euro-Canada ideas about health care provision
as a matter of employment (for doctors, nurses and others)
and the provision of a professional service. Shortly after the
mine opened, the costs of hospital care in Canada were met
by the passage of the Hospital Insurance and Diagnostic
Services Act of 1957.
The Rankin Nickel Mine opened before the
Northern Administration had in place, any policy for
meeting the housing needs of Inuit increasingly relocating
(or being relocated) to settlements developing throughout
the eastern Arctic. In the face of serious environmental and
health problems related to the immunological capacity of
Inuit, the company and the Indian and Northern Health
Service came up with a ‘Health Insurance Plan’ to meet
the health care needs of company employees. This, in
turn, raised questions about the provision of services to
others not employed by the mine and the role of public
health problems in relation to the provision of health care.
Limitations and problems with the plan are illustrative of
the challenges posed by the provision of health care to
many Canadians - Aboriginal and others - living in rural
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ASM2010 Conference Programme and Abstracts
and remote locations, involved in primary production and
confronted with structural and environmental barriers
to health that, it can be argued, could only effectively be
addressed by public means. Developments in Rankin Inlet
precede the introduction of Medicare in 1966 and illustrate
the important role of national health care insurance to
Canadian socio-economic and environmental realities.
CLIMATE CHANGE AND FOOD SECURITY
AMONG AT-RISK POPULATIONS IN REGIONAL
INUIT CENTRES
Ford, James D.1 (james.ford@mcgill.ca), S. Chatwood2,3, G.
Healey4, M-L. Chateau-Degat5, C. Furgal6, W. Gough1, D.
Kurzewski7, M-P. Lardeau1 and E. Power8
Department of Geograpy, McGill Unievrsity, Burnside
Hall, Montreal, QC, H3A 2K6
2
Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto
3
Institute for Circumpolar Health Research, Yellowknife,
NWT
4
Qaujigiartiit/Arctic Health Research Network, Iqaluit,
Nunavut
5
CRCHUQ, Université Laval, Québec, QC, G1V 0A6
6
Indigenous Environmental Studies, Trent University,
Peterborough, ON, K9J 7B8
7
Research Development, Institute for Circumpolar Health
Research, Inuvik, NWT
8
School of Kinesiology and Health Studies, Queen’s
University, Kingston, ON, K7L 3N6
1
CLIMATE, CHANGE AND THE FUTURE:
ADAPTING IN NUNATISAVUT
Fleming, Laura (lfleming@uoguelph.ca)
Department of Geography, University of Guelph, Guelph,
Ontario, N1G 2W1
Change in Nunatsiavut, Labrador, the newest
Inuit region of Canada, is abundant. Nunatsiavummiut
are observing changes in the local environment, including
delayed sea ice freeze up, and earlier thawing, decreased
snow pack, as well as changes in wildlife abundance and
migration patterns. As natural-resource based communities,
these now common implications of a changing climate
are affecting the livelihoods and wellbeing of local
residents. At the same time, the relatively newly instated
Nunatsiavut Government is in the midst of an arduous
undertaking of transitioning governance arrangements from
former provincial institutions into those more akin to the
interests of Labrador Inuit, while also working to improve
employment, housing and infrastructure, is contributing
positive yet notable change amongst Nunatsiavummiut.
Adaptation is the process of making modifications
or adjustments in order to better manage or cope with a
given change or stress (Smit & Wandel, 2006). This case
study in Hopedale, found that local residents are adapting
to environmental and socio-political change, with some
success. Moreover, local informal institutions and norms
(e.g. pooling resources for hunting excursions, sharing
harvested foods), play an important role with regards to
improving or constraining the ability of local residents to
adapt. Policy interventions to enhance future capacity will
need to consider and integrate these informal norms and
practices, distinctive in this region (Natcher et al, 2010), to
foster the future well being of residents of Hopedale, and
similarly, Nunatsiavut.
Food insecurity is a chronic problem affecting
many Inuit communities and is likely to predispose Inuit
food systems to the negative effects of climate change.
While we have an increasing understanding of food
system vulnerability in small, traditional Inuit settlements,
few studies have focused on larger regional Inuit centres
(RICs) or highly vulnerable groups. This paper will profile
a recently initiated ArcticNet project that is working with
community members, local organizations, and government
in Inuvik, Iqaluit, Arviat, and Kuujjuaq to examine the
pathways through which climate change might affect
the food security of at-risk populations. We define ‘atrisk populations’ to include individuals who use food
banks and soups kitchens on a regular basis, and who
by definition experience chronic food insecurity. To this
end, the project has five primary objectives: 1) document
and describe the nature of food insecurity among at-risk
populations in RIC’s, 2) characterize the environmental,
biological and socio-economic determinants of their food
insecurity, 3) document coping strategies to manage food
shortages, 4) examine the pathways through which climate
change might affect food insecurity for at-risk peoples,
5) identify opportunities and priorities for adaptation
intervention in the context of rapid current and future
change. These questions are being addressed using multiple
methods including the use of participatory photography
(photovoice), interviews, focus groups, and instrumental
climate and sea-ice data. While we hypothesize that at-risk
populations are likely to be highly vulnerable to climate
change, preliminary results from Iqaluit appear to suggest
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ASM2010 Conference Programme and Abstracts
a potential uncoupling of the food system of at-risk
populations from the climate sensitive subsistence economy.
The food security of this population, however, is highly
dependent upon the availability of social safety nets (formal
and informal) and economic conditions, both of which
could be affected by climate change.
CAN MOLAR GAS RATIOS POSITIVELY
IDENTIFY THE NATURE AND ORIGIN OF
MASSIVE GROUND ICE OF HERSCHEL ISLAND,
YUKON?
Fox, Dave1 (dave.fox@mail.mcgill.ca), W. Pollard1, D.
Lacelle2 and N. Couture3
Department of Geography, McGill University, Montreal,
Quebec, Canada
2
Department of Geography, University of Ottawa, Ottawa,
Ontario, Canada
3
Natural Resources Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
along with scientists at the University of Ottawa, have
begun to analyze the geochemical composition of this ice
including the pH, liquid conductivity, anions/cations, tritium
and deuterium and gravimetric ice contents. Preliminary pH
and conductivity studies have found the sampled massive
ice bodies to be particularly ice rich and originated from
ground water sources. Tritium and deuterium findings
suggest that the majority of ice is intrasedimental in origin
and of Pleistocene age. Such findings are crucial if we are to
understand the modern architecture of Herschel Island and
to accurately project the island’s future geomorphology.
ARCTIC BIOME CHANGES ON BAFFIN ISLAND
WITHIN THE PAST 200,000 YEARS: LESSONS
FROM PAST WARM TIMES
1
“How did it get to be underground in the first
place? Did the source water trickle down from the melting
snows or up well from subterranean springs?” Mackay, 1972
An exciting new tool has been developed in recent
years that enables geocryologists to accurately identify the
origin and nature of massive ground ice features. The molar
ratios of O2, N2 and Ar gases entrapped in massive ground
ice is a novel, periglacial field technique that results in a
positive disassociation between buried glacial and nonglacial intrasedimental ice (Lacelle et al., 2007 and Cardyn
et al., 2007). Massive ground ice, large tabular ice bodies
with a volumetric ice content exceeding 95%, is a unique
permafrost feature that persists throughout permafrost
landscapes (International Permafrost Association, 1998).
Massive ground ice features, discovered in the headwalls
of retrogressive thaw slumps on Herschel Island, Yukon,
have been analyzed extensively in order to comprehend
the structure, composition and spatial extents (Pollard,
1990). However, the origin of this buried ice, be it buried
glacial or non-glacial intrasedimental ice, is a fundamental
question that has yet been fully understood. To understand
the origin of massive ground ice features is to understand
the paleoclimates and environments that spawned their
creation. Moreover, ground ice features have a major
influence on the geomorphology of permafrost landscapes
and directly control rates of coastal erosion, active layer
depth migrations and thermokarst activity, all of which are
projected to increase under many climate change scenarios.
The established research sites of Herschel Island offer a
unique opportunity to employ new scientific methods to
understand this longstanding question. Our research team,
Fréchette, Bianca1 (Bianca.Frechette@internet.uqam.ca), Y.
Axford2, J. P. Briner3 and A. P. Wolfe4
GEOTOP, Université du Québec à Montréal, Montréal,
Québec, H3C 3P8
2
INSTAAR, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado,
80303
3
State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, New
York, 14260
4
University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, T6G 2E3
1
A new sediment core recovered from Lake
CF8 (70°33’ N, 68°57’ W, 195 m asl) on Baffin Island,
Arctic Canada, preserves for the first time the last three
interglaciations superimposed between minerogenic sands.
Records of insect (Chironomidae) remains, diatoms and
biogeochemical parameters are summarized in Axford et al.
(2009, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences,
106, 18443-18446.). Here we present the pollen record
of these three organic units. The vegetation cover of the
warm periods of the past 200,000 years will be reported as
vegetation structural types (or biomes). July air temperature
and sunshine during the growing season (June-July-AugustSeptember) will be reconstructed from pollen assemblages
using the modern analogue technique. The vegetation and
climate results at Lake CF8 will then be compared with
other interglacial Baffin Island records. Preliminary results
indicate that a succession of Arctic biomes is distinguished
from the present interglacial (Holocene, last 10 ka) and
the last interglacial sediments (LIG, ca. 130 to 125 ka
ago), whereas only one Arctic biome is recorded in the
previous interglacial sediments (PIG, ca. 190 ka ago). On
northeastern Baffin Island, vegetation cover changes were
more important during the LIG than during the Holocene.
The LIG vegetation evolved from a prostrate dwarfshrub tundra to an erect dwarf-shrub tundra and then to a
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ASM2010 Conference Programme and Abstracts
hemiprostrate dwarf-shrub tundra, whereas the Holocene
vegetation evolved from a prostrate dwarf-shrub tundra to
a hemiprostrate dwarf-shrub tundra. The vegetation at the
end of the PIG was a hemiprostrate-prostrate dwarf-shrub
tundra. From the pollen record, the LIG was the warmest
within the past 200,000 years with July air temperature about
4°C higher than today, and shrub birches were present in
the vicinity of Lake CF8. Today, the northernmost shrub
birch populations grow about 400 km south of Lake CF8.
Experimental summer warming in Arctic regions of Alaska
resulted in increased shrubbiness (e.g. Tape et al., 2006,
Global Change Biology, 12, 686–702). Increasing shrub
abundance during the LIG is an important result as it
suggests that the directional changes that occurred on Baffin
Island are consistent with experimental tundra warming and
recent shrub expansion in Alaska. A shift from herbaceous
to woody tundra would have important implications for
processes and interactions within tundra ecosystems and
between tundra and the atmosphere, notably through
a decrease in albedo. In a global warming scenario, it is
important that we improve our understanding of how
changes in shrub cover likely influence the behaviour of the
climate system.
LAKE FOOD WEBS IN THE NORTHWESTERN
CANADIAN TUNDRA - CAN CLIMATE INDUCED
PERMAFROST THAW SLUMPING AFFECT
FISHERIES HABITAT?
Gantner, Klaus 1,3 (gantnern@uvic.ca), D. Ross2, F. J.
Wrona1, E. Hille1, and J. D. Reist3
Water and Climate Impacts Research Centre, Environment
Canada, Department of Geography, University of Victoria,
Victoria, BC, Canada
2
Aurora Research Institute, Inuvik, Northwest Territories,
Canada
3
Freshwater Institute, Fisheries and Oceans Canada,
Winnipeg, MB, Canada
1
Climate Variability and Change (CVC) in the
Canadian Arctic is expected to have impacts on the hydroecology of freshwater ecosystems. Changes in the physical
and chemical environments of the landscape and related
aquatic habitats, and alterations to the processes that act on
freshwater ecosystems are expected. Partly related to a poor
understanding of their inter-relationships, the effects of
such changes on lake food webs and other environmental
factors on higher trophic level organisms in Arctic lakes
are not well understood. Trophic controls (top-down vs.
bottom-up) within the lakes are thought to determine this
structure. Our past efforts have concentrated on analyses
of factors linked to bottom-up control. However, topdown control through fish has not been assessed in the
study lakes and very little is known about the exact role
that fish play in the overall food web structure. To address
the question, we conducted a fish food web survey in
2009 and 2010 included 26 Tundra lakes in the Northwest
Territories, Canada. The three specific objectives were:
the detailed characterisation of the aquatic food web in 12
study lakes using stable isotope signatures of ( d15N and
d13C), 2) determine the relative importance of top-down
vs. bottom-up controls within the food web, 3) explain fish
community composition or absence of fish using lake- and
landscape-specific factors. Collection methods included gill
netting, seine netting, minnow trap sets, electro-fishing, and
angling, zooplankton tows, Ekman and Ponar sampling of
benthic invertebrates. We present preliminary results of
our food web characterization and fish survey and provide
evidence that top-down control is important in affecting
the food web structure in certain fish-bearing lakes, but not
conclusively in others. We also discuss the importance of
lake morphology, connectivity to the nearest fish bearing
lake and other lake- and landscape-specific factors that could
be affecting fish community establishment and distribution
in the context of past, present, and projected CVC in the
region.
MIGRATIONS AND AGGREGATIONS OF ARCTIC
COD (BOREOGADUS SAIDA) DURING WINTER
IN THE AMUNDSEN GULF (SOUTHEASTERN
BEAUFORT SEA)
Geoffroy, Maxime (maxime.geoffroy.1@ulaval.ca), D.
Robert and L. Fortier
Département de Biologie, Université Laval, Québec,
Québec, G1V 0A6
During the Circumpolar Flaw Lead System Study
(CFL, 2007-2008) in the Amundsen Gulf, significant
aggregations of fish were detected in winter by the EK60 echosounder of the CCGS Amundsen. Echo-validation
was performed by comparing characteristics of the CFL
aggregations to monospecific aggregations of arctic cod
observed in Franklin Bay during the CASES program
(2003-2004). A similar in situ mean target strength (TSN)
suggests that, as in CASES, the aggregations observed
during CFL were made up of arctic cod. A multifrequency
analysis (38 and 120 kHz) further indicated a mean volume
backscattering strength difference (ΔMVBS) range between
-5dB and 4dB in February and March, consistent with
the acoustic signature of arctic cod. Integrated biomass
was calculated over ten months and reached a maximum
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ASM2010 Conference Programme and Abstracts
of 0.732 kg m-2 in February. Aggregations were only
encountered under high sea-ice concentration, from
December to April, and aggregating behaviour closely
related to the ice cover. We suggest that arctic cod vertical
distribution was driven by temperature and prey distribution.
The species generally sought for the warm Atlantic Layer
during winter, but when forming dense aggregations
individuals were also following their zooplanktonic prey in
the colder Pacific Halocline. All aggregations were recorded
over the continental slope, where it was possible to stay
away from the cold upper layers. Diel vertical migration
patterns were observed within the aggregations, presumably
to avoid visual predators such as ringed seals (Phoca hispida).
Arctic cod also migrated from 220 m to 550 m bottom
depth areas throughout winter as a response to increasing
light intensity. Understanding arctic cod migrations and
distribution in the Canadian Arctic is needed to anticipate
the response of this key species to climate change and seaice cover reduction.
FROM NAIN, NUNATSIAVUT TO KUGLUKTUK,
NUNAVUT: ANALYSING VEGETATION CHANGE
BY INTERVIEWING LOCAL EXPERTS FROM 8
INUIT COMMUNITIES ACROSS THE CANADIAN
ARCTIC.
Gérin-Lajoie, José1 (jose.gerin-lajoie@uqtr.ca), A. Cuerrier2,
L. Siegwart Collier3, E. Lévesque1, L. Hermanutz3, G.
Henry4 and C. Spiech1
Département de Chimie-Biologie, Université du Québec
à Trois-Rivières, Trois-Rivières, Québec, G9A 5H7 and
Centre d’études nordiques, Université Laval, Québec,
Québec, G1V 0A6
2
Jardin botanique de Montréal, Institut de recherche en
biologie végétale, Montréal, Québec, H1X 2B2
3
Memorial University of Newfoundland, Department of
Biology, St. Johns, Newfoundland and Labrador, A1C 5S7
4
University of British Columbia, Department of
Geography, Vancouver, British Columbia, V6T 1Z2
1
The warming trend in climate observed in the
Arctic and its impact are increasingly being noticed both
by scientists and Northerners. Vegetation in general acts
as an integrator of diverse biophysical and geographical
components (e.g. soil, climate, topography, latitude) and
is a good indicator of current changes. Several scientific
plant monitoring programs were initiated several years ago
in different parts of the Canadian Arctic (ITEX, EMANNorth, CANTTEX). However, there is no long term dataset
existing in Canada as it does in other northern countries (e.g.
USA, Denmark). Consequently, there is a need to collect the
observations from the people inhabiting these territories
for millennia, the Inuit. Due to their close relationship
with their environment, they are keen observers of the
surrounding elements and the living world. Elders and local
experts represent the Inuit living memory and they are the
witness of the changes that occurred over their lifetimes
and further as oral tradition was the only transmission
mode of knowledge until the early 1900s. Semi-structured
interviews were done in 8 communities across the Canadian
Arctic (Nunatsiavut, Nunavik and Nunavut) between 2007
and 2010 to collect information about Inuit perception of
vegetation and environmental changes in the last decades.
From East to West, the selected communities were: Nain, in
Nunatsiavut; Kangiqsualujjuaq, Kangiqsujuaq and Umiujaq,
in Nunavik; Pangnirtung, Pond Inlet (Qikiqtaaluk Region),
Baker Lake (Kivalliq Region) and Kugluktuk (Kitikmeot
Region), in Nunavut. A total of 144 people (median age 70)
were interviewed with the assistance of local interpreters.
Both men (56) and women (88), contributed to this study
as their respective knowledge is complementary: men are
usually more knowledgeable about climate, seasons and
hydrology while women talk more easily about plants,
berries and ecological factors affecting them. Answers to the
questions were later coded in ordinal or binary variables to
allow multivariate analyses like detrended correspondence
analysis (DCA) to be used. Frequency analyses will also
be done to examine consensus (>50%) over change
among interviewees, by themes (vegetation, environmental
and human factors). Preliminary results suggest that
vegetation change and its perception present regional
disparities. However, there is general consensus over some
observations, mostly thawing permafrost, lower water levels,
more unpredictable weather, stronger winds, less abundant
snow, sea-ice later freeze-up and earlier break-up, newly
observed species. The high arctic site (Pond Inlet) tend to
differentiate from the others and there seems to be more
consensus over change in Western and central Arctic sites
(Kugluktuk and Baker Lake). Analysis of human perception
regarding the detection of environmental changes is a
complementary tool to scientific monitoring but using an
ethical approach that includes local populations. The people
living and witnessing these changes act as « living probes
», integrating continuous observations of environmental
factors at local and regional scales. The quantitative
approach using multivariate DCA analysis proves to be a
useful statistical tool for comparing complex human data
among communities, gender and age groups, thus facilitating
the detection of trends in vegetation change to be validated
in time or by modelling and measurements.
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ASM2010 Conference Programme and Abstracts
WATER WAYS: COMMUNITY RELATIONS WITH
FRESHWATER AND FRESHWATER SYSTEMS
ON THE LABRADOR NORTH COAST, AND
RESILIENCE TO ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE
Goldhar, Christina1 (christina.goldhar@mun.ca), T.
Bell1 and J. Wolf 2
Geography Department, Memorial University, St. John’s,
NL A1B 3X9, CANADA
2
Labrador Institute and Faculty of Arts, Memorial
University of Newfoundland,
Goose Bay, NL A0P 1E0
1
Residents of Rigolet, Nunatsiavut are currently
experiencing variations in freshwater availability that
resemble the implications of climate trends on freshwater
systems in the Western Arctic; yet minimal research
attention has focused on the experience of these changes
and their significance in the minds of Nunatsiavut residents.
These changes are challenging the ability of residents to
access preferred drinking water sources and are exacerbating
existing financial barriers that restrict their time spent on the
land.
Prior to this narrative of change, a preliminary
baseline understanding of the ways in which freshwater is
valued, and the relationship northern peoples have with
freshwater and freshwater systems, is largely missing from
the literature. Vulnerability to these changes is shaped in
part by lifestyle choices and livelihood activities, and must
be understood through the lens of local values, preferences,
and understandings. As stated by O’Brien and Wolf (2010:
p232): “How to respond to climate change impacts depends
importantly on what the effects of climate change mean to
those affected. Similarly, what is considered as effective and
legitimate adaptation depends on what people perceive to be
worth preserving”.
Drawing on vulnerability approaches from the
climate change literature (see for example: Adger 2003,
2006; Ford and Smit 2004; O’Brien et al. 2004; Füssel and
Klein 2006; Ford et al. 2006; Smit et al. 2008; Ford 2009),
and recent perspectives offered by O’Brien and Wolf (2010),
this paper explores the vulnerability of Rigolet residents to
freshwater systems change. This approach emphasizes local
preferences and values, considering the experiential and
cultural dimensions of climate change, and draws on results
from 89 household interviews (88% response), targeted
interviews, and participant observation in Rigolet.
This paper argues that the exposure of northern
communities to freshwater systems change and their
capacity to adapt are largely shaped by the attributes of
people’s relationship with freshwater and freshwater systems.
Gathering water from the land for drinking and relying on
freshwater systems for traditional foods and transportation
familiarizes residents with the dynamic characteristics of the
local watershed, presents situations where residents have
to utilize adaptive strategies in response to seasonal water
shortages, heightens the ability of residents to recognize
potentially harmful long-term trends in water availability,
and strengthens the capacity of the community to adapt
to these changes. Simultaneously, these lifestyle choices
and livelihood activities enhance exposure-sensitivity. A
household is less sensitive to local freshwater changes when
it relies less on the immediate environment by primarily
consuming store foods and bottled water, and pursuing a
livelihood that is largely disconnected from locally available
resources. These findings suggest that the diversification
of the local economy to include waged employment,
store-bought foods, bottled water, and tap water may
concurrently enhance and diminish community resilience to
environmental change.
UNIVERSITY OF THE ANTARCTIC:
ACCREDITED FIELD-COURSES WITH
STUDENTS ON ICE
Green, Geoff1 (expedition@studentsonice.com), L.
Copland2 and T. Straka1
Students on Ice, Gatineau, Québec, J9J 3N7
Department of Geography, University of Ottawa, Ontario,
K1N 6N5
1
2
University of the Antarctic: Accredited Field-Courses with
Students on Ice
This presentation will touch on successes and
lessons learnt from the Students on Ice Antarctic University
Expedition 2009. It will also share details of the upcoming
Students on Ice Antarctic University Expedition 2011 and
plans for a similar Arctic expedition in 2012.
The 2011 ship-based educational expedition will offer
prospective students the opportunity to enroll in
one of seven University-level field courses. Using an
interdisciplinary approach to examine the uniqueness of
the Antarctic continent, including its political, scientific
and exploration history, the journey will motivate, inspire
and expand students vision of the Planet, who they are,
and what they are capable of accomplishing. Foster youth
leadership, international cooperation, develop research skills
and strengthen relationships between people working for a
sustainable future.
Courses offered by partner Universities on the
Students on Ice Antarctic University Expedition 2011
include:
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ASM2010 Conference Programme and Abstracts
- Practical Study in Earth and Atmospheric Science
(University of Alberta)
- Origin and Evolution of Antarctic Ecosystems over Time
(Carleton University)
- Tourism and Polar Destinations (Luleå University of
Technology)
- Antarctica and the Earth System (McGill University)
- Glaciology (University of Ottawa)
- Polar Ecology (University of St Andrews)
- Predator Ecology in Polar Ecosystems (University of St
Andrews)
Once in Antarctic waters, all students will make
frequent field trips to the Antarctic mainland via Zodiac
inflatables from the main ship. These landings will be
supplemented by lectures, seminars and lab exercises in
dedicated space aboard the expedition vessel.
The expedition will have approximately 70
participating University students, and 20 University faculty,
scientists, experts, and educators. Undergraduate and
graduate students from around the world and from any
University can apply to participate.
To learn more, visit www.uantarctic.org and www.
studentsonice.com.
MACROPHYSICAL CHARACTERIZATION OF
ARCTIC WINTER MIXED-PHASE STRATIFORM
CLOUDS
Grenier, Patrick (grenier@sca.uqam.ca) and J.-P. Blanchet
Institut des Sciences de l’Environnement, Université du
Québec à Montréal, Montréal, Québec, H3C 3P8
The representation of Arctic clouds in atmospheric
numerical models represents a difficult challenge, to
address which the distribution and properties of all cloud
types must be better known. In this context, we present a
characterization of the macrophysical properties of Arctic
winter mixed-phase stratiform (MPS) clouds, performed
using the CALIPSO satellite data set. It is inferred from
the lidar backscattering at 532 nm, the depolarization ratio
and the color ratio signals that there may exist MPS clouds
consisting of a liquid top generating ice crystals which
precipitate below, in agreement with other recent related
studies. After investigation of data from 2108 overpasses
during the winters of 2008 and 2009, we found at least one
MPS layer in 39 % of the profiles and multiple layers in 6.3
% of the profiles. It is also found that the lateral extent of
the MPS layers obeys a power-law distribution. MPS parcels
exist up to an altitude of 8000 meters, but 95 % of the MPS
parcels are located below 4500 m. All Arctic regions within
the investigated domain (60oN to 82oN) may potentially be
covered by MPS clouds. Highest frequencies of occurrence
are found southwest of the Svalbard Islands and west of
Novaya Zemlya ( > 80 %), whereas lowest values occur
over Greenland and Siberia (10 to 20 %). MPS clouds
observation and modelling are important, notably because
their greenhouse effect modifies radiative transfer and hence
surface temperature.
SOIL BACTERIAL DIVERSITY IN THE ARCTIC
IS NOT FUNDAMENTALLY DIFFERENT FROM
THAT FOUND IN OTHER BIOMES
Haiyan, C.1,2, N. Fierer3,4, C. L. Lauber3, J. G. Caporaso5, R.
Knight5,6 and Paul Grogan1 (groganp@queensu.ca)
Department of Biology, Queen’s University, Kingston,ON
K7L 3N6, Canada.
2
State Key Laboratory of Soil and Sustainable Agriculture,
Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences,
East Beijing Road 71, Nanjing, 210008,
China.
3
Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental
Sciences, University of Colorado, UCB 216, Boulder, CO
80309, USA.
4
Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology,
University of Colorado, UCB 334, Boulder, CO 80309,
USA.
5
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of
Colorado, UCB 215, Boulder, CO 80309, USA.
6
Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Colorado,
Boulder, CO 80309, USA.
1
The severe environmental stresses of the Arctic
may have promoted unique soil bacterial communities
compared with those found in lower latitude environments.
Here, we present a comprehensive analysis of the
biogeography of soil bacterial communities in the Arctic
using a high resolution bar-coded pyrosequencing technique.
We also compared arctic soils with soils from a wide range
of more temperate biomes to characterize variability in
soil bacterial communities across the globe. We show that
arctic soil bacterial community composition and diversity
are structured according to local variation in soil pH rather
than geographical proximity to neighboring sites, suggesting
that local environmental heterogeneity is far more important
than dispersal limitation in determining community-level
differences. Furthermore, bacterial community composition
had similar levels of variability, richness and phylogenetic
diversity within arctic soils as across soils from a wide
range of lower latitudes, strongly suggesting a common
diversity structure within soil bacterial communities around
the globe. These results contrast with the well-established
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ASM2010 Conference Programme and Abstracts
latitudinal gradients in animal and plant diversity, suggesting
that the controls on bacterial community distributions
are fundamentally different from those observed for
macroorganisms and that our biome definitions are not
useful for predicting variability in soil bacterial communities
across the globe.
FLUORESCENCE AND ABSORPTION
PROPERTIES OF COLORED DISSOLVED
ORGANIC MATTER IN NELSON RIVER
ESTUARY
Guéguen, Céline1 (celinegueguen@trentu.ca), A. Perroud1,
G. McCullough2 and D.G. Barber2
Chemistry Department, Trent University, Peterborough,
Ontario, K9J 7B8
2
Centre for Earth Observation Science, Department of
Environment and Geography, University of Manitoba,
Winnipeg, Manitoba, R3T 2N2
1
Dissolved organic matter (DOM) represents one
of the largest carbon reservoirs at Earth’s surface. Colored
dissolved organic matter (CDOM), which is the fraction of
DOM that absorbs ultraviolet and visible light, is essentially
controlled by terrestrial inputs, in situ biological activities
and photochemical reactions. Here we report CDOM
absorbance and fluorescence data collected under ice and in
ice-free season in the Nelson River estuary. This study aims
to better understand coastal surface CDOM distribution and
dynamic. Origins as well as seasonal variation of CDOM
are discussed. The absorption coefficient at 355nm (a355)
was chosen for describing changes in CDOM quantities.
The significant inverse relationship between salinity and
a355 indicates a conservative behavior for surface CDOM
absorbance. However the absorption mixing line was
time dependent, suggesting a temporal change in CDOM
quantities in Nelson River. This agrees with a355 values
measured in Nelson River endmember. The CDOM
fluorescence, assessed through excitation emission matrices
(EEMs), was dominated by humic-like component, while
protein-like component from biological origin remains
low. The terrestrial source of surface fluorescent CDOM
is consistent with high humification index (HIX) and low
biological index (BIX). Therefore, the assessment of optical
properties of CDOM points out the significant influence of
terrestrial input in the carbon cycle in Nelson River estuary.
ICE CONDITIONS IN THE LINCOLN SEA AND
PLANS FOR A FUTURE CANADIAN ARCTIC SEA
ICE MASS BALANCE OBSERVATORY
Haas, Christian
Departments of Earth & Atmospheric Sciences and
Geophysics, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta,
T6G2E3
The Arctic sea ice cover is changing rapidly, with
large year-to-year variations. Since 2004, we perform
observations of sea ice conditions in the Lincoln Sea
between Canada and the North Pole, in particular of ice
thickness. After years of little change, strong variations
have occurred recently. These raise questions about the
Lincoln Sea’s sensitivity to Arctic-wide ice dynamics and
deformation and the role of more regional deformation
related to the formation of ice arches north of and ice
export through Nares Strait. It would also be desirable to
establish more systematic observations in several other
regions of the Arctic and in the waters along the North
West Passage. Recent efforts are presented including
snowmobile and airborne surveys which could become
part of a future, collaborative Canadian Arctic Sea Ice Mass
Balance Observatory (CASIMBO) to provide important
baseline data for environmental change assessments, ocean/
atmosphere climate studies, as well as for the safety and
sustainability of shipping and offshore operations.
IS THE ARCTIC SHRINKING? RESULTS FROM
AN INTERDISCIPLINARY STUDY OF CHANGES
IN THE FOREST-TUNDRA ECOTONE
Harper, Karen1 and L. Hermanutz2
School for Resource and Environmental Studies, Dalhousie
University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, B3H 3J5
2
Department of Biology, Memorial University, St. John’s,
Newfoundland, A1B 3X9
1
The Arctic is delimited in the south by the foresttundra ecotone or treeline. With climate change, trees are
expected to encroach upon tundra at its southern limit
thereby shrinking the extent of the non-treed Arctic
landscape. We report the results of an interdisciplinary
Canadian International Polar Year research program that
investigated the causes and consequences of change of the
forest-tundra ecotone (treeline). Our objectives included
analyzing recent change in vegetation and microclimate,
determining the mechanisms of this change, mapping
the spatial pattern of treeline, assessing the role of
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ASM2010 Conference Programme and Abstracts
disturbance and developing models of the relationship
between environmental change, resource availability and
human health and well-being. Together with international
researchers we developed common protocols and collected
data during the summers of 2007-09 to examine change at
treeline at over a dozen locations in the Yukon, Northwest
Territories, Nunavut, northern Manitoba, northern Quebec
and Labrador. Data were collected on trees of all ages,
recruitment dynamics, seed availability, vegetation, soils,
climatology, microclimate, snow and ice, spatial pattern,
soil and socioeconomic indicators regarding the impacts
of changes in climatic conditions on treeline and their
consequences on ecosystems and communities. Evidence
of change in and movement of the forest-tundra ecotone
was evident in some sites but not in others despite
increasing temperatures. Recruitment may be hindering
treeline movement at some sites where there appears to be
a bottleneck to tree expansion due to limitations of seed
production, seed viability and seedling mortality. Shrubs
appear to be a conduit of change by actively preceding tree
expansion into tundra at some sites.Our key finding was the
large amount of variability in tree growth, regeneration and
spatial pattern among tree species, regions across Canada
and even sites within the same region. This variation in
treeline response may be extremely challenging to outline
general strategies for climate change adaptation in Arctic
environments.
PEOPLE OF A FEATHER AND THE ARCTIC SEA
ICE IPY PROJECT
Heath, Joel
Mathematical Biology Program, University of British
Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z2
This talk will outline the activities and release of
three major deliverables for International Polar Year, and
discuss the future legacy generated through this IPY project.
1) People of a Feather - a feature length
documentary taking place on the Belcher Islands, Nuavut.
It is a cultural film based around the natural history of
the arctic eider duck, the Inuit who rely on them for food
and feathers, and the challenges they are facing adjusting
to environmental changes in sea ice ecosystems. www.
peopleofeafeather.com
2) The Arctic Sea Ice Educational Package brings Arctic science and culture to life, linking visual
content and natural history accounts with actual data sets
collected by Arctic researchers in lesson plans about sea
ice ecosystems. Made in collaboration with southern and
northern educators, it is designed for Grade 8-12 classrooms
everywhere, bringing science and math curriculum to
northern classrooms in a culturally relevant context, and
allowing southern classrooms to discover the mysteries of
the Arctic. www.thearcticseaice.com
3) Multi-Scale Community Based Research and
Monitoring - This training component of the project
involved engaging Inuit using timelapse, multimedia and
oceanographic techniques for ecosystem monitoring
and research, and was conducted in conjunction with
the Sanikiluaq Hunters and Trappers Organization,
Environment Canada, and the Nunavut Wildlife
Management Board. Many techniques developed for
outreach during the IPY project will also leave a lasting
legacy for environmental monitoring. This program
provides Inuit with meaningful jobs that use their
traditional skills and local knowledge to address issues that
the community has established as priorities. Multi media
approaches provide unique spatiotemporal data, and allow
Inuit to visualize what is being monitored, engaging them in
the program. Oceanographic deployments can be conducted
conveniently during hunting trips in different sea ice
regimes. In the long term, we hope to link this program with
high school science programs in a multi-community network
of environmental monitoring and knowledge exchange.
www.arcticeider.com/research
RECENT TUNDRA VEGETATION CHANGE:
RESULTS OF PLOT BASED MONITORING
ACROSS THE TUNDRA BIOME
Elmendorf, S. C. 1, Greg H.R. Henry1 (greg.henry@geog.
ubc.ca), and the Tundra Vegetation Change Group2
Department of Geography, University of British
Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z2
2
authors (52) will be identified in the presentation
1
Results from experimental warming studies suggest
tundra vegetation will respond rapidly and dramatically
to climate warming, and indeed, NDVI data from remote
sensing and repeat aerial photography suggest such changes
may already be occurring. NDVI changes, however, may
reflect a variety of processes and repeat measurements of
permanently marked plots offer an invaluable opportunity
to monitor detailed changes in vegetation composition
and abundance. Here, we report results from a synthesis
of repeat measurements of 195 permanent plots in Arctic
and alpine tundra plant communities in North America
(90 plots), Europe (82 plots), Asia (10 plots), Australia (12
plots), and Antarctica (1 plot) that were revisited at least
twice between 1980 and 2010, with an average timespan of
13 years between first and last sampling periods. Annual
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ASM2010 Conference Programme and Abstracts
air-temperature warming over the sampling period varied
considerably among sites, ranging from slight cooling
to increases of nearly 2ºC/decade. We found significant
tundra-wide increases in vegetation height as well as
abundance of evergreen shrubs and graminoids, and
declines in mosses. Surprisingly, we found no support
for the hypothesis that Arctic greening is driven by local
increases in air temperature in fact, temporal change in
cover of bare ground cover was positively correlated
with site-specific changes in annual air temperature, while
temporal changes in the abundance of deciduous shrubs
and graminoids were negatively correlated with site-specific
changes in annual air temperature. Changes in diversity
were also complex. It is possible that vegetation dynamics
in these areas are affected more by other environmental
factors, including moisture availability and precipitation
regimes, and other longer-term non-equilibrium processes
such as recovery from glaciation.
THE DISPERSION OF 129I IN ARCTIC AND
SUBARCTIC WATERSHEDS
Herod, Matt , I. D. Clark and L. Kieser
1
1
2
Department of Earth Sciences, University of Ottawa,
Ottawa, Ontario, K1N 6N5
2
Department of Physics, University of Toronto, Toronto,
Ontario, M5S 1A7
1
Iodine-129 (129I) is a biophilic, radioactive isotope
(half life: 1.6x107 years) that is produced naturally through
the spontaneous fission of 238U in the subsurface and
by cosmic ray interaction with 130Xe in the atmosphere.
Nuclear fuel reprocessing has released large amounts of
anthropogenic 129I into the environment, which has led to
a large increase in the concentration of 129I and in the ratio
of 129I/127I in the environment. Water samples from large
watersheds were collected in the Yukon Territory, Canada
starting in Whitehorse (60°43′00″N) and moving north to
Tsiigehtchic, Northwest Territory (67°26′26″N). Samples
of ice remaining from the last glaciation ~10,000 years
B.P. were taken from thaw slumps near Fort McPherson,
NWT to obtain a pre-nuclear background that can be
used to compare with the modern values of total iodine
and 129I to see what effect the global nuclear industry has
had on northern watersheds. Values for total iodine in 14
Arctic drainage basins were measured using ICP-MS and
are consistent at 0.034-0.039 ppm, however two creeks
which have a large contribution from springs out of shale
bedrock have higher concentrations from 0.045-0.047
ppm. Measurements by Accelerator mass spectrometry
will present the 129I content in these waters. It is expected
that the higher uranium concentrations found in shale will
contribute to a correspondingly higher amount of 129I
from spring water although anthropogenic input may also
be a contributor. None of the other watersheds have a
water source in shale bedrock suggesting that the relatively
enriched values seen in these areas are due exclusively to
the shale and potentially its high organic concentration and
hence higher iodine.
SEALS AND SEA ICE: EVOLUTION,
BIOGEOGRAPHY, AND CONSERVATION OF
WORLD PINNIPEDS
Higdon, Jeff W.1,2 (Jeff.Higdon@dfo-mpo.gc.ca) and S. H.
Ferguson2,1
Department of Environment and Geography, University
of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, R3T 2N2
2
Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Winnipeg, Manitoba, R3T
2N6
1
Knowledge of biogeographic patterns is
needed for effective conservation of world pinnipeds.
This unique group of marine mammals evolved from a
terrestrial ancestor and have adapted to marine foraging
while maintaining terrestrial (land or ice) habitat links.
Pinnipeds are influenced by a mix of conditions in both
environments and are a particularly interesting group
for biogeographic research. Using comparative methods
that controlled for phylogeny and body-size allometry we
found that adaptations to sea ice parturition led to higher
dispersal capabilities and increased range sizes. Ancestral
state reconstructions suggest that pinnipeds have had a
long association with sea ice, an adaptation that would have
facilitated expansion into novel habitats and increased range
sizes.
Pinniped range sizes exhibited a strong Rapoport
effect, or a positive relationship between range size and
latitude, at the global scale. However a latitudinal gradient
in species diversity could not explain the Rapoport effect
for global pinniped ranges, as diversity was highest at
mid-latitudes in both hemispheres. These regions are
characterized by marginal ice zones and variable climates,
and support a mix of pagophilic and temperate species.
Climatic conditions likely have a strong influence on
distribution and richness patterns. We tested the climatic
variability hypothesis (CVH) as an explanation of range
size variation using a global sea surface temperature (SST)
climatology. The CVH predicted that species at higher
latitudes experience greater climatic variability, increasing
their tolerance range and thereby increasing range size. Our
comparative results did not support the CVH explanation
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ASM2010 Conference Programme and Abstracts
and thus SST variation could not explain the Rapoport
effect. However mean annual SST was a significant predictor
of range sizes, and was also the only variable that followed a
consistent global latitudinal gradient.
Responses to SST gradients are likely related
to thermoregulation, sea ice availability, and ecological
interactions ecological relationships with other large
marine predators such as sharks. These analyses agree with
other studies and suggest that ocean temperature, and
not productivity, drives marine species richness patterns.
The results are important for predicting effects of future
climate changes, as modeled changes in SST will be able
to help predict distributional changes with ocean warming.
Air temperature may also be a significant predictor of
pinniped biogeography, and future research needs include
studies of physiological tolerances, interactions with sharks
as predators and competitors, and the role of climate and
sea ice in speciation and evolution. A better understanding
of distribution and diversity patterns, and the role of
the environment in shaping these patterns, will improve
conservation efforts, and these studies are particularly
important given current warming trends and declines in ice
extent.
CLIMATIC FACTORS DRIVING THE
HYDROLOGICAL AND GEOCHEMICAL
RESPONSES OF TUNDRA UPLAND LAKES TO
LANDSCAPE PERTURBATION
Hille, Erika1,2 (ehille@uvic.ca), D. Peters1, F. Wrona1 and S.
V. Kokelj3
Department of Geography, University of Victoria,
Victoria, BC, V8W 3R4
2
Water Climate Impacts Research Centre, Environment
Canada, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC, V8W 3R4
3
Water Resources Division, Indian and Northern Affairs
Canada, Yellowknife, NT, X1A 2R3
1
A number of lakes in the upland region northeast of Inuvik, Northwest Territories have been impacted
by permafrost degradation. Shoreline retrogressive thaw
slumping (SRTS) is an extreme form of permafrost
degradation initiated by the thawing of ice-rich surface
sediments, which results in terrain instability and the
slumping of material into the adjacent lake. These
catastrophic features are typified by steep headwalls,
mudflows, and the removal of the vegetation, litter, and
organic layers. The frequency of SRTS in the north-western
Arctic has increased in the last 50 years and has been linked
to changes in DOC, colour, and nutrient concentrations,
all of which have significant implications for the aquatic
ecology of associated lakes. Recent research suggests that
the enhanced geochemical loading related to affected lakes
can be explained by hydrological processes and permafrost
degradation, both of which are driven by climatic factors.
As the climate continues to warm, the north-western
Arctic is projected to be impacted by increasing rates of
permafrost degradation, which is predicted to increase the
geochemical loading to these lakes.
The overall goal of this ArcticNet/IPY study is
to examine the interactions between landscape/catchment
hydrology and lake geochemistry for a suite of paired-lakes
(control vs lakes affected by SRTS) adjacent to a section of
the proposed Mackenzie Valley Natural Gas Pipeline. More
specifically, the objective of phase one of this study is to
create/update a detailed hydro-climatologic record, which
will be used to examine key climate indices that control the
permafrost hydrology of lake catchments in the study area.
The focus of this study will be on a pair of lakes located
18 km northeast of Inuvik where hydro-geochemical field
data was collected over a multi-year period. This data was
supplemented with climatic observations made at long-term
Environment Canada weather stations, located along the
proposed transect (e.g., Aklavik, Inuvik, Trail Valley, and
Tuktoyaktuk), which provide a regional context.
Preliminary findings of a time-series analysis of
the key hydro-climatic indices that control lake catchment
hydrology and geochemistry, such as temperature,
precipitation (snow and rainfall), annual snowpack snow
water equivalence, spring freshet initiation, air and ground
temperature, ice-on and ice-off timing, evaporation, and
precipitation minus evaporation, will be presented. Our
enhanced understanding of these controls will provide
necessary physical information to tackle the second phase
of this study, an examination of the linkages between
catchment landscape and lake geochemistry in control vs.
lakes impacted by SRTS.
THE FLOE EDGE MONITORING SERVICE:
PROVIDING AN EXPANDED SUITE OF NEAR
REAL TIME IMAGE PRODUCTS TO MONITOR
SEA ICE CONDITIONS FOR COMMUNITIES IN
THE CANADIAN ARCTIC
Hirose, Tom1 (tom.hirose@noetix.on.ca), M. Kapfer1, J.
Bennett1 and G. J. Laidler2
Noetix Research Inc., Ottawa, Ontario, K1S 2E1
Department of Geography & Environmental Studies,
Carleton University, Ottawa Ontario, K1S 5B6
1
2
The Floe Edge Monitoring Service provides near
real time sea ice imagery and information to communities
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ASM2010 Conference Programme and Abstracts
using an online delivery system. The service, for the
purposes of safe navigation both on and off the ice, began
in 2003, covering 3 communities and has since expanded to
now serve the majority of the Canadian Arctic. The service
allows users access to remotely sensed data in the form of
optical and SAR satellite imagery in a timely manner. The
products include current floe edge location information,
potential danger warning signs and historical locations of
floe edge locations. The Floe Edge Monitoring Service has
also continued to expand its suite of products to better
serve the communities. New advancements in technologies
and access to higher resolution imagery has led to the use
of interferometric products which can help to highlight
important features such as early break up indicators and
tidal cracks within the land fast ice. Online tutorials and
community workshops have given the communities the
proper tools necessary to confidently interpret SAR imagery.
SHARING RESEARCH FINDINGS IN THE
CANADIAN ARCTIC: ASSESSING THE
INTEGRATION OF INUIT KNOWLEDGE IN
POLICY COMMUNICATIONS ABOUT CLIMATE
CHANGE RELATED FOOD INSECURITY
Hirsch, Rachel1 (rhirsch@yorku.ca)
Faculty of Environmental Studies, York University,
Toronto, M3J 1P3
1
The Government of Canada recognizes that further
climate changes are now unavoidable making it imperative
to consider how Northern Canadians are adapting.
Environmental managers must make sense of different
points of view or ways of understanding ‘best practices’
for promoting sustainable subsistence. Co-management
approaches have been adopted that require input from
both local community members (Inuit and non-Inuit) and
scientists (often from non-Arctic institutions). Knowledge
sharing then becomes crucial to communications. What is
unclear is how these multiple knowledge types are translated
from climate change research to policy. The main aim
of this research is therefore to build networking capacity
by considering how sharing knowledge influences the
communication of findings from climate change related
food insecurity studies in the Canadian Arctic.
The issue of climate change induced food insecurity
has implications for environmental managers who must
deal with different ideas about what food security means
to various actors (i.e., Inuit vs. non-Inuit), who the issue
applies to, and what a satisfactory response might be. In
fact, there is concern about how traditional knowledge is
collected, defined, and used to inform Arctic policy-making.
This proposed study is supported partially through funding
from the ArcticNet project entitled: ““Integrating and
Translating ArcticNet Science for Sustainable Communities
and National and Global Policy and Decision-Making”
(Chris Furgal and David Hik). Collaborators on this study,
as with the larger ArcticNet project, are interested in
how Arctic science can inform policy. This research will
therefore contribute theoretically to Arctic environmental
management approaches by exploring how the integration
of various types of knowledge (i.e., indigenous, local,
governmental, and scientific) facilitates or constrains
communications about food insecurity decision-making.
Overall, this project will help link completed research,
policies currently in place and being developed, and the
actual practices of communities all aimed at promoting
ecological and human well-being in the face of a changing
environment.
Our proposed methods include a cooperative
working group with project partners to develop a knowledge
tracking procedure and a series of stakeholder interviews
where this protocol is applied. Interviews will be used to:
1) map the knowledge networks formed by the sharing of
climate change related country food insecurity findings; and
2) identify through the process of narrative analysis whether
conflicting ‘policy stories’ told by network actors can be
mediated. This two-step approach enhances rigour by first
scanning for (i.e., mapping) organizational structures and
stakeholders and then by delving into (i.e., narrating) the
processes of information exchange and valuation between
these stakeholders.
A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF THE GENDER
SPECIFIC DETERMINANTS OF DIET CHOICE
IN THREE COMMUNITIES IN NUNAVUT,
CANADA
Ip, Morgan1 (morgan.alexander.ip@gmail.com), S.G.
Donaldson1,2, N.C. Doubleday3, D. Haines4, D. Charette3, T.
Nancarrow5, B. Grimwood1, A. Manning5, T. Leech5, B.
Adlard5 and J. Van Oostdam5
Department of Geography and Environmental Studies,
Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada, K1S 5B6
2
Head, Population Biomonitoring Section, Health Canada,
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0K9
3
Department of Philosophy, McMaster University,
Hamilton, Ontario, L8S 4L8
4
Manager, Chemical Surveillance Bureau, Health Canada,
Ontario, Ontario K1A 0K9
5
Population Biomonitoring Section, Health Canada, Ottawa,
Ontario K1A 0K9
1
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ASM2010 Conference Programme and Abstracts
Dietary choice for Arctic residents is part of a
complex system of daily factors that influence health.
Understanding the factors that influence dietary choices
in the Arctic is necessary for the development of
culturally appropriate dietary advice. To support health
promotion efforts, this International Polar Year funded
study (4 year) contributes to an expanding body of
dietary research through a comparative analysis of the
factors that influence dietary choices among Inuit living in
Cape Dorset, Iqaluit and Kimmirut in Nunavut, Canada.
The objectives of the research are to: The objectives of
the research are to: (1) understand the gender specific
determinants of dietary choice; (2) determine the extent
to which environmental contaminants influence decisions
to eat country food; and (3) identify culturally acceptable
strategies to promote healthy dietary choices. Particular
attention is given to understanding how cultural, economic
and environmental factors influence dietary choice. Indepth semi-structured interviews (n=128) were conducted
with women and men 18 years of age and older in Cape
Dorset, Iqaluit and Kimmirut, Nunavut. The results of this
research complement existing studies (e.g., Furgal et al.,
2003; Kuhnlein et al., 2003; Donaldson et al., 2006) and can
be used to inform effective dietary advice about country
food for Aboriginal peoples living in Arctic Canada.
SEA-LEVEL FINGERPRINTING, VERTICAL
CRUSTAL MOTION FROM POSTGLACIAL
REBOUND, AND PROJECTIONS OF RELATIVE
SEA-LEVEL CHANGE IN THE CANADIAN
ARCTIC
James, Thomas S1,2 (tjames@nrcan.gc.ca), K. M. Simon1,2, D.
L. Forbes3,4, A. S. Dyke5 and S. Mazzotti1,2
School of Earth and Ocean Sciences, University of
Victoria, P.O. Box 3055 STN CSC, Victoria, British
Columbia V8W 3P6
2
Pacific Geoscience Centre, Geological Survey of Canada,
9860 W. Saanich Road, Sidney, British Columbia V8L 4B2
3
Department of Geography, Memorial University, St. John’s,
Newfoundland & Labrador, A1B 3X9
4
Geological Survey of Canada, 1 Challenger Drive, P.O. Box
1006, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia B2Y 4A2
5
Geological Survey of Canada, 601 Booth St., Ottawa,
Ontario K1A 0E8
1
We present projections of relative sea-level rise in
the 21st century for communities in the Canadian Arctic.
First, for selected communities, we determine the sea-level
fingerprinting response from Antarctica, Greenland, and
mountain glaciers and ice caps. Then, for various published
projections of global sea-level change in the 21st century,
we determine the local amount of “absolute” sea-level
change. We next determine the vertical land motion arising
from postglacial rebound (PGR) and incorporate this
into the estimates of absolute sea-level change to obtain
projections of relative sea-level change. The sea-level
fingerprinting effect is especially important in the Canadian
Arctic owing to proximity to Arctic ice caps and especially
to the Greenland ice sheet. Its effect is to reduce the range
of projected relative sea-level change compared to the
range of global sea-level projections. Vertical crustal motion
is assessed through empirically derived regional isobases
and the Earth’s predicted response to ice-sheet loading
and unloading by the ICE-5G ice sheet reconstruction.
Owing to the large rates of crustal uplift from PGR across
a large region of central Arctic Canada, some communities
are projected to experience relative sea-level fall despite
projections of global sea-level rise. Where uplift rates are
smaller, such as eastern Baffin Island and the western
Canadian Arctic, sea-level is projected to rise.
TWO BODIES OF KNOWLEDGE, ONE
COMMUNITY MONITORING PLAN:
UNDERSTANDING THE EFFECT OF
ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE ON ARCTIC
CHAR USING SCIENCE AND TRADITIONAL
KNOWLEDGE
Knopp, Jennie A.1 (jenniferknopp@trentu.ca), C. Furgal2, J.
D. Reist3, Sachs Harbour Hunters and Trappers Committee4
and the Community of Sachs Harbour4
Environmental and Life Sciences Program, Trent
University, Peterborough, Ontario, K9J 7B8
2
Departments of Environmental Studies and Indigenous
Studies, Trent University, Peterborough, Ontario, K9J 7B8
3
Freshwater Institute, Fisheries and Oceans Canada,
Winnipeg, Manitoba, R3T 2N6
4
Sachs Harbour Hunters and Trappers Committee/Sachs
Harbour Community Corporation, Sachs Harbour, Banks
Island, NWT, X0E 0Z0
1
Community-based monitoring is becoming more
important in Canada’s North, especially in light of the
projected and unprecedented changes that will occur in the
Arctic climate and environment. Communities are often the
first to observe and report these changes and the effects on
the land, water and animals. Millennia of knowledge and
observations about the environment and natural resources
exist among Inuit hunters and fishers, who rely on these
resources for food. Their observations can further both our
understanding of environmental variability and its effects
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ASM2010 Conference Programme and Abstracts
on Arctic biota. Community-based monitoring provides an
opportunity to further understand both the current status
of fish and wildlife species as well as recently observed
changes. This knowledge can then form the basis for
understanding and preparing for future changes in these
Arctic species in light of a changing environment.
Arctic Char (Salvelinus alpinus), a truly northern fish
species, is a staple subsistence resource for Inuit on Banks
Island, NWT. In recent years, significant climate variability
and change (CVC) has been observed in the area. Local
residents and scientists are concerned about the potential
effects CVC could have on this local resource. This project
studies community-based monitoring (CBM) and the
potential for bringing together both traditional ecological
knowledge (TEK) and scientific knowledge of chars and
their environments and intends to identify key indicators
of change in char using both quantitative (char growth
and environment conditions) and qualitative (Traditional
Ecological Knowledge) data.
Scoping sessions and 13 TEK interviews were
conducted with the residents of Sachs Harbour prior
to field sampling to determine potential indicators of
change in char and the environment based on local expert
knowledge. Potential indicators drawn from both the TEK
interviews and existing scientific literature were then used
to determine the parameters of the study. Field sampling
carried out in lakes used for subsistence fishing by Sachs
Harbour residents examined the current status of both
the char and the aquatic habitat. Fish were sampled for a
variety of morphological parameters to catalogue current
condition and to collect otoliths (“earbones”) from which
both age and annual growth for each year of the fish’s life is
measured.
A summary of the preliminary investigation into
the relationship between the local TEK and the annual
growth rate of individual Arctic Char in relation to
climatic conditions including mean annual temperature,
mean seasonal precipitation, and seasonal ice cover in
the local bay is presented. New insights provided from
the TEK interviews about char condition and changes
in the local environment are explored. Ultimately this
novel multidisciplinary approach provides new insights
into potential environmental indicators which can be used
in community-based monitoring plans and further, is an
example of how science and TEK can complement one
another to provide a better understanding of northern fish
species in a changing environment.
THE CONTRIBUTION OF IBAS TO COMMUNITY
CAPACITY: THE CASE OF BAKER LAKE,
NUNAVUT
Knotsch, Cathleen1 (cknotsch@naho.ca), B. Bradshaw2, M.
Okalik3 and K. Peterson4
Senior Research Officer, Inuit Tuttarvingat, National
Aboriginal Health Organization, 220 Laurier Ave. West,
Suite 1200, Ottawa, Ontario, K1P 5Z9
2
Associate Professor, Department of Geography, University
of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, N1G 2W1
3
Undergraduate Student, Human Rights and Political
Science, Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario
4
Graduate Student, Global Environmental Change Group,
Department of Geography, University of Guelph, Guelph,
Ontario, N1G 2W1
1
Canadian Arctic communities are experiencing
unprecedented mineral exploration and mine development
in addition to being exposed to increasingly extreme
weather events and continuing environmental change.
Concerned with identifying external threats to Arctic
communities caused by a changing climate, research efforts
increasingly seek to identify mechanisms for adaptation
within communities (IPCC, 2007; Smit and Wandel, 2006).
More recent research has given attention to institutions
as catalysts, barriers or determinants of adaptive capacity
(Glaas et al., 2010; Agrawal, 2008; Adger et al, 2007). In a
previous paper (Bradshaw et al., 2009), we conceptualized
the ways in which an Impact and Benefit Agreement (IBA)
established between a mine developer and an Aboriginal
community or larger representative organization might
either contribute to or detract from community adaptive
capacity either directly or via its impacts on existing
community institutions. In this paper, we offer preliminary
results of an empirical assessment of this conceptualization
based on the case of Baker Lake, Nunavut and the IBA
signed by Agnico-Eagle and the Kivalliq Inuit Association in
support of the Meadowbank gold mine.
Based on interviews and meetings, which largely
sought local perceptions of the performance of the IBA
and its contribution to community capacity and resilience,
some modest insights can be generated. First, local
perceptions of community benefits flowing from the IBA
in place are overall limited to employment and increased
disposable income with modest implication for community
capacity; Second, a perceived disconnect between the scale
at which the IBA is negotiated/implemented and the scale at
which mine impacts and benefits are experienced appears to
be challenging community institutions that have historically
supported community capacity. Themes deserving separate
elaboration in their relation to community institutions
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ASM2010 Conference Programme and Abstracts
are youth, health and environment, whereas processes
of knowledge transfer and sharing and collaborative
management appear to play a predominant role in the
functioning of institutional structures.
INTRODUCTION TO RESEARCH USING
PHOTOVOICE
ARCTIC MARGIN SEDIMENTS AS A SINK:
PERSPECTIVES FROM PB-210 AND CS137 DISTRIBUTION ALONG THE NORTH
AMERICAN ARCTIC MARGIN
Kuzyk, Zou Zou1 (ZouZou.Kuzyk@ete.inrs.ca), C. Gobeil1,
M. Goni2 and R. Macdonald3
INRS-ETE, Université du Québec, Québec, Québec, G1K
9A9
2
Miguel Goni, College of Oceanic and Atmospheric
Sciences, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon, 97331
3
Robie Macdonald, Department of Fisheries and Oceans,
Institute of Ocean Sciences, Sidney, British Columbia, V8L
4B2
1
Kurszewski, Denise (denise.kurszewski@ichr.ca)
Institute for Circumpolar Health Research, Inuvik, NT X0E
0T0
The use of a community based participatory (CBR)
approach to research is becoming an expected standard for
scientific research projects with Indigenous populations
in the north. CBPR approaches attempt to equitably
involve community partners in research, draw on their
knowledge, share decision-making responsibilities, and build
community capacity. Photovoice has been primarily used in
a wide range of health research to empower marginalized
recipients of health systems in an effort to create positive
change and the data suggests Photovoice is an effective
way of communicating with people in positions of power
(Carlson, Engebretson, & Chamberlain, 2006.) In July 2010,
the Institute for Circumpolar Health Research (ICHR)
partnered with the University of Toronto, Public Health
Agency of Canada and the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation
to host an Introduction to Research Course Using
Photovoice for youth in Inuvik.
Seven youth ranging from 14-20 years of age
participated. Two research questions were developed:
1) What promotes good health in Inuvik? 2) What are
the challenges to achieving good health in Inuvik? The
Inuvik Homeless Shelter was in danger of closing due to
lack of operational funds and there was much publicity
and discussion around the topic. The participants had
two days to take photos that captured their beliefs and
personal views concerning the research questions. Through
photos and discussion, themes of mental spiritual, physical
and emotional health and wellbeing, nutrition, poverty,
homelessness and pollution emerged.
Along with learning the basics of community-based
research, the youth-participants were enthusiastic about
the photovoice methodology. Discussions around the
photos, as well as the health issues in Inuvik showed that the
students had great insight in how everyone could do more
in the community The youth-participants realized their
potential for community involvement in the health issues of
Inuvik.
Processes occurring actively along margins,
including deposition and burial of materials in sediments,
are important in the biogeochemical cycling of many
elements in the Arctic Ocean. However, a scarcity of
sediment core data for many margin regions has limited our
understanding of these processes and thus compromised
foundations for carbon and other elemental budgets. Here,
we report new Pb-210 and Cs-137 data for 25 sediment
cores collected in 2007-2008 along the shelf and upper
slope in the North American Arctic margin, including the
North Bering-Chukchi and Beaufort Seas, the Canadian
Arctic Archipelago (CAA) and Baffin Bay/Davis Strait.
Sediment inventories of excess Pb-210 vary more than
10-fold (8-114 dpm/cm2), reflecting both regional and local
differences in the supply of particles and particle-reactive
elements. In general, sediment Pb-210 inventories are low
in the interior CAA, higher but variable along the Beaufort
Shelf, and highest in Davis Strait/Baffin Bay, where there
may be additional inputs of Pb-210 from the North
Atlantic. Inventories are intermediate in the North BeringChukchi shelf region, despite mixing processes influencing
Pb-210 profiles more strongly than sedimentation. In other
regions, we estimate sedimentation rates of ~0.05 to 0.23
g/cm2/yr, based on the Pb-210 profiles and a model that
incorporates both sedimentation and mixing. The depth
of Cs-137 penetration in the sediment cores was used to
verify the sedimentation and mixing rates. Comparison of
sediment Cs-137 inventories (0.7-4.2 dpm/cm2) and Pb-210
inventories provides insight into the major geochemical/
sedimentological processes controlling the inventories of
these elements and how these processes vary regionally. The
data provide, for the first time, a foundation for regional
elemental budgets, as well as a critical baseline for evaluating
changes in deposition and burial along the North American
Arctic margin under altered climate scenarios.
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ASM2010 Conference Programme and Abstracts
EVALUATING THE FLOE EDGE SERVICE:
HOW WELL CAN SAR IMAGERY ADDRESS
COMMUNITY CONCERNS AROUND SEA ICE
CHANGE AND TRAVEL SAFETY?
Laidler, Gita J. (gita_laidler@carleton.ca)
Department of Geography & Environmental Studies,
Carleton University, 1125 Colonel By Dr., B349 Loeb
Building Ottawa, Ontario, K1S 5B6
During several years of collaborative research
with Inuit sea ice experts in Cape Dorset, Igloolik, and
Pangnirtung, Nunavut, local expressions of interest were
received for increased access and availability of satellite
imagery of sea ice. Therefore, the Polar View Floe Edge
Service was expanded to each community in the spring of
2007, and follow-up workshops in November, 2007 helped
to evaluate and improve the service. Preliminary results
of this research were presented at ArcticNet in 2008, and
here we share more detailed results regarding an evaluation
of how well Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) imagery can
address community concerns around sea ice change and
travel safety. Several opportunities for the use of SAR
imagery emerged, including: i) seeing what is on (or within/
under) the ice; ii) monitoring seasonal and long-term sea ice
changes; iii) hazards assessment; iv) planning travel routes;
and, v) facilitating search and rescue operations. A number
of challenges were also identified, such as: i) SAR image
interpretation; ii) image resolution; iii) frequency of image
acquisition; iv) SAR image representation capabilities; and,
v) technological challenges. The workshops also provided
insights into intercultural and intergenerational exchanges,
and a number of recommendations were developed
to support the continued expansion and improvement
of the Floe Edge Service. Critically, discussions served
as important reminders that technology is helpful, but
alone it cannot adequately address local concerns about
unpredictable sea ice conditions, travel safety, and passing
on Inuit knowledge to youth.
CYCLIC ACTIVITY AND NUTRIENT RELEASE
FROM RETROGRESSIVE THAW SLUMPS IN THE
ARCTIC COASTAL ZONE
Lantuit, Hugues1 (Hugues.Lantuit@awi.de), M. Fritz1, N.
Couture2 and W. Pollard3
Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research,
Research Section Potsdam, Potsdam, Germany 14473
2
Geological Survey of Canada, Ottawa, Canada
3
Dept. of Geography, McGill University, Montréal, Québec,
H3A 2K6
1
Retrogressive thaw slumps are very large landslidelike features occurring in the presence of massive ground
ice. This form of thermokarst is generally initiated by lake
shore erosion, coastal erosion or nearshore thaw settlement
leading to the failure of coastal cliffs and the (re)exposition
of ice-rich permafrost. These slumps can then evolve over
hundreds of years and deliver large quantities of sediments
and nutrients to the nearshore zone. In this presentation,
we show examples from the Yukon Coastal Plain in Canada,
where retrogressive thaw slumps are among the largest in
the world. We introduce the notion of polycyclic occurrence
of these slumps as well as the coupling of this polycyclicity
to climatic signals. We also show field and remote sensing
data describing the large quantities of sediment and nutrient
released by these features and provide a comparative analysis
of the impact of coastal thermokarst and erosion of coastal
cliffs.
THE USE OF PHOTOVOICE TO EXPLORE THE
FOOD SECURITY OF USERS OF COMMUNITY
FOOD PROGRAMS IN IQALUIT, NUNAVUT
Lardeau, Marie-Pierre1 (marie-pierre.lardeau@mail.mcgill.
ca), J. Ford1, G. Healy2 and W. Vandebilt1
Department of Geography, McGill University, Montreal,
Quebec, H3A 2K6
2
Qaujigiartiit Health Research Centre, Iqaluit, Nunavut,
X0A 0H0
1
We develop a photovoice methodology to
document the experience and determinants of food
insecurity amongst users of community food programs in
Iqaluit, Nunavut. The target population includes individuals
and households who have difficulty obtaining sufficient
food and who in many instances face significant social and
economic marginalization, and as such have been neglected
in Arctic food systems research. Eight regular users of
food programs were recruited and engaged in Photovoice
to document factors determining food consumption. Key
themes in the photographs were reviewed with participants
in a workshop setting. Findings suggest that factors
improving food security status include sharing of traditional
foods and the presence of community food programs as
a support mechanism. Factors identified by the group as
negatively affecting food security were the high cost of food
in the Arctic and substance abuse. The study represents a
pilot use of participatory photography among marginalized
Arctic populations in a food context and offers considerable
promise for challenging study populations
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ASM2010 Conference Programme and Abstracts
DISSOLVED ORGANIC CARBON (DOC) FROM
MASSIVE GROUND ICE ALONG THE YUKON
COAST - WHY DOES IT MATTER ?
Fritz, Michael1 (Michael.Fritz@awi.de), Lantuit, Hugues1, N.
Couture2 and W. Pollard3
Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research,
Research Section Potsdam, Potsdam, Germany
2
Geological Survey of Canada, Ottawa, Canada
3
Dept. of Geography, McGill University, Montréal, Canada
1
Permafrost soils are known to hold around 50%
of the global soil carbon pool, mostly as particulate organic
carbon (POC). The carbon is often stored deep in the soil
profile, because of its redistribution through cryoturbation
or simply because of the nature of the depositional
processes that led to the storage of carbon in these lower
horizons. Soils are rarely wholly vertically exposed, because
of the progressive nature of thaw processes, except in
thermokarst, river shores and coastlines, where large vertical
sections of ice-rich permafrost can be in contact with both
the sea and the atmosphere. As arctic permafrost coasts
make up 34 % of the world’s coastline (ca. 400,000 km) and
are often made of ice-rich unconsolidated sediments highly
susceptible to coastal erosion as shown by the large rates
of erosion recently reported in the literature, it is likely that
large quantities of carbon are released from coastal erosion.
Current estimates of carbon release by coastal erosion
focus solely on particulate organic carbon, emphasizing
the overwhelming role of the soil POC in the overall
release of total organic carbon from erosion. Dissolved
Organic Carbon (DOC) is generally not included in these
estimates, as it is considered to be negligible in the equation.
Estimations of DOC contents in ground ice, which is
overwhelmingly present along arctic coasts do not exist
though and this study aimed at investigating DOC contents
in massive ice.
Along the Yukon Coastal Plain, in the Western
Canadian Arctic, massive ground ice bodies such as ice
wedges, buried glacier ice, and segregated massive ice form
an overwhelming component of the coastal sections. In
some cases, virtually pure ground ice occupies as much
as 90% of 40 m coastal exposures and erodes at rates
approaching 10 m/yr. Here we present the first results of
dissolved organic carbon from massive ground ice from
Herschel Island (69.583 °N; 139.083 °W) in the Southern
Beaufort Sea. First data suggest that Holocene ice wedges
possess the highest DOC content of all massive ice types.
Buried glacier ice, basal regelation ice or segregation
ice show strong internal variation due to their complex
interaction with host sediments and their parent organic
carbon content. We draw from these results some numbers
showing the relevance of DOC in computing sediment
budgets for large areas and for the Arctic. We highglight the
need to collect samples from a range of exposures affected
by other cryogenetic processes to get a comprehensive
picture of DOC contents in ground ice along arctic coasts.
FROM RESEARCH TO ADAPTATION: OURANOS’
ROLE IN HELPING PUSH FORWARD
ADAPTATION TO CLIMATE CHANGE
Larrivée, Caroline1 (larrivee.caroline@ouranos.ca) and M.
Allard1,2
Ouranos, Montréal, Québec, H3A 1B9
Centre d’études nordiques, Université Laval, Québec,
Québec, G1V 7P4
1
2
Ouranos, a research consortium on regional
climatology and adaptation to climate change, develops
and collaborates in research projects and activities covering
a range of issues judged priorities by its membership
composed mainly of provincial government representatives,
Hydro-Québec and universities. Among these priority issues,
the organization’s Northern Environment program has
attempted to develop projects that respond to community
needs and that are complementary to ArcticNet’s research
program and the projects it funds.
This presentation will provide a state of affairs
concerning the research program and current projects.
Building on previous research, a recent grant from Natural
Resources Canada’s latest adaptation to climate change
funding program has made it possible to develop various
activities to promote adaptation through better awareness,
more effective transfer of knowledge between research
and community end-users as well as tools to help guide
decision-makers in choices that influence development in
the communities. These projects are mainly targeted towards
adapting buildings and infrastructure to environmental and
climate changes in Nunavik given that thawing permafrost is
already causing impacts.
A brief description will also be given more
generally on how the organization works with the various
adaptation actors and stakeholders to keep them involved in
the research and make sure the projects remain relevant to
promote adaptation to climate change.
IRIS 4 ASSESSMENT : VEGETATION CHANGES
IN NUNAVIK AND NUNATSIAVUT
Lévesque, Esther 1 (esther.levesque@uqtr.ca), Luise
Hermanutz 2, (lhermanu@mun.ca) and J. Gérin-Lajoie1
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ASM2010 Conference Programme and Abstracts
Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières, Dép. ChimieBiologie and Centre d’études nordiques Université Laval,
Québec
2
Memorial University of Newfoundland, Dep. Biology, St.
John’s
1
Both Elders/local experts and scientists have
observed vegetation changes in Nunavik and Nunatsiavut
over the last decades. Conditions predicted by climate
models, especially increased growing season length
and degree-days, should promote erect shrub species
establishment and growth. Their cover and height will
continue to increase throughout the area except on bedrock
outcrops. Currently the herb tundra zone has not been
encroached by shrubs; however dwarf birch and some
willow species are expected to expand into these zones.
With the improved conditions favouring increased viable
seed production, and recruitment, conifers are expected
to gradually expand beyond current treelines. Warmer and
longer growing seasons may not benefit berry producing
plants which will face increasing competition from erect
shrubs for space, nutrients and light, and potentially lack
of moisture if summers are dryer. Berry species, (especially
partridgeberry/redberry and bog bilberry/blueberry) will
most likely decline under shrub cover, yet the patchy nature
of arctic vegetation should enable other species more
tolerant to partial shade such as black crowberry/blackberry
and cloudberry/bakeapple to take advantage of the
changing conditions. Migration and/or expansion of boreal
species (e.g. raspberries) are to be expected in the southern
portion of the studied area. Major uncertainties still
remain as to the impact of environmental change on biotic
interactions among vegetation, herbivores (both insects and
vertebrates) and pollinators. Warmer and longer growing
seasons will affect food abundance, diversity and quality
as well as change the distribution and emergence patterns
of insects. Taller shrub species (e.g. willow and birch) may
affect the traveling routes as well as traditional activities
such as berry picking. Northerners have observed changes
in their environment both in the past and present, and have
adjusted their activities to the high spatial and inter-annual
variability in berry productivity or animal abundance.
SPATIO-TEMPORAL VARIATION IN BENTHIC
BOUNDARY FLUXES IN THE CANADIAN
ARCTIC
Link, Heike1 (link.heike@gmail.com), D. Piepenburg2 and P.
Archambault1
Institut des sciences de la mer de Rimouski, Université du
Québec à Rimouski, Rimouski, Québec, G5L 3A1, Canada
1
Mainz Academy of Sciences, the Humanities and
Literature, c/o Institute for Polar Ecology of the University
of Kiel, Kiel, D-24148, Germany
2
Pelagic-benthic coupling tightly links water-column
and sea-ice primary production and benthic processes in
Arctic seas. The downward flux of organic matter provides
food to the seafloor, and its remineralisation by benthic
communities presents an upward replenishment of nutrients
in the water column. Climate change and sea-ice decline are
expected to modify these significant pathways in the ocean
carbon and nutrient budget. Temporal and spatial variability
in benthic processes are a challenge when evaluating how
changes in pelagic-benthic coupling will influence benthic
remineralisation in local and short-term studies. In summer
and fall 2008 and 2009, we investigated the relationship
between benthic carbon turnover, nutrient regeneration and
sediment pigment concentration, as a proxy of food supply
to the benthos, along a West to East geographic gradient
(Mackenzie Shelf in the Beaufort Sea to the central Baffin
Bay) in the Canadian Arctic. The spatio-temporal pattern
varied among the different variables. For example, benthic
carbon turnover was generally higher in 2008 than in 2009,
with strong differences at biological ‘hot spots’ in the central
North Water Polynya (NOW, Baffin Bay), at pockmarks
in Barrow Strait (Lancaster Sound) and off the Mackenzie
Delta. Sediment pigment concentration, however, was
considerably lower only in Barrow Strait and off the
Mackenzie Delta in 2009. The missing link to relate these
patterns may be benthic community composition, which
integrates environmental changes on longer timescales, but
availability of such data is rare. Compared to earlier studies
(CASES, NOW), benthic processes have decreased in the
Amundsen Gulf, but showed high annual variability in the
North Water Polynya. We conclude that it is important
to carefully consider the interplay of temporal (seasonal
and interannual) dynamics and spatial (local and regional)
patterns in both fast-changing factors, such as food supply,
and slow-changing variables, such as benthic community
composition, when assessing regime shifts in ecosystem
processes in relation to the rapid decline of sea ice in the
Arctic.
A COMMUNITY-BASED STORY OF
CONTAMINANTS IN THE ARCTIC – THE QUEST
FOR KNOWLEDGE THROUGH ELEARNING
TOOLS
Loring, Eric1 (loring@itk.ca), C. Grable2 and S. Nickels2
Department of Environment and Wildlife, Inuit Tapiriit
Kanatami, Ottawa, Ontario, K1P537
1
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ASM2010 Conference Programme and Abstracts
Inuit Qaujisarvingat: The Inuit Knowledge Centre, Inuit
Tapiriit Kanatami, Ottawa, Ontario, K1P537
2
A new education and training opportunity for
a variety of audiences is being explored by Inuit Tapiriit
Kanatami’s Inuit Qaujisarvingat: The Inuit Knowledge
Centre (IKC). ELearning is one such tool that the IKC
is promoting to support its goal of knowledge exchange
and capacity building intended to reach both Inuit and
non-Inuit front-line workers, such as representatives for
community health and hunters and trappers organizations.
Niqiit (country foods): The Story of Contaminants in the
Arctic is an interactive, online course that explores the issue
of contaminants and their impacts on the environment,
wildlife, and people of the Arctic. Focused on two Inuit
youth – called The Seekers – this course follows their quest
to learn about contaminants within the context of a virtual
Inuit community.
This presentation will highlight the components and
characters of the course as they relate to communication
of complex, scientific information, emphasizing the
importance of having plain language material for nontechnical audiences.
SEASONAL FORAGING BEHAVIOUR OF RINGED
SEALS IN HUDSON BAY REVEALS
to sea ice dynamics. We deployed Platform Transmitter
Terminals (PTT) on 26 seals in the Belcher Islands, EHB,
from 2006 to the present. PTTs remained on seals for
periods from one to eight months, and during this period,
we found three major patterns in the movement of seals
deployed in this region. Most seals stayed within 80 km
of the deployment site, although 3 seals travelled more
than 500 km away from it. There were no differences
between sexes in movement characteristics, but large-scale
movements were almost exclusively observed among young
of year seals. Rates of movement decreased, and seals
remained closer to the islands, as sea ice formed around
the islands during winter. Despite the large extent of ice
cover and high sea ice concentrations around the islands in
winter, seals occasionally moved north of the islands during
this time, presumably to small areas of open water. The
implications of these results for the management of this
ringed seal stock in terms of climate change are discussed.
INVESTIGATION OF THAW SLUMP
DISTURBANCES ON WATER QUALITY NEAR
FORT MCPHERSON, NWT, CANADA
Malone, Laura1 (laura.malone@gmail.com), I. Clark1 and D.
Lacelle1
Department of Earth Sciences, University of Ottawa,
Ottawa, Ontario, K1N 6N5
1
Luque, Sebastian (spluque@gmail.com) and S. Ferguson
1
2
Department of Geography, University of Manitoba,
Winnipeg, Manitoba, R3T 2N2
2
Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Winnipeg, Manitoba R3T
2N6
1
The Hudson Bay marine environment is already
showing effects of climate warming through reduced sea
ice period. Ice-breeding ringed seals (Phoca hispida) are
expected to respond to the warming climate with reduced
distribution and lower survival. Concerns have arisen over
possible declines in ringed seal numbers in western Hudson
Bay as indicated by reduced pregnancy rate, pup survival
and abundance, and older age structure. Similar data for
eastern Hudson Bay (EHB) are currently unavailable. The
condition of polar bears, the main predator of ringed seals,
has also declined. Using satellite telemetry technology and
state-space modelling techniques, our objectives were to: 1)
delineate movement trajectories that may bring juveniles and
possibly adults into areas hunted by other communities, 3)
assess sex- and age-specific site fidelity of individual seals
during the breeding season, 4) identify nominal foraging and
travelling areas, and 5) define spatio-temporal variation in
ringed seal critical foraging habitat and behaviour in relation
The previously glaciated region of the western
NWT hosts a number of spectacular thaw slumps which
deliver considerable sediment load to surface drainage
networks. On the Peel Plateau near Fort McPherson
(NWT), large retrogressive thaw slumps have been observed
on historical Landsat TM imageries and some of the slumps
were visited in summer 2010 as part of a program to assess
their impact on surface water quality in the Stoney Creek
drainage basin and the Peel River. Considering that the
hamlet of Fort McPherson is located only 30 km north-east
of the area undergoing extensive permafrost degradation,
an investigation of the cause of thermokarst and its
environmental effects (including water quality of nearby
streams) is needed to assess its impact on the fish habitats
and water supply of the local community. The development
of thaw slumps on the Peel Plateau has led to the formation
of large mudlobes extending a few hundred meters
downstream from the headwall. In some instances, these
mudlobes dam river flow to form lakes whereas others spill
into streams, thus directly increasing their sediment load.
In this study, we investigate the impacts of solutes
released from thaw slumps and associated mudflows on the
water quality of nearby streams and lakes. This objective
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ASM2010 Conference Programme and Abstracts
is achieved through field measurements (pH, electrical
conductivity) and sampling for inorganic and organic
geochemistry and isotopes (d18O, dD, 3H) composition of
slump runoff and non-affected surface waters (unaffected
streams, affected streams, and direct slump runoff at 3
locations along the mudlobe). Field sensors were deployed
during the summer of 2010 to continuously measure
the conductivity and water-level variations at key sites.
Preliminary results show that the contribution of the
exposed massive ground ice body in the headwall of thaw
slumps is significant. The sediment load of the runoff
from one particular slump was 850 g/L, with a pH of
6.82 and electrical conductivity of 1326 μS/cm. Based on
hydrograph separation using the isotope geochemistry data,
the contribution of melting relict ground ice is enough
to sustain slump runoff. Conductivity measurements
are highest halfway down the slump mudflow, and then
progressively decrease as the slump runoff receives
contributions from unaffected streams further down the
mudflow. Geochemically, the samples exhibit particularly
high values of SO42- (max. 1800ppm).
UNDERSTANDING COPEPOD LIFE-HISTORY
AND DIVERSITY USING A NEXT-GENERATION
ZOOPLANKTON MODEL
Maps, Frédéric1,2, A. J. Pershing1,2 and N. R. Record1,2
University of Maine, School of Marine Sciences, Orono,
ME 04469, United States.
2
Gulf of Maine Research Institute, Portland, ME 04101,
United States.
1
Global climate models now provide realistic
depictions of the impacts of climate variability and
anthropogenic climate change on physical conditions
in the oceans. Understanding the complex interactions
between the ocean’s dynamic physical environment and
the distribution, abundance and productivity of the pelagic
species is a precondition for using climate models to predict
the impact of climate change on marine ecosystems. From
this perspective, copepods represent a critical link in pelagic
ecosystems that connect environmental variability and
changes in primary production with higher trophic levels.
Predicting ecological changes under climate change
requires mechanistic descriptions of the impact of the
environment on physiology, life history, and population
dynamics. We have developed a model of copepod
abundance as a function of size (mass) and developmental
stage. The goal was to develop a model framework that can
be applied to a wide range of calanoid copepods, and that
will mechanistically model their abundance and phenology.
This model incorporates trade-offs between development,
growth, and size-structured mortality and includes realistic
dormancy strategies and vertical migrations. We discuss how
an implementation of this model can provide insights into
the different particularities and adaptation among the wellknown boreal/arctic Calanus complex (C. finmarchicus, C.
glacialis and C. hyperboreus).
USING INFRARED EMISSION SPECTROSCOPY
TO STUDY ARCTIC ATMOSPHERIC CHEMISTRY
AND RADIATION
Mariani, Zen1 (zmariani@atmosp.physics.utoronto.ca), K.
Strong1, M. Wolff1, M. Palm2, P. Rowe3, V. Walden3 and P.
Fogal4
Department of Physics, University of Toronto, Toronto,
Canada
2
Department of Physics, University of Bremen, Bremen,
Germany
3
Department of Physics, University of Idaho, Idaho, USA
4
Environment Canada, Air Quality Research Division,
Toronto, Canada
1
The Extended-range Atmospheric Emitted
Radiance Interferometer (E-AERI) is a moderate resolution
(1 cm-1) Fourier transform infrared interferometer for
measuring the infrared spectral radiance emitted by the
atmosphere. Spectra from the E-AERI are being used to
study the radiative balance and budgets of trace gases in
the Canadian high Arctic. The instrument was installed at
the Polar Environment Atmospheric Research Laboratory
(PEARL) at Eureka, Nunavut, in October 2008 and has
acquired one full year of data. Total column amounts of
atmospheric constituents above Eureka including O3, CO,
CH4, and N2O have been retrieved. Errors on retrieved
total column amounts for these gases are below 15%, which
is typical of Fourier Transform Spectrometers (FTSs). A
similar instrument, the Polar Atmospheric Emitted Radiance
Interferometer (P-AERI), was installed at the Zero-altitude
PEARL Auxiliary Laboratory (0PAL) at Eureka from 20062009. Total columns measured by these two instruments
have been compared, using both the same retrieval code and
two independent methods: differences are less than 6% for
most trace gases measured, comparable to the measurement
errors, indicating good agreement between the two
instruments and the two algorithms. An overview of the
E-AERI’s science objectives, capabilities, and performance
relative to the P-AERI will be presented.
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ASM2010 Conference Programme and Abstracts
THE INTERACTIONS OF MARINE SEABIRDS
FEEDING ON ARCTIC COD (BOREAGADUS
SAIDA)
UNDERICE FRESHWATER CIRCULATION IN
THE NELSON RIVER ESTUARY, HUDSON BAY
Matley, Jordan (ummatley@cc.umanitoba.ca), R. Crawford ,
A.T. Fisk3 and T.A. Dick1
1
2
Department of Biological Sciences, University of
Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, R3T 2N2
2
3822 Habberline St., Wilmington, North Carolina, 28412
3
Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research,
University of Windsor, Windsor, Ontario, N9B 3P4
1
Arctic cod (Boreagadus saida) is ubiquitous and the
primary diet item of whales, seals, and seabirds in many
areas of the Canadian high Arctic. Despite its importance
in the Arctic food web, little is known of the factors that
influence its behaviour and movement and that of its
predators. The objective was to describe the relationship
between Arctic cod and marine seabirds in Allen Bay near
Resolute, Nunavut. Allen Bay supports a diverse marine
community and is an important hunting area for local
Inuit. The presence and importance of Arctic cod schools
in relation to predators were examined. School size was
estimated qualitatively by observers and quantitatively
with hydroacoustic technology. Parallel and zigzag transect
surveys were completed to determine the density of
seabirds and this density was compared with quantitative
estimates of Arctic cod density. Additionally, hydroacoustic
equipment was used to examine Arctic cod distribution
and movement in relation to habitat conditions. Landbased observations were also conducted to determine
foraging behaviour associated with environmental variables.
Results suggest that seabirds are more likely to be found
in close proximity (<150m) to schools of Arctic cod. The
schools of Arctic cod were dynamic varying in size, shape,
depth, and habitat. Arctic cod distribution along transects
was often heterogeneous ranging between 0.5-9 fish/m3.
On several occasions small schools moved inshore into
shallow waters (<1m) which initiated large feeding events.
One such occurrence involved 200 seabirds feeding on
approximately 164 fish in fifteen minutes. Of the seabirds,
black-legged kittiwakes (Rissa tridactyla) and northern
fulmars (Fulmarus glacialis) caught the majority of Arctic cod,
meanwhile glaucous gulls (Larus hyperboreus) and parasitic
jaegers (Stercorarius parasiticus) successfully kleptoparasitized
approximately half these captures. Preliminary analysis
suggests seabird foraging activity is influenced by the tidal
cycle and perhaps other environmental variables (i.e. wind,
sea state, visibility, ice, time of day, and air temperature),
but appears to be primarily dependent on the presence
and behaviour of fish in the bay. This study provides new
information concerning the interactions between schooling
and resident Arctic cod, and predatory seabirds.
McCullough, Greg1 (gmccullo@cc.umanitoba.ca), K.
Hochheim1, S. Lorrain2, K. Sydor3 and D. Barber1
Centre for Earth Observations Science, Dept. of
Environment and Geography, University of Manitoba,
Winnipeg, Manitoba, R3T 2N2
2
Environnement Illimité inc., 1453 Saint-Timothée,
Montréal, Québec, H2L 3N7
3
Manitoba Hydro, 360 Portage Avenue, Winnipeg,
Manitoba, R3C 0G8
1
Winter ice cover makes the Nelson River estuary a
physically complex environment for transport of freshwater
into Hudson Bay. Transport of freshwater, suspended
solids and major nutrients through this environment was
the subject of a Manitoba Hydro and ArcticNet-funded
survey in March 2009. We recorded under-ice profiles along
transects, and used under-ice moorings to survey salinity,
temperature, turbidity, coloured dissolved organic matter
and chlorophyll; electromagnetic inductance surveys to
document ice thickness and roughness, and ice-bottom
topography; beacons to track ice motion and satellite remote
sensing to supplement these in situ map ice roughness and
motion observations. Satellite data was also used to delineate
turbid plumes when wind and tidal actions opened wide
leads between shore-fast and pack ice. Initial freshwatermarine mixing is driven by fluvial-tidal interaction, under
a sensible heat polynya in the river mouth, to form a
brackish layer, 5 – 10 m deep with salinity > 10 immediately
seaward of the initial mixing zone. This layer is carried
predominantly eastward along shore under the influence
of general Hudson Bay circulation (dominantly cyclonic).
Up to 100 km east of the river mouth, salinity is still as low
as 16 – 20 through a layer 10 – 15 m deep. An additional
freshwater transport mechanism is postulated, whereby
ice floes surrounded by deep ice keels trap large pools of
brackish water which are then carried long distances with
dilution, partly under combined forcing of surface winds
and under-ice circulation. This under-ice transport may
explain anomalously fresh water (salinity < 10) that we
observed under floes as far as 100 km from the river mouth.
We also observed that the fluvial suspended solids load
of the plume is supplemented by sediment generated by
turbulent pumping action under shore-fast ice as it shifts
vertically with tides. Finally, we compare these processes
with preliminary results from a study of the Nelson River
plume in the summer of 2010. Our winter survey work
indicates that fluvial water and its load are carried further
eastward in Hudson Bay, with less dilution, by transport
processes occurring under-ice than they are during the
open-water season.
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ASM2010 Conference Programme and Abstracts
IPEM - A COST EFFECTIVE PREDICTIVE
MODELLING APPROACH FOR DEVELOPING
PROCESS-BASED ECOLOGICAL INVENTORIES
FOR ARCTIC NATIONAL PARKS
Fraser, Robert1, Donald McLennan2 (donald.mclennan@
pc.gc.ca), S. Ponomarenko2, R. Sharma2 and I. Olthof1
Natural Resources Canada, 580 Booth Street, Ottawa, ON,
K1A0E4
2
Parks Canada Agency, 25 rue Eddy, Hull, QC, K1A 0M5
1
Canada’s ten Arctic national parks average 16,000
km2 in area and have been located to represent the range of
environmental variability across the Canadian Arctic. Their
large size and remote locations make intensive ground-based
sampling to support map interpretations both expensive
and difficult. Through the IPY-funded CiCAT program,
and in partnership with the Canadian Centre for Remote
Sensing (CCRS), we have developed Integrated Predictive
Ecosystem Mapping (IPEM) – an approach that marries the
cost effectiveness and broad coverage of ‘top-down’ satellite
data, with the ‘bottom up’ detail of process-based air
photo interpretations, to produce accurate representations
of park ecotypes and bioclimatic zones. Variables such as
slope, aspect, elevation and soil moisture derived from the
digital elevation models were the strongest predictors of
park ecotypes, while data from optical sensors were less
important. Models, accuracy assessments, map products, and
potential applications are shown for 3 contrasting national
parks – Wapusk, Ivvavik, and Torngat Mountains.
INUIT HOUSING AND HOMELESSNESS:
RESULTS FROM THE INTERNATIONAL POLAR
YEAR INUIT HEALTH SURVEY 2007-2008
Methods: During the International Polar Year
research activities, a cross-sectional Inuit Health Survey
was conducted in the late Summer and Fall of 2007 and
2008 in 33 coastal and 3 inland communities representing
all communities in the Inuvialuit Settlement Region (ISR)
of Northwest Territories, Nunavut, and Nunatsiavut of
northern Labrador. Variable descriptive statistics were
weighted and presented by region and by whether children
were present or not in the household.
Results: A total of 2,796 Inuit households were
approached of which 864 refused to participate and 54
cancelled or failed to attend their scheduled appointment,
leaving a total of 1901 participating households and
resulting in a participation rate of 68%. In ISR and
Nunavut, approximately 20% of homes provided shelter
to the homelsess compared to 11.6% in Nunatsiavut. The
prevalence of public housing and household crowding
also varied by region, with Nunavut having statistically
significantly higher prevalence of overcrowding than
Nunatsiavut and ISR. Household crowding was more
prevalent among homes with children. In all three regions,
overcrowding rates were with approximately 20% in ISR;
and Nunatsiavut and 38% and in Nunavut compared to less
than 2.3% crowding in homes without children . Overall,
26.3% of homes were in need of major repairs which did
not vary significantly by region. Mold problems, however,
were more prevalent in households in Nunatsiavut (11.9%)
than in ISR (3.1%) and Nunavut (5.9 %).
Conclusion: Adequate shelter is a basic human need
and an essential foundation for thriving population health.
The results indicate that improvements in housing indicators
are needed. Of utmost concern is the high prevalence of
overcrowding in Inuit homes with children with potential
consequences for children’s health and well-being. Further,
the high percent of homes providing shelter to the homeless
suggests that hidden homelessness needs to be addressed by
further research and program implementation.
Minich, Katherine1 (K.minich@rogers.com), C. Lennie2, M.
Wood3, L. Williamson4 and G. M. Egeland 1
Centre for Indigenous Peoples’ Nutrition and
Environment, McGill University, Ste. Anne-de-Bellevue, QC
H9X 3V9
2
Inuvialuit Regional Corporation, Inuvik, NT X0E 0T0
3
Nunatsiavut Government, Department of Health and
Social Development, Happy Valley-Goose Bay, NL A0P
1E0
4
Nunavut Tunngavik, Incorporated, Iqaluit, Nunavut, XOA
OHO
1
Objectives: To evaluate housing characteristics
across Inuit regions in Canada participating in the 20072008 International Polar Year Inuit Health Survey.
CARBON SOURCES AND FLUX IN THE COASTAL
BEAUFORT SEA: RESULTS OF THE MALINA 2009
SURVEY
Miquel, Juan-Carlos (j.c.miquel@iaea.org), I. Tolosa, S.
Fiorini, B. Gasser and J. Martín
Marine Environment Laboratories, International Atomic
Energy Agency, 4 Quai Antoine 1er, MC-98000 Monaco,
Principality of Monaco
Climate change is expected to deeply affect the
Arctic pelagic ecosystems via ice cover reduction and
increase of freshwater discharge. Important but mostly
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ASM2010 Conference Programme and Abstracts
unknown consequences are to follow for the downward
export of particulate matter and the carbon cycling in
general. This situation has caused a growing need of field
observations to monitor the complex and rapidly changing
Arctic environment and to enlarge the dataset available to
modelers.
In the framework of the project MALINA (www.
obs-vlfr.fr/Malina), a multidisciplinary study lead by France
and Canada, an intensive survey of the continental shelf
off the Mackenzie River delta in the Beaufort Sea was
done during August 2009. IAEA-MEL contributes to this
international effort studying the vertical flux of particulate
material and characterizing the sources of the organic
carbon pool. The analysis of lipid biomarkers and their
δ13C in both suspended particles of the water column and
surface sediments is carried out to identify the terrestrial,
marine and bacterial sources of carbon and the processes of
transport and degradation in the water column.
Results obtained during the 2009 MALINA survey
are presented, including direct measurements of mass and
organic carbon downward flux, and estimates of particulate
organic carbon export through radionuclide disequilibria.
The results of the analysis of molecular and isotopic lipid
biomarkers in suspended particles of the water column and
sediment samples are also presented.
Downward particle flux was measured directly
by means of sediment traps (Technicap PPS3) attached
to a drifting line. Traps were deployed at 40, 85, 145 and
200 m along with current-meters at the same depths.
The drifting array was deployed at selected sites of the
Canadian Beaufort Sea between 14 and 25 August 2009.
Mooring deployments lasted for 28-50 hours and targeted
the shelf-break and the slope along the Beaufort-Mackenzie
continental margin, as well as the edge between the
Mackenzie Shelf and the Amundsen Gulf. The measured
fluxes were relatively low (in the range of 9-56 mg m-2 d-1
for the total mass and 1-15 mgC m-2 d-1 for carbon). Overall,
the magnitude and composition of the particulate flux
suggests post-bloom conditions during the survey.
Also, total 234Th profiles were carried out in the
water column using a Niskin-CTD-Rosette and particulate
234
Th was measured at selected depths using large volume
Challenger in-situ pumps. This data is used to assess the
disequilibrium between the natural radionuclide 234Th and its
parent radionuclide 238U, which can be used as a proxy for
particulate carbon flux.
Characterization of the sediments revealed a sink
of relatively fresh and marine organic material mixed with
a fossil hydrocarbon background and a small input of
terrestrial sources. In contrast, the suspended particulate
matter in the water column from the Mackenzie Shelf to
the edge of the Amundsen Gulf showed a predominant
biogenic and fossil composition, while terrestrial biomarkers
were only detected at the very surface water (3m) on the
Amundsen Gulf edge.
THE RELATIVE CONTRIBUTIONS OF
FRESHWATER INPUTS BY THE MACKENZIE
RIVER AND SEA-ICE MELT TO THE SEAWATER
CARBONATE SYSTEM
Lansard, B. and Alfonso Mucci (alfonso.mucci@mcgill.ca)
Departement of Earth and Planetary Sciences, McGill
University, Montreal, Quebec, H3A 2A7
The Arctic Ocean and adjacent continental shelf
seas are one of the most intense sinks of atmospheric
CO2, but they are particularly sensitive to long-term change
in ocean, sea-ice, and river runoff forcing. The seawater
carbonate system is strongly influenced by freshwater
inputs, from river runoff and sea-ice melt, as well as primary
production and vertical mixing. Both freshwater sources
are likely to increase with global warming. In this study, we
investigated the effect of the Mackenzie River plume and
sea-ice melt on the carbonate system in the summer of
2009.
During the MALINA cruise, an extensive dataset
including pH, total alkalinity (TA) and oxygen isotope (δ18O)
composition of seawater was collected on the Mackenzie
Shelf and the south-eastern Beaufort Sea. The surface
mixed layer (SML <50m depth) is composed of a mixture
of freshwater from the Mackenzie River (MW), sea-ice
melt (SIM), the Polar Mixed Layer (PML), and the Upper
halocline water (UHL). The combined use of TA and δ18O
as tracers of freshwater inputs to the Arctic Ocean provides
a distinct fingerprint of MW and SIM on the Mackenzie
Shelf. Water originating from the Mackenzie River is
characterized by very low salinity (<10) and δ18O (-20‰)
and relatively high TA (1800 μmol kg-1) values whereas seaice melting generates higher salinity (>20) and δ18O (-2.0‰)
and relatively low TA (<400 μmol kg-1) concentrations
in the SML. The identification of water masses and their
distribution on the Mackenzie Shelf were accomplished
using an optimum multi-parameter analysis (OMP) based on
temperature, salinity, dissolved O2 concentrations, TA and
δ18O.
Seawater CO2 fugacity (fCO2) was computed using
the CO2SYS software with pH and TA measurements.
The highest fCO2 values (>550 μatm) were measured at
the Mackenzie River mouth. The spread of the Mackenzie
River plume was limited to the inner continental shelf, as
revealed by low salinity and δ18O. Offshore, sea-ice melt
contributes significantly (>15%) to the SML. The cold,
relatively low salinity surface waters of the Beaufort Sea are
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ASM2010 Conference Programme and Abstracts
undersaturated (300 μatm) with respect to atmospheric CO2
(380 μatm). The lowest fCO2 (250 μatm) were recorded at
Cape Bathurst in association with a sub-surface (50m depth)
peak of chlorophyll a.
The Mackenzie River plume and the inner shelf
are, therefore, a net source of CO2 to the atmosphere (380
μatm). Conversely, due to an increased contribution of SIM,
the Beaufort Sea may take up more atmospheric CO2.
«MY WORD»: USING DIGITAL STORYTELLING
FOR CLIMATE-HEALTH RESEARCH IN
RIGOLET, NUNATSIAVUT
My Word Team1 (my.word.rigolet@gmail.com), Ashlee
Cunsolo Willox2, Sherilee Harper3, Victoria Edge4 and the
Rigolet Inuit Community Government5
My Word: Storytelling and Digital Media Lab, Rigolet,
Nunatsiavut, NL, A0P 1P0
2
PhD Candidate, School of Environmental Design & Rural
Development, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, N1G
2W1
3
PhD Student, Department of Population Medicine,
University of Guelph, Guelph, ON , N1G 2W1
4
Adjunct Professor, Department of Population Medicine,
University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, N1G 2W1
5
Rigolet, Nunatsiavut, NL, A0P 1P0
1
“Everyone got a story to tell. Everyone. Some of them real
good stories.” Rigolet Resident
For Canada’s Northern regions, climate change
poses challenges to the health and well-being of residents.
In particular, Inuit communities are vulnerable to
environmental changes, as many Inuit continue to live
a lifestyle that is closely tied to, and reliant upon, the
natural environment. Communities have reported climate
change impacts on access to safe fresh drinking water
and traditional foods, increased UV exposure, decreased
physical activity, unstable travel conditions, ice changes,
and unpredictable weather patterns, all of which impact
health and well-being in these regions. While past research
has indicated that health communication and education
can positively influence behaviour concerning actions,
management, and adaptation, many public health initiatives
in Inuit communities have often been unable to provide
this information in culturally-relevant or locally-appropriate
formats.
In 2009, the Rigolet Inuit Community Government
in Nunatsiavut began a multi-year, community-driven,
participatory, storytelling project which examined the
impacts of climate change on human health (physical,
mental, emotional, and spiritual), with an emphasis on
adaptation strategies. Working within an EcoHealth
framework, the community of Rigolet partnered with
social science researchers, epidemiologists, and a not-forprofit organization to use digital media—particularly digital
storytelling—to gather stories and data about climate
change in the region, the climate-health relationship, and
current and possible adaptation strategies. These ‘digital
dialogues’ created an innovative and powerful platform for
health media campaigns and also for analyzing the impacts
of climate change on health in Inuit communities. Rigolet
residents also expanded research capacities and increased
confidence to independently examine and study climaterelated issues.
This presentation will discuss the process of
utilizing digital media to document and share stories about
the effects of climate change on human health, as well as
the research results emergent from this project. Examples
of the digital health media created through this project will
be screened, followed by a discussion of how to utilize
digital stories not only to conduct research about climatehealth relationships and adaptation strategies in Aboriginal
communities, but also to create culturally-relevant health
media. Finally, the importance of community-led and
community-based participatory projects to promote ongoing, climate-based public health research, development,
and programming will be considered.
MODELLING OCEAN AND SEA-ICE
CONDITIONS IN THE CANADIAN ARCTIC
ARCHIPELAGO USING A HIGH-RESOLUTION
NESTED MODEL WITHIN A PAN-ARCTIC
MODEL
Nudds, Shannon1 (Shannon.Nudds@dfo-mpo.gc.ca), Y.
Lu1, C. Hannah1, F. Dupont2, J. Lei1, M. Dunphy3 and S.
Prinsenberg1
Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Bedford Institute of
Oceanography, Darthmouth, Nova Scotia, B2Y 4A2
2
Environment Canada, Atmospheric Science and
Technology Directorate, Dorval, Quebec, H9P 1J3
3
Department of Mathematics, University of Waterloo,
Waterloo, Ontario, N2L 3G1
1
A new ice-ocean model for the Arctic Ocean
has been developed based on the Nucleus for European
Modelling of the Ocean (NEMO) for purposes of
operational and climate research studies. A novel feature of
this model is the use of the “two-way nesting” technique
using AGRIF (Adaptive Grid Refinement in Fortran) which
allows for the embedding of a high-resolution sub-model
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ASM2010 Conference Programme and Abstracts
within a pan-Arctic model to better simulate circulation
through the Canadian Arctic Archipelago (CAA). The
horizontal resolution is ~18 km for the pan-Arctic domain
and ~6 km for the nested region. Initial tests are carried out
using climatologies of surface forcing. Results show seasonal
variations of sea-ice cover and hydrography consistent
with observations throughout both the pan-Arctic and
high-resolution domains, and the high-resolution domain
provides detailed spatial structure of sea-ice and circulation
in the CAA. Simulations are compared to available mooring
data in Barrow Strait and Davis Strait, and ice concentration
data from the Canadian Ice Service. Results show the
model’s ability to simulate realistic inter-annual variability of
transport and ice formation throughout the CAA. However,
improvements need to be made to control the magnitude of
the transport in the CAA.
ameliorated in terms of access to healthy foods, exercise and
abstaining from tobacco use; that safe travel behaviours be
widely adopted; that they continue to have access to country
foods which provide them with high quality fats which may
be the remaining stronghold in preventing an epidemic of
cardiovascular disease and other important benefits; that
global efforts to reduce environmental contamination that
are transported into the Arctic food web continue; and that
monitoring of climate related changes continue in order to
support adaptation on many levels such as for hunting and
fishing.
Much work remains if we are to support northern
managers and communities in catching up with the rest of
Canada, the least of which is a focus towards understanding
the social determinants of health and their role in improving
health status.
IRIS 4 ASSESSMENT - HEALTH SURVEY AND
HEALTH KNOWLEDGE: NUNAVIK AND
NUNATSIAVUT
TRANSMISSION OF ENVIRONMENTAL
KNOWLEDGE AND LAND SKILLS IN
ADAPTATION TO CLIMATE CHANGE IN THE
ARCTIC
Owens, Sandra1 (sandra.owens@crchul.ulaval.ca) and É.
Dewailly2
Axe Santé des Populations et Environnement, Centre de
Recherche du CHUQ, Québec, G1V 2M2
2
Département de Médecine Sociale et Préventive, Faculté de
Médecine, Université Laval, Québec, G1V 2M2
Pearce, Tristan1 (tpearce@uoguelph.ca). R. Notaina2, A.
Kudlak2, H. Wright2, J. Ford3, C. Furgal4 and B. Smit1
1
Evidence is clear that the overall health status of
Inuit populations in Canada is lagging behind that of the
general population. In the face of ongoing modernization
and environmental change there are specific areas of
investigation that reveal a precarious situation, others
which signal positive change and yet others which remain
poorly understood. In order to support health equality
for Northern peoples and thereby support sustainable
development in Canada’s Arctic, investigation and
intervention on several fronts is warranted. As results from
the health survey conducted in Nunavik and Nunatsiavut
become available, various analyses reveal new knowledge.
The health chapter prepared for the IRIS 4 Assessment
focuses on the physical environment as one determinant of
health with many influences on health outcomes. Key results
for nutrition and cardiovascular disease, environmental
contaminants, infectious disease from animals or drinking
water, and transportation injuries and safety will be
presented.
Certain critical elements, or determinants, to
maintaining or improving the health of Inuit whether in
the sub-Eastern Arctic or elsewhere in the remote North
can be identified. That their diet and lifestyle in general be
Department of Geography, University of Guelph, Guelph,
Ontario, N1G 2W1
2
Community of Ulukhaktok, Ulukhaktok, Northwest
Territories, X0E 0S0
3
Department of Geography, McGill University, Montreal,
Quebec
4
Department of Geography, Trent University,
Peterborough, Ontario
1
This paper investigates the relationship between
the transmission of environmental knowledge and land
skills, and human adaptation to climate change. This
relationship is empirically tested in an arctic community
to document how environmental knowledge and land
skills are transmitted among Inuit and what role, if any, do
environmental knowledge and land skills play in adaptation
to climate change.
It is well documented that climate change is already
being experienced in the Arctic with implications for Inuit
subsistence harvesting. The ability of Inuit to adapt to
changing conditions is associated with knowledge of the
arctic ecosphere and land skills, which afford Inuit dynamic
and flexible use of the environment and its resources. There
is concern, however, that as a result of societal changes,
some knowledge and skills are not being transmitted to
younger generations. Consequently, many younger and
inexperienced hunters are not as well equipped to cope
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ASM2010 Conference Programme and Abstracts
with the risks of hunting, especially under changing climatic
conditions.
Based on a review of current scholarship, a
conceptual model for interpreting the relationship between
knowledge transmission and adaptation is developed.
The model suggests that environmental knowledge and
land skills are a key source of human adaptive capacity
to deal with climatic changes by providing harvesters
with the flexibility and ingenuity necessary to respond to
changing conditions. It is hypothesized that supporting the
transmission of environmental knowledge and land skills
will enhance Inuit adaptive capacity to deal with current and
expected future climate change.
Using a case study of Ulukhaktok, Northwest
Territories, the transmission of environmental knowledge
and land skills was analysed with a sample of Inuit men.
Just over half of all skills were being transmitted through
‘hands-on’ learning among younger respondents. Despite
similar learning ages, there has been an incomplete
transmission of several skills among younger respondents.
In the context of adaptation to climate change, incomplete
skill transmission is of particular concern. For example,
most young respondents had not learned the detailed
knowledge needed to navigate in poor visibility, how to
anticipate and cope with changes in weather, or how to
travel on the sea ice in different seasonal conditions. This
is cause for concern because weather patterns, land and
sea ice conditions are changing rapidly requiring travelers
to be flexible. The erosion of knowledge and skills among
younger respondents is attributable to factors including
access to teachers, requirements of formal schooling, loss
of native language, and declining levels of involvement
in some subsistence activities. Based on these findings, a
number of insights are provided for supporting knowledge
and skill transmission in the context of adaptation planning
for climate change.
ISOTOPE HYDROLOGY OF ARCTIC TUNDRA
LAKES ALONG THE PROPOSED MACKENZIE
GAS PIPELINE IN NORTHWESTERN CANADA
Peters, Daniel L.1,2 (daniel.peters@ec.gc.ca), F. J. Wrona1,2, E.
Hille1,2 and S. V. Kokelj3
Environment Canada & Water and Climate Impacts;
Research Centre, University of Victoria, BC, V8W 3R4
2
Department of Geography, University of Victoria,
Victoria, BC, V8W 3R4
3
Water Resources Division, Indian and Northern Affairs
Canada, Yellowknife, NT, X1A 2R3
1
A projected “hot spot” of climate warming and
development is the Mackenzie River Delta region in the
Northwest Territories of Canada. The adjacent upland
tundra areas north of Inuvik contain thousands of small
lakes with poorly defined ephemeral drainage that are
underlain by thick permafrost and ice-rich sediments
for which the basic water balance controls are not fully
understood. Naturally occurring shoreline retrogressive thaw
slumps (SRTS) are common along these lakes and the rapid
drainage of ice-rich permafrost-dammed lakes has been
occurring. The frequency of SRTS in the north-western
Arctic has increased in the last 50 years and has recently
been linked to changes in DOC, colour, and nutrient
concentrations, all of which have significant implications
for the aquatic ecology. Ongoing oil/gas exploration
activities and infrastructure construction may result in
terrain disturbance and localized degradation of permafrost,
while climate change may increase the magnitude and
frequency of SRTS processes. These disturbed lakes are
believed to act as historical analogues for the future effects
of climate change on the hydrology, geochemistry, and
aquatic ecology of small tundra lake catchments in the
continuous permafrost zone of northwestern Canada. In
collaboration with Indian and Northern Affairs Canada –
Water Resources Division and the University of Victoria,
Environment Canada initiated an integrated research
program in 2005 with the overall goal of improving our
understanding of hydro-ecological processes in freshwater
aquatic ecosystems affected by shoreline slumping vs.
pristine lakes.
Limited catchment studies have examined waterbalance parameters (e.g., precipitation, evaporation, and
surface flows) for tundra lakes in the development area.
Enrichment of oxygen-18 (18O) and deuterium (2H) stable
isotopes in surface waters have been shown to be useful
indicators of water balance variations in remote permafrost
regions of Canada where hydroclimatic information is very
limited. In particular, information on evaporation: inflow
(E/I) ratios and residence times would provide useful
information for estimating appropriate water withdrawals
from lakes within the proposed development area. A
key question is “does permafrost slumping impact the
hydrology of tundra lakes via catchment area enlargement
and/or enhanced snow accumulation?” The objective of
this paper is to present stable isotope hydrology findings
from i) seasonal surveys in a pair of representative lake
catchments and ii) annual synoptic surveys in >60 lakes
(shoreline slumping vs. pristine lake catchments) located
along the proposed Mackenzie Valley Gas Pipeline. The
science from this study component will contribute to
the integrated ArcticNet/IPY research programme on
improving improving our understanding of hydro-ecological
processes in freshwater aquatic ecosystems of this region.
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ASM2010 Conference Programme and Abstracts
GENETIC RELATIONSHIPS AMONG NARWHAL
SAMPLED FROM A 2008 ICE-ENTRAPMENT
EVENT
Petersen, Stephen D. (stephen.petersen@dfo-mpo.gc.ca), D.
Tenkula and S. H. Ferguson
Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Freshwater Institute,
Winnipeg, Manitoba, R3T 2N6
Narwhal (Monodon monoceros) are medium-sized
toothed whales that are endemic to the Arctic and a key
element of the eastern Canadian Arctic ecosystem. Narwhal
have been evaluated as a species of special concern in
Canada and researchers have suggested that they are
especially at risk due to habitat changes associated with
global warming. This pressure could come in the form of
an increase in frequency of ice-entrapments. Entrapments
are unpredictable but regular occurrences where animals
become trapped when ice formation occurs too rapidly for
them to reach safe areas. These stochastic events have the
potential to seriously impact the population, especially if
certain segments of the population are more vulnerable
than others. In December 2008, over 600 narwhal from the
Eclipse Sound stock became entrapped near the community
of Pond Inlet. Community members reported that the
entrapped whales were primarily females and younger
animals. From this entrapment, 635 whales were harvested
and of those, 250 samples were obtained. This provided
an opportunity to examine the age, sex, and genetic
composition of a narwhal ice-entrapment. Our results are
consistent with community reports of sex composition;
79% of the samples were determined to be females based
on molecular sex determination. Furthermore, a number
of parent-offspring groups were identified using 16
microsatellite loci genetic profiles. Although impossible to
extrapolate to all entrapments, the population impact of
an increased frequency of entrapments in which females
with dependent offspring are more susceptible could be
significant.
WIND EFFECTS ON OCEAN VOLUME
TRANSPORT, AIR TEMPERATURE, AND
SEA-ICE AREA IN THE CANADIAN ARCTIC
ARCHIPELAGO
Peterson, Ingrid (Ingrid.Peterson@dfo-mpo.gc.ca) S.
Prinsenberg, J. Hamilton and R. Pettipas
Bedford Institute of Oceanography, Fisheries and Oceans
Canada, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, B2Y 4A2
Monthly surface wind anomalies from the NCEP/
NCAR Reanalysis dataset are compared with anomalies of
volume transport estimated from current measurements
at moorings across Barrow Strait along the Northwest
Passage, air temperature at meteorological stations across
the Canadian Arctic Archipelago (CAA), and sea-ice area in
Parry Channel. Southwesterly wind anomalies west of Parry
Channel in the Arctic Ocean, have generally been low since
2007 because of high atmospheric pressure anomalies over
the Beaufort Sea associated with the Arctic dipole anomaly.
This resulted in extremely low volume transport through
Barrow Strait in the Northwest Passage in 2007-2008.
Summer sea-ice area shows a similar pattern to the SW wind
anomalies, with low values in 1998-1999 and 2007-2010, and
high values in 2002-2003.
Like volume transport, air temperature across most
of the CAA is most highly correlated with winds off the
west coast of the Queen Elizabeth Islands, but in an easterly
direction. This response is probably due a reduction in ice
concentration caused by offshore winds. The eastward wind
component shows a 4-6 year cycle similar to CAA landfast
ice thickness and Beaufort Sea ice area. It also shows an
increasing trend between 1950 and the early 1990’s.
In contrast to most of the CAA, air temperatures
along a relatively narrow margin on the eastern side of
the CAA are most highly correlated with westward winds
off southwestern Greenland, which would reduce ice
concentrations in Baffin Bay and the Labrador Sea.
SPACE-BORNE EARTH OBSERVATION
OPPORTUNITIES FOR ARCTIC SCIENCE AND
OPERATIONS: OVERVIEW OF EO AT THE CSA
Piekutowski, Thomas (Thomas.Piekutowski@asc-csa.gc.ca)
Canadian Space Agency, Saint-Hubert, Quebec, J3Y 8Y9
This presentation will provide an overview of
Canadian Space Agency projects and programs in Earth
Observation with emphasis on utility for high-latitude
research. Instruments on Canadian and partner space
missions measuring ocean, land, atmosphere and cryosphere
variables will be discussed as well as the policies and
programs for accessing data. There is current Canadian
involvement in instrument and satellite development,
modeling, algorithm development, validation, science
assessments and applications of space-borne EO data.
Future Canadian investments will be discussed with the
Arctic resarch community with a view to obtaining input
and prioritization.
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ASM2010 Conference Programme and Abstracts
AND…ACTION! THE SUCCESS OF SHOOTING
POLAR SCIENCE
Pit, Mare1 (mare.pit@iasc.info), K. Ulstein2 and M. Salganek3
International Arctic Science Committee, Potsdam,
Germany
2
Research Council of Norway, Oslo
3
Theatre Department, University of Alaska Fairbanks,
Alaska, US
1
During the International Polar Year (IPY) 20072008 film proved a strong instrument to explore new
frontiers of polar science and mesmerized and informed the
public. Fiction films, documentaries, TV-series and Internet
broadcasts; they all helped translate polar science to the
screen, portrayed a rich history of exploration, culture and
contemporary life and investigated peoples’ and natures’
response and adaptation to a changing climate.
The PolarCINEMA held during the IPY Science
Conference in Oslo, Norway, showcased and celebrated
media productions that were inspired by, and increased
the awareness of the Polar Regions. The PolarCINEMA
was a successful mixture of screenings, lectures and open
discussions with makers, educators, scientists and the
public. I would like to share some of the outcomes of this
experience and take a closer look at how audiovisual media
helped raise the public’s awareness of current developments
in the Arctic and played an important role in communicating
science.
NON-STRUCTURED SHOREBIRD
DISTRIBUTION AT A SUB-ARCTIC STOPOVER
SITE
Pollock, Lisa1 (lisapollock@trentu.ca)
Department of Environmental and Life Sciences, Trent
University, Peterborough, Ontario, K9J 7B8
The Canadian Arctic provides essential breeding
grounds for millions of shorebirds, with the majority of
species traveling thousands of kilometers to reach these
highly productive areas. These long distance migrations
would not be feasible without the presence of adequate
stopover sites along their migration routes where individuals
regain depleted fat reserves. Due to the energetic cost
of migration, resource availability and habitat quality
are thought to be key characteristics of stopover sites.
However, these environmental factors have not been
extensively explored. Therefore, I determined factors
influencing shorebird distribution and whether their
distribution corresponds to resource patterns on Akimiski
Island, Nunavut. Ten-minute shorebird point counts
were conducted at eighteen locations in a 1.25 km2 study
area during spring and fall migration of 2008 and 2009.
Resource availability and distribution were assessed through
core, emergent, aquatic and aerial invertebrate sampling.
Habitat composition and sediment particle size analyses
were also conducted. Little variation was found in resource
distribution or habitat composition across the study area.
The canonical correspondence analysis of shorebird
distribution reflected this homogeneity, with habitat
characteristics and resources failing to predict foraging
habitats for 14 shorebird species. The lack of shorebird
assembly structure suggests that migrant shorebirds
are opportunistically feeding while at this stopover site.
Opportunism increases the rate of mass gain as every prey
item encountered can be consumed. With stopover sites
allowing for shorebirds to rest and refuel, opportunism is
likely a key component of successful migration.
TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGE ON BELUGA
HEALTH IN THE INUVIALUIT SETTLEMENT
REGION
Pokiak, Rebecca, M. Pokiak, E. Loring, S. Nickels, M.
Andrachuk and L. Loseto
A beluga health research program has been
sustained by a community based monitoring program on
Hendrickson Island near Tuktoyaktuk in the Inuvialuit
Settlement Region (ISR). The partnership between science
and communities has resulted in one of the largest available
long term data sets for an arctic marine mammal in Canada.
Until recently the data collection by community and
science was structured to fit a western science framework
(i.e. measuring size, taking tissue samples for contaminant
analysis etc). Little focus was given to proper collection
of local and traditional knowledge on observations of
beluga and their health. In 2010, as an extension to a
communications program on Beluga Health was initiated
to collect local knowledge on the whales. The intention
of the program is to gather knowledge on beluga whale
health from local and traditional perspectives that can be
presented back to scientists to sustain a holistic approach to
understanding beluga health. The local knowledge collected
on beluga health goes beyond sample collections generated
for science, for example observations made during the hunt,
preparing and processing the whale and/or surrounding
environmental conditions. The knowledge generated by
both science and traditional knowledge on beluga health
will solidify a better base understanding while fuel new
directions for research and monitoring in the newly created
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ASM2010 Conference Programme and Abstracts
Tarium Niryutait Marine Protected Area. Here we present
a summary of findings on beluga health generated from
interviews that will be presented back to science to begin to
evaluate synergies with recent science research.
THE IRIS 4 ASSESSMENT OF CHARR IN A
CHANGING CLIMATE: HOW WILL CHARR LIKE
THE TROPICS?
Power, Michael 1, J. B. Dempson 2, B. Doidge 3, W. Michaud1,
L. Chavarie 1, J. D. Reist 4, F. Martin 3, and A. E. Lewis 3
Department of Biology University of Waterloo, Waterloo,
Ontario, N2L 3G1
2
Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Science Branch, P.O. Box
5667, St. John’s, Newfoundland, A1C 5X1
3
Nunavik Research Centre, Makivik Corporation, C. P. 179
Kuujjuaq, Quebec, J0M 1C0
4
Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Central and Arctic Region,
501 University Crescent, Winnipeg, Manitoba, R3T 2N6
1
Arctic charr are a species of special concern in
Nunavik because of their importance as a food resource
and their ubiquity. Spread across some 43 degrees of
latitude in North America, charr live in, and experience, a
wide range of climate determined environments. Thus we
may use information from southern populations to make
general predictions about the possible fate of northern
populations as climates warm. To better understand possible
climate impacts, however, one must also use knowledge of
the physiology, life-history and adaptations factors of Arctic
charr that will ultimately determine the fate of any given
population as environments change. Unfortunately, a lack
of detailed studies of Canadian population has hampered
the implementation of such an approach. Nevertheless, we
may correlate biological information from the few longterm studies of Arctic charr populations to knowledge
of past environmental variation to understand possible
future population fates. Here we use information from the
Labrador area (Nain) to describe how charr have responded
to environmental variation and to make suggestions about
how Arctic charr populations may respond in the future. We
further discuss local initiatives to catalogue data on Nunavik
charr populations that have aimed to enhance future abilities
to better study and manage the species in the face of
changing environments.
OBSERVING THE SNOW AND ICE
PROPERTIES IN THE ARCTIC COASTAL
WATERS OF THE CANADIAN BEAUFORT
SEA WITH HELICOPTER-BORNE GROUNDPENETRATING RADAR, LASER AND
ELECTROMAGNETIC SENSORS
Prinsenberg, Simon1 (Simon.Prinsenberg@dfo-mpo.gc.ca),
I. Peterson1, S. Holladay2 and L. Lalumiere3
Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Bedford Institute of
Oceanography, P.O. Box 1006, Dartmouth, N.S., B2Y 4A2
2
Geosensors Inc., 66 Mann Ave., Toronto, Ontario, M4S
2Y3
3
Sensors by Design Ltd., 100 Peevers Crescent, Newmarket,
Ontario, L3Y 7T1
1
A unique data set that was collected with helicopterborne sensors during April 2010 over the Mackenzie
Delta land-fast and mobile ice cover areas. For the first
time a Ground-Penetrating-Radar provided in real-time
snow depths and ice thicknesses of low saline ice and
complemented the Electromagnetic-Laser and Video-Laser
data sets to explain the ice and snow properties found in
the Mackenzie Delta. In the shallow inshore delta areas
where river runoff dilutes the oceanic water such as the
Mackenzie Delta, the GPR and EM together can determine
the floating, grounded ice conditions from the ice frozen
to the bottom where the EM on its own only indicates
areas where the ice is attached to the frozen mud layer. In
these low saline areas the GPR can measure both the snow
depth and ice thickness. The laser brightness when height
corrected appears to be an additional observation tool to
pin point small young leads and darker ice features (gravel
bars). The snow and ice data represents a large spatial
distribution to derive ice and snow statistics and to validate
ice signatures seen in ASAR imagery in support of Oil&Gas
offshore structure designs and navigation. In addition the
data supports marine habitat and coast erosion studies
and is used to validate ice-ocean forecast models. All data
and reports are available http://www.mar.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/
science/ocean/seaice/public.html and associated FTP site.
RIVER AND LAKE ICE: RESPONSES TO
CLIMATE VARIABILITY AND CHANGE
Prowse, Terry1 (Prowset@uvic.ca), R. Brooks1,
T. Callaghan2, L. de Rham1, Y. Dibike1, S. Harder1,
T. Saloranta3, S. von de Wall1 and F. Wrona1
Water and Climate Impacts Research Centre, Environment
Canada/Department of Geography, University of Victoria,
1
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ASM2010 Conference Programme and Abstracts
Victoria, BC, Canada
2
Abisko Scientific Research Station, Abisko, Sweden
3
Norwegian Institute for Water Research (NIVA), Oslo,
Norway
River and lake ice play fundamental roles in
physical, chemical and biological processes that control
freshwater regimes of the cold regions, and in numerous
related socio-economic systems. This presentation reviews
results of a research program that is being advanced under
Arctic-Net to quantify how such process and regimes will be
altered by future climate change. The program is comprised
of a number of field and laboratory components, with field
sites located in different parts of the Arctic.
The 1st program component focuses on obtaining
the first quantification of the area and volume of lake and
river ice in the Northern Hemisphere. Quantification of
these dimensions under current climate conditions forms
the first phase of this work, while a subsequent phase will
assess spatial and temporal changes under future climatic
conditions. Validation data for a simplified degree-day
based ice-growth model has involved compiling lake and
river ice information from around the circumpolar North.
Results indicate the need for a variable model coefficient to
correctly represent differences in hydro-climatic regions.
The 2nd program component involves the validation
of a more detailed, physically-based lake-ice model (MyLake) suitable for application across a wide range of hydroclimatic conditions. A suite of field sites encompassing a
broad spectrum of winter temperature and precipitation
regimes has been established in North America that cover
a latitudinal range from ~40ºN to 80ºN. Unfortunately,
records from most North American sites are relatively
short-term, extending to a few decades at the most. To
permit validation over a longer term range of climatic
conditions, My-Lake has also been validated at a highlatitude lake in northern Sweden that has almost a hundred
year record.
Modelling how climate affects lake-ice thickness,
cover composition and water column temperatures under
current and future climatic conditions forms the 3rd program
component. Results point to the importance of synergistic
changes in winter air temperature and precipitation form/
amounts, with significant regional differences projected for
the future.
The 4th program component is evaluating
hydrologic flood extremes produced by river-ice breakup
and related ice jamming. Historical analyses of these events
have been conducted across northern Canada and results
identify the role of varying hydro-climatic conditions
and physical controls (e.g., elevation, slope and latitude)
in determining whether regions have open-water or icedominated flood regimes.
Work has also begun on an extension of the above
program components to begin assessing how changes in
ice regimes affect key aquatic conditions in lakes, such as
heat budgets, dissolved oxygen and productivity. During the
current phase of Arctic-Net, a satellite-controlled multisensor buoy system for monitoring changes in ice and waterquality conditions on northern lakes has been designed and
constructed. Deployments of two such buoys has been
undertaken at Inuvik, NWT and the Experimental Lakes in
Manitoba – two sites currently being used in the validation
of the MyLake model. Plans are to deploy additional buoys
in other high-latitude hydro-climatic regimes to monitor the
effects of climate change/variability
THE INFLUENCE OF THE ATMOSPHERESNOW-ICE-OCEAN INTERACTIONS ON THE
LEVELS OF HEXACHLOROCYCLOHEXANES
(HCHS) IN THE ARCTIC CRYOSPHERE
Pucko, Monika1,2 (umpucko@cc.umanitoba.ca), G. A.
Stern1,2, D. G. Barber1, R. W. Macdonald1,3 and B. Rosenberg2
Centre for Earth Observation Science, University of
Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, R3T 2N2
2
Department of Fisheries and Oceans, Freshwater Institute,
Winnipeg, Manitoba, R3T 2N6
3
Department of Fisheries and Oceans, Institute of Ocean
Sciences, Sidney, British Columbia, V8L 4B2
1
α- and γ-HCHs are being scavenged from
the atmosphere by falling snow, with the average total
scavenging ratios (WT) of 3.8 104 and 9.6 103, respectively.
After deposition, HCH snow concentrations can decrease
by 40 % due to snow pack ventilation and increase by 50
% due to upward migration of brine from the ice. HCH
vertical distribution in sufficiently cold winter sea ice,
which maintains brine volume fractions < 5 %, reflects
the ice growth history. Initially, the entrapment of brine
(and HCHs) in ice depends on the rates of ice growth
and desalination. However, after approximately the first
week of ice formation, ice growth rate becomes dominant.
Deviations of HCH concentrations from the values
predicted by the ice salinity (rate of brine entrapment) can
be explained by spatial variability of HCHs in surface water.
HCH burden in the majority of the ice column remains
locked throughout most of the season until the early spring
when snow melt water percolates into the ice, delivering
HCHs to the upper ocean via desalination by flushing.
Percolation can lead to an increase in α- and γ-HCH by up
to 2 % - 18 % and 4 % - 32 %, respectively.
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ASM2010 Conference Programme and Abstracts
LIFE UNDER THE ICE: EXPLORING FOOD
WEBS IN SUBARCTIC LAKES
2
Rautio, Milla1,2 (milla.rautio@uqac.ca) and H. Mariash2
For over twenty years, Northerners have been
receiving information about contaminants and their
potential impacts on wildlife and human health. Although
messages regarding the safety of traditional foods have
improved over time to be more appropriate and sensitive
towards Northerners, more than a decade of considerable
effort put into disseminating this technically complex
information has resulted in only general awareness of
contaminants issues.
Differences between Inuit and Western scientific
communities, such as language and terminology, worldviews
and cultures, and ways of knowing and learning, influence
how we understand and react to contaminants and their
perceived risk. Determining the best means to disseminate
this information is an ongoing challenge. There has been
little critical evaluation of past communication efforts, and
greater focus has been placed on the intended audience with
less consideration of the communication process and nature
of the message.
To varying degrees, residents of Sachs Harbour,
NT, have been exposed to, and involved in, past and
current contaminants research and communication
initiatives. Contaminants research generated through the
Circumpolar Flaw Lead System Study and ArcticNet
is discussed with participants, using semi-directive
interviews, focus groups and an emphasis on participatory
video. These methods enable participants to engage in
and lead the investigative inquiry, facilitating a two-way
dialogue that explores their knowledge and perceptions
of contaminants research and how this research is
communicated to Northern communities; critically examines
the modes of communication used; and discusses, from a
community perspective, how contaminants research can be
communicated in ways that are accessible, understandable,
and relevant to their community and daily lives.
Département des sciences fondamentales, Université du
Québec à Chicoutimi, Chicoutimi, Québec G7H 2B1,
Canada
2
Department of Environmental Science, University of
Jyväskylä, 40014 Jyväskylä, Finland
1
Nearly half of the world’s lakes are ice covered
for a part of the year but very little is known about the
plankton ecology under the ice because most lakes are
difficult to access and expensive to sample in winter.
The classic paradigm of winter ecology holds that most
biological processes slow down or cease under the ice. We
show that this is not true but the ice covered lakes contain
high zooplankton densities despite low phytoplankton
biomass in winter. Somatic growth and reproduction of
zooplankton, both of which occur in winter, require high
quality food assimilation. In summer, phytoplankton,
protists and bacteria are the main source of zooplankton’s
energy. The question is: What do zooplankton feed on in
winter? Harnessing the use of stable isotopes and fatty acids
we answer to this question, and present some novel data on
food web ecology in subarctic lakes in winter. We show that
water column primary production does not solely support
the biomass of zooplankton but that allochthonous carbon
also plays an important nutritional role. Lakes receive high
water discharge and its associated terrestrial dissolved
organic matter (DOM) inputs during fall, winter and spring,
compared to the low inputs in summer. Zooplankton
showed d13C values that were consistent with allochthonous
inputs of DOM but also significant differences in the
zooplankton utilization of non-phytoplankton carbon in
different seasons and among species. Although fatty acid
composition of zooplankton indicated that autochthonous
carbon absorbed before the winter was responsible for
the growth of zooplankton, the ability to switch to using
allochthonous carbon-fueled microorganisms most likely
explains the survival of zooplankton through polar winter.
BOTTOM’S UP! A COMMUNITY-PERSPECTIVE
APPROACH ON COMMUNICATING MERCURY
CONTAMINANT INFORMATION IN THE ISR
Reinfort, Breanne1,2 (b.reinfort@gmail.com), G. Stern1,2 and
F. Wang1
Department of Environment and Geography, University
of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, R3T 2N2
1
Freshwater Institute, Department of Fisheries and Oceans,
Winnipeg, Manitoba, R3T 2N6
LINKING SCIENCE AND TRADITIONAL
KNOWLEDGE IN UNDERSTANDING IMPACTS
OF CLIMATE CHANGE ON GEESE IN THE
HUDSON BAY LOWLAND
Robus, Jennifer1 (jenniferrobus@trentu.ca), K. Abraham2
and C. Furgal3
Environmental and Life Sciences Program, Trent
University, Peterborough, Ontario, K9J 7B8
2
Wildlife Research and Development Section, Ontario
Ministry of Natural Resources, Peterborough, Ontario, K9J
7B8
1
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ASM2010 Conference Programme and Abstracts
Departments of Environmental and Resource Studies
and Indigenous Studies, Trent University, Peterborough,
Ontario, K9J 7B8
3
Climate is changing at an accelerated pace in Arctic
and sub-Arctic regions, including the Hudson Bay Lowland
of Canada. Timing and routes of migration of geese to and
from breeding grounds in these regions are shifting. Few
studies have documented the impacts of these changes on
northern communities. The role that climate change plays
in these changes, directly or indirectly through effects on
habitat in James and Hudson Bay, is not well understood
and yet is critical to the lives of Indigenous (Cree)
communities in this region.
This study is being conducted as part of the
circumpolar IPY project ArcticWOLVES. The main
objectives are to examine how climate change and its
impacts on habitat may be impacting lesser snow goose
(Anser caerulenscens caerulenscens) and Canada goose
(Branta canadensis interior) populations in terms of
spatial distribution, and how this, in turn, impacts Cree
communities in terms of access and harvest. The study aims
to determine, among other things, whether hunting patterns
are changing, if so how, and what impacts these changes
may have on Cree communities in the area.
This study brings together science and traditional
ecological knowledge (TEK) of Cree hunters and
experts using a mixed methods design drawing on both
qualitative and quantitative data. It is based on interviews
with northern residents who have acquired an intimate
knowledge of the land through years of direct experience
and observation, as well as quantitative historical harvest,
habitat and goose population analyses. Interviews have
been conducted in Moose Factory and Peawanuck, Ontario.
Preliminary results indicate that change is occurring in
hunting patterns as well as in goose distribution and habitat.
By using an approach that combines TEK with
science, this study has been able to provide a better
understanding of community-environment-goose
interactions occurring in the Hudson Bay Lowland. This
study is significant in terms of increasing understanding
of the harvest for the purposes of resource management,
and for giving insight into trends of population abundance,
distribution and habitat change. The climate is changing
in the Hudson Bay Lowland, and it is crucial to both
northern communities and resource managers to more
fully understand these changes in order to plan meaningful
adaptation strategies.
POSTGLACIAL PALEOCLIMATES OF THE
FOXE PENINSULA (NUNAVUT, CANADA): A
MULTIPROXY LAKE SEDIMENT ARCHIVE
STUDY
Rolland, Nicolas (nicolas.rolland@cen.ulaval.ca), C.
Zimmermann, N. Lesage and R. Pienitz
Laboratoire de Paléoécologie Aquatique (LPA),
Département de Géographie, Centre d’Études Nordiques
(CEN), Université Laval, Québec, G1V 0A6, Canada.
Pronounced environmental changes recently
observed in the Canadian High-Arctic reveal the high
sensitivity and fragility of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems
of these high latitude regions. However, areas surrounding
the Foxe Basin region in the Canadian Mid-Arctic, which
until recently have shown more subtle responses to recent
Arctic warming, are still poorly documented. In this context,
an integrated paleolimnological study of the Foxe Basin and
surrounding regions has been initiated as part of ArcticNet
project « Freshwater Resources of the Eastern Canadian
Arctic » that aims at describing regional climatic and
environmental variability since the last deglaciation.
Our research presents the results of a multiproxy
paleoclimate reconstruction of the Foxe Peninsula,
Nunavut, Canada. Long sediment cores were retrieved from
the deepest part of two lakes (Blue Lake: 64°25’28.76”N;
77°4’39.37”W, and Mallik Lake: 64°14’6.32”N;
76°37’47.09”W) that are located in central and southern
part of the peninsula, respectively. Combined with highresolution sedimentological analyses (X-ray profiles,
XRF, grain size, organic matter content), changes in the
composition of both subfossil chironomid and diatom
assemblages provide detailed paleoenvironmental records
for this region, which contrasted with results already
obtained northward.
Both cores cover the past 8000 years, and provide
not only a new time frame for the Holocene Thermal
Maximum in this region, but also reveal that regional climate
remained relatively stable during most of the mid- to lateHolocene, especially in its central part, with only minor
fluctuations in the sediment characteristics and biological
composition. The core from Mallik Lake yields an abrupt
and pronounced cold period that occurred about 8200 years
ago (the so-called 8.2ka event) and that can be associated
with the final glacial meltwater outburst of proglacial Lake
Agassiz-Ojibway. Assuming that the Foxe Basin region has
a higher resiliency to climate changes, the impact of such
a short-term climate shift suggests that the Foxe Peninsula
may not display such resiliency. Therefore, the long-term
climate stability inferred so far for this region appears to
be climate-driven, with sea ice-ocean seasonal cycles, water
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ASM2010 Conference Programme and Abstracts
currents and atmospheric circulation being the determining
factors.
SNOW PROPERTIES RETRIEVAL IN SUBARCTIC
REGIONS USING PASSIVE MICROWAVE
REMOTE SENSING AND MODELING
PALEOLIMNOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT OF
ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGES FROM PIM
ISLAND, NUNAVUT, HIGH ARCTIC CANADA
Royer, Alain1 (Alain.Royer@USherbrooke.ca), A. Langlois1,
A. Roy1, B. Montpetit1, K. Goita1, C. Derksen2, F. Dupont3,
N. Champolion3, G. Picard3 and M. Fily3
Rouillard, Alexandra1, Marianne S. V. Douglas2 and John P.
Smol1
Paleoecological Environmental Assessment and Research
Laboratory, Department of Biology, Queen’s University,
Kingston, Ontario, Canada, K7L 3N6
2
Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences,
University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, T6G
2E1
1
Despite the documented sensitivity of polar
environments, long-term monitoring data are especially
sparse in these regions. In addition, mechanisms driving
regional and local climatic fluctuations of the Holocene
at high latitudes are also relatively poorly understood.
Diatom-based paleolimnology has contributed sinificantly
to environmental change science in Arctic lakes, but most
studies have been conducted in regions with relatively high
pH waters. In this study, modern diatom assemblages and
limnological properties of the ponds and lakes surveyed
from 1979 to 2009 on Pim Island (Nunavut, Canada) were
determined, and their variation in space and time assessed.
Pim Island is a region of interest because of relatively
lower pH and alkalinity compared to most previous
paleolimnological studies in the high Arctic, and especially
the very near-by, well-studied ponds on Cape Herschel,
Ellesmere Island. Habitat-specific relationships of diatom
assemblages were also explored. The ponds and lakes
displayed typical characteristics observed in high Arctic
lacustrine environments (i.e. oligotrophic, very dilute) but
with overall low alkalinity. Further, a multi-proxy (diatoms,
diatom-inferred pH, spectroscopically-inferred DOC,
sedimentary Chla) approach was utilized on Holocene
sedimentary records to assess long-term environmental
changes. Benthic and epiphitic diatom taxa (Fragilaria
spp., Achanthes spp., Navicula spp.) dominated the pre19th century assemblages, and marked shifts in dominant
species were recorded in the mid-Holocene. The post-19th
century was characterized by an increase in the planktonic
species (Cyclotella radiosa) from our well-dated site, indicating
marked lake ice reductions. Our findings contribute to an
improved understanding of the interactions between local
environments and aquatic flora, and also provide insight on
the biological responses of lakes to Holocene environmental
change, and allow us to compare responses to those in more
alkaline sites.
Centre d’Applications et Recherches en Télédétection,
Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Québec.
2
Environment Canada, Atmospheric Science and
Technology Directorate, Climate Research Division,
Downsview, Ontario
3
Laboratoire de Glaciologie et Géophysique de
l’Environnement, Grenoble, France.
1
Snow geophysical and thermophysical properties
are known to be sensitive to climate variability and change
and are of primary importance for hydrological and
climatological processes in northern regions. Specifically,
spatial and temporal variations of snow extent and thickness
are known to be good indicators of a warming climate, and
better tools are required to assess those changes from space.
Previous studies looking at the linkages between passive
microwave brightness temperatures and snow thickness and
water equivalent (SWE) had reasonable success retrieving
SWE over flat and vegetation-free surfaces. But lingering
uncertainties remain with regards to the contribution of the
various surface features within one satellite pixel (such as
lake fraction and forest biomass), as well as snow pack state
and structure (such as snow grain metamorphism, ice layers
and wetness).
This presentation reviews some recent
developments in the capability of passive microwave
satellite measurements to retrieve information on snow
properties, including methods based on the coupling of
snow thermodynamic and microwave emission models. We
will discuss the main uncertainties for estimating the snow
cover extent, snow depth and SWE. Among others, the
snow crystal size, evolving along the winter by metamorphic
processes, remains one of the most challenging snow pack
variables to characterize in a meaningful way. We present
a new approach to derive the snow grain size linked to its
specific surface area (SSA) derived from snow near infrared
reflectivity.
A large dataset was collected as part of the
Canadian International Polar Year project ‘Variability
and Change in the Canadian Cryosphere’ where snow
and vegetation properties were collected along a 2000
km transect in Northern Québec in 2008. Measurements
included airborne passive microwave measurements and
snow microstructure characterization required by the
models. This database was also complemented by ground-
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ASM2010 Conference Programme and Abstracts
based radiometric and snow measurements collected near
Churchill, MB, during the complete 2009/10 winter season.
We show how reliable new methodologies for field-based
observations of snow pack physical properties are useful
for evaluating, constraining, and improving snow models
and microwave inversion algorithms. Some results have
been published in several papers highlighting the complexity
of SWE retrieval in mixed pixel environments. Improved
vegetation transmissivity estimations were applied at the
satellite scale providing more accurate snow brightness
temperatures used in SWE retrievals.
Keywords: Passive microwave brightness
temperature, snow, SWE, SSA, snow model, snow emission
model.
QUANTIFYING THE WATERSHED-SCALE
CARBON BALANCE OF INTACT AND
DISTURBED HIGH-ARCTIC ECOSYSTEMS AT
CAPE BOUNTY, MELVILLE ISLAND, NUNAVUT
MODELING ESTUARINE CIRCULATION
INDUCED BY SUBGLACIAL FRESHWATER
DISCHARGES IN GLACIAL FJORDS
Seasonal eddy covariance measurements of the
carbon balance of mid-moisture, High Arctic tundra
ecosystems suggest that these systems are a small carbon
sink. At Cape Bounty, Melville Island, Nunavut, eddy
covariance measurements during the growing season
in 2008 suggest that these high-Arctic ecosystem are
accumulating about -7g C/m2 over the approximately three
month growing season. While these results indicate that
these High Arctic ecosystems are carbon sinks, they do not
include other processes that could alter the annual carbon
balance at the watershed scale. These processes include
losses of both dissolved and particulate organic carbon and
dissolved inorganic carbon in stream water and losses of
other gases (e.g. methane) from the soil to the atmosphere.
We used measurements of catchment-scale sediment and
dissolved carbon fluxes in stream water, and static chamber
measurements of soil carbon dioxide fluxes and methane
fluxes in a variety of plant community types, to constrain
the carbon balance of a small (18 ha) watershed at Cape
Bounty. River-based dissolved carbon losses (DIC and
DOC) were about 1 g C/m2, and particulate losses were
about three orders of magnitude lower. Carbon losses
through methane emissions were about 0.03 g C/m2. When
added together, for 2008 an undisturbed watershed was
accumulating roughly 6 g C/m2 over the growing season. In
catchments experiencing significant amounts of permafrost
disruption and active-layer detachments, dissolved carbon
losses doubled to roughly 2 g C/m2 , while particulate
carbon losses increase by one order of magnitude. Over an
entire growing season, terrestrial carbon dioxide losses were
highest in the most heavily disturbed areas, while moderately
disturbed areas continued to store small amounts of carbon.
Future work will further explore the role of permafrost
disruption on the net carbon balance of whole watersheds
in the high Arctic.
Salcedo-Castro, Julio1 (j.salcedo@mun.ca) and D. Bourgault2
Department of Physics and Physical Oceanography,
Memorial University of Newfoundland
2
Institut des sciences de la mer de Rimouski, Université du
Québec à Rimouski
1
Unlike the classical description of estuarine
circulation, in glacial fjords freshwater comes mostly
from subsurface freshwater discharges located at middepth (englacial) or underneath the glacier (subglacial).
The freshwater forcing in glacial fjord is essentially a
nonhydrostatic process since the typical width of the
freshwater plume rising against the glacier face is narrow
relative to the total depth. The estuarine circulation induced
by this type of forcing is examined with idealized nonhydrostatic two-dimensional model simulations. A number
of experiments covering a range of buoyancy and jet
dominated conditions were run. The results show a jet
issuing from the tunnel which rises as a vertical wall plume
and then, after impinging the surface, it spreads horizontally
to give place to an estuarine circulation, with a thin upper
layer moving seaward and a deep lower layer moving toward
the glacier. Velocity of the surface layer is related to the
Froude number Fr according to a negative power function,
implying that the estuarine circulation is mostly driven by
the buoyancy flux from the source (subglacial jet issuing
at the bottom). Similarly, plume dilution is also higher at
lower Fr number, showing a higher entrainment caused by
faster velocities at the surface layer. All experiments exhibit
a Richardson number Ri < 1/4 at the interface, suggesting
that the estuarine circulation is dynamically unstable
independently of the forcing.
Scott, Neal1 (neal.scott@queensu.ca), I. Wagner1, F.
Gregory1, E. Humphries2, P. Lafleur3, M. Lafreniere1, S.
Lamoureux1, P. Treitz1 and T. Lewis1
Department of Geography, Queen’s University, Kingston,
ON K7L 3N6
2
Department of Geography, Carlton University, Ottawa,
ON K1S 5B6
3
Department of Geography, Trent University,
Peterborough, ON K9J 7B8
1
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ASM2010 Conference Programme and Abstracts
ASSESSMENT OF TRADITIONAL AND MARKET
FOODS CONSUMPTION OVER TIME IN INUIT
POPULATION
Sheikh, Nelofar (nelofar.sheikh@mcgill.ca), L. JohnsonDown, H. Kuhnlein and G. M. Egeland
Centre for Indigenous Peoples’ Nutrition and Environment
(CINE), McGill University
An increasing amount and variety of market foods
have replaced traditional foods due to a variety of local and
external pressures on Indigenous Peoples (Kuhnlein, 1995;
Kuhnlein, 1992, 1933, 1994; Schaefer and Steckle 1980).
For Inuit, societal and environmental changes are “affecting
all dimensions of life in the Arctic” (Egeland 2010). With
the recent collection of dietary data among the Inuit in
the International Polar Year Inuit Health Survey, we have
a unique opportunity to compare current-day diet with a
previous assessment of diet among Inuit.
The first survey was carried out in 1998 – 2000 on
randomly selected 1,929 participants age 15+ from 18
Inuit communities from the same geographic regions as
the IPY Inuit Health survey carried out in 2007 and 2008
on 2596 randomly selected participants in 36 communities
of Inuvialuit Settlement Region, Nunavut Territory, and
Nunatsiavut (N. Labrador).
In the 1998 – 2000 CINE survey, a qualitative
food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) and a 24-hr dietary
recall were administrated during two interview periods:
one between October and December and then a
second assessment January to early April. The FFQ was
administered to capture information on 120 traditional
foods consumption in three months prior to the interview.
To facilitate serving size estimation in 24-hr recall, bowls,
cups and spoons as well as a 2 – dimensional representation
of bannock serving size were used.
In 2007 – 2008 survey, a quantitative FFQ
investigated the intake of 57 traditional foods by region.
Questions were formulated to ask frequency for both inseason and off-season intake for the past year. Amounts
of intake were also estimated using three-dimensional
graduated food model kits (Santé Quebec, Montreal,
Canada). A 4-stage multiple pass probing technique was
used in the administration of the 24-hour dietary recall
which was conducted by trained bilingual (Inuit and English
language) interviewers.
For comparisons to be valid, data analyses were
restricted to participants’ age 21 years and above from the
same 17 communities from both surveys. The FFQ data
of only 57 traditional food items from 1998 – 2000 survey
were matched with the 2007 – 2008 Inuit Health Survey.
The analyses is ongoing, however, the 24 hr recall
data in both surveys thus far indicate the top two energy
contributors from the market foods are sugar sweetened
beverages, sweets and sugars. Further analyses will be
carried out on past day amounts of energy from traditional
and market foods by gender and age (40 and below, and
above 40).
Caribou, berries and arctic char were the top three
most commonly consumed traditional foods in 1998 – 2000
survey. Similarly, in 2007 and 2008 survey, caribou, arctic
char and ringed seal are top three commonly consumed
foods. Further, FFQ data for both surveys will be used to
establish the top ten traditional foods consumption in view
of gender and age differences.
The data will shed light on the extent of nutrition
transition in the Canadian Arctic.
TUKISINNIK (‘TO UNDERSTAND’): A
COMMUNITY RESEARCH FORUM IN
NUNATSIAVUT TO DISCUSS THE NATURE AND
VALUE OF RESEARCH IN THE REGION
Sheldon, Tom1 (tom_sheldon@nunatsiavut.com), M.
Denniston1, J. Lampe1 and M. Arnold2
Environment Division, Department of Lands and Natural
Resources, Nunatsiavut Government, Nain, NL
2
kANGIDLUASUk Student Program Inc., Nain, NL
1
In June 2010, more than 90 community members,
natural, social and health science researchers, youth as well
as government and industry representatives gathered in
Nain, Nunatsiavut for the Tukisinnik Community Research
Forum. The forum, the first of its kind in Arctic Canada,
was held to get beyond discussing research topics and
explore the relationship between natural, health and social
science research and the communities in Nunatsiavut and
the future potential for the research sector in the region.
Tukisinnik translates from Inuktitut as ‘to understand’.
The forum was hosted by the Nunatsiavut Government
and organized by the Department of Lands and Natural
Resources.
Activities included a special Nunatsiavut Youth
Delegation Day, presentations, a ‘personal postcards’
session from researchers, a cultural evening, research
‘speed dating’ with over 25 table-top exhibits, regional
expert panels, ‘research bingo’, a barbecue, unique breakout sessions and an evening boil-up. Points of discussion
ranged from community health to climate change to future
development scenarios in Nunatsiavut. The wide variety of
“outside the box” activities was intended to bridge the gap
between research and community. It also created a format
that meaningfully engaged partners, who were in turn,
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ASM2010 Conference Programme and Abstracts
enthusiastic to provide their support for developing research
in Nunatsiavut.
There were several lessons learned and key
outcomes of the forum. Networking and a meaningful
atmosphere of collaboration and understanding was
achieved. In addition, a vision for research in Nunatsiavut
has now begun. It was determined that there is a need to
create and organize a lasting, adequately-resourced structure
for research in Nunatsiavut that will: encourage a balanced
satellite network in the region’s various communities and
areas; encourage community ownership and management;
ensure effective communication concerning research
possibilities, research projects and outcomes, and; build
research capacity amongst Inuit. These hallmarks for future
research development will be pursued by the Nunatsiavut
Government.
William Barbour, former Minister of Lands
and Natural Resources and ordinary member for Nain
concluded the forum by saying “these past two days
have cut a new path for research in Nunatsiavut”. It was
important, said Mr. Barbour, that stakeholders encourage
the development of a research industry in Nunatsiavut that
is sustainable, “a research industry whose legacy enhances
the wellness and resilience of our communities and honors
our knowledge, our values and our way of knowing”.
Minister Barbour concluded his remarks by saying that the
Nunatsiavut Government will “take the necessary steps to
manage research and operate our new research facilities so
that we can attract, support and facilitate research in all of
our communities in Nunatsiavut to help us build a better
future for our people”.
Funding partners for Tukisinnik were the
Nunatsiavut Government, ArcticNet, International
Polar Year, Indian and Northern Affairs Canada –
Northern Contaminants Program, Indian and Northern
Affairs Canada – Climate Change Adaptation branch,
Health Canada, Parks Canada, and the Government of
Newfoundland and Labrador.
BERRY SHRUB PERFORMANCE ALONG
AN ALTITUDINAL GRADIENT IN NAIN,
NUNATSIAVUT
Siegwart Collier, Laura (lsiegwart@mun.ca) and L.
Hermanutz
Department of Biology, Memorial University, St. John’s, NL,
A1B-3X9
Increasing evidence from satellite imagery,
repeat aerial photography and long-term passive warming
experiments suggests that tundra ecosystems are rapidly
“greening” due to accelerated growth and expansion of
upright deciduous shrubs (i.e. arctic dwarf birch (Betula
glandulosa), alder (Alnus spp.) and willow (Salix spp.)). The
potential impacts of shrub expansion are vast, ranging
from regional shifts in snow cover and tundra surface
albedo to local changes in litter quality, decomposition rates
and nutrient availability. We anticipate local feedbacks on
prostrate vegetation such as berry producing plants (i.e.
bilberry (Vaccinium uliginosum), redberry (Vaccinium vitisidaea) crowberry (Empetrum nigrum) and cloudberry (Rubus
chamaemorus), which are in most cases intolerant to shading
by upright shrubs. This is relevant to northerners and
scientists because of the importance of berry producing
plants to wildlife, human health and aboriginal culture.
In Nunatsiavut, communities are observing significant
environmental and vegetation change across their landscape,
and have identified changes in berry quality, quantity and
size. To better understand the relationship between upright
deciduous shrubs and prostrate berry plants, we measured
their performance (growth and productivity) across an
altitudinal gradient surrounding the community of Nain,
Nunatsiavut (summer 2010). Vegetation transects (50 m
x 1 m) were established at opposing aspects (NW vs. SE)
within 4 vegetation zones that characterize the altitudinal
gradient. Vegetation zones include closed canopy forest
(n=6), lower and upper forest-tundra transition (n=12)
and low-shrub tundra (n=3). Vegetation was sampled at 5
m intervals within 1m2 quadrats along each transect. We
estimated percent cover of all vegetation and measured
the density and height of both upright deciduous shrubs
and berry producing shrubs. Berry shrub productivity was
estimated by recording the number of fruits and flowers
on each berry plant within a 0.25m2 subset of each quadrat.
We also measured ground and shrub-level photosynthetic
active radiation, soil moisture and soil temperature. Plant
community structure was characterized in each vegetation
zone by estimating the height, density, breast height
diameter and patch size of trees and shrubs at each 5 m
sampling interval (25m2 quadrats). Analyses are underway to
examine the effects of shrub interactions and microclimate
conditions on berry shrub growth and productivity.
TEMPORAL ANALYSIS OF OTOLITH-INFERRED
TEMPERATURES EXPERIENCED BY YOUNGOF-THE-YEAR ARCTIC CHARR, SALVELINUS
ALPINUS, IN LABRADOR, CANADA
Sinnatamby, R. Nilo1, M. Shears2, J. B. Dempson2 and M.
Power1
Department of Biology, University of Waterloo, Waterloo
ON, Canada, N2L 3G1
1
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ASM2010 Conference Programme and Abstracts
Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Science Branch, St. John’s
NL, Canada, A1C 5X1
2
Climate variability and change is having a profound
impact on Arctic ecosystems. Of particular concern are
the potentially negative effects of temperature increases
on Arctic charr (Salvelinus alpinus L.), one of the most
cold water adapted freshwater fish in the world. In North
America, Arctic charr presently exist from northern New
England (~43˚N) to the northern coast of Ellesmere
Island (~82˚N). In Labrador, Canada (56-58˚N) climate
fluctuations have been found to have both direct and
indirect effects on growth of adult Arctic charr (Michaud et
al., 2010).
Here we use otolith-inferred temperatures from
young-of-the-year (YOY) Arctic charr to assess the impact
of variation in experienced temperature on growth. YOY
Arctic charr were obtained from several sites in Labrador,
Canada between 2004 and 2009. Otolith-derived d18O
signatures were used to estimate temperatures experienced
by individual fish using an Arctic charr-specific fractionation
equation developed by Godiksen et al., (2010). Annual
variability in otolith-inferred temperatures was assessed
for YOY Arctic charr and compared with associated fish
lengths. Where samples were obtained multiple times
during the summer, interannual variability in experienced
temperatures was also examined.
RETHINKING OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH THE
PUBLIC: WHY THE PUBLIC CAN’T RELATE
TO ARCTIC SCIENCE, WHY IT MATTERS, AND
WHAT WE CAN DO ABOUT IT
Solomon, Eric (Eric.Solomon@vanaqua.org)
Vancouver Aquarium Marine Science Centre, Vancouver,
British Columbia, V6B 3X8
Canada’s Arctic is intensely political, culturally,
economically and socially complex, and ecologically
threatened. Those living, working or conducting research in
the north are familiar with many of the logistical challenges
this presents. These complexities present another, less
obvious set of challenges that threaten to undermine the
public’s trust in Arctic science: the accurate, contextually
appropriate communication of knowledge gained to public
audiences. This presentation will examine 3 such challenges
and explore ways that we in the Arctic research community
can increase our chances of successful communication to
our many stakeholder audiences.
The first of these challenges concerns the
public’s limited, if not inaccurate current understanding
of the Arctic and Arctic issues. In order to effectively
communicate Arctic research and related issues to public
audiences, we must first understand our audiences’ existing
preconceptions. The public’s current conceptualization of
the Arctic as a barren, frozen inhospitable wasteland is likely
limiting both interest in, and ability to understand, relevant
Arctic science and issues.
The second challenge stems from the tremendous
number of stakeholders in Arctic issues, which itself is
indicative of how much is at stake—politically, culturally,
economically, socially and environmentally. As a result,
few areas of academic study are under as much intense
scrutiny as Arctic research. Yet much of our scientific
understanding is at an early stage and the answers to most
questions posed by the media inevitably begin with, “Well,
it depends,” an answer which while scientifically accurate, is
wholly unsatisfying for a sound-bite hungry public media.
This disconnect between the scientific way of understanding
the world and the media’s way of communicating about
it is a significant challenge to overcome and requires
rethinking how we use both traditional and non-traditional
communication channels to reach our audiences.
A third challenge results from a significant lack
of understanding of the nature and process of scientific
research. The overwhelming public conception is that
science conclusively determines fact; and fact, by its very
nature, is not open to debate. Important aspects of the
scientific process that are inconsistent with this concept—
differing interpretations of data, critiques, challenges,
reinterpretations and professional debate moving toward
consensus (rather than declaration of “fact”)—usually occur
in conferences and journals to which the public is rarely
exposed. The intense public scrutiny of Arctic research,
however, results in exposure of all aspects of the scientific
process to the general public. The incongruity between the
public’s understanding of science and the scientific process
they are witnessing is a significant source of confusion
leading ultimately to disillusionment and distrust of Arctic
science.
This presentation will discuss some of the ways
that the research community can begin to address these
challenges, and the role that public engagement institutions
such as aquariums, zoos, museums and science centres
can and should play. Solutions will require greater public
understanding of the nature and process of science,
increasing our ability to place research findings within that
context, reconsidering the role of traditional and nontraditional media, and greater collaboration between the
academic and public engagement communities.
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ASM2010 Conference Programme and Abstracts
CONTRASTING BODY CONDITION OF
MIGRATORY CARIBOU FEMALE-CALF PAIRS AT
CALVING AND WEANING
SURVIVING THE ARCTIC WINTER ON BYLOT
ISLAND: INSIGHTS INTO THE FORAGING
TACTICS OF A TERRESTRIAL PREDATOR
Taillon, Joëlle1 (joelle.taillon@bio.ulaval.ca), V. Brodeur2, P.
Barboza3, M. Festa-Bianchet4 and S. D. Côté1
Tarroux, Arnaud (arnaud.tarroux@gmail.com), D. Berteaux
and J. Bêty
Département de Biologie and Centre d’études nordiques,
Université Laval, Québec, Québec, Canada, G1V 0A6
2
Ministère des Ressources naturelles et de la Faune, Norddu-Québec, Chibougamau, Québec, Canada, G8P 2Z3
3
Department of Biology and Wildlife, Institute of Arctic
Biology, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK,
USA, 99775
4
Département de biologie and Centre d’études nordiques,
Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Québec, Canada,
J1K 2R1
1
1
Migratory caribou are a key component of
northern ecosystems and are intimately linked to the culture
and economy of the North. Caribou herds are known to
fluctuate widely in abundance, but mechanisms behind these
changes are poorly understood. Recent studies underline
the importance of summer habitats, which are used during
a period of high energetic requirements for females and
high vulnerability to predation for calves. Inadequate forage
during late gestation, parturition and lactation, either due
to density-dependence or environmental stochasticity, may
reduce body condition, growth and survival of calves.
Two migratory caribou herds inhabit Northern Québec/
Labrador (Rivière-George herd (RG) and Rivière-auxFeuilles herd (RF)) and have shown large but asynchronous
fluctuations in abundance during the last decades. Our study
aimed to quantify the influence of population abundance
and maternal traits during two critical periods for offspring’s
growth and survival: calving and weaning. We assessed body
condition of female-calf pairs from 2007 to 2009 in both
herds using morphometric measurements (body mass, body
size and fat reserves) and isotope analyses. Females and
calves of the RG herd were much larger than those of the
RF herd. Differences between herds, however, were much
stronger at weaning than at calving, suggesting an effect
of herd size and summer range condition on the growth
of calves. Female body mass was positively related to the
body mass of their calves during both periods. The positive
influence of maternal mass on calf mass was stronger for
RF calves at birth, but similar for both herds at weaning. We
suggest that monitoring offspring body condition in relation
with their mothers’ traits can help to better understand
the relationships between range condition and population
dynamics.
Département de Biologie, Université du Québec à
Rimouski, Rimouski, Qc G5L3A1 et Centre d’études
nordiques
For predators dwelling on the arctic tundra, finding
food in winter is a real struggle for life. This is particularly
true for species that do not hibernate, such as arctic foxes
(Vulpes lagopus), which must forage efficiently throughout the
winter season in order to meet their energetic requirements.
In winter, prey is sparsely distributed on land and sea ice,
and predators often rely on both types of habitats to find
their food. We recently showed that arctic foxes were
capable of rapid and sustained large-scale movements
(several hundreds of km) on the sea ice in winter. However,
extreme movements may not be the rule: indeed, most
individuals seem to remain close to their summer dens in
winter, therefore behaving as central place foragers. Little
is known about the winter foraging movements of these
individuals, which seem to occur at fine spatial and temporal
scales. Arctic foxes hoard food during periods of surplus: if
they can secure enough food for the winter, then foraging
trips on the ice should be very limited. On the other hand,
individuals whose food reserves are limited should show
higher mobility and use of sea ice in winter.
Our main objective was to investigate winter
foraging patterns in a population of arctic foxes. More
specifically, we aimed at testing the hypothesis that
individuals situated close to areas of high resource density
(e.g., a goose nesting colony) in summer should limit
foraging trips on the sea-ice in winter. To achieve this
goal we outfitted 18 adult arctic foxes with Argos satellite
transmitters in order to track them intensively (once per day
or per 2-days) from July 2007 to July 2009.
Our results show that individuals situated far from
areas of high resource density in summer travel further away
on the sea-ice in winter. They also make longer foraging
trips, lasting up to several days. However, all individuals
seem make use of the sea ice in winter, even though at
various degrees.
4D VISIONING FOR CLIMATE CHANGE
DECISION-MAKING IN CLYDE RIVER,
NUNAVUT
Tatebe, Kristine1 (Kristine.tatebe@ubc.ca), D. Flanders1, E.
Pond1, and G. Kautuk2
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ASM2010 Conference Programme and Abstracts
Collaborative for Advanced Landscape Planning,
Department of Forest Resources Management, University
of British Columbia. 2424 Main Mall, Vancouver, BC,
V6T1Z4.
2
Ittaq Heritage and Research Centre, Clyde River, Nunavut.
P.O. Box 150, Clyde River, NU X0A 0E0.
1
Climate change is having a disproportionate impact
on Canada’s northern communities, and Inuit communities
face additional biophysical, social and cultural challenges in
planning for climate change. New tools such as local climate
change visioning (LCCV) (which includes local knowledge
and participation, science, and 3D digital landscape
visualizations over time) may help address some of these
challenges. The Collaborative for Advanced Landscape
Planning (CALP) has partnered with the Ittaq Heritage and
Research Centre in the hamlet of Clyde River, Nunavut,
to undertake a 4-D visioning case study to develop, model,
measure and visualize scenarios for a resilient Clyde River, in
the face of escalating climate change.
In November of 2009, CALP visited Clyde River
to initiate the project. In this visit, Clyde River residents
identified housing and energy as key future issues for the
community. With these issues in mind, the Collaborative
for Advanced Landscape planning has integrated data from
a variety of sources including Natural Resources Canada
geoscientists, land use and zoning bylaws, CMHC housing
information, the community economic development plan,
community energy profile, and local knowledge. These data
sources have informed the creation of four future scenarios
for the community. These scenarios vary in their land
use allocations, housing types, vulnerability to landscape
hazards, energy use, and walkability, but all address current
and future housing shortages.
The proposed oral presentation will present an
overview of the four scenarios, 3D models of each, and
the preliminary results of modeling and measurement of
community-identified indicators. Gordon Kautuk of the
Ittaq Heritage and Research Centre in Clyde River will
also provide a community perspective on the project, and
commentary on the potential of academic/community
partnerships in the north.
It is hoped that this project will inform and better
enable northern decision-makers at all levels of community
and government in their climate change planning activities.
This research is generously funded by the GEOIDE
Networks of Centres of Excellence, and by Natural
Resources Canada.
BARIUM AND CARBON FLUXES IN THE
CANADIAN ARCTIC ARCHIPELAGO
Thomas, Helmuth1 (helmuth.thomas@dal.ca), E. Shadwick1,
F. Dehairs2, B. Lansard3, J. Navez2, Y. Gratton4, F. Prowe5, A.
Mucci3, M. Chierici6, A. Fransson7, T. N. Papakyriakou8, E.
Sternberg1 and L. A. Miller9
Dalhousie University, Department of Oceanography,
Halifax, NS, Canada
2
Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Earth System Sciences &
Analytical and Environmental Chemistry, Brussel, Belgium
3
McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
4
INRS, Québec, QC, Canada
5
IFM-GEOMAR, Leibniz-Institut für
Meereswissenschaften, D-24105 Kiel Germany
6
Department of Chemistry, University of Gothenburg,
Göteborg, Sweden
7
Department of Earth Sciences, University of Gothenburg,
Göteborg, Sweden
8
Center for Earth Observation Science, University of
Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, Canada
9
Institute of Ocean Sciences, Sidney, BC, Canada
1
The seasonal and spatial variability of dissolved
Barium (Ba) in the Amundsen Gulf, southeastern Beaufort
Sea, was monitored over a full year from September 2007 to
September 2008. Barium displays a nutrient-type behavior
with the highest concentrations observed at river mouths.
The water column maximum is located at the base of the
surface layer with lower concentrations above and below.
The lowest concentrations are found in water masses of
Atlantic origin, and Ba concentrations decrease eastward
through the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. A three endmember mixing model comprising fresh water from sea-ice
melt and rivers, as well as upper halocline water, was used to
establish their relative contributions to the surface waters of
the Amundsen Gulf. Based on water column and riverine Ba
contributions, we assess the Ba depletion by particle sinking
and subsequently estimate the carbon export production. In
the upper 50 m of the water column of Amundsen Gulf,
riverine Ba accounts for up to 15% of the dissolved Ba
inventory, whereas up to 20% of the dissolved Ba inventory
is depleted by barite (BaSO4) formation and export. Since
riverine inputs and Ba export occur concurrently, the
seasonal variability of dissolved Ba is moderate. Assuming
a fixed organic carbon to barite flux ratio, carbon export
out of the surface layer is estimated at 2 mol C m2 yr1.
Finally, we propose a climatological carbon budget for the
Amundsen Gulf based on recent literature data and our
findings, the latter bridging the surface and subsurface water
carbon cycles.
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ASM2010 Conference Programme and Abstracts
MICROBIAL PROCESSES IN THE BEAUFORT
SEA
Tucker, Jane M. (jane.tucker@mun.ca) and R. Rivkin
Ocean Sciences Centre, Memorial University of NL, St.
John’s, NL, AIC 5S7
The Canadian Arctic is among the most climatesensitive regions and characterizing and quantifying its
biogeochemical processes is crucial for understanding
and predicting the climate mediated change on ocean
and ecosystem processes. Oceans account for over 50%
of global primary production and 50 to 80% of ocean
production passes through heterotrophic microbes,
thus heterotrophic microbes play a significant role in
biogeochemical cycling. Microbial ecology is well studied
in low latitudes, however less is known about high latitude
ocean systems. As part of the Canadian IPY-GEOTRACES
expedition to the Beaufort Sea in August-September 2009,
we measured bacterial abundances, community structure
and growth down to 3000 m depth along a transect
from the Mackenzie River to the Canada Basin. Bacterial
abundance ranged from a minimum of 8.9x106 cells l-1
at 2250 m in the Canada Basin to a maximum of 5.3x108
cells l-1 at 5 m, near the Mackenzie River in open water at
low salinity. Bacterial production show a different pattern:
rates at all stations were highest between 0-50 m (0.045
to 0.24 μg C l-1d-1 ), decreased exponentially to 500 m and
remained constant to 3000 m. Bacterial production ranged
from undetectable at 200 m in the Canada Basin to 0.93 μg
C l-1d-1 at 125 m near the Mackenzie River. These findings
are within the range of those reported for other polar and
deep oceans where bacterial abundance and production
have been shown to vary independently of one other with
latitude. Our results suggest that microbial activity in deep
waters significantly contribute to the transformation and
biogeochemical cycling of organic matter in the Arctic and
should be considered in climate models.
FRESHWATER RESOURCES IN A CHANGING
SUBARCTIC ENVIRONMENT
Vincent, Warwick F.1(warwick.vincent@cen.ulaval.ca), D.
Martin2, R. Pienitz3, I. Laurion4, D. C. G. Muir5, K. Young6,
and Y. Bégin4
Département de biologie et Centre d’études nordiques
(CEN), Université Laval
2
Unité de recherche en santé publique, Centre de recherche
du CHUL-CHUQ
3
Département de Géographie et Centre d’études nordiques
1
(CEN), Université Laval
4
Institut national de la recherche scientifique (INRS-ETE)
et Centre d’études nordiques (CEN)
5
Department of Environmental Biology, University of
Guelph
6
Department of Geography, York University
Lakes, rivers and wetlands are major ecosystem
features of the circumpolar Arctic. These vital resources
provide many essential services including drinking water
supplies for northern residents, habitats for Arctic char and
other aquatic wildlife, transport routes by boat in summer
and surface vehicles in winter, and water for industries
including hydroelectricity, recreational fishing, eco-tourism
and mining. Subarctic freshwater ecosystems are intrinsically
important as rich sites of biodiversity, and they also
provide records of change in the past and present that will
help guide environmental monitoring and management.
These diverse aquatic resources are vulnerable to ongoing
climate change, and changes in water supply and quality are
increasingly observed with concern by Inuit communities.
This chapter of the IRIS assessment first describes the
range of aquatic resources of Nunavik and Nunatsiavut,
and their potential ecological responses to climate change.
The work to date on contaminants in snowpack and
freshwaters of this region is briefly described, and specific
issues concerning protected aquatic environments in parks,
drinking water supplies, mining needs, and hydroelectric
resources are examined. The chapter ends in providing
general conclusions and recommendations for the future.
THE REPRODUCTION, ESTABLISHMENT,
AND GROWTH OF WHITE SPRUCE AT ITS
NORTHERN RANGE LIMIT IN CANADA
Walker, Xanthe (xanthe.walker@gmail.com) and G. Henry
Department of Geography, University of British Columbia,
Vancouver, British Columbia, V6T 1Z2
Climate is considered one of the most important
factors controlling tree reproduction, establishment, and
growth at the treeline. As climate change continues the
treeline is expected to shift northwards. The main objective
of this research was to characterize the ecological patterns
and processes of Picea glauca (Moench.) Voss. (white spruce)
in the Tuktoyaktuk region of the Northwest Territories,
Canada. In particular, this study aims to determine
how climate influences white spruce tree reproduction,
establishment, and growth throughout the forest-tundra
transition zone.
A total of four forest stand sites and eight tree
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ASM2010 Conference Programme and Abstracts
island sites, examined in the early 1990s, were located and
re-examined in the summer of 2009. Cone production
has increased since the early 1990s and cone production
decreases northward across the forest-tundra. Germination
rates significantly decrease with increasing latitude but have
not significantly changed since they were last examined 15
years ago.
In June 1994 seedlings were transplanted at three
tree island sites, survivorship of these seedlings ranged from
3 to 20%. A search for true seedlings was also completed,
however, none were found. Basal cores were obtained
from numerous individuals within each of the sites and an
age structure was developed. Establishment of individuals
coincided with decades classified as cool and wet.
The yearly diameter growth of each tree was
determined via ring width measurements and using principal
component analysis two chronologies were built, one for
forest stands and one for tree islands. The chronologies
were correlated to climate data of temperature and
precipitation from the Inuvik airport. In general, growth
was negatively correlated to previous growing season
temperature and positively correlated to current season
temperature.
Results from this study indicate that tree islands
are not likely to be important in supplying viable seed for
the infilling of trees in the forest tundra, rather infilling will
more likely occur from increased seed production in trees
at or just south of treeline. Under proposed climate change
scenarios the establishment of new seedlings will likely be
negatively affected by the warmer and drier conditions,
whereas the radial growth of individuals will likely increase
with warming temperatures.
the metacommunity approach in studying environmental
change in this sentinel system by experimental manipulation
of salinity. We hypothesized that a salinity treatment
would cause changes in community composition under
conditions of moderate or low dispersal (a species sorting
framework). The effect of a salinity treatment would be
mitigated under high dispersal (a mass effects framework).
We sampled zooplankton communities and recorded several
environmental and size related variables for a subset of
pools on a Churchill rock bluff from June-August 2009.
Randomly selected freshwater pools were then placed in
spatial categories and subjected to salt addition for a 2
month, 1 month and 10 day period. Through redundancy
analyses and repeated measures of dissimilarity we found
that these sub arctic zooplankton show resiliency to salinity
fluctuations and that neither species abundance nor species
richness were significantly affected by experimentally
increased salinity. Additionally, several species of
zooplankton generally thought of as freshwater specialists
are able to withstand high salinity conditions under these
field conditions. This study demonstrates the use of recent
ideas in community ecology to study biotic responses to
environmental change and also highlights potential impact
of aquatic salinization in northern systems.
“STUCK IN SLUSH”: VALUES AND CULTURAL
IDENTITY IN ADAPTATION TO CLIMATE
CHANGE IN TWO LABRADOR COMMUNITIES
Wolf, Johanna1, T. Bell2 and I. Allice1
Labrador Institute of Memorial University, Happy ValleyGoose Bay, NL, A0P 1E0
2
Department of Geography, Memorial University of
Newfoundland, St. John’s, NL, A1C 5S7
1
ZOOPLANKTON METACOMMUNITY
RESPONSES TO ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE IN
THE SUB ARCTIC
Winegardner, Amanda (awinegar@uoguelph.ca) and K.
Cottenie
Department of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph,
Guelph, Ontario, N1G 2W1
Climate change will drastically alter natural
ecosystems in the foreseeable future. Longer ice free
periods on Hudson Bay and frequent storm events are
causing coastal rock pools near Churchill, Manitoba to
become more saline. This environmental change will affect
both environmental conditions for zooplankton and their
reactions to these changes through dispersal. A novel way
to study and predict these changes is the metacommunity
concept. The goal of this study is to illustrate the power of
Communities in the Canadian Arctic are adjusting
to the effects of climate variability and change. While the
high Arctic including Nunavut are well researched from a
vulnerability perspective, almost no research has examined
the communities on Labrador’s coast. Climate change
research taking a vulnerability approach has highlighted
the differential vulnerability of people and households
and underscored the importance of underlying and
pre-existing socio-economic and health issues. Less is
known about how adaptation is actually taking shape in
communities. Most importantly, the goals of adaptation
and what drives specific adaptation strategies is still poorly
understood. It has recently been argued that values play a
crucial role in shaping adaptation (O’Brien and Wolf, Wiley
Interdisciplinary Reviews Climate Change 2010). What is
perceived as legitimate and effective adaptation depends
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ASM2010 Conference Programme and Abstracts
on what people feel worth preserving. Here, values extend
beyond economic measures of worth to intangible values
that are of critical importance to people’s sense of place,
cultural identity and ultimately well-being. This study
examines what roles values and cultural identity play in
shaping adaptation.
This research takes a case study approach in two
communities in coastal Labrador; Rigolet, a community
of 259 people without road access in the Inuit land claim
area of Nunatsiavut, and St. Lewis, a community on the
southern Labrador coast with road access and less than
200 people, the majority of whom identify as Inuit-Métis.
Fifty-two semi-structured interviews were conducted in the
communities in summer 2010, exploring perceived changes
in climate, weather and on the land, including during winter
2009/10, and responses to these changes.
Preliminary results suggest that in both
communities, transportation in winter, as the basis for
many land-based activities, is affected by unsafe ice. In
winter 2009/10, travel by skidoo beyond January was largely
impossible. In Rigolet, travelling by skidoo is of prime
importance as it provides the only winter transportation
next to expensive air travel. Skidooing facilitates hunting
and trapping in winter, and provides access to cabins
and firewood. The activities it facilitates are crucial to
people’s sense of identity and well-being. Beyond the
immediate effects of disrupted winter travel, being ‘stuck’
in the community of Rigolet meant a loss of what people
identified as ‘freedom’. In St. Lewis, road access to the
community meant less isolation easier access to firewood
but still a loss of ‘freedom’ to ‘get out on the land’. In both
communities, participants responded to perceived changes
in weather and seasons with acceptance, saying that people
will have to adapt, and that from one winter to the next
they always adapt. There is explicit recognition, however,
that such adaptation may mean changes to their way of
life, suggesting that activities with intangible cultural values
may be at risk. Therefore, adaptation in this context may
not be about preserving the current way of life, as that may
prove impossible. Rather, its goal is to preserve resilience
and inherent adaptability, and to protect those culturally
important activities that are threatened by other nonclimatic issues.
EI Branch, Parks Canada Agency, Hull, QC
Natural Resources Canada, 580 Booth Street, Ottawa, ON,
K1A0E4
1
2
Canada’s arctic national parks have been established
to ‘maintain or restore the ecological integrity’ of 10
protected areas over about 160,000 km2 of the Canadian
arctic, and park managers are challenged to report on
changes in ecological integrity to Parliament and all
Canadians. Satellite-based remote sensing approaches
provide a cost-effective and information-rich monitoring
solution for measuring and reporting ecological change
across these large and inaccessible protected areas. This
presentation reports on the PCA ParkSPACE program,
a project funded by the Canadian Space Agency, and
carried out by Parks Canada, in collaboration with the
Canadian Centre for Remote Sensing. ParkSPACE has 2
key objectives: 1) to develop new satellite based monitoring
approaches specifically for Arctic national parks, and: 2)
to develop an operational plan to mainstream these new
methods into developing park monitoring programs.
Protocols to monitor change in tundra communities,
habitats, biomass, NDVI, permafrost, lake ice, coastal
sea ice, and glaciers are being developed using a range
of optical- and radar-based sensors. A final challenge is
developing relevant monitoring questions and ecological
integrity thresholds that will mark the boundaries of
meaningful ecological change. Once developed, the methods
developed can be shared by other Arctic land managers to
provide a common set of remote sensing protocols that
would permit comparisons of ecological change across
Arctic landscapes.
PARKSPACE – DEVELOPING SATELLITEBASED PROTOCOLS TO MONITOR CHANGE IN
THE ECOLOGICAL INTEGRITY OF CANADA’S
ARCTIC NATIONAL PARKS
Zorn, Paul1 (paul.zorn@pc.gc.ca), R. Fraser2, W. Chen2 J.
Quirouette1, I. Olthof2, J. Poitevin1 (jean.poitevin@pc.gc.ca),
D. McLennan1,Y. Zhang2 and D. Zell1
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ASM2010 Conference Programme and Abstracts
POSTER ABSTRACTS
SOFT-BOTTOM MACROFAUNA COMMUNITIES
OF BAFFIN ISLAND FJORDS
Aitken, Alec (alec.aitken@usask.ca) and S. Pieper
Department of Geography & Planning, University of
Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
Our current knowledge of Arctic marine
biodiversity is patchy with geographic, taxonomic and
seasonal gaps. Many areas of the Canadian Arctic
Archipelago remain terra incognita. We examine the
community structure of soft-sediment benthic macrofauna
inhabiting several eastern Baffin Island fjords (Cambridge,
Coronation, Itirbilung, Maktak, McBeth) as revealed in
bottom photographs. The photographs were acquired
during the Sedimentology of Arctic Fjords Experiment
(SAFE) conducted by the Geological Survey of Canada
from 1982-1985. Bivalve mollusks, tubiculous polychaetes,
ophiuroids (brittlestars), holothurians (sea cucumbers),
pycnogonids (sea spiders) and sea anemones are the
most common taxa recorded in the photographs. Nonmetric multidimensional scaling revealed that water
depth, the salinity and dissolved oxygen concentration of
bottom waters, and the proportion of sand in seafloor
sediments were the environmental variables most strongly
influencing benthic community species composition. There
are strong contrasts in community structure in fjordhead environments: onuphid polychaetes dominate this
environment in Cambridge Fjord while ophiuroids dominate
this environment in Coronation, Itirbilung and McBeth
fjords. In deeper water benthic communities in Maktak
and Coronation fjords are characterized by the presence
ophiuroids, holothurians and sea anemones, while those in
Cambridge, Itirbilung and McBeth fjords are characterized
by the presence of bivalve mollusks, sea anemones and
pycnogonids.
SURFICIAL GEOLOGY MAPPING AND
PERMAFROST CHARACTERIZATION IN
IQALUIT, NUNAVUT
Allard, Michel1 (michel.allard@cen.ulaval.ca), D. Mate2,3, J.
Doyon-Robitaille1, E. L’Hérault1, G. Ogdenberger2, A.-M.
Leblanc2 and W. Sladen2.
Centre d’études nordiques (CEN), Université Laval,
Québec, Québec
2
Earth Science Sector (ESS), Natural Ressources Canada,
Ottawa, Ontario
3
Canada Nunavut Geoscience Office (CNGO), Iqualuit,
Nunavut
1
Under a joint CNGO, ESS and Laval (Centre
d’études Nordiques), Landscape Hazard Mapping Initiative,
field work was conducted in August 2010 to map surficial
geology and permafrost properties in Iqaluit. The aim of
the study are to provide geoscientific, geotechnical and
permafrost thermal regime information necessary for
land use planning, construction and to the identification
of potential hazards that may have impacts on urban
and transportation infrastructure. Iqaluit is a city that
is growing rapidly and contains much of the territories
strategic infrastructure. For example, its airport occupies a
strategic position as the gateway for the eastern Canadian
Arctic. A new surficial geology map of the city has been
produced. This was done using several techniques. First, air
photographs dating back to 1948, when both the airport and
the city were at an early stage of development, were used
to view original terrain conditions. Second, field surveys
were conducted to verify air photo interpretation and
characterize permafrost conditions. This involved drilling
and recovering shallow permafrost cores, description of
stratigraphic sections in Quaternary sediments and ground
penetrating radar and electrical resistivity (Ohm-Mapper
and galvanic) surveys at sites representative of widespread
geological units. Particular attention was paid to new areas
planned for municipal expansion and the airport where
major improvements are expected in order to meet the
needs of increased air traffic. Three thermistor cables
equipped with dataloggers were installed at key sites: in the
urban area, close to the airport runway and in polygonal
wetlands in Sylvia Grinnel Park. All the geoscientific data
is incorporated in a GIS database and the end product
is shown on a high precision DEM and a recent high
resolution satellite image. The provisional map shows that
the airport is built on a dense network of tundra polygons
on a glacio-fluvial outwash. The older part of the city is
built on raised marine beaches and the newer sectors are on
bedrock and till.
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ASM2010 Conference Programme and Abstracts
TOWARDS A PAN-ARCTIC INVENTORY OF THE
SPECIES DIVERSITY OF THE MACRO- AND
MEGABENTHIC FAUNA OF THE ARCTIC SHELF
SEAS
Archambault, Philippe1 (Philippe_archambault@uqar.qc.ca),
D. Piepenburg2, W. G. Ambrose3,5,
A. L. Blanchard4, B. Bluhm4, M. L. Carroll5, K.
E.Conlan6, M. Cusson7, H. M. Feder4, J. M.Grebmeier8, S.
C. Jewett4, M. Lévesque1, V. V. Petryashev9, M. K. Sejr10, B. I.
Sirenko9 and M. Włodarska-Kowalczuk11
Insitut des Sciences de la Mer de Rimouski, Université du
Québec à Rimouski, Rimouski, Quebec G5L 3A1, Canada
2
Mainz Academy of Sciences, Humanities and Literature,
c/o, Institute for Polar Ecology, University of Kiel, D-8
24148 Kiel, Germany
3
Department of Biology, Bates College, Lewiston, ME
04240, USA
4
Insitute of Marine Science, University of Alaska
Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK 99775-7220, USA
5
Akvaplan-niva, Polar Environmental Centre, N-9296
Tromsø, Norway
6
Canadian Museum of Nature, P. O. Box 3443, Station D,
Ottawa, Ontario K1P 6P4, Canada
7
Département des Sciences Fondamentales, Université
du Québec à Chicoutimi, Chicoutimi, Quebec G7H
2B1, Canada
8
Chesapeake Biological Laboratory, University of Maryland,
Solomons, MD 20688, USA
9
Laboratory of Marine Researches, Zoological Institute
RAS, St. Petersburg, 199034, Russia
10
National Environmental Research Institute, University of
Aarhus, Aarhus, DK-8600, Denmark
11
Department of Marine Ecology, Institute of Oceanology
PAS, Sopot, 81-712, Poland
study area, we arrive at the conservative estimate that 3900
to 4700 macro- and megabenthic species can be expected
to occur on the Arctic shelves. These numbers are smaller
than analogous estimates for the Antarctic shelf but the
difference is on the order of about two and thus less
pronounced than previously assumed. On a global scale,
the Arctic shelves are characterized by intermediate macroand megabenthic species numbers. Our preliminary panArctic inventory provides an urgently needed assessment
of current diversity patterns that can be used by future
investigations for evaluating the effects of climate change
and anthropogenic activities in the Arctic.
1
Although knowledge of Arctic seas has increased
tremendously in the past decade, benthic diversity was
investigated at regional scales only, and no attempt had been
made to examine it across the entire Arctic. We present
a first pan-Arctic account of the species diversity of the
macro- and megabenthic fauna of the Arctic marginal
shelf seas. It is based on an analysis of 25 published and
unpublished species-level data sets, together encompassing
14 of the 19 marine Arctic shelf ecoregions and comprising
a total of 2636 species, including 847 Arthropoda, 668
Annelida, 392 Mollusca, 228 Echinodermata, and 501
species of other phyla. For the four major phyla, we also
analyze the differences in faunal composition and diversity
among the ecoregions. Furthermore, we compute gross
estimates of the expected species numbers of these phyla
on a regional scale. Extrapolated to the entire fauna and
ANALYSIS OF IN-SITU MEASUREMENTS ON
THE DYNAMIC AND THERMODYNAMIC
PROPERTIES OF ARCTIC SEA ICE, THROUGH
THE USE OF ICE MASS BALANCE BUOYS
Babb, David (dave_babb@hotmail.com), R. Galley and D.
Barber
Department of Geography, University of Manitoba,
Winnipeg, Manitoba, R3T 2N2
Decreasing Arctic sea ice cover is generally only
examined as sea ice extent, when in fact to gain a full
appreciation for the loss of Arctic sea ice you must also
consider the ice mass balance or ice thickness. While sea
ice extent has been on the decline for several decades so to
has ice thickness, affecting the total volume of Arctic sea
ice. Decreasing ice thickness brings change to the dynamic
and thermodynamic properties of sea ice. This affects the
movement of sea ice and its ability to survive the summer
melt and mature to multiyear ice which itself has been
decreasing at a faster pace than total sea ice. Analysis of
the temporal evolution of these sea ice properties can be
achieved through labor intensive field studies or through
autonomous ice mass balance buoys, of which we have
developed and deployed three in the Beaufort Sea region.
These buoys record and transmit in-situ measurements of
ice thickness, vertical ice temperature profile, snow ablation
and deposition, sea surface atmospheric variables and
positional and motion data on the buoys trajectory with the
ice drift. While our results are preliminary we have been
able to monitor changes within the vertical temperature
profile of the ice flow and its response to the changes in the
sea surface temperature, the growth of ice between the fall
freeze up and the spring melt, and the drift pattern of the
ice pack. We feel that ice mass balance buoys are an efficient
and accurate way to monitor the evolution of the dynamic
and thermodynamic properties of Arctic sea ice.
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ASM2010 Conference Programme and Abstracts
MODELLING MARINE ORGANIC MATTER
FLUXES IN BAFFIN BAY
Bailey, Joscelyn N.-L.1,2,3 (Joscelyn.BAiley@NRCan.
gc.ca), P. M. Outridge1,3, H. Sanei4, G. A. Stern1,2 and R. W.
Macdonald5
Department of Environment and Geography, University
of Manitoba, Wpg, MB, R3T 2N2, Canada
2
Department of Fisheries and Oceans, Freshwater Institute,
501 University Crescent, Wpg, MB, R3T 2N6, Canada.
3
Geological Survey of Canada, 601 Booth St, Ott, ON,
K1A 0E8, Canada.
4
Geological Survey of Canada, 3303-33rd Street, N.W. Calg,
AB, Canada T2L 2A7
5
Department of Fisheries and Oceans, Institute of Ocean
Sciences, P.O. Box 6000, Sidney, BC, Canada V8L 4B2
1
Ten sediment cores were collected and analyzed for
various parameters relating to organic matter classification,
total-removed primary production and contaminant
distribution in Baffin Bay and the North Water (NOW)
Polynya. Organic matter classification and distribution is
done through multi-proxy comparative analysis of various
sediment components. Sediment cores from this area
represent an unprecedented opportunity to examine the
influence of climate change on a productive arctic marine
ecosystem; if we are better able to understand the influence
of organic matter production, distribution and sequestration
we can then better predict the potential trophic-level
transfers of contaminant through the aquatic food web.
High sediment velocities are observed in the
North-NOW (x > 76.5°N: 0.13 to 0.16 cm.yr-1), low in the
central polynya (76.2°N < x <76.4°N: 0.04 to 0.07 cm.yr-1),
and intermediate in the abyssal plain (x ≈ 74.8°N: 0.065
cm.yr-1). The TOC (wt. %) distribution shows a distinct
relationship between “productive” and “non-productive”
sites with the central and eastern Ellesmere Island cores
showing high TOC (1.5-2.3 %) relative to southern (~0.5%)
and northern cores (~1.16%). Although these data represent
a “snapshot” into the accumulation in Baffin Bay they do
suggest a predictable distribution of production related to
ice-off season.
INTERNATIONAL ORDER IN THE OCEANS:
TERRITORIALITY AND SECURITY IN THE
ARCTIC
One of the most recent geopolitical issues to
register on the international political agenda - the Arctic - is
almost exclusively concerned with the governance of the
ocean. Indeed, the presence of hydrocarbon resources in
the Arctic Ocean as well as seas further afield, in addition
to the pressures on fish stocks worldwide, has meant that
the Arctic region and the oceans more generally have been
viewed as potential sites of instability and conflict now more
than ever. The resources of the seas were once thought to
be inexhaustible, but the changing nature of global resource
extraction made society aware of their limits, leading to
moves to bring the seas under national and international
control. Understanding the forces that may lead to stability
or instability in this ocean property rights regime is,
therefore, a critical task and one that has been given little
attention in existing scholarship in Political Science.
Indeed, territorial conflict and boundaries on land
have been studied comprehensively, but the oceans have
been neglected in this endeavour. The few studies that
have examined the trend towards national control of the
oceans have tended to make simplistic assumptions that
the ocean will be treated more and more like territory. Yet,
although territory on land has been a perpetual source of
conflict throughout history, ocean boundaries have been
remarkably stable. Additionally, the legal and political
regime at sea - as well as our intuitive understanding of
the ocean - would appear to be markedly different to land.
This poster will seek to present theoretical perspectives
and preliminary findings that will help to fill the gap in our
understanding about the politics of the oceans by assessing
potential competing explanations for the contemporary
stability of national and international jurisdiction over
resources at sea. This research will, therefore, contribute
to our understanding of what kind of political space the
ocean is and the forces that shape conflict and stability there
generally, and in the Arctic in particular.
MECHANISTIC LINKS BETWEEN SONG
QUALITY AND REPRODUCTIVE SUCCESS IN
SNOW BUNTINGS
Baldo, Sarah1 (baldos@uwindsor.ca), H.G. Gilchrist2, D.J.
Mennill1 and O.P. Love1
Department of Biology, University of Windsor, Windsor,
Ontario, N9B 3P4
2
National Wildlife Research Centre, Carleton University,
Ottawa, Ontario, K1S 5B6
1
Baker, James (jsbaker82@gmail.com)
Department of Political Science, University of British
Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, V6T 1Z1
Although variation in individual quality should drive
variability in fitness, we currently lack information on the
mechanisms that keep signals of quality honest. Bird song is
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ASM2010 Conference Programme and Abstracts
primarily used to attract mates and defend territories from
rivals and many studies have demonstrated that song can
relay information regarding individual quality to a potential
mate; however, few studies have looked at how song
quality and reproductive success are proximately linked.
Snow buntings (Plectrophenax nivalis) are small passerines
which winter in southern Canada and northern United
States but migrate to the Arctic to breed in the summer.
A previous study examining snow bunting song quality
and individual male quality found some support for the
good-parent hypothesis but fails to explain the mechanism
responsible for linking song quality and good parenting. Our
study aims to uncover the mechanisms responsible for the
relationship between male song quality and reproductive
success, investigating the potential role of circulating steroid
hormones and sperm quality in a free-living population of
snow buntings. Before examining potential mechanisms
responsible for linking song quality and reproductive
success, we must first establish that individual male snow
buntings sing distinctive songs from one another that vary in
quality. To assess quality we recorded songs using a shotgun
microphone and digital recorder and, using spectrographic
analysis, we measured numerous song characteristics such
as song length, number of total syllables and number of
different syllables. Analysis of recordings demonstrates that
snow buntings sing individually distinct songs and that these
songs are highly stereotyped. Additionally, individuals’ songs
vary from one another in terms of quality. By investigating
song quality, fitness and physiological parameters, this
study will increase our knowledge on how selection drives
phenotypic qualities and will investigate the costs which
ensure signals remain honest.
USING C-BAND SCATTEROMETER DATA TO
AID IN SEA ICE CLASSIFICATION
Barber, David (dbarber@cc.umanitoba.ca), Ryan Galley,
(galley@cc.umanitoba.ca) and Kerri Warner (warner.kerri@
gmail.com)
University of Manitoba
Climate change is physically altering the poles of
the planet. Numerous studies have shown an increase in
the average temperature is causing significant changes in
the formation of the ice as well as the existing ice cover in
these regions. The active microwave satellites that are used
to monitor these regions (i.e. RADARSAT) have difficulty
differentiating between late-summer multi-year ice and later
summer first year ice, mostly due to surface flooding. By
collecting in-situ data using an active microwave instrument
on site and collecting physical samples of the ice, it will
be easier to differentiate between the ice types. This is
important to have a better understanding of how the ice is
responding to the changes in the north, as well as for the
navigation that occurs through the North-West Passage and
through the Canadian Archipelago.
Late Summer / Early Fall in-situ observations
of sea ice in the Arctic are extremely important. These
observations would help in the discrimination between
open water and sea ice, as well as help ice analysts in sea
ice classification. Using in-situ data collected such as the
geo-physical properties of the sea ice and comparing it with
the data obtained from the C-Band Scatterometer, one may
be able to differentiate the backscatter signatures between
the major ice types. RADARSAT using a similar C-Band
instrument, meaning the C-Band Scatterometer allows insitu observations of a floe with a similar results at a smaller
scale.
CLIMATE CHANGE PROJECTIONS OVER THE
CANADIAN EASTERN SUBARCTIC REGION FOR
THE ARCTICNET INTEGRATED REGIONAL
IMPACT ASSESSMENT (IRIS4) PROCESS
Barrette, Carl1 (carl.barrette.1@ulaval.ca), R. Brown2,3 and
D. Chaumont3
Centre d’études nordiques, Université Laval, Québec,
Québec, G1V 0A6
2
Environment Canada @ Ouranos, Montréal, Québec, H3A
1B9
3
Ouranos, Montréal, Québec, H3A 1B9
1
Climate change projections for the Eastern
Subarctic region (Nunavik and Nunatsiavut) were
compiled for the Integrated Regional Impact Assessment
activity (IRIS4) of ArcticNet to provide information
on the potential climatic changes that may affect this
region. Climate projections for the 2050 time period were
constructed using output from the Canadian Regional
Climate Model (CRCM) run at the Ouranos Consortium
and analysed in collaboration with the Ouranos Scenarios
Group. A total of six different sets of current (1971-2000)
and future (2041-2070) CRCM runs were used assuming the
A2 scenario for future greenhouse gas emissions; 5 driven
by the third generation Canadian Global Climate Model
(CGCM3) and one driven by the ECHAM5 global climate
model from the Max Plank Institute. An evaluation of the
model simulations with observational data was carried out as
part of the scenario construction process.
Maps were constructed of the projected change in
annual and seasonal temperature and precipitation as well
as for a number of key climate indicators linked to various
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ASM2010 Conference Programme and Abstracts
climate and ecological processes. Overall the IRIS4 region
is projected to be ~3°C warmer and ~10-25% wetter but
with important seasonal and regional differences in the
magnitude of projected changes as well as in the variability
between the various runs. Some of the largest relative
changes are projected to occur along the Hudson Bay coast,
the Ungava Peninsula and the Torngat Mountains, but these
are also areas characterized by large climate variability as
seen in the differences between model runs. The duration
of the period with freezing temperatures and snow on the
ground is projected to decrease over the entire region with
decreases exceeding 25 days in some areas, while the northwestern sector of Nunavik is projected to have an increases
in winter snow depths.
during the event. We propose that the event observed at
moorings CA16MMP-07 and CA16-07 corresponds to an
anticyclonic eddy.
These structures have already been observed with
the rosette, once during the Canadian Arctic Exchange
Study (CASES) and twice during CFL. Their origin is
still unknown in the region. Since the mid-1970, similar
structures were observed into the Beaufort Sea and the
Alaskan Shelf. Recent developments indicated that some of
these eddies may originate from the Pacific winter water jet
along the Alaskan Shelf break via baroclinic instability.
The eddies observed in the Amundsen Gulf could
have the same origin, but they may also be formed by
convection of the dense water created in the Circumpolar
Flaw Lead or the Amundsen Gulf polynya
EDDIES IN THE AMUNDSEN GULF
Barrette, Jessy1 (jessy.barrette@ete.inrs.ca), Y. Gratton1 and
L. Prieur2
Centre Eau, Terre et Environnement, Institut National de
la Recherche Scienctifique, Québec, Québec, G1K 9A9
2
Laboratoire d’Océanographie de Villefranche,
VilleFranche-sur-mer, France,
1
For the first time, two McLane Moored Profilers
(MMP) have been successfully deployed in the Amundsen
Gulf during the Circumpolar Flaw Lead (CFL) by the
ArcticNet technical staff. These instruments were able
to profile between 40 and 190 dbars every two hours for
almost eight months. For each profile, the instruments
logged a complete record of conductivity, temperature,
fluorescence and pressure. The two MMPs have completed
3058 and 2840 profiles, respectively.
The data show the occasionnal presence of
coherent structures throughout the water column. Those
structures are characterized by the divergence of the
isohalines, a cold temperature core and a near zero BruntVäisälä frequency. We concentrate our effort on one
particular event, a lens shape structure centered at 115
dbar, which is visible in the MMP data at mooring station
CA16MMP-07 and the instruments from the nearest
mooring CA16-07. These two moorings were spaced 4
kilometers apart, which is less than the Rossby internal
radius of deformation in that region. It is possible to
conclude that the water found at each mooring is part of
the same structure by comparing their temperature-salinity
signatures during that event. Furthermore, an Acoustic
Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP) was moored on CA1607 and did record the current velocity between 84 dbar and
the surface with a resolution of 4 meters. According to the
ADCP data, strong currents of 30 cm/s were recorded
QUANTIFYING ARCTIC LAKE UNDERFLOWS
USING A NOVEL UNDERFLOW SEDIMENT
TRAP
Bassutti, Anthony (a.bassutti@queensu.ca), S. F. Lamoureux
and T. Lewis
Department of Geography, Queen’s University, Kingston,
Ontario, K7L 3N6
Underflows in lakes are important events that
greatly affect sediment deposition patterns and bottom
water chemistry. Currently, no feasible, cost-effective
device or method has been regularly utilized to quantify
sediment deposition fluxes and patterns associated with
underflows, which are typically caused by high sediment
loads in inflowing rivers and streams. This study utilizes a
novel underflow trap design that was developed and tested
for use in Arctic lakes. We report results of a study where
underflow traps were deployed at a depth of 0.2m and 1m
from bottom at two locations in a High Arctic lake subject
to seasonal turbid river inflow.
During the five year study, traps were collected
in 3 to 6 day intervals from locations proximal and distal
to the input river. The amount of sediment retained in
the traps suggests underflow deposition decreases with
distance traveled. The in situ study found that the timing
of the peak underflow sediment deposition correlated with
the beginning of lake bottom temperature departures, an
increase in lake bottom turbidity, and a period of high river
suspended sediment concentration. Underflow velocity data
indicate that periods of increased velocities correspond
with increases in trapped underflow sediment. In addition,
the timing of underflow deposition amounts correlate well
with maximum vertical sediment deposition periods at
both stations in the lake. Preliminary laboratory testing of
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ASM2010 Conference Programme and Abstracts
hydraulic properties has found that the trap orients itself
into the underflow at medium to high water velocities,
although quantitative trapping rates remain untested.
Results show that use of underflow traps will
help determine underflow conditions in lakes, determine
sediment deposition patterns, and monitor the changes
in the lake bottom waters. We anticipate that further
refinement of this technique will provide new insights into
the physical processes operating in Arctic lake bottoms.
MEASUREMENT OF ORGANIC MERCURY (HG)
IN THE ARCTIC LOWER ATMOSPHERE OVER
OPEN WATERS
Baya, Anabelle Pascale1 (pascalebaya@trentu.ca) and
Holger Hintelmann1
Trent University, 1600 West Bank Drive, Peterborough,
ON K9J 7B8
1
Mercury (Hg) contamination of Arctic ecosystems
is a good example of the transport and deposition of this
toxic metal in areas away from its emission sources.
Mercury bio-accumulates mainly in the aquatic
ecosystem in the form of monomethylmercury (MMHg),
the toxic form of mercury. However great uncertainties
remain regarding the sources and fate of MMHg in the
ecosystem.
MMHg is formed either by methylation of reactive
mercury (Hg2+) or demethylation of dimethylmercury
(DMHg) in the water column and at the sediment interface.
Even if the atmosphere is known as the major pathway
of Hg contamination in the Arctic, the direct and indirect
contribution of the atmosphere as a source of MMHg to
the aquatic ecosystem is not clearly defined.
Various studies suggest that DMHg can be
volatilized from surface water and converted into MMHg or
Hg 2+ in the atmosphere.
However, there is no known reliable method to
measure the organic Hg species in the atmosphere.
In this study, an analytical method was developed and
successfully used during the ArcticNet 2010 expedition
(July/August) on board the CCGS Amundsen in the
Canadian Arctic to measure MMHg and DMHg in the
Arctic lower atmosphere.
The method is based on species specific Hg
isotopic dilution (MM200Hg and DM198Hg) and online
ethylation of MMHg from air samples and trapping of
derivatised MMHg and DMHg on Tenax traps.
The Tenax traps with the organic Hg species
were analyzed at the Worsfold Water Quality Centre
(Trent University) by thermal desorption followed by
Gas Chromatographic (GC) separation and isotopic
specific detection by Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass
Spectrometry (ICPMS).
The findings of this study confirming the presence
as well as quantifying DMHg in the troposphere are
valuable to fill some of the knowledge gaps for a better
understanding of the cycle of organic Hg in the Arctic
Ocean.
DISTURBANCE-INDUCED CARBON FLUXES IN
HIGH ARCTIC ECOSYSTEMS
Beamish, Alison (7ab12@queensu.ca), A. Neal and S. Scott.
Department of Geography, Queen’s University, Kingston,
Ontario, K7L 2H6
High Arctic ecosystems are likely to experience
some of the earliest and most extreme changes in climate
as a result of future global climate change. These changes
will likely include both increases in temperature and
precipitation. High-Arctic ecosystems are very sensitive to
climatic disruption, and the response of these ecosystems to
changes in climate could have a strong influence on future
climate. In particular, changes in temperature and moisture
will cause the active layer to deepen as a result of enhanced
permafrost melting. This deepening will decrease stability
in shallow slopes leading to soil disturbances known as
active layer detachments. These detachments further alter
soil temperature and moisture regimes, and potentially
release carbon previously unavailable to soil microbes. We
are exploring the impact of active layer detachments on
net ecosystem carbon exchange at the Cape Bounty Arctic
Watershed Observatory on Melville Island. Eight plots
were established in four different detachments, covering
a range of disturbance intensities (control, disturbed and
highly disturbed). Based on static chamber carbon flux
measurements spanning the growing season, we found that
the disturbed sites are fertile islands and are net sinks of
CO2 (0.22umol/m2s). The highly disturbed sites however are
small net sources of CO2 (0.06umol/m2s). While active layer
detachments greatly alter soil physical properties, changes
in net CO2 fluxes are small, suggesting that for whole
watersheds these disturbances may have little impact on
whole-ecosystem carbon storage.
PALEOCLIMATIC RECONSTRUCTION OF
THE CENTRAL BAFFIN ISLAND REGION,
NETTILLING LAKE, NUNAVUT
Beaudoin, Anne (anne.beaudoin.1@ulaval.ca), N. Rolland
and R. Pienitz.
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ASM2010 Conference Programme and Abstracts
Laboratoire de Paléoécologie Aquatique (LPA), Départment
de Géographie, Centre d’Études
Nordiques (CEN), Université Laval, Québec, G1V 0A6.
The Canadian Arctic has been affected by rapid
fluctuations of its natural environmental state. However,
the paleoclimate history of some regions, including
the Nettilling Lake area, remains poorly known and
documented. Nettilling Lake is located in what is believed to
be a « hinge » zone between northern Quebec and Labrador,
which has shown a high resilience to recent climate changes,
and the Canadian High Arctic, which has already shown
extremely marked and amplified responses to recent climate
changes. In order to fill a very important knowledge void
in the Arctic, this research uses physical and chemical
properties preserved in lake sediments to reconstruct past
environmental conditions of aquatic ecosystems and their
watersheds. The overall goal is to reconstruct past climatic
variability to help predict regional scenarios of climate
warming impacts on freshwater and terrestrial ecosystems.
For this purpose, a one-meter long, laminated
sedimentary sequence has been retrieved from a small
bay in the northeastern part of Nettilling Lake during the
summer 2010. This sampling area was chosen based on
the hypothesis that variations in glacial meltwater inputs
from the nearby Penny Ice Cap will leave a strong climate
signal in the bay’s sediment archive. The sediment core
was scanned for a series of non-destructive (X-ray, XRF,
magnetic susceptibility) and destructive (LOI, grain size,
water content) analyses. Radiometric AMS dating was used
to establish the core chronology. Preliminary results yield
excellent correlation between the variations in LOI, grain
size and water content, and allow the Medieval Warm
Period, the Little Ice Age and the recent warming episode
to be identified. Furthermore, the decrease of LOI and the
high density of mineral particles in recent sediments suggest
substantial increases in glacial meltwater inputs from the
Penny Ice Cap which are associated with the rapid warming
of the Arctic.
A REVIEW OF BIO-OPTICAL RELATIONSHIPS
IN THE ARCTIC OCEAN AND ITS
SURROUNDING SEAS: IMPLICATIONS FOR
OCEAN COLOR ALGORITHMS USING A
THEORETICAL APPROACH
Bélanger, Simon1 and M. Babin2
Département de Biologie, Chimie et Géographie, UQAR,
Rimouski, Qc. G5L 3A1
2
Département de Biologie, Université Laval, Québec,
Québec, G1V 0A6 and Laboratoire d’Océanographie de
Villefranche, CNRS, Villefranche-sur-mer, France, 06238
1
Bio-optical relationships between chlorophyll a
concentration and inherent optical properties (IOPs) of
seawater obtained in the Arctic Ocean and its surrounding
seas are reviewed to investigate the impact of their
variability on ocean color variability. Following a theoretical
approach, in which remote sensing reflectance (Rrs) is
modeled as a function of IOPs predicted from chlorophyll
a concentration, we investigate the performance of some
empirical algorithms in routine used to process satellite
ocean color data. The results show the striking variability
in bio-optical relationships across the north polar waters.
We show that poor chlorophyll a retrieval is expected when
a single empirical algorithm is applied to the whole Arctic
Ocean. The exercise allows us to calculate error bars for the
current empirical algorithms.
A FIRST COMPLETE INVENTORY, AREAL
MEASUREMENT AND CHANGE DETECTION
OF NORTHERN LABRADOR GLACIERS
Bell, Trevor1 (tbell@mun.ca), N. E. Barrand2, and M. J.
Sharp3
Department of Geography, Memorial University, St. John’s,
Newfoundland and Labrador, A1B 3X9
2
British Antarctic Survey, Cambridge, United Kingdom, CB3
0ET
3
Department of Earth & Atmospheric Sciences, University
of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta,T6G 2E3
1
A total of 59 active glaciers have been mapped
from 2005 colour aerial photographs between latitude
58° 40’ and 59° 50’ North in the Torngat Mountains of
northern Labrador. The glaciers ranged in size from 0.06
to 1.88 km2 for a total glacier area of 21.2 km2. Most of
the glaciers (64%) are smaller than 0.25 km2 and only 2 are
larger than 1 km2. Glaciers typically occupy cirque basins
with high backwalls and many are heavily debris-covered at
lower elevations. Glacier mapping from 2007 SPOT5 HRS
satellite imagery revealed a total of 59 glaciers covering an
area of 16.66 km2 and ranging in size from 0.05 to 1.24 km2.
This represents a decline of 4.54 km2 or 21.4% of the 2005
area. Forty-nine or 83% of the glaciers experienced an areal
decrease, with an average decline of 0.1 km2. The other
17% grew in area by an average of 0.02 km2. Six glaciers
recorded a change in area of less than 0.01 km2, which
given the spatial resolution of the imagery likely means an
undetectable change. Of the glaciers that recorded growth,
6 were among the ten smallest glaciers in the Torngat
Mountains having an area less than 0.35 km2. Meanwhile,
three of the six largest glaciers experienced the greatest
decline in area, with the largest glacier – Superguksoak
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ASM2010 Conference Programme and Abstracts
Glacier (1.88 km2) – suffering the greatest loss (0.64 km2).
The 21% reduction in the areal extent of Torngat
Mountain glaciers between 2005 and 2007 is dramatic, but
needs to be viewed in the context of long-term trends in
areal extent and climate. A study of 1950-60s glacier extent
is in progress and preliminary analysis of a subset of 27
glaciers (0.06-1.28 km2) suggests that between 1950 and
2005 four glaciers melted completed or became too small
to be actively flowing and the total areal extent of the 27
glaciers had declined by one-third. Of the 23 glaciers that
had persisted to 2007, the total areal decrease over the
57-year period is 40%, more than one-quarter of which
occurred in the two years prior to 2007. NCEP/NCAR
Reanalysis data (at the 700 kPa level to approximate glacier
elevations) for the period 1998-2007 for the Nachvak Fiord
region indicates an anomalously warm decade compared
to the average summer temperature conditions for the past
60 years. In fact, 2007 was the second warmest summer on
record, surpassed only by 2008, which was 2.57°C warmer
than the 60-year average. The 1960s was an anomalously
cold period with persistent below-normal temperatures.
Winter precipitation (NMC Reanalysis data from the 700
kPa level) for 2005-2007 was above average for the past
60 years or so; but perhaps of greater relevance was the
extended period of below-average precipitation since 1983
(16 of 22 years) and for 5 of the 7 years prior to 2005.
In contrast, 60% of the winters between 1949 and 1982
had above-normal winter precipitation. In the absence of
annual mass balance data, only very general correlations can
be made between past climate and changes in glacier area.
The long term decline in areal extent may be a glaciological
response to general warming since the Little Ice Age; the
dramatic recent decline in areal extent, however, may be
primarily a response to a multi-decadal trend towards lower
winter precipitation, coupled with anomalously warm
summers.
THE ENVIRONORTH NSERC CREATE
TRAINING PROGRAM IN NORTHERN
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
Berteaux, Dominique (dominique_berteaux@uqar.qc.ca)
Chaire de recherce du Canada en conservation des
écosystèmes nordiques, Université du Québec à Rimouski,
Rimouski, Québec, G5L 3A1
Environmental research, one of the cornerstones
for a sustainable development of the North, is by its very
nature collaborative and integrative, containing elements
of geology, chemistry, sociology, microbiology, geography,
genetics, and ecology. However this science raises some
major challenges in terms of high education training, given
the geographic gap between most university centers and
northern environments, the global and transdisciplinary
nature of many scientific issues, the challenges of
communication between scientists and northern
communities, and the urgent and recognized need of Highly
Qualified Personnel in industry, government and NGOs.
EnviroNorth is a pan-Canadian, cross-disciplinary, and
multi-institutional undergraduate, graduate and postdoctoral
training program through which trainees will benefit from
10 research and training approaches including undergraduate
and graduate field schools, funding for interdisciplinary/
collaborative research fellowships, workshops to enhance
writing and oral communication skills, facilitation of local
communities outreach, national and international mobility
fellowships, online course development on northern issues,
thematic workshops on international reports such as AICA
or IPCC, and internship fellowships to promote links
between Highly Qualified Personnel and future employers.
EnviroNorth is supported by the Groupe de recherche sur
les environnements nordiques BORÉAS, the Centre for
Northern Studies, and the Canadian Circumpolar Institute.
EnviroNorth will run from 2010 to 2016 with a $1.6 million
budget. See http://environord-environorth.ca/.
WHAT WE KNOW, DON’T KNOW, AND NEED
TO KNOW ABOUT CLIMATE CHANGE IN
NUNAVUT, NUNAVIK, AND NUNATSIAVUT
Bolton, Kenyon1(kenyon.bolton@mail.mcgill.ca), J. Ford1
and J. Shirley2
Department of Geography, McGill University, Montreal,
Quebec, H3A 2K6
2
Nunavut Research Institute, Nunavut Arctic College,
Iqaluit, Nunavut, X0A 0H0
1
There is a growing need to synthesize the rapidly
expanding body of research conducted on climate change in
Arctic Canada. This need is especially important in the study
of human vulnerabilities and adaptations to climate change.
Much has been done at the community level, yet there have
been few attempts to provide a comprehensive analysis at
the regional scale. Additionally, such a synthesis requires a
comprehensive approach that spans the social and physical
sciences, as well as academic and non-academic sources.
In this study we analyze the peer-reviewed and
grey literature published since 2000 to identify what we
know, don’t know, and need to know about climate change
vulnerability in the Eastern Arctic. We use a systematic
review methodology to search multiple databases including
ISI Web of Science, PubMed, and GEOBASE. Our
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ASM2010 Conference Programme and Abstracts
preliminary results are based on analysis of 220 relevant
documents retained from search results of over 2,000.
This project identifies priorities for both future
research and the implementation of adaptation actions. Its
regional approach is designed to synthesize communityscale vulnerabilities and adaptation actions to give a
comprehensive picture of the human dimensions of climate
change in Nunavut, Nunavik, and Nunatsiavut.
EFFECTS OF A NIVEOEOLIAN REGIME
CHANGE ON AN ISLAND FOREST, ROBERTBOURASSA RESERVOIR, NORTHERN QUEBEC
SPATIAL STRUCTURE AND MIGRATIONS IN
POLAR COD (BOREOGADUS SAIDA): FIRST
RESULTS FROM A CIRCUMPOLAR STUDY
USING OTOLITH MICROCHEMISTRY
Vast man-made water bodies were created in the
late 1970s in northern Québec for hydropower generation.
Impacts of such newly created lakes are postulated to
modify forest island ecology through processes similar to
those of large natural subarctic lakes. The Robert-Bourassa
Reservoir, the second largest of the LaGrande River
complex has caused dramatic changes in island forests,
those lying on former hilltops that became shore ecosystems
after the reservoir was filled. Among the climate effects of
the reservoir, snowpack damages to established trees are
the most evident. The uneven distribution of snow creating
thick snowpack at forest edge is due to wind drift of snow
crystals over the vast lake-ice surface until an obstacle
such as shore forests is reached. In order to determine the
impacts of snow accumulation and to assess its ecological
consequences, we studied a forest composed of highly
disturbed trees on one of the island of the Robert-Bourassa
Reservoir (Île aux Neiges). A stand of black spruce (Picea
mariana Mill. BSP) was studied along a 10 X 75 m transect,
perpendicular to the shore. Cross-sections were taken
at the base of all 415 living and 103 dead black spruces
having a height ≥1 m.. Establishment years were dated and
diagnostic tree ring occurrences were noted. Mechanical
damage on 83 spruces was also sampled and dated. Sixtysix trees covering the entire transect length were selected to
measure tree-ring width (TRW). A reference series was built
using 30 mature black spruces located outside the transect.
Data were compared to those of other islands of the same
reservoir.
The forest history appears to be divided into
three periods. Between 1850 and 1920, following a forest
fire, the hilltop was repopulated by black spruce. On the
southwest slope of this hill, tree growth was restrained by
thin soil and bedrock cavities preventing water evacuation.
During the 1920-1979 period, TRW on the entire hill
dropped below the regional mean because of gradual peat
formation. Following the reservoir creation in 1979, TRW
dropped during 2-3 years simultaneously on every island
of the reservoir for which TRW series were available. On
the Île aux Neiges, 14.5% of the spruces died in 30 years,
causing canopy opening. More sunlight reached the ground,
stimulating evaporation and tree growth. All diagnostic ring
occurrences increased during this period, as mechanical
Bouchard, Caroline1 (caroline.bouchard@giroq.ulaval.ca), S.
Thorrold2 and L. Fortier1
Québec-Océan, Département de Biologie, Université
Laval, Québec, QC G1V 0A6
2
Biology Department MS 50, Woods Hole Oceanographic
Institution, Woods Hole, Massachusetts 02543
1
Polar cod (Boreogadus saida) plays a central role in
the Arctic marine ecosystem, transferring up to 75% of
the energy from secondary producers to apex predators.
Despite the importance of the species, many crucial issues
remain to be answered, especially regarding population
structure and migrations. Some spawning sites have been
localized nearshore in the Beaufort and Barents seas, but
the reports of newly-hatched larvae and post-spawning
adults in many regions of the Arctic Ocean strongly
suggest that reproduction sites are numerous and expand
offshore. The calcium carbonate matrix of fish otoliths
incorporates elements as it grows, in proportion to what
is found in the environment. Otolith microchemistry thus
constitutes a powerful tool for documenting processes such
as migrations, natal homing and connectivity within fish
population. In this study, we used laser ablation-inductively
coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) on
juvenile polar cod otoliths from six regions across the Arctic
Ocean to compare otolith elemental signatures among
regions and derive information about spatial structure and
migrations patterns. For most regions and years considered,
values of Li/Ca, Mg/Ca, Mn/Ca, Sr/Ca and Ba/Ca
significantly differed between the core and the edge of the
otoliths, suggesting environmental changes from hatching
to the onset of the juvenile stage. A multi-element analysis
will be performed on the core of otoliths to assess patterns
and scales of spatial segregation. This should provide key
information on the early life ecology of polar cod, leading
to a better understanding of population dynamics for the
species.
Boulanger, Philippe (philippe.boulanger@ete.inrs.ca) and Y.
Bégin
Centre Eau Terre Environnement, Institut national de la
recherche scientifique, Québec, Québec, G1K 9A9
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ASM2010 Conference Programme and Abstracts
damage, causing original tree growth forms. Similar impacts
of climate on vegetation has been observed on other islands
of subarctic and high boreal lakes.
THE RANKIN INLET NICKEL MINE: SOCIAL,
ECONOMIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL LEGACIES
OF A ARCTIC DEVELOPMENT PROJECT
Boulter, Patricia 1 (pjb556@mun.ca), S. Midgley2, A. Keeling2
and J. Sandlos1
Department of History, Memorial University of
Newfoundland, St, John’s, A1C 5S7
2
Department of Geography, Memorial University of
Newfoundland, St. John’s, A1B 3X9
1
The development of mineral extractive industries
in Canada’s Arctic after the Second World War exposed
northern communities to the rapid influx of industrial
capital. This process has redefined Arctic communities
through the transformation of traditional ideologies,
cultures and landscapes. Established in the 1950s, the North
Rankin Nickel Mine (NRNM) in Nunavut provides one
of the earliest and most prominent illustrations of this
process and its impact on Arctic people and environment.
As the forerunner in mineral extraction in the Arctic,
NRNM pioneered logistical and infrastructure solutions to
mining in extreme Arctic environments. Under the direction
of J. Andrew Easton, the NRNM was the first mine in
Canada to employ Inuit labour, thus providing a cheaper
work force already climatized to the harsh conditions of
the Eastern Arctic. During this time a purpose-built town
was constructed with segregated housing for the white
and indigenous workers. Yet, despite the mine’s success
operations ceased after only five years (1957-1962), leaving
an array of cultural, economic and environmental legacies
in the isolated community. The full extent of these impacts
is still not fully understood to this day. Many members
of the community were relocated to Rankin Inlet by the
Department of Northern Affairs from the central Keewatin
region where they had practised traditional hunting and
gathering activities. Moving to a permanent/structured town
required Inuit to adapt quickly to Western concepts of time,
wage labour and industry, thus redefining their sense of
place in relation to their community and to the non-human
world. The short-lived mining operation forced community
members to deal with additional cultural, economic and
environmental changes as the newly adopted systems of
the mineral extractive industry they had come to depend
on had suddenly collapsed. Through archival documents,
community workshops, oral interviews and landscape
analysis, our work is currently piecing together the various
changes which occurred within the community as a whole.
In particular, our research team is asking how NRNM’s
closure in 1962 encouraged Inuit to redefine their role
within their family unit, community and the environment.
Through close examination of how community members
reacted to this change at such a pivotal time in the town’s
history, our work will also ask how and why Rankin Inlet
survived the closure of NRNM and came to be one of
the most prominent communities in the Eastern Arctic.
Such a historical analysis will provide insight for both
contemporary and future development in the Arctic,
particularly the cultural, economic and environmental
implications of mining and its effect on northern
indigenous communities.
SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND CRITIQUE OF
THE REPRESENTATION OF TRADITIONAL
ECOLOGICAL KNOWLEDGE OF BELUGA
WHALE (DELPHINAPTERUS LEUCAS) IN
MARINE MAMMAL SCIENCE LITERATURE
Breton-Honeyman, Kaitlin1 (kaitlinbreton@trentu.ca), C.
Furgal1, M. Hammill2, V. Lesage2, W. Doidge3 and B. Hickie1
Environmental and Life Sciences Program, Trent
University, Peterborough, Ontario, K9J 7B8
2
Maurice-Lamontagne Institute, Department of Fisheries
and Oceans, Mont-Joli, Québec, G5H 3Z4
3
Nunavik Research Centre, Makivik Corporation, Kuujjuaq,
Québec, J0M 1C0
1
Marine mammals are challenging animals to
study and monitor. In the Arctic, the dynamic nature of
the environment makes this even more difficult. Several
populations of Arctic cetaceans are considered endangered,
threatened or of ‘special concern’. This increases the
urgency to enhance and improve understanding of the
species to formulate management and conservation plans;
however the data required to prepare these plans is often
lacking. A source of information that has been infrequently
considered or included in marine mammal science and
academic literature until recently is traditional ecological
knowledge (TEK). Given the challenges in understanding
marine mammal ecology there are several arguments for the
importance and relevance of TEK for monitoring, research
and management. However, there have been few studies
that have critically examined how TEK has been treated in
the scientific literature to date. In this study we use TEK of
beluga to explore this issue.
The purpose of this study was to systematically
review and critique the literature of TEK on beluga to gain
a better understanding of what the representation of TEK
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ASM2010 Conference Programme and Abstracts
on this topic has been in the marine mammal literature over
the past three decades. Multiple online searchable databases
were reviewed using multiple keyword combinations. Full
articles from both the peer-review and grey literature were
collected and categorized by disciplinary and geographic
focus as well as by the representation of TEK in the
source. A total of ninety-six papers were retained for
analysis. In terms of the representation of TEK in the
source, the majority of papers were in the ‘TEK content’
category, followed by “TEK study” and then “TEK
reference”. Papers in ecology and biology represented the
largest disciplinary focus followed by papers focused on
management or co-management. The results also showed
that there is a difference in the number of times TEK
sources were cited depending on whether they existed as
peer-reviewed or grey literature. TEK sources presented as
peer-reviewed articles were subsequently cited twice as often
in both the peer reviewed and grey literature than those
originally presented as grey literature sources.
This review showed a lack of explicit collection,
documentation and use of TEK in the literature on beluga
and particularly in the literature on the management of the
species. Canadian and international policy is shifting toward
participatory management processes with the explicit
consideration and inclusion of TEK in management,
species and risk assessments. In order to facilitate the
inclusion of TEK, it will be essential that there is greater
participation of stakeholders in the management process as
well as significantly more TEK research and documentation
employing credible methods and approaches which are
respectful of communities and traditional knowledge
holders.
MODELLING FRESHWATER ICE USING GIS
AND A DEGREE-DAY ICE GROWTH MODEL
Brooks, Rheannon N.1 (rbrooks@uvic.ca), T. D. Prowse1
and I. J. O’Connell2
Water and Climate Impacts Research Center, Environment
Canada/Department of Geography, University of Victoria,
Victoria, B.C., Canada, V8W 3R4
2
Department of Geography, University of Victoria,
Victoria, B.C., Canada, V8W 3R4
1
The quantity and distribution of freshwater
ice in the Northern Hemisphere, as well as its seasonal
duration and extent, are important to the global climate
system and to numerous physical, ecological and socioeconomic systems. Examples include the scouring of river
channels and banks due to rapid changes in water levels,
the elimination of downstream aquatic habitat due to low
flows or the impacts on fauna due to ice cover duration,
and the destruction of communities due to extreme river
breakup events or flooding. With respect to climate change,
changes to the freshwater budget are anticipated to require
further research. Although the distribution of freshwater
ice has been examined at a small scale, a comprehensive
quantification including the geographic scope and volume
of freshwater ice in the Northern Hemisphere has not been
conducted. This shortcoming is being addressed using a
GIS-based approach as an effective way to examine largescale spatial and temporal variability inherent in freshwater
ice, as it allows the simultaneous analysis of multiple
datasets covering different time periods and spatial areas.
A degree-day based ice-growth model incorporating
surface temperature as the prime climatic variable was used
to estimate freshwater ice thickness. Specifically, the degreeday ice-growth model by Michel (1971) was used to calculate
ice thickness based on accumulated freezing degree days
(AFDD) and a coefficient. AFDD’s were determined using
the ERA-40 dataset, a 44-year reanalysis temperature dataset
covering the period 1958-2002, produced by the European
Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF).
Michel (1971) defined coefficients for ‘average lake with
snow’ and ‘average river with snow’. These were the
coefficients used in the initial modeling. The Global Lakes
and Wetland Database (GLWD), produced by the World
Wildlife Fund United States, was used to calculate the spatial
extent and surface area covered by freshwater bodies.
To calibrate and validate the model, ice thickness
measurements of rivers and lakes across the Northern
Hemisphere were compiled. These included datasets from
Canada, Alaska, Sweden, Finland, and Russia. Data was
split into two groups, one for model calibration and one
for model validation. Large lakes were excluded from this
analysis at present. The volume of water stored in large
lakes allows for more heat storage over the winter months,
therefore requiring a different approach to modelling and
quantifying ice. Peak ice thickness measurements and
associated dates were selected from the calibration sites
and the ice thickness model was used to generate modelled
ice thickness values for the same dates and locations. The
model coefficient was adjusted on a site-by-site basis to fit
the measured data, and an optimal coefficient was derived
for each site that allowed the model to best fit the measured
ice thickness values.
The optimal coefficient will be used to re-define
Michel’s coefficients based on hydro-climatic regions, and
these new coefficients will be used to validate the model
and subsequently quantify freshwater ice in the Northern
Hemisphere.
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ASM2010 Conference Programme and Abstracts
RINGED SEALS (PHOCA HISPIDA) ALONG THE
LABRADOR COAST: HEALTH IN THE FACE OF
GLOBAL AND LOCAL PCBS
Brown, Tanya (Tanya.Brown@DFO-MPO.gc.ca)1,2,3, K. J.
Reimer1, N. Dangerfield2, N. Veldhoen3, C. C. Helbing3, P. S.
Ross2 and A. T. Fisk4
Environmental Sciences Group, Royal Military College of
Canada, Kingston, Ontario
2
Institute of Ocean Sciences, Fisheries and Oceans Canada,
Sidney, British Columbia
3
Department of Biochemistry, University of Victoria,
Victoria, British Columbia
4
Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research,
University of Windsor, Ontario
IMPLEMENTATION OF A BARGE-BASED
MULTIBEAM MAPPING SYSTEM: ENHANCING
THE CCGS AMUNDSEN’S SAFETY OF
OPERATION AND ARCTICNET SCIENCE
PROGRAM
Brucker, Steven (steveb@omg.unb.ca), J. Muggah, D.
Cartwright , I. Church and T. Hamilton
1
Significant amounts of soil contaminated with
polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were discovered at Saglek
Bay, Labrador, Canada in 1996, along with evidence that
PCBs had entered the marine ecosystem. In the early 2000s,
a total of about 22,500 cubic metres of contaminated soil
was excavated and removed from the site. During this time,
an ecological risk assessment (ERA) was completed for the
site. PCBs and health effects were measured in two indicator
species, the shorthorn sculpin and the black guillemot. PCB
levels were so high that adverse health effects, including
effects on the immune system, reproductive system and
endocrine system were measured in both indicator species.
PCBs were also measured in ringed seals, Arctic char, and
marine invertebrates. PCB concentrations in Arctic char
were relatively low and comparable to Arctic background
levels however, concentrations in ringed seals of the same
age and sex ranged from Arctic background (~1,000 ppb)
to 15,000 ppb. This high PCB level exceeds all previously
reported PCB concentrations in ringed seals in northern
Canada and exceeds established health effects thresholds in
another pinniped species, the harbour seal (Phoca vitulina).
Recent results show that sediment, sculpin and black
guillemot PCB levels have dropped significantly over the
past 8 years, however elevated PCB levels in ringed seals
still persist. Samples were obtained from live-captured and
harvested ringed seals along the Labrador coast, in order
to assess health effects associated with PCBs. We assessed
the relationship between PCBs and specific TH receptor
(TR) gene expression in blubber samples, as well as serum
THs, from ringed seals. The combination of long range
“background” and a local PCB “hotspot” on the Labrador
coast affords us an invaluable opportunity to examine the
effects of a nearly pure PCB mixture on the health of a
marine mammal population.
Ocean Mapping Group, Dept. of Geodesy and Geomatics
Engineering, University of New
Brunswick, Fredericton, N.B. E3B 5A3
In order to deliver on the ArcticNet science
program, the CCGS Amundsen routinely operates
in poorly charted waters. Doing so potentially places
the vessel and personnel at risk. In the absence of
proper seafloor surveys, the bridge personnel have to make
operational decisions based on incomplete information.
Real time use of the ship’s hull mounted EM302
multibeam provides an indication of seafloor morphology
behind and on either side of the vessel. While no
forward looking component is present, in depths over
~ 100m interpretation of trends can be used as a guide
to upcoming relief. As long as there is significant water,
the vessel can be stopped or diverted in time. Once a first
transit has been obtained, by following and building on
pre-existing transit corridors, the area of safe operations can
be expanded.
Ultimately, however, there are regions in which the
sparse charted information suggests shoaler regions and
thus the vessel cannot safely advance using just its
own survey systems. In order to mitigate this risk, an
independent multibeam survey capability has been added
to the Amundsen’s barge. This utilizes the Kongsberg
EM3002 (300 kHz) multibeam previously deployed on
the CSL Heron. By moving the sonar from the Heron to the
barge, the clash between the science/logistical needs of the
barge and the coastal mapping requirement can be met
simultaneously.
The barge-mounted system is modular and can be
rapidly removed to allow more freedom for the other tasks
the barge undertakes. It can be deployed in open water
(sea state limited), to go ahead of the Amundsen to
establish safe transit corridors across shoal areas in choke
point regions. In addition, it can also meet the coastal
science mapping needs, previously only addressable
using the CSL Heron. It is most effective when used in
parallel with the mother ship whereby the barge addresses
restricted and shoal waters, while the lower frequency
Amundsen system addresses the deeper and more open
areas. Compromises were necessary in the transfer of the
system to the new platform. The barge survey speed is lower
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ASM2010 Conference Programme and Abstracts
(6 v. 12 knots, although transit speeds are actually much
higher) and ancillary instrumentation that was installed
with the CSL Heron (subbottom profiler, keel-mounted
sidescans, MVP oceanographic profiler and ADCP) is no
longer available.
In 2010, the barge system was developed
and deployed for the first time. It has been used to
provide critical navigation corridors (Lac Guillaume-Delisle
entrance, Iqaluit harbour shoal, Paterson Inlet) as well
as carry out specific science mapping programs (mouth
of Great Whale River, pingoes in the Beaufort Sea). Most
notably, it provided the only safe means for the Amundsen
to approach the stranded MV Clipper Adventurer (discussed
in another presentation).
VARIABILITY OF PHYTOPLANKTON LIGHT
ABSORPTION SPECTRA IN CANADIAN ARCTIC
SEAS
algae containing Chl b (microphytoplankton > 2 μm). In
arctic regions however, the yellow-brown algae of nano
and micrometer sizes containing Chl c was associated
with lower blue-to-red ratios. In the eastern side (northern
Baffin Bay), microphytoplankton was dominant whereas
nanophytoplankton (< 2 μm) was predominant in the
western Canadian Arctic (Amundsen Gulf). Measurements
of the others absorption coefficients (i.e. non algal matter
ana(443) and colored dissolved organic matter aCDOM(443))
showed that phytoplankton light absorption aφ(443) values
can be relatively high during spring and early summer but
not during fall.
PHOTOSYNTHETIC PARAMETERS IN THE
BEAUFORT SEA, EN ROUTE TO A DIAGNOSTIC
PRIMARY PRODUCTION MODEL IN THE
ARCTIC OCEAN (MALINA CRUISE SUMMER
2009)
Brunelle, Corinne1 (corinne.brunelle@envill.com), P.
Larouche2 and M. Gosselin1
Bruyant, Flavienne1 (flavienne.bruyant@qo.ulaval.ca), Y.
Huot2, M. Ardina1, M. Babin1 and many other collaborators.
ISMER, University of Quebec in Rimouski, Quebec,
Canada, G5L 3A1
2
Maurice Lamontagne Institute, Fisheries and Oceans
Canada, Mont-Joli, Canada, G5H 3Z4
“Takuvik” Joint CNRS-ULaval laboratory, Canada
Excellence Research Chair, Québec-Océan, Département de
Biologie, Université Laval, Pavillon A. Vachon, Sainte Foy
QC, G1V 0A6, Canada
2
Centre d’Application des Recherches en Télédétection,
Département de Géomatique Appliquée, Université de
Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke QC, J1G 2R1, Canada.
1
The Arctic Ocean is currently experiencing
significant changes caused by the acceleration of sea ice
cover decline. The opening of vast open water areas in the
summer leads to potential changes in the trophic structure
beginning with the phytoplankton biomass. Considering
the vast areas involved, remote sensing appears as a
promising method to monitor marine ecosystem changes.
Algorithms already exist to discriminate diatoms and
flagellates from ocean color data. These algorithms however
need to be validated for arctic waters as they were based
on phytoplankton light absorption properties measured in
temperate waters. Phytoplankton light absorption spectra
(aφ(λ)) of different Canadian arctic seas (Hudson Bay,
northern Baffin Bay, Canadian Archipelago and Amundsen
Gulf) were thus measured to evaluate these algorithms.
Results showed that the maxima of chlorophyll a specific
light absorption coefficients aφ*(443) in arctic seas (aφ(443)/
TChl a) were lower than those of temperate oceans during
the fall period but were similar during spring/summer. The
packaging effect generally associated with this phenomenon
was present (<aφ*(676)> = [0.017 – 0.023] m2/mg TChl
a) in the algal assemblage during fall and almost not over
spring and summer (<aφ*(676)> = [0.020 - 0.035] m2/
mg TChl a). During the fall period, highest blue-to-red
(<aφ(440)/ aφ(675)>) ratios were found in the Hudson
Bay which were associated with the dominance of green
1
Arctic Ocean pelagic phytoplankton assembly
are very well adapted to the very peculiar environmental
conditions found in the Canadian Polar regions. Because
phytoplankton communities in the Arctic Ocean are so
different from those found at lower latitudes, primary
production models (that have been developed for more
temperate zones) are poorly adapted to the Arctic regions.
In order to improve diagnostic primary production models
for these regions, there is a need to increase the amount of
polar specific data on photosynthetic parameters. During
the MALINA cruise (August 2009) we have been extensively
documenting the variability of photosynthetic parameters.
This poster presents the first attempt to interpret our results
of photosynthetic parameters determination in relation to
the changes in environmental parameters and particularly
the influence of the Mackenzie River plume and its
associated turbidity and nutrients input.
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ASM2010 Conference Programme and Abstracts
THE ROLE OF INUIT KNOWLEDGE IN
ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY DEVELOPMENT IN
NUNATSIAVUT
Buckham, Meghan1 (meghanbuckham@trentu.ca), C.
Furgal2 and T. Sheldon3
Frost Centre for Canadian and Indigenous Studies, Trent
University, Peterborough, Ontario, K9J 7B8
2
Indigenous Environmental Studies Program, Trent
University, Peterborough, Ontario, K9J 7B8
3
Department of Lands and Natural Resources, Nunatsiavut
Government, Nain, Newfoundland and Labrador, A0P 1L0
1
The rising need and pressure for a response to
complex environmental problems has spawned an interest
in understanding environmental issues from various
perspectives beyond conventional science. Of particular
interest, literature surrounding Aboriginal peoples, their
knowledge, and their role in the environmental policy
process has become extensive. Although the consultation
and documentation of Traditional Knowledge/Indigenous
Knowledge (TK/IK) has been generally recognized
by policy makers as useful in the development of
environmental policies and programs, there is still a lack of
understanding and very few examples of how TK/IK can
be effectively incorporated into, or how it may influence,
environmental policy. Therefore, a need exists to study
the interaction between TK/IK and policy communities
to further our understanding of how best to engage and
involve TK/IK in the development of environmental
policies and programs.
This project, funded as part of a larger sciencepolicy interface project under ArcticNet, is being conducted
in cooperation with the Nunatsiavut Government and
is exploring the influence of TK/IK on environmental
policy development in Canada. This research project
is using a qualitative single-instrumental case study
approach to investigate the role of Inuit Knowledge in
environmental policy development in the Nunatsiavut
region of Newfoundland and Labrador. The Nunatsiavut
Government’s Department of Lands and Natural Resources
are currently developing environmental protection
legislation and associated policies that are to reflect Inuit
Knowledge principles. The development of these policies
are the focus of this research project. Multiple methods
including semi-directive interviews and focus groups,
participant observation, and document review and analysis
are being employed.
Literature in the field has indicated that current
approaches to incorporating TK/IK into policy are failing
because the policies, structures, and institutions that have
been created to facilitate this process are based entirely
on Euro-Canadian concepts of progress, governance, and
democracy. In this case, environmental policy is being
developed within a semi-autonomous Inuit government
structure, with a strong commitment to developing policies
that reflect Inuit Knowledge and principles. As a result,
it is expected that some significant attempts are being
made to involve Inuit Knowledge in the development
of environmental policy, thus providing an invaluable
opportunity to enhance our understanding of the processes
and procedures that contribute to and/or challenge the
effective incorporation of TK/IK.
ARE ATMOSPHERIC MERCURY DEPLETION
EVENTS A POTENTIAL SOURCE OF MERCURY
TO SEA ICE ALGAE IN THE AMUNDSEN GULF?
Burt, Alexis1 (alexis.burt@dfo-mpo.gc.ca), F. Wang1,2 and G.
Stern3
Department of Environment and Geography, University
of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba R3T 2N2
2
Department of Chemistry, University of Manitoba,
Winnipeg, Manitoba R3T 2N2
3
Freshwater Institute, Department of Fisheries and Oceans,
Winnipeg, Manitoba R3T 2N6
1
Atmospheric mercury (Hg) depletion events
(AMDEs) have been observed to occur in the Arctic
during polar sunrise. While some of the mercury (Hg (II))
deposited onto the snow and ice surface has been shown
to photo-reduce back to the atmosphere as Hg(0), it is
unknown to which extent the remaining AMDE-deposited
Hg enters the Arctic marine food web. As part of the
International Polar Year (IPY) - Circumpolar Flaw Lead
(CFL) System Study, the purpose of this research is to
identify and quantify whether or not atmospheric deposition
of gaseous elemental mercury (GEM) or particulate bound
mercury (HgP) is leading to an increase of Hg in the biotic
food web. Ice algae were sampled in Amundsen Gulf
throughout the growing season of 2008, simultaneously
with real time measurements of atmospheric GEM and
HgP. Total Hg (THg), methyl Hg (MeHg), and dissolved
GEM in ice, brine, and surface water were analyzed on
board the CCGS Amundsen under cleanroom conditions
(PILMS; Portable In-situ cleanroom Laboratory for Mercury
Speciation).
Throughout the entire sampling season, the THg
concentration in sea ice algae ranged from 0.004 μg/g
dry weight (dw; n=15) to 0.022 μg/g dw for THg, while
MeHg values were below the detection limit of 0.15 ng/g
(n=2). GEM and HgP were found not to be a significant
source of Hg to the bottom ice algae over the sampling
season (GEM r2= 0.056, P > 0.39; HgP r2= 0.158, P >
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ASM2010 Conference Programme and Abstracts
0.14). Surface waters also appeared not to be a significant
source of Hg to the bottom ice algae community (r2=
0.229, P value: 0.086). A significantly negative correlation
was however found between THg in sea ice algae and THg
in the bottom layer (10 cm) of sea ice (r2=0.55, P < 0.05),
suggesting that ice algae takes Hg primarily from sea ice
brine and that the rapid growth of ice algae could deplete
Hg from the bottom ice. This was further confirmed by
a mass balance calculation for the deeper layer of sea ice,
brine, and algae system. With this study, we hope to add
to the understanding of the processes by which toxic
contaminants such as Hg are transferred to lower trophic
levels in the Arctic Ocean, especially under rapid climate
warming conditions. It is our goal that this research will
lead to an increased knowledge base with which to advise
remediation and adaptation strategies so as to minimize the
adverse impact of contaminants on the health of marine
ecosystems and the Indigenous People who depend on
them for subsistence.
MODELLING THE MERCURY CYCLE IN THE
BEAUFORT SEA USING A CARBON FLUX
APPROACH
role and relative influence of many of these factors remains
poorly understood. In this study, we have adapted a 1D
carbon-balance particle-flux model for a column of water
in the Beaufort Sea to serve as a mercury fate model. The
carbon flux model is seasonal, typically running for one
year using a 15 minute time-step, and calculates nitrate,
phytoplankton, zooplankton, and particulate concentrations
for 22 water layers with a combined depth of 120m. The
model relies on atmospheric forcing to calculate sea ice
cover. Total Hg(II) and MMHg are divided into particulate,
phytoplankton, zooplankton, and Cl associated pools
and the transformation and transfer of mercury between
pools is based on speciation rate constants and partition
coefficients previously measured in the Arctic Ocean and
other systems. We are assuming that all Hg(0) in the water
column is dissolved gaseous mercury. Mercury speciation
and transfer in the model considers photolytic, chemical,
physical and organic transformations, as well as uptake by
zooplankton via phytoplankton grazing. This early form
of the model considers the evasion of Hg(0) as the only
exchange of mercury with the atmosphere. Here we present
predicted seasonal mercury concentrations of all mercury
species included in the model and compare them to mercury
concentrations measured in the Beaufort Sea for the same
time period when available
Cadieux, Marc1 (mcadieux@trentu.ca), G.A. Stern2, B.E.
Hickie3, R. Macdonald4, D. Lavoie5 and F. Wang6
Department of Environment and Geography, University
of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba
2
Department of Fisheries and Oceans, Freshwater Institute,
Winnipeg, Manitoba
3
Environmental Resource Studies, Trent University,
Peterborough, Ontario
4
Institute of Ocean Sciences, Fisheries and Oceans Canada,
Sidney, British Columbia
5
Maurice Lamontagne Institute, Fisheries and Oceans
Canada, Mont-Joli, Quebec
6
Department of Chemistry, University of Manitoba,
Winnipeg, Manitoba
1
High mono-methylmercury (MMHg)
concentrations have been reported in Arctic Marine
mammals causing concern in northern communities
that rely on these animals as a food source. Studies have
indicated that the vast pool of mercury in the Arctic Ocean
is slow to respond to changes in anthropogenic mercury
emissions and that observed mercury concentrations in
food webs cannot be explained by atmospheric mercury
dynamics. It has thus been hypothesized that physical,
biogeochemical and ecological factors are influencing
mercury cycling within the Arctic Ocean, likely changing
the bioavailability of mercury to food webs. However, the
INVESTIGATION OF PHYSICAL-BIOLOGICAL
PROCESSES IN FIRST YEAR SEA ICE USING
TRANSMITTED SPECTRAL IRRADIANCES
Campbell, Karley 1(umcampb2@cc.umanitoba.ca), C. J.
Mundy 2, D. Barber1 and M. Gosselin3
Faculty of Environment, Earth, and Resources, University
of Manitoba, R3T 2N2
2
Institut des sciences de la mer (ISMER), Universite du
Quebec a Rimouski G5L 3A1
3
Départment de biologie, Université Laval, Québec,
Québec, Canada G1K 7P4
1
Environmental constraints in the polar marine
ecosystem result in bottom ice algae representing the
first and often sole primary producers in spring. Previous
research has shown that information regarding these bottom
ice communities can be extracted from transmitted spectral
irradiance data. However, efforts to construct time series
analyses have been limited because of destructive sampling
techniques. During the ARCTIC-ICE 2010 (Arctic-IceCovered-Ecosystem in a Rapidly Changing Environment)
initiative, time series data of transmitted spectral irradiance
was collected between 5 May and 18 June on the snow
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ASM2010 Conference Programme and Abstracts
covered land fast sea ice in Resolute Passage, Nunavut.
Furthermore, a coincident spatial dataset of transmitted
irradiance, bottom ice chlorophyll a concentrations and
algal absorption spectra were collected during the study
period. In this poster we investigate relationships between
transmitted spectral irradiance with ice algal chlorophyll
a concentration and absorption spectra in an effort to
calibrate the time series data.
HOLOCENE GEOMORPHIC EVOLUTION AND
CHARACTERIZATION OF PERMAFROST IN
PANGNIRTUNG, BAFFIN ISLAND
Carbonneau, Andrée-Sylvie (andree-sylvie.carbonneau.1@
ulaval.ca) and M. Allard
Department of Geography and Centre d’études nordiques,
Université Laval, Québec
Climate change has an impact on urban
development and infrastructures in the Arctic as permafrost
temperature and active layer depth increase. Such changes
can impact the stability upon thaw of the frozen ground
and the infrastructures that are built on it. Therefore, it
is important to enhance our knowledge on permafrost
conditions as well as on surficial geology in order to assess
the impact of climate change on permafrost, to evaluate
risk to man- made infrastructures and to facilitate land
use planning decision-making. This concern is particularly
important for Pangnirtung as the Hamlet is located on
a limited territory with ice-rich soils. Furthermore, the
Hamlet has been affected in June 2008 by an extreme peak
discharge of the Duval River, which flows across the center
of the community, leading to permafrost degradation and
instability of the terrain along the banks of the river.
Methods used for this project were based on
geophysical and geomorphological approaches, including
permafrost cores drilled in superficial deposits and ground
penetrating radar surveys. A preliminary surficial map
demonstrates that four major terrain units make up the
landscape in Pangnirtung: 1- The sloping terrace covered
by colluvial material to the east of the Duval River, 2- The
alluvial terrace with boulders and eroded channels along
the banks of the Duval river, 3- The Holocene debris fan
of the Duval river, and 4-A rocky promontory covered
with marine silts and sands. Also, interpretations of four
ground penetrating radar profiles correlate the preliminary
interpretation of the surficial deposits of the community.
Furthermore, one of the profiles reveals many hyperbolic
reflectors interpreted as multiple ice wedges across terrain
unit 1. Field observations also suggest the presence of ice
wedges as numerous possible thermal contraction cracks
were observed in this sector.
Laboratory analysis using CT-Scan imagery, a
non destructive method, and destructive methods (e.g.
water contents determinations and grain-size analyses) will
allow a detailed characterization of permafrost in terms
of cryostructure and ice contents. Moreover, the thermal
regime of permafrost in different surficial deposits will be
analysed using ground temperature data from automated
thermistor cables installed in August 2009. Ultimately, the
new geotechnical information will be used to produce a
map of permafrost conditions in the community and its
surroundings to support the community expansion program
that is needed due to demographic growth.
LOCAL PCB SOURCES ON SVALBARD –
LEVELS OF PCBS IN AIR FROM SVALBARD
SETTLEMENTS
Carlsson, Pernilla1, K. Schütze3, M. Hermanson2 and R.
Kallenborn2,4
Department of Pharmacy, University of Tromsø, NO9037 Tromsø, Norway
2
Department of Technology, University Centre in Svalbard
(UNIS), PB 156, NO-9171 Longyearbyen, Norway
3
Umweltsmineralogie, Technische Universität Darmstadt,
Schnittspahnstrasse 9, DE-64287 Darmstadt, Germany
4
Department of Chemistry, Biotechnology and Food
Science (IKBM), University of Life Sciences, NO-1432-Ås,
Norway
1
Monitoring activities of polychlorinated biphenyls
(PCBs) in the marine sediment conducted by Akvaplanniva in 2005 revealed increasing levels in the sediment
outside the former Russian settlement Pyramiden, Svalbard.
As a result of this first survey, the Governor of Svalbard
initiated a project aiming at the development of appropriate
remediation action for the removal of PCBS in Svalbard
(Norwegian Arctic). The project has been established as a
collaboration between UNIS, The Norwegian Geological
Survey (NGU), Akvaplan-niva (Tromsø), Typhoon
(Obninsk, Russia) and the Norwegian Directorate for
Climate and Environmental pollution (KLiF). During the
first phase of the project, PCB pollution sources were
identified and emission inventories were established.
As a part of field work, high volume air samples
(glass fibre filters and polyuretane foams) and passive air
samples (polyuretane foam disks) collected from the Russian
settlement Barentsburg and the Norwegian settlement
Longyearbyen have been analysed for PCB contamination
during autumn 2009. The results showed clear local
differences. PCB levels in Barentsburg air were up to ten
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ASM2010 Conference Programme and Abstracts
times higher than those measured at the Longyearbyen
station. The latter air concentration were similar to the levels
reported for the Zeppelin (Ny-Ålesund, Svalbard) and Alert
(Canada) while some of the Longyearbyen samples had total
PCB concentration of up to 30 pg/m3. Low chlorinated (tri
- tetra) PCB congeners dominated the samples from both
locations.
Both Longyearbyen and Barentsburg are situated
close to an Arctic fjord and within 50 km of each other.
Deposition levels of PCBs via long range atmospheric
transport would therefore be expected to be similar at both
locations. The much higher PCB levels in Barentsburg
can almost certainly be attributed to significant local
contamination. Indeed, earlier investigations of PCBs at the
research station Kinnvika (Northeastern parts of Svalbard)
confirm that legacy POPs such as PCB were frequently at
these locations in the past.
PRECIPITATION OF CALCIUM CARBONATE
AND RELEASE OF CO2 TO THE ATMOSPHERE
DURING SEA ICE GROWTH
Carnat, Gauthier1 (gauthier.carnat@gmail.com),
N.-X. Geilfus2,3, G. Nehrke4, G. S. Dieckmann4,
T. Papakyriakou1, N. Halden1, J.-L. Tison3 and B. Delille2
Centre for Earth Observation Science, University of
Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, R3T 2N2
2
Unité d’Océanographie Chimique, Université de Liège,
Liège, Belgium, B-4000
3
Glaciology Unit, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels,
Belgium, B-1050
4
Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research,
Bremerhaven, Germany, 27570
The DIC10 (DIC normalized at a salinity of 10),
computed from pH and TA, shows a strong decrease in
the upper layer of the ice column and in the FF. This loss
of DIC is estimated to 2069.1 μmol kg-1 and is shown to
mainly correspond to a release of CO2 to the atmosphere.
Considering the age of the sea ice at the sampling location,
this loss is equivalent to an average CO2 flux of 17.9mmol
m² d-1 which is higher than the range of fluxes measured
using a chamber technique during the relatively short
sampling period (4.2mmol m² d-1 to 9.9mmol m² d-1).
During the first stage of sea ice formation, brine
is mainly expelled “upward” from the ice leading to the
formation of a brine skim (BS) at the surface of the ice. As
the temperature decreases, elemental concentration increases
in the BS. Along this gradual concentration process, some
salts reach their solubility threshold and start precipitating.
The precipitation of ikaite has been confirmed in the FF
and throughout the sea ice underneath by Raman and
X-ray analysis. We estimate this precipitation to be about
25μmol kg-1 in the FF, and decreasing from 19.4μmol kg-1
in the upper part of the ice to 7μmol kg-1 at the bottom
of the ice. CO2 release due to precipitation of calcium
carbonate is estimated to 54 μmol kg-1. This suggests that
the precipitation of CaCO3 is only a small contributor to the
overall release of CO2 to the atmosphere during young sea
ice growth.
1
For decades, sea ice was assumed to be an
impermeable and inert barrier for air - sea exchanges
of CO2 so that, global climate models do not include
CO2 exchanges in the polar regions. However, uptake of
atmospheric CO2 by sea ice was recently reported in spring
and summer in Arctic and Antarctica. Tank experiments
and current level of knowledge suggest that spring/summer
uptake of CO2 is partly compensated by a release of CO2
to the atmosphere during early ice growth. We report here
field evidence of such a release and discuss the relative
contribution of various abiotic processes to these fluxes.
We carried out measurements of pH, TA and DIC
of bulk ice and frost flowers (FF) over thin (20cm, less than
1 week old) shore-fast sea ice near Barrow, Alaska. We also
measured associated air-ice CO2 fluxes (chamber method)
and investigated the precipitation of calcium carbonate, a
process producing CO2.
ADAPTATION PLANNING FOR CLIMATE
CHANGE AND SUBSISTENCE ECONOMIES IN
TWO INUVIALUIT COMMUNITIES
Caron, Amanda1 (amandapcaron@gmail.com), J. Ford1 and
T. Pearce2
Department of Geography, McGill University, Montreal,
Quebec, H3A 2K6
2
Department of Geography, University of Guelph, Guelph,
Ontario, N1G 2W1
1
This project works with community members,
local stakeholders, scientists, and policy makers in a
collaborative effort that draws on past vulnerability and
adaptation research to initiate adaptation planning to
climate change in two Inuvialuit communities. The project
focusses on adaptation in five sectors identified as high
priority in a previously undertaken literature review and gap
analysis prepared for Indian and Northern Affairs Canada.
These sectors include: subsistence harvesting, health
and well-being, culture and learning, transportation and
infrastructure, and economy and business and cover issues
such as food security, harvester safety, knowledge and skill
transmission, household economies, ability to harvest (e.g.
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ASM2010 Conference Programme and Abstracts
equipment and resources) and nutrition.
The adaptation planning process is guided by
vulnerabilities already identified in previous research.
Considerations for community engagement described by
Pearce et al. (2009) and Wolfe et al. (2007) are used to
develop collaborative working relationships with the two
communities of Paulatuk and Ulukhaktok in the Inuvialuit
Settlement Region. Participatory methodologies described
by Berkes and Jolly (2002) and others are refined and
used to involve community stakeholders in confirming
key vulnerabilities in the subsistence economy already
documented in previous research and these serve as the
starting points for identifying a suite of adaptation options
available in each community. In small workshops conducted
in situ, new and existing adaptation options are iteratively
introduced and assessed for their potential effectiveness
in reducing climate change vulnerability, implications and
costs, feasibility, and broader non-climatic benefits. This
project aims to create preliminary, practical, communitydriven adaptation plans to address the effects of climate
change on subsistence economies in two arctic communities
and develop a transferable model for community-based
adaptation planning.
FIORDS AND FIARDS: CONTRASTING COASTAL
BENTHIC HABITATS ALONG THE LABRADOR
COAST
Carpenter, Mallory1 (mcarpenter@mun.ca), T. Brown2,3, T.
Bell1 and E. Edinger1,4
Department of Geography, Memorial University, St. John’s,
Newfoundland and Labrador, A1B 3X9
2
Environmental Sciences Group, Royal Military College of
Canada, PO Box 17000 Stn Forces, Kingston, Ontario, K7K
7B4
3
Institute of Ocean Sciences (Fisheries and Oceans Canada),
9860 West Saanich Rd, P.O. Box 6000 Sidney, British
Columbia, V8L 4B2
4
Department of Biology, Memorial University, St. John’s,
Newfoundland and Labrador, A1B 3X9
1
Marine embayments of the central Labrador
coast differ from the classic fiord landscapes of northern
Labrador, where deep muddy basins are separated by rocky
sills and flanked by tall, steep sidewalls. In contrast, the
fiards of central Labrador are shallow, irregularly shaped
inlets with gently sloping sidewalls and large intertidal
zones. To date, research has focused on mapping the
nature, distribution and biodiversity of benthic habitats of
northern Labrador fiords, where habitats are associated with
several recurring geomorphic zones, such as basin and sills,
and are broadly homogenous across these zones. Highest
biodiversity is found on the sills and at freshwater inputs.
This presentation describes the benthic habitats of Okak
Bay, a typical fiard inlet of central Labrador, and contrasts
the benthic environment with northern Labrador fiords.
The bathymetry of Okak Bay reveals 5 geomorphic
zones. The inner zone at the head of the bay is flat and
shallow (mean depth <40 m). The central region of the bay
consists of several basins of medium depth (<60-70 m)
with intervening shallow sills. The outer bay has deep basins
(deepest is >200 m) separated by sills and rocky sidewalls.
The fourth zone constitutes one arm of the bay that
stretches from the head along narrow channels and across
several low sills to the outer bay. For the most part it is very
shallow (<15 m) and has flat to low-sloping seabed. The
fifth zone is strictly associated with a trench feature located
within a shallow channel of Zone 4. The trench contains
abrupt depth changes, up to 65 m, and steep slopes.
Benthic habitat mapping of Okak Bay combined
multibeam acoustic data with ground-truth samples into a
supervised classification method. Box cores were sampled
for sediment and biota, whereas video transects captured
information on biota or sediment too large to be sampled
with grab methods. An ROV was used to complete transects
across steep slopes. Preliminary results suggest that habitats
differ between geomorphic zones. Zone 1 is sandy and the
biota is dominated by polychaete and cerianthid species.
Zone 2 displays the highest levels of biodiversity on the
shallow sills with encrusting species and soft coral common.
Zone 3 is low in biodiversity; basins contain few polychaete
species and the boulder sidewalls are covered in encrusting
coralline algae. Zone 4 is sandy and difficult to sample due
to large amounts of agarum kelp and rhodoliths. In Zone 5
where the bottom is muddy and the biota is consistent along
slopes, sponges and brittle star species dominate. In contrast
to northern Labrador fiords, the habitats of Okak Bay differ
between regions and rarely recur elsewhere in the fiard.
Biodiversity is high over larger areas and soft corals and kelp
are more common.
Future research steps include the use of biodiversity
indices to better illustrate habitat characteristics and
distribution, as well as the development of a habitat model
for Okak Bay, which may be broadly applicable to the
central Labrador coast, and have applications to fisheries
management and conservation in the region.
MULTIBEAM 3D WATER COLUMN IMAGING:
THE USE OF ACOUSTIC WATER COLUMN
IMAGING IN SUPPORT OF ARCTICNET
SCIENCE OPERATIONS
Cartwright, Doug (cartd@omg.unb.ca), I. Church and J.
Hughes Clarke
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ASM2010 Conference Programme and Abstracts
Ocean Mapping Group, University of New Brunswick
The CCGS Amundsen is fitted with a Kongsberg
EM302 multibeam echosounder. The sounder was upgraded
in 2008 from the EM300 model, enabling significant new
features. One of the most significant new features is the
ability to acoustically image the entire water column within
the sounding swath. This feature has previously been shown
to be useful in identifying underwater gas venting features
and most recently in locating mooring installations. There
is also potential for the system to be used in support of
physical oceanography and marine biology. Since the start
of the 2009 ArcticNet season, water column data has been
continuously logged during all surveys and ship transits.
The EM302 transmits an acoustic “fan” 120°acrosstrack and 1°along-track. It utilizes either 4 or 8 sectors with
centre frequencies ranging from 26.5 to 33.6 kHz. The
sectors are actively yaw, pitch and roll stabilised. As the
fan moves along track a triangular volume is imaged
acoustically. Within that triangle, a cylindrical subsection
of radius equivalent to the minimum slant range provides
the most useful volume scattering measurements
wherein is possible to identify and locate features . In
the 2009 and 2010 field seasons the system was used
extensively to locate and image underwater gas plumes
on the edge of the Beaufort shelf. In the 2010 season the
system was also used to locate mooring installations, both
for moorings from previous years, as well as confirmation
of new installations. The locating of moorings was very
efficient due to the system’s 120° swath, as the ship was not
required to transit directly over the mooring locations. The
ability to identify the vertical and horizontal position of
individual mooring components is particularly useful for
confirmation of a successful deployment. The tilt of
the mooring chain can be directly quantified, giving an
indication of the regional currents and their shear.
While the use of water column imaging has proven
very useful for locating gas vents and moorings, it may also
be an untapped source of information for oceanography
and marine biology. The system has the capability to
identify horizontal layering (and associated biomass) in the
water column both along and across track. By combining
water column imaging with vertical profile MVP data
taken at point locations, it is possible to extrapolate a
more detailed picture of the oceanography along a transit
line. Since 2003, the Amundsen has operated multifrequency EK calibrated single beam sounders for fisheries
research. Their broad frequency range has the particular
advantage of potential species discrimination. They
provide, however, only a vertical section underneath the
vessel and thus cannot define the 3D geometry of any
scatterers seen. Combined with the EM302, the full 3D
definition of those scattering targets can now be viewed.
THE IMPACT OF HISTORICAL PERMAFROST
DISRUPTION ON TUNDRA VEGETATION
Cassidy, Alison (alison.cassidy@queensu.ca), S. Lamoureux
and P. Treitz
Department of Geography, Queen’s University, Kingston,
Ontario, K7L 3N6
The effect of a changing climate is especially
evident in the Arctic, where permafrost disturbances are
predicted to increase with climate warming. In the Canadian
High Arctic, these disturbances commonly take the form of
active layer detachments (ALD) that occur when the thawed
(or active) layer of ground breaks away from the underlying
permafrost, creating a mass movement of soil. This research
examines the establishment of vegetation across a history
of permafrost disturbances in order to characterize the
long-term effects of permafrost disruption on vegetation
community composition at Cape Bounty, Melville Island,
Nunavut. Aerial photograph analysis was used to identify
historic ALD, which were later identified in the field,
suggesting the occurrence of such disturbances over the
past 50 years. In addition, above-average temperatures in the
summer of 2007, resulted in the formation of widespread
ALD which were recorded with high resolution satellite
data.
Seven study sites of varying age and degree of
disturbance were located in different soil moisture areas and
characterized based on their vegetation composition, soil
and topographic properties. Disturbances were classified
based on their location in polar desert and mesic heath areas
and dated relative to one another based on the headwall
slope angle. In addition, ground-based NDVI images were
acquired for the disturbed and control vegetation plots for
comparison to coarser scale IKONOS NDVI values to
further classify vegetation.
Preliminary analyses suggest historical disturbances
differ from the surrounding undisturbed terrain primarily
on the basis of environmental measures, but not with
respect to vegetation composition measures such as species
richness. Ongoing analysis will help determine the frequency
and scale of past disturbance and results will also provide
constraint over post-disturbance vegetation stabilization
rates in order to estimate landscape response to projected
climate change and permafrost disturbance.
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ASM2010 Conference Programme and Abstracts
TOPOGRAPHIC INFLUENCES ON RECENT
CHANGES OF SMALL CIRQUE GLACIERS IN
THE TORNGAT MOUNTAINS OF NORTHERN
LABRADOR
Chadbourn, Jodie1 (jrking@mun.ca), T. Bell1, N.E. Barrand2,
and M.J. Sharp3
Department of Geography, Memorial University, St. John’s,
Newfoundland and Labrador, A1B 3X9
2
British Antarctic Survey, Cambridge, United
Kingdom, CB3 0ET
3
Department of Earth & Atmospheric Sciences, University
of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, T6G 2E3
1
Small alpine glaciers (<1.5 km2) in the Torngat
Mountains, northern Labrador, have experienced marked
decline in areal extent between 2005 and 2007 with an
average change of -21%. Not all glaciers have responded
the same, however, with a third either growing in area by
an average of 0.02 km2 (n=10) or shrinking in area by less
than 0.02 km2 (n=9), which given the spatial resolution of
the aerial and satellite imagery used for change detection
likely means an undetectable change. The dramatic
overall recent decline in areal extent of Torngat glaciers is
interpreted as a glaciological response to a regional, multidecadal trend towards lower winter precipitation, coupled
with anomalously warm summers in the past decade.
Small mountain glaciers in western Canada and Alaska
have also exhibited varied responses to recent climate
warming, which was in part attributed to local topographic
factors (DeBeer & Sharp, 2009; Manley, 2009). On the
basis of a short interval of glacier monitoring in the early
1980s, Rogerson (1986) hypothesized that topography is
an important controlling factor for glacier survival in the
Torngat Mountains. This presentation describes the current
topographic setting of glaciers in the Torngat Mountains
and reports preliminary results of analysis of recent glacier
change in the context of local topographic controls.
Glacier mapping from 2007 SPOT5 HRS satellite
imagery revealed a total of 59 glaciers covering an area of
16.7 km2 and ranging in size from 0.05 to 1.24 km2. The
glaciers occur within a coastal region defined by latitude
58° 40’ and 59° 50’ North. Most of the glaciers (56%) are
smaller than 0.25 km2 and only one is larger than 1 km2.
Glaciers in the Torngat Mountains typically occupy cirque
basins with high backwalls, averaging 272 m above the ice
surface, with a mean upslope contributing area of 0.41 km2.
Relative upslope area, a ratio of the upslope contributing
area to the glacier surface area, has a mean value of 1.5,
indicating a high potential for snow accumulation and
avalanching from the upslope catchment. Many glaciers
are heavily debris-covered at lower elevations, with on
average half the glacier surface covered by debris. Most
(63%) have a northerly aspect (315-45° azimuth), which
would maximize the shading effect from high backwalls,
but 15% face south (135-235° azimuth). The elevations of
the glacier termini vary from 245 m to 1080 m above sea
level (asl), with 9 (15%) having a terminus above 1000 m asl.
Approximately 70% of the glaciers are located within 30 km
of the Labrador coast.
Correlation of topographic variables with changes
in areal extent suggest that shading of the glacier surface
by high backwalls and large upslope catchment areas,
which increase accumulation through snow drifting and
avalanching, are significant factors influencing local glacier
response in the Torngat Mountains. Surface debris cover,
which reduces ablation, was another important factor related
to changes in glacier extent.
MOLT MIGRATION OF GREATER SNOW GEESE
(CHEN CAERULESCENS ATLANTICA)
Chalifour, Émilie1,2 (Emilie.Chalifour01@uqar.qc.ca), J.
Bêty1,2, M. Bélisle3, J. Lefebvre4 and J.-F. Giroux5
Département de Biologie, Université du Québec à
Rimouski, Québec, G5L 3A1
2
Centre d’études nordiques, Université Laval, Québec, G1V
0A6
3
Département de Biologie, Université de Sherbrooke,
Sherbrooke, Québec, J1K 2R1
4
Service Canadien de la faune, Environnement Canada, SteFoy, Québec, G1V 4H5
5
Département des Sciences Biologiques, Université du
Québec à Montréal, Montréal, Québec, H3C 3P8
1
Greater Snow Geese (Chen caerulescens atlantica)
may have strong impacts on Arctic terrestrial ecosystems,
especially wetland habitats. Their growing population has
been monitored for over 25 years on Bylot Island, Nunavut,
their primary breeding colony. However, most of the nonor failed breeders also undergo molt migration, wherein
they migrate to different regions of the Arctic during their
summer molt. During years of low goose nesting success,
molt migrant geese could represent a large part of the
population. Molting geese simultaneously lose their flying
feathers, rending them flightless for several days and more
subject to predation. Molt migrants may move to high
quality sites (i.e., high feeding potential or low predation
risk), but Greater Snow Goose molt migration patterns and
molting sites remain poorly known. It is of growing interest
to document the year-round distribution of this species. The
main goals of this project are to delineate and characterize
molting sites, to describe molt migration patterns and to
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ASM2010 Conference Programme and Abstracts
evaluate fidelity to molting sites. Goose movement patterns
have been recorded since 2006 using solar-powered GPS
Argos transmitters (Microwave Telemetry, PTT-100 45gram
Argos/GPS, ±10m) fitted to females captured on their
breeding grounds in Canadian Arctic or on spring staging
grounds in southern Quebec. Following the population size
increase of these geese, there should be a growing number
of molting sites or increased use of a limited number of
sites. Geese are known to strongly affect the vegetation in
their breeding habitats, and a higher density of geese on
their molting grounds could have a similarly large ecological
influence. Global climate change and growing economic
development within the Arctic already exert pressures on
Arctic ecosystems. Increased pressure on molting grounds
used by Greater Snow Geese could destabilize the local
equilibrium of these ecosystems.
CAN CARIBOU CONTROL THEIR RESOURCES?
SIMULATING HERBIVORY ON A KEY SUMMER
FOOD RESOURCE, THE AMERICAN DWARF
BIRCH
Champagne, Emilie1,2, Jean-Pierre Tremblay1,2 and Steeve D.
Côté1,2
Département de Biologie, Université Laval, Québec,
Québec, G1V 0A6
2
Centre d’Études Nordiques, Québec, Québec, G1V 0A6
1
In the last few decades, large populations of
migratory caribou (Rangifer tarandus) occurred in Nunavik
and Nunatsiavut. At high abundance and in arctic
ecosystems with low productivity, large herbivores can
influence the availability and quality of plants. This can
in turn exert retroactive feedbacks on the life history
of caribou. Our objective was to evaluate the effects
of herbivory levels on a key resource for caribou: the
American dwarf birch (Betula glandulosa Michx). Because
the abundance of this resource has been hypothesized
to partly buffer the decrease of caribou herds following
overuse of lichens, we were interested in understanding
how it responds to variation in browsing pressure. The
compensatory continuum hypothesis stipulates that plant
response to browsing, and potential compensatory growth
to replace lost tissues, is a function of nutrient availability.
Based on this hypothesis, we predicted that dwarf birch
could compensate for moderate tissue removal only when
supplied with nitrogen. Alternatively, the limiting resource
model suggests that plant response to browsing is a function
of the resource limiting plant growth vs. the resource
affected by browsing. According to this hypothesis, we
predicted compensation to occur at moderate browsing with
or without nitrogen addition because browsing is removing
photosynthetic tissues using carbon while the resource
limiting growth in arctic tundra is nitrogen. Both hypotheses
predict undercompensation under heavy browsing pressure.
In spring 2009, we implemented a simulated browsing
experiment in the summer range of the Rivière-aux-Feuilles
caribou herd by allocating two levels of nitrogen input (0
and 10g/m2 of urea) and three levels of browsing pressure
(0%, 25% and 75% of available shoots) in five replicated
blocks. We estimated the above-ground primary productivity
with the point intercept method and monitored individual
branches after 2 years of treatment. Preliminary results
indicate that birches with 25% of their shoots browsed
had an above-ground primary productivity similar to
unbrowsed birches. At high browsing pressure, the aboveground primary productivity was lower than for unbrowsed
shrubs. Compensation at low browsing pressure occurred
independently of the nitrogen treatment, a scenario
corresponding to the prediction of the limiting resource
model. Our results indicate that a low browsing pressure has
a neutral effect on birch biomass, which could be positive
for a rising or declining caribou population. On the other
hand, a large caribou population could deplete one of their
key summer resources in a short time. Our results could
also be affected by the structure of birches, as the number
of leaves or their size could be modified by browsing.
Structural data will be examined in the near future.
MERCURY DISTRIBUTION AND TRANSPORT
IN FIRST- AND MULTI-YEAR SEA ICE IN THE
WESTERN ARCTIC OCEAN
Chaulk, Amanda1 (amandachaulk@gmail.com), Gary Stern1,
, D. Armstrong1, D. Barber1 and F. Wang1,3
2
Center for Earth Observation Science, Department of
Environment and Geography, University of Manitoba,
Winnipeg, Manitoba, R3T 2N2
2
Department of Fisheries and Oceans, Freshwater Institute,
Winnipeg, Manitoba R3T 2N6
3
Department of Chemistry, University of Manitoba,
Winnipeg, Manitoba, R3T 2N2
1
To date, our knowledge of mercury cycling,
transformations, and distribution is fairly extensive. Major
research initiatives are on-going to understand mercury
chemistry in the atmosphere, water column, snow, and biota.
However, the current dataset on Arctic mercury chemistry is
lacking information about the distribution and behaviour of
mercury in a key component of the cryosphere: sea ice and
brine. Evidence is mounting that the dramatically changing
sea ice environment in the Arctic Ocean may have played
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ASM2010 Conference Programme and Abstracts
a significant role in mercury (Hg) bioaccumulation in the
Arctic marine ecosystems. Here we present measurements
of Hg distribution in first- and multi-year sea ice cores
and brine at various sites in the Western Arctic Ocean and
Beaufort Sea. Newly formed ice and snowpack overlying
first-year sea ice were also sampled on several occasions.
Hg concentrations in the first-year ice cores are found to be
relatively low (0.5 – 4 ng L-1), with the highest concentration
always at the surface. The Hg enrichment in the surface
sea ice is primarily due to the high brine number densities
in the surface frazil ice, with snowpack as an additional
Hg source during melting season; direct scavenging of Hg
from the atmosphere seemed not a major source of Hg in
sea ice. The Hg profile in the multi-year ice core showed
a cyclic feature, with each peak potentially corresponding
to one ice growing season. The highest Hg concentrations
were however found in brine which varied significantly with
season along with salinity and temperature. As sea ice brine
is the primary habitat for microbial communities responsible
for sustaining the food web in the Arctic Ocean, the high
and seasonally changing Hg concentrations of in brine
could potentially have a major impact on Hg uptake by the
Arctic marine ecosystem
between copepod methylmercury concentration and
isotopic ratios of delta 13C (following lipid correction)
and delta 15N suggest the effect of a dietary shift, perhaps
due to consumption of larger-size plankton by latestage copepodites and adults. Changes in biochemical
composition were also observed between developmental
stages. Percent phosphorus and nitrogen contents were
higher in immature populations composed primarily of
early-stage copepodites reflecting the importance of protein
synthesis during early growth. The C:N ratio increased in
populations of late-stage copepodites and adults, reflecting
a shift to greater lipid accumulation in mature individuals.
Copepod methylmercury concentration showed a strong
positive correlation with biomass phosphorus content
and a weak negative correlation with biomass C:N. These
trends suggest that protein synthesis during early growth,
which utilizes phosphorus-rich RNA, may be a key period
for methylmercury uptake in L. macrurus. Our findings
highlight the importance of growth-related effects on
methylmercury concentrations, stable isotope ratios and
elemental composition in zooplankton of High Arctic lakes.
SURFACE ROUGHNESS ESTIMATION FROM SAR
DATA IN A HIGH ARCTIC ENVIRONMENT
FIELD EVIDENCE FOR ONTOGENETIC
EFFECTS ON METHYLMERCURY
BIOACCUMULATION IN A HIGH ARCTIC
COPEPOD
Collingwood, Adam1 (Adam.Collingwood@queensu.ca), P.
Treitz1 and F. Charbonneau2
Department of Geography, Queen’s University, Kingston,
Ontario K7L 3N6
2
Canada Centre for Remote Sensing, Natural Resources
Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, K1A 0Y7
1
Chételat, John (john.chetelat@ec.gc.ca) and M. Amyot
1,2
1
Groupe de recherche interuniversitaire en limnologie,
Département de sciences biologiques, Université de
Montréal, Montréal, Québec, H3C 3J7
2
Current address: Environment Canada, National Wildlife
Research Centre, Carleton University, 1125 Colonel By
Drive, Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0H3
1
The calanoid copepod, Limnocalanus macrurus,
is commonly the dominant crustacean zooplankter in
ultra-oligotrophic lakes of the Canadian High Arctic.
The influence of ontogenetic development on the
bioaccumulation of methylmercury, a contaminant of
concern, was investigated in L. macrurus populations from
9 lakes using stable isotopes, elemental composition, and
microscope identification of maturity stages. Methylmercury
concentration in L. macrurus varied nearly six-fold from
10-58 ng/g and decreased in more mature populations
with enriched ratios of delta 15N and a greater proportion
of adult copepods. This unexpected trend in mercury
bioaccumulation may be related to a shift in diet or in
biochemical composition during growth. Correlations
Knowledge of biophysical variables such as soil
moisture content and vegetation cover in the Arctic is an
important step towards understanding Arctic energy fluxes
and nutrient cycling. Information gathered from synthetic
aperture radar (SAR) is ideal for modeling these biophysical
properties. SAR backscatter contains information on soil
moisture, vegetation, surface roughness, and topography.
While important in its own right for applications such as
erosion prediction and surface runoff mapping, surface
roughness is also an important consideration when
attempting to model soil moisture from SAR data. SAR
measurements are very sensitive to soil surface roughness,
so if accurate surface roughness measurements are not
available, soil moisture modeling from SAR backscatter will
be prone to error.
For this research, surface roughness of sample
sites at the Cape Bounty Arctic Watershed Observatory
(Melville Island, Nunavut; 74.91º N, 109.44º W) is
quantified as a necessary first step to modeling soil moisture
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ASM2010 Conference Programme and Abstracts
with RADARSAT-2 data. Elements that will be examined
include the effects of spatial resolution on SAR-based
surface roughness estimates, and the feasibility of using
fully polarized data as a substitute for multi-angular data
in this context. It is anticipated that surface roughness
will be related in a general way to land-cover type and
topography in this environment, so the strength of these
relationships will also be examined. Image-based roughness
measurements will be compared to ground-based pin meter
measurements of surface roughness.
A thorough field campaign in the summer of 2010
produced surface roughness measurements for 121 sample
locations. These roughness values were measured using a
pin meter along 5.5 m transects in two orthogonal directions
related to the SAR satellite look direction. High resolution
fully polarimetric and single polarimetric SAR data from the
RADARSAT-2 sensor were collected at various incidence
angles over the study area during the field season. Subsurface volume scattering from rocks can be an issue when
trying to compare surface-only field measurements to SAR
data, which is affected by this sub-surface scattering. A
quantitative estimate of rock fraction in the sample areas
was therefore included in the field work process. These
data will be examined to determine an efficient method of
estimating surface roughness values using only remotelysensed SAR data. It is anticipated that accurate maps of
surface roughness will result from this process. These are
necessary in order to model soil moisture across these
landscapes using SAR data.
This work will be essential for the creation of
an operational method of soil moisture estimation (to be
developed at a later stage of this research) that precludes the
need for expensive field data collection of parameters such
as surface roughness in harsh or extreme environments such
as the High Arctic.
RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN ZOOPLANKTON
SEA ICE, AND OCEAN CONDITIONS IN
BARROW STRAIT, 1998- 2009
Collins, Kate (Kate.Collins@dfo-mpo.gc.ca), J. Hamilton
and S. Prinsenberg
Bedford Institute of Oceanography, 1 Challenger Drive,
Dartmouth NS, B2Y 4A2
As climate change continues to pressure the
ecosystem in the Canadian Arctic, a solid understanding of
the relationships between the physical and biological systems
is essential. The discrete sampling methods traditionally
used in this challenging and remote environment can
provide only patchy insight into annual zooplankton
dynamics. We have used twelve years of ADCP backscatter
data to estimate zooplankton populations in Barrow Strait
and explore inter-relationships with the ice and ocean
parameters also measured. The result is a continuous picture
of the physical environment and the ecosystem. Analysis
of the time series shows how ocean density, currents, and
sea ice formation and break-up are related to zooplankton
population peak magnitude and timing. Seasonal, annual,
and inter-annual variability is evident in the data.
TIMING OF HATCHING OF SEMIPALMATED
PLOVERS IN RELATION TO FOOD ABUNDANCE
IN CHURCHILL, MANITOBA
Corkery, Catherine (catherinecorkery@trentu.ca)
Department of Biology, Trent University, Peterborough,
Ontario, K9J 7B8
This project aims to examine the relationship
between the stage of breeding of Semipalmated Plovers
in Churchill, Manitoba and the insect abundance in the
mudflats on which they forage. It was expected that the
majority of chicks would hatch shortly before insect
abundance reaches its peak, to provide the young with the
most food possible, so as to optimize their growth rate.
Weather variables including wind speed, soil temperature,
and air temperature, were also measured and will be
compared to insect abundance to determine if weather has
any effect on the food supply. Results will also be compared
between coastal and inland breeding environments. Also,
we will compare the timing of hatching among coastal and
inland breeding sites, in an attempt to determine if the
abiotic differences, and different invertebrate communities
in these environments have any influence over when the
plover eggs hatch.
Insect samples were obtained throughout the
breeding season using soil cores and emergence trap
sampling techniques. Insects were identified to family
and measured lengthwise to determine biomass. Insect
abundance was also monitored by counting the number
of insects obtained in each sample. Insect abundance and
biomass will be compared to the time of various stages
of the plovers› breeding season, including pre-incubation,
incubation, hatching, when the young were found on the
foraging grounds, and fledging. Weather data, including wind
speed, and soil and air temperature at the time of sampling
were also collected to determine if there is a relationship
between insect abundance and biomass, and weather.
Results of this study could provide us with
important implications of what the future may hold for
sub-arctic breeding shorebirds. If a significant connection
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ASM2010 Conference Programme and Abstracts
is found between temperature and insect abundance or
biomass, then this could provide some vision as to how
shorebirds, mainly Semipalmated Plovers, will be affected by
climate change in terms of breeding success.
DENDROCHRONOLOGY AND RETROGRESSIVE
THAW SLUMPS ON MIDWAY LAKE PLATEAU
FORT MCPHERSON
Côté, Mélanie (melaniecote08@hotmail.com)
Département de géographie, Université d’Ottawa, Ottawa,
K1N 6N5
In absence of ocular witness and in absence
of yearly satellite images or aerial photographs,
dendrochronology is the best method to get the year of the
catastrophic retrogressive thaw slumping in forested area on
Midway Lake Plateau. In regions with distinct seasons, treering analysis allows the datation of environmental hazards
with yearly precision. Our hypothesis is that the age of the
death of the sampled trees, determined by cross-dating, is
the same as the thaw slump event which buried the sampled
trees. This allows us to verify if slumps are related to heavy
rains, or if some catastrophic slumps are the consequences
of the 1944 and 1955 earthquakes in Richardson Mountains.
The best locations to sample the trees in a
slumped site are the channel banks developed in the
slumped material which fill the valleys. There, fluvial
erosion digs out tree trunks. Only broken tree trunks are
sampled, because only hazards events in this region can
have transported and broken them. Each sampled dead
tree are recorded by GPS and described (size, position and
surrounding sediments). Pencil-sized increment cores and
sanded trunk cross sections are measured in laboratory
with a stereomicroscope system supported by a computer
program.
Acknowledgements: this work is supported by
funds received through the Northern Science Training
Program, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research
Council of Canada, and the Department of Indian Affairs
and Northern Development.
Field and lab assistance from: Kamylle A. Poirier,
Lisa Tellier, and Ian D. Clark, Steven Kokelj, Denis
Lacelle, Bernard Lauriol (supervisor) and Billy Wilson (from
Fot McPherson).
CURRENT PORTRAIT OF LEAD EXPOSURE IN
NUNAVIK : AN EVALUATION OF POTENTIAL
DETERMINANTS OF RESIDUAL BLOOD LEAD
LEVELS
Couture, Ariane1 (ariane2002@yahoo.com), E. Dewailly1,3,
B. Levesque2,3, D. Reinharz1, G. Muckle3, S. Dery4 and J-F.
Proulx4.
Maîtrise en santé communautaire, Département de
médecine sociale et préventive, Faculté de Médecine, 1050
avenue de la Médecine, Pavillon Ferdinand-Vandry, bureau
2428, Université Laval, Québec (Québec), Canada, G1V
0A6
2
Institut national de santé publique du Québec (INSPQ),
945 avenue Wolfe, Québec (Québec), Canada G1V 5B3.
3
Axe de recherche en santé des populations et
environnement, Centre de recherche du CHUQ , 2875 boul.
Laurier, Bureau 600, Québec (Québec),
Canada, G1V 2M2.
4
Direction de la santé publique du Nunavik, Régie régionale
de santé et des services sociaux du Nunavik, C. P. 900,
Kuujjuaq (Québec), Canada, J0M 1C0.
1
By using ammunition containing lead pellets for
hunting, the Inuit population of Nunavik is exposed to a
small but significant source of lead that could potentially be
harmful to the population’s health. To study the behavioural
determinants of lead exposure from hunting among the
Inuit, observational visits and semi-structured interviews
were conducted during the spring of 2010. The results
indicated that there is still an important demand for lead
shot in Nunavik, and it seems that this is primarily because
of their low cost and the fact that their use is of customary
practice by the Inuit population. In order to completely
eliminate this source of contamination, the possibility of
introducing a national legislation prohibiting lead shot
should be evaluated. Meanwhile, this study suggests that
interventions should focus on motivating the hunters to
change their customary practice while taking into account
the financial and technical challenges engendered by
the removal of lead shot for the benefit of non-toxic
alternatives.
DISTURBANCE RESPONSES, RESILIENCY, AND
CLIMATE CHANGE: A CHARACTERIZATION
OF REVEGETATION PATTERNS RELATED
TO RETROGRESSIVE THAW SLUMPS ON
HERSCHEL ISLAND, YUKON TERRITORY,
CANADA
Cray Sloan, Heather (heather.cray@mail.mcgill.ca) and W.
Pollard
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ASM2010 Conference Programme and Abstracts
Department of Geography, McGill University, Montreal,
Quebec, H3A 2K6
Vegetation is an important factor in understanding
northern ecosystems, not only because it determines
terrestrial primary productivity, but also because locally
it can magnify or reduce the impact of prevailing
environmental conditions. Despite its ecological importance,
however, there is surprisingly little literature characterizing
the revegetation patterns following natural disturbances
such as those caused by thermokarst in permafrost
environments. Changes in arctic vegetation may have
already begun as a result of the recent warming in the Arctic
(Chapin et al., 1995; Stow et al., 2004; Tape et al., 2006), but
without clear knowledge of the existing species, patterns
of revegetation, and the resiliency of tundra communities,
large-scale management is impossible. Arctic landscapes
underlain by massive ground ice and ice-rich permafrost are
inherently unstable and often display evidence of past and
present thaw subsidence, or thermokarst. Retrogressive thaw
slumps are a progressive form of backwasting thermokarst
that tend to go through cycles of activity, resulting in
dramatic changes to the landscape. The cyclic pattern of
disturbance and stabilization related to these thaw slumps
results in a patchy tundra landscape where there are easily
identifiable geomorphic units reflecting the stage of
stabilization and the time since disturbance. The established
research sites of Herschel Island provide excellent examples
of both stabilized and active thaw slumps for which the
recent history of activity is known (Lantuit and Pollard,
2008). Preliminary findings from Herschel Island show that
there are vegetation and soil characteristics distinctive to
sites disturbed by thaw slumps. Specifically, plant diversity,
species composition, and percent cover in addition to pH,
soil temperature, active layer depth, and organic matter
content change progressively with the time since disturbance
and therefore represent both the relative age of a thaw
slump and the degree of stabilization. By describing the
vegetation characteristics of stabilized thaw slumps of
varying ages (10 to ~300 years old) and comparing them to
one another and to undisturbed sites, we can construct an
approximate timeline and pattern of recovery for vegetation
disturbed by thaw slumps. This will provide insights into the
resiliency of the tundra ecosystem and its probable response
to future instability related to climate change.
CHANGING CLIMATE, CHANGING HEALTH,
CHANGING STORIES: CLIMATE-HEALTH
RESEARCH IN RIGOLET, NUNATSIAVUT
Cunsolo Willox, Ashlee1 (ashlee@uoguelph.ca), S. Harper2,
V. Edge3 and the Rigolet Inuit Community Government4
School of Environmental Design & Rural Development,
University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, N1G 2W1
2
Department of Population Medicine, University of
Guelph, Guelph, ON, N1G 2W1
3
Department of Population Medicine, University of
Guelph, Guelph, ON, N1G 2W1
4
Rigolet, Nunatsiavut, NL, Canada, A0P 1P0
Both scientific measurements and oral stories
confirm that there are significant climatic changes in
Northern communities, which are impacting human health
(physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual) and causing
changes in the land and local livelihoods. Indeed, there
have been numerous direct and indirect impacts of a
changing climate on human health reported in Northern
communities, particularly concerning land-based activities,
such as access to adequate quantities of good quality
drinking water, and to the location, abundance, and quality
of traditional foods. As well, communities are recognising
various forms of social and mental health stress due to
changing historical and/or cultural lifestyles resultant from
changing climatic cycles.
While there are numerous studies examining the
geo-physical changes in the North, research examining the
potential impacts of climate change on public health issues
in the North is slower to emerge, and as such, more research
is needed in this area. Furthermore, an important part of
working with Northern communities in addressing various
aspects of public health-related concerns is recognising the
importance of connecting with their oral traditions and
cultural stories as essential to the research process. Indeed,
narrative histories and place-based stories contain important
local knowledge and history—information that simply
cannot be gleaned through purely quantitative measurement
approaches. Thus, a much greater insight of climatic and
environmental change, and its impacts on Inuit health
and well-being, can be much enhanced by listening to and
sharing stories about climatic and environmental change and
variation.
Understanding the importance of narrative, in 2009
the Rigolet Inuit Community Government, in Nunatsiavut,
began a multi-year community-driven, participatory,
storytelling project which examined the impacts of climate
change on human health. Funded by Health Canada’s
First Nations and Inuit Health Branch and the Nasivvik
Centre for Inuit Health and Changing Environments,
the community of Rigolet worked with social science
researchers, epidemiologists, and a not-for-profit
organization to gather data about climate change in the
region, in order to investigate the climate-health relationship,
and current and possible adaptation strategies. Data were
gathered collaboratively with the community through indepth interviews, focus groups, population surveys, and
digital storytelling. Through this process, Rigolet residents
1
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ASM2010 Conference Programme and Abstracts
expanded their research capacity and benefited from
increased confidence to independently examine and study
climate-related issues.
This poster will present results from the observed
changes in climate and environment by Rigolet residents,
and the impact of these changes on human health and wellbeing. Specific focus will be placed on food security, water
quality and access, changes in flora and fauna, and changes
in ice and snow conditions, as well as the mental and
emotional impacts of climatic variation. Particular emphasis
will be placed on describing and analyzing the digital
storytelling process, and explaining how this methodology
can be utilized by communities, researchers, policy makers,
and organizations for community-based research and
capacity building projects throughout the North.
THE SPATIAL PATTERN OF TREES ACROSS THE
CANADIAN FOREST-TUNDRA ECOTONE
De Fields, Danielle1,2 (dldefields@gmail.com), K. Harper1
and J. Pelton1
School for Resource and Environmental Studies, Dalhousie
University, Suite 5010, 6100 University Ave., Halifax, NS,
B3H 3J5, Canada.
2
North Slave Metis Alliance, 32 Melville Drive, Box 2301,
Yellowknife, NT, X1A 2P7, Canada
1
Canada’s forest-tundra ecotone is predicted to
respond to climate warming through a northern migration
of trees into tundra habitat and an increase in tree density
within the ecotone. Understanding the spatial configuration
of trees could provide insight into how the forest structure
and pattern may change. We used point pattern analysis
to characterize the spatial patterns of mapped trees of
different sizes in eleven 30x30 m grids in forest-tundra
ecotone sites in the Mealy Mountains, Labrador, Churchill,
Manitoba and Kluane, Yukon. Processes influencing the
recruitment of juvenile trees into the adult population and
how they may facilitate or hinder infilling and advance at
each site were inferred. In the Mealy Mountains, trees were
generally aggregated; recruitment into the adult population
could be regulated by facilitation, but a lack of seedlings
will likely hinder regeneration in the future. Conversely, in
Kluane, trees were generally regularly distributed, possibly
influenced by competition. This site will likely experience
both infilling and advance as climate warms. Initial results
show that in Churchill, trees were generally aggregated,
and may be influenced by facilitation. A high abundance of
seedlings throughout the ecotone in Churchill indicates that
there may be a high potential for both infilling and advance
at this site. Differences among and within sites indicate that
the spatial arrangement of trees across Canada’s foresttundra ecotone is likely influenced by various processes and
physical site attributes, resulting in site-specific patterns and
responses to climate warming.
POTENTIAL OF MULTI FREQUENCY SAR
DATA FOR SNOW CHARACTERIZATION IN
SUBARCTIC REGIONS
Duguay, Yannick1 (yannick.duguay@ete.inrs.ca), M. Bernier1,
I. May2 and R. Ludwig2
Centre Eau Terre Environnement, Institut national de la
recherche scientifique, Québec, Québec, G1K 9A9
2
Department of Geography, Ludwig-Maximilians
University, Munich, Germany, 80333 Munich
1
It has been shown that snow cover acts as an
insulator that keeps permafrost temperatures relatively warm
during the winter (Goodrich, 1982, Canadian Geotechnical
Journal, vol. 19). This can have a noticeable impact on
permafrost thawing process by increasing summer thaw
depths. Knowledge of the spatial distribution of snow
characteristics can therefore help the understanding of
permafrost melting patterns in a context of changing arctic
and subarctic climate.
The objective of this study is to evaluate the
potential of Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) remote sensing
data to map out snowcover characteristics (depth, density,
Snow water equivalent) in a subarctic environment. The
area of interest is a 60 km2 region situated around the
Umiujaq community (56.55° N, 76.55° W) in northern
Quebec, Canada. The area can be divided into two distinct
environments: the coastal region to the east and the Lac
Guillaume-Delisle graben to the west. The vegetation in the
coastal region is very sporadic and dominated by shrubs,
while in the graben region it is mainly scrublands with
patches of conifers. A series of polarimetric RADARSAT-2
data as well as multipolarized TerraSAR-X images have been
acquired over the area of interest during the 2010 winter.
The two sensors operate at different frequencies (5 Ghz and
10 Ghz respectively), therefore providing complementary
information on the snowcover. Two field campaigns
were carried out in coordination with the satellite data
acquisitions in March and May 2010, which correspond to
the end of the accumulation period and the melting period
respectively. Due to exceptionally warm weather during the
2010 winter, most of the snowcover was melted the first
week of May. Snow depth and snow water equivalent, as
well as ground temperatures were measured over various
terrain types. Snowpits were dug at selected sites to gather
information on particle size and shape in addition to snow
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ASM2010 Conference Programme and Abstracts
densities from the different layers of the snowpack.
The advantage of SAR remote sensing is its ability
to image an area regardless of solar illumination and
cloud cover. It is then possible to acquire data in a timely
manner, which is important in order to monitor a target
as dynamic as snow. The wavelength of the radar signal
also enables it to penetrate the snowcover, allowing the
retrieval of information on its vertical structure in addition
to its spatial distribution. The different frequencies of
the two satellites, as well as the polarimetric data acquired
with RADARSAT-2, have the potential to offer detailed
information on this vertical structure which should
provide a better estimation of the snow characteristics.
This approach is compared with a monopolarized and
monofrequency approach implemented in the EQeau model
developed at INRS-ETE (Bernier et al., 1999, Hydrological
Processes, vol. 13) to evaluate the added benefits of using
this new type of dataset.
UNDERSTANDING THE RELATIONSHIP
BETWEEN INUIT COMMUNITY HEALTH AND
SEA ICE TRAVEL
Durkalec, Agata1, (agatadurkalec@trentu.ca), C. Furgal2, S.
Karpik3 and T. Sheldon3
Canadian Studies and Indigenous Studies, Frost Centre,
Trent University, Peterborough, Ont., K9H 7P4
2
Indigenous Environmental Studies Program, Trent
University, Peterborough, Ont., K9J 7B8
3
Division of Environment, Nunatsiavut Government,
Nain, Nunatsiavut, N.L., A0P 1L0
1
Sea ice is an important component of the
environment for Inuit health and well-being. It is
important for accessing food and as a central component
of livelihoods, for travel between communities, and as a
key part of Inuit knowledge, culture, and identity. Social,
economic, environmental and cultural factors are changing
how Inuit interact with sea ice in the Canadian Arctic
and therefore have potential implications for community
health. This study, being conducted in cooperation with
the Nunatsiavut Government, is exploring the relationship
between travel on sea ice and community health and safety
in the community of Nain, Nunatsiavut. It is employing
a sequential exploratory transformative strategy of mixed
methods that draws on a variety of data sources and
forms, and is being conducted as an instrumental case
study. A critical population health approach is being used
to understand the social determinants of health and their
drivers, and health and healthcare geography approaches are
being drawn upon to explore the nexus between place and
health in relation to ice and Inuit. Focus groups, document
review, semi-directed interviews and participant observation
are being employed.
Two gendered focus groups with Inuit and
Kablunângajuit expert users of sea ice in Nain were
conducted in July, 2010 to explore the context of how
residents view their use of the sea ice environment for
travel and hunting in relation to their health. Nain Ground
Search and Rescue (NGSAR) records spanning eleven years
were collected for document review and will be crossreferenced with Military/Coast Guard SAR statistics to shed
light on the characteristics influencing searches over time.
The results from this first phase of field work informed
the second phase in November, 2010, which included
conducting a meeting with NGSAR members to fill data
gaps in SAR case files, and 22 semi-structured interviews
with residents of Nain that use sea ice for travelling or
hunting. These interviews were conducted to gain an indepth understanding of individual perspectives on how
people perceive and manage risks on sea ice, and the ways
in which traveling on sea ice affects people’s health. Key
participant interviews with NGSAR members and the Nain
RCMP staff were conducted during both field work phases
to explore the role of local institutions and social supports
in mitigating potential negative health impacts from sea ice
travel.
The results from this study are expected to improve
the understanding of key ways in which sea ice use affects
individual and community health in Nain, Nunatsiavut.
Further, investigating the ways that communities act to
mitigate negative health impacts stemming from sea ice use,
such as through volunteer-based local search and rescue
committees, is valuable in creating a more comprehensive
understanding of how community agency and resilience are
shaping the human health-and-ice relationship. These results
can inform local search and rescue and health promotion
practices and policies in Nain and other Nunatsiavut or
Inuit communities.
SPECIES COMPOSITION, VERTICAL
DISTRIBUTION AND BIOMASS OF
MESOZOOPLANKTON IN FOUR LABRADOR
FJORDS, EASTERN CANADA
Estrada, Esteban1 (esteban.estrada@rmc.ca), T. M. Brown1,
, G. Darnis3 and K. Reimer1
2
Environmental Sciences Group, Royal Military College of
Canada, Kingston, ON, K7K 7B4
2
Institute of Ocean Sciences, Fisheries and Oceans Canada,
Victoria, BC, V8L 4B2
3
Québec-Océan, Dépertement de Biologie, Université Laval,
Québec,QC, G1K 7P4
1
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ASM2010 Conference Programme and Abstracts
This study is part of the Nunatsiavut Nuluak
multidisciplinary project: “Understanding and responding
to the effects of climate change and modernization in
a northern environment”. The main objective of this
multi year study (2006-2009) is to investigate zooplankton
communities in four arctic fjords from the Labrador
Peninsula: Nachvak, Saglek, Okak and Anaktalak.
Zooplankton is a key component of pelagic environments
and acts as a trophic link between primary producers and
secondary consumers. The zooplankton community data
obtained in the fjords will provide a baseline for future
studies on the food web dynamics of these areas.
Preliminary results show that dominant taxa
in the four arctic fjords include the calanoid copepod
Pseudocalanus sp. and the cyclopoid copepod
Oithona similis accounting for up to 70% of the total
mesozooplankton in the water column. Other important
species in the fjords were the larger, lipid rich calanoid
copepods such as Calanus hyperboreus, C. glacialis, Metridia
longa, Acartia longiremis and the chaetognath Parasagitta elegans.
Mesozooplankton integrated biomass varied
considerably between sites, being the northern fjords
generally the most productive and copepods the highest
contributors to the total biomass. This variation was
reinforced by multidimensional scaling analysis that revealed
seasonal and latitudinal differences between the fjords.
A SET OF DEVICES TO ACQUIRE VERTICAL
PROFILES OF SNOW SPECIFIC SURFACE AREA
Fily, Michel1 (fily@lgge.obs.ujf-grenoble.fr), L. Arnaud1,
C. Carmagnola1,2, N. Champollion1, P. Cliche3, F. Domine1,
F. Dupont1, J. C. Gallet1, A. Langlois3 , B. Montpetit3, S.
Morin2, G. Picard1, A. Roy3 and A. Royer3
LGGE, UJF Grenoble – CNRS, 54 rue Molière, 38400 St
Martin d’Hères, France
2
CEN, CNRM/GAME, Météo-France – CNRS, 1441 rue
de la Piscine, 38400 St Martin d’Hères, France
3
CARTEL, Univeristé de Sherbrooke – Sherbrooke
(Québec) J1K 2R1, Canada
1
The Specific Surface Area (SSA) is an important
variable characterizing the complex micro-structure of
snow. Its application range is wide and covers the physical
evolution of snow (metamorphism), photochemistry
and optical and microwave remote sensing radiative
transfer. Many new devices based on NIR (Near InfraRed)
reflectance were recently developed at Grenoble, France
(LGGE and CEN) and at Sherbrooke, Québec (CARTEL)
to provide SSA profiles in different snow cover conditions.
The instrument called POSSSUM (Profile Of Snow
Specific Surface area) measures reflectance at 1310 nm along
the face of a drilled hole with a high vertical resolution (~
1cm) down to 20 m depth. A laser diode illuminates the
snow at nadir incidence angle and the reflected radiance
is measured at 3 zenithal angles (20°, 40° and 60°) for 2
azimuthal angles (0 and 180°). After calibration and distance
correction, we obtain the bidirectional reflectance at 6
different angles that we convert to hemispherical reflectance
i.e. albedo. The SSA is calculated from the latter using a
theoretical relationship between SSA and albedo.
ASSSAP (Alpine Snow SSA Profiler) is based
on the same principles as POSSSUM but is dedicated to
shallow snowpits found in the Alps and in the Arctic. It is
lighter and easier to use than POSSSUM.
The DUFISSS (DUal Frequency Integrating Sphere
for Snow SSA measurements) system measures the NIR
reflectance in an integrating sphere at 1310 and 1550 nm.
The integration sphere has an 15 cm inner diameter. The
snow sample is placed in a black sample holder and the
opening in the sphere toward the snow sample is 38 mm
wide. The snow is illuminated directly by the collimated
beam of the laser diode. Snow samples are obtained from
shallow pits and then the sampling rate depends only on
the experimental plan. This system is particularly adapted to
surface snow layers.
The IRIS (Infrared Reflectance Integrating Sphere)
system also uses an integrating sphere and snow samples.
It operates at 1300 nm with an inner diameter of 8 cm.
The snow samples are placed in a box under the integrating
sphere and reflectance is measured using a 1 cm beam
expander. The system is well correlated with DUFISSS and
allows the retrieval of accurate SSA measurements.
All those systems have already been used in-situ for
different types of snow cover. POSSSUM has been tested
in the Alps and used in Antarctica at Dome C. DUFISS has
been used in the Alps, in the Arctic (grounded snow and
snow over sea ice) as well as in Antarctica between Dumont
d’Urville and Dome C. ASSSAP is under development and
will be used next seasons in Antarctica as well as in Arctic.
IRIS has been used in the Arctic and Subarctic regions in
boreal, taiga and tundra environments.
The objective of the poster is to briefly describe the
different devices and show some results on very different
snow types.
MODELING BENTHIC MACROFAUNA
BIODIVERSITY ALONG THE LATITUDINAL
GRADIENT OF EASTERN CANADA USING
ENVIRONMENTAL DRIVERS
Fontaine, Anne (anne.fontaine@uqar.qc.ca), P. Archambault
and M. Lévesque
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ASM2010 Conference Programme and Abstracts
Institut des Sciences de la Mer/ Université du Québec à
Rimouski, Rimouski, Québec, G5L 3A1
Many studies demonstrated the close relationships
between the distribution and abundance of benthic
macrofauna and the environmental conditions. Thus, in
the estuary and northern Gulf of St. Lawrence, an recent
study used geostatistics and mapping tools to understand
and predict benthic macrofauna biodiversity in relation
with salinity, depth, oxygen, temperature and chlorophyll
a concentration, many drivers that are affected by climate
change.
The knowledge of benthic macrofauna biodiversity
in the Arctic ocean has improved a lot with the recent
ArcticNet expeditions and historical data. With those data,
it is now interesting to test the applicability and validity of
the previous model on a large latitudinal gradient, from the
Gulf of St. Lawrence to Lancaster sound in the Arctic.
Our objectives are (1) to update the previous model in the
estuary and the Gulf of St Lawrence with recent data (20072008-2009); (2) to verify if the same type of model could
explain the distribution patterns of benthic macrofauna in
the Gulf of St. Lawrence, along the Labrador coast and
in the eastern Arctic; (3) to provide a predictive map of
benthic biodiversity across the study area and; (4) to evaluate
the influence of the strong climate change in the Arctic on
the southern marine ecosystem.
The applications of such work are numerous,
particularly in the context of ecosystem management (e.g. to
minimize the impacts of fisheries on benthic biodiversity, to
design marine protected areas ...) and for the evaluation of
the impacts of climate change.
either in Canada generally or the Arctic in particular. In this
paper we systematically quantify and characterize federal
funding of research to understand, avoid, prepare for, and
respond to the health effects of climate change. Specifically,
we compare trends in Canada with research support directed
towards Arctic populations. Across Canada we document
an increase in research funding over the last decade but it
is inadequate given the risks posed. While Arctic research
– specifically focusing on Inuit populations – has been wellfunded, particularly when compared to other regions, there
has been negligible focus on vulnerable sub-populations
(e.g. elderly, children) and volatility in funding allocated. This
is consistent with funding trends in general. The focus on
adaptation is a unique aspect of Arctic supported health
research, with funding primarily from Health Canada,
INAC, and ArcticNet, and a significant increase in funding
and number of projects supported in recent years. The
total investment in climate change and health research in
Canada between 1999 and 2009 is only a fraction of other
federal expenditures, however. Overall we give the federal
response a ‘report card’ grade of C+: improving but much
yet to be done. A federal strategy to guide research support
is overdue, with Arctic specific initiatives offering important
insights herein.
GROWTH AND SURVIVAL OF PEREGRINE
FALCONS NESTLINGS (FALCO PEREGRINUS) IN
NUNAVUT
Anctil, Alexandre1, A. Franke2, P. Alogut3 and J. Bêty1
Département de biologie, Université du Québec à
Rimouski, Rimouski, Quebec G5L 3A1
2
Canadian Circumpolar Institute, University of Alberta,
Edmonton, Alberta, T6G 2H8
3
P.O. Box 817, Rankin Inlet, Nunavut, X0C 0G0
1
IS FEDERAL SUPPORT FOR CLIMATE CHANGE
AND HEALTH RESEARCH CONSISTENT
WITH THE RISKS POSED? HOW THE ARCTIC
COMPARES TO CANADA GENERALLY
Ford, James D. (james.ford@mcgill.ca), T. R. Smith and L.
Berrang-Ford
Department of Geography, McGill University, 805
Sherbrooke St. W., Montreal, Quebec, Canada H3A 2K6
The Canadian federal government has a
constitutional responsibility to provide information and
resources on prevention, preparedness and management
of health risks. Climate change is already affecting health
systems across Canada and federal programs have funded
a number of initiatives to examine the risks. It remains
unclear, however, the extent to which the federal response is
consistent with the threat posed by climate change to health
One of the many challenges that climate change
researchers are facing is predicting how animal populations
may respond to changes in environmental conditions.
Changes in climatic patterns may affect populations directly
(e.g., influencing thermoregulation of individuals) or
indirectly (e.g., influencing food availability). We investigated
how those two types of effects affected the growth and
survival of young peregrine falcons (Falco peregrinus) nesting
in the Arctic.
We monitored a long-term studied population nesting
around Rankin Inlet, Nunavut (62°N, 92°W) and used a
combination of nest boxes, automatic scouting cameras
and portable weather stations to perform our experiment.
During summer 2009-2010, we systematically followed
34 nests and we deployed nest box on 12 of them, hence
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ASM2010 Conference Programme and Abstracts
protecting the chicks from the rain and the wind.
We followed chick survival and growing rate by
weighting them on a weekly basis and compared data
collected on rain-proof sites with unprotected ones.
Cameras were also set close to the nests, allowing us to
determine changes in food delivery from the parents during
storms.
Our results shows that the chicks growing in a
nest covered with a nest box survived better and tend
to grow faster than the chicks not covered by a nest
box. The cameras showed that food delivery diminishes
(sometimes by half) during extended periods of rain. These
results indicate that both the direct and indirect effects of
meteorological conditions can strongly affect the conditions
of the young peregrine falcons.
Considering that precipitations in the summer tend to
increase in the Arctic, the understanding of how these
changes will affect the animal populations living there
becomes more and more important.
CHARACTERIZATION, IMPACT AND
ADAPTATION ASSESSMENT OF AN
ANOMALOUS ICE YEAR IN NAIN,
NUNATSIAVUT
Furgal, Chris1 (chrisfurgal@trentu.ca), T. Sheldon2 (tom_
sheldon@nunatsiavut.com), R. Laing1, D. Kouril1, M.
Robinson1, S. Karpik2 and S. Webb2
Indigenous Environmental Studies Program, Trent
University, Peterborough, Ontario
2
Environment Division, Department of Lands and Natural
Resources, Nunatsiavut Government, Nain, NL
understanding impacts and adaptations at the community
and household scales. Preliminary results indicate that sea
ice was substantially thinner, there was a large amount
of rain in the winter and that fog was present most days.
Residents took greater risks to use the sea ice and many
were unable to conduct usual activities in specific periods
of time during the winter including hunting, fishing and
traveling on the sea ice. Freezing rain caused the collapse
of a key communication tower and created dangerous
conditions for travel in town.
With projected increases in climate and weather
variability in many climate models gaining a better
understanding of the key conditions and effects of these
anomalous years are important as they will help decision
makers and populations prepare for and adapt to similar
conditions in the future if and when they appear.
UNDERSTANDING THE SCIENCE-POLICY
INTERFACE FOR ENHANCED ARCTIC
CLIMATE IMPACTS AND ADAPTATION
DECISION-MAKING
Furgal, Chris1 (chrisfurgal@trentu.ca), D. Hik2, S. Meakin3, S.
Nickels4, M. Buckham1, H. Horn2 and C. Bott1
Trent University, Peterborough, ON, Canada;
University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada;
3
Inuit Circumpolar Council, Ottawa, ON, Canada;
4
Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, Ottawa, ON, Canada
1
2
1
Climate change is causing widespread changes in
Inuit communities throughout the Arctic. Reduction in sea
ice thickness and changes in weather patterns is having a
direct effect on the way people use the sea ice for travel
and hunting. This project, funded by Indian and Northern
Affairs Canada, investigates the impacts of an unusually
warm winter on the community of Nain, Nunatsiavut. Key
conditions that impacted the community and how people
responded have been identified through seven focus groups
that spanned business owners to frequent land users. These
focus groups are being used to develop a population-based
survey for the community of Nain to better understand
the conditions, impacts and how people have adapted to
the past winter. This data is being used concurrently with
weather data (Environment Canada), large-scale sea ice data
(Canadian Ice Service) and data from a local community
based sea ice monitoring program (Sikumiut Environmental
Management Inc.) in a mixed methods approach to
Ecological change, economic strain, cultural
transformation and socio-political factors are currently
key sources of stress on Arctic Indigenous peoples. It is
argued that the best available information, including both
science and Traditional Knowledge (TK), must be used
in generating policies and making decisions about such
critical issues as climate change impacts and adaptation in
the circumpolar north to ensure that these decisions are
best suited for these regions and residents. This project,
funded under an integrated network research program in
Canada, ArcticNet, aims to investigate the Arctic policy and
decision making landscape to determine how Arctic science
currently contributes, or may best contribute in the future
to informing policies and actions on climate change impacts
and adaptation. The project is taking a case study approach
using: 1. literature and document review to identify key
policy and science information linkages and gaps; 2. key
informant interviews to identify and understand the critical
steps in the knowledge translation process; 3. qualitative and
quantitative discourse analysis to understand the relationship
between existing science and TK products and decisions
/ policies; and 4. expert panels and roundtables to explore
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ASM2010 Conference Programme and Abstracts
and make recommendations on methods for enhanced
science and TK uptake in policy processes of relevance to
the ArcticNet research program and Arctic science to policy
initiatives in general. This research will contribute to our
present knowledge on how to improve the use, translation
and transfer of scientific research results and TK into
sound policy. The conclusions from this project will support
decision makers in addressing the most effective ways to
use and translate research results on urgent issues such
as climate change into “action” or decisions at the local,
region, national and international levels.
INUIT KNOWLEDGE AND GEOSPATIAL
ONTOLOGY: INUIT CLASSIFICATIONS OF
LANDS AND RESOURCES IN NUNATSIAVUT
Furgal, Chris1 (chrisfurgal@trentu.ca), T. Sheldon2, P.
Pulsifer3,4, R. Devillers5, J. Wilkes1, M. Denniston2 and S.
Nickels3
Trent University, Peterborough, Ontario K9J 7B8
Environment Division, Department of Lands and
Resources, Nunatsiavut Government, Nain Nunatsiavut
A0P 1L0
3
Inuit Inuit Qaujisarvingat/ Inuit Knowledge Centre,
Ottawa, Ontario K1P 5E7
4
National Snow and Ice Data Centre, Cooperative Institute
for Research in Environmental Sciences, University of
Colorado at Boulder, CO
5
Department of Geography, Memorial University, St. John’s
Newfoundland and Labrador A1B 3X9
1
can be empowering and create useful tools to illustrate and
communicate Indigenous Knowledge (IK) and concepts
of the environments which local people understand
exceptionally well. Efforts of this nature have the potential
to create tools with which to make local decisions about
the environment and its resources which better reflect
local understandings and cultures. Using literature review,
expert interviews, and participatory mapping, this project
is conducting a geospatial ontology exercise with expert
knowledge holders in the Nunatsiavut Settlement Area.
The long term goal is the development of a geospatial
ontology application and interface (newly conceptualized
land classification system with GIS representation) that
complements existing GIS for use in land use planning,
environment and development decision making as well
as Nunatsiavut Inuit Knowledge representation and
transmission to a variety of different audiences. This project
is a partnership between University based researchers
and the Nunatsiavut Government (NG). The results are
expected to provide evidence for a different and potentially
more culturally specific way of viewing and making
decisions about land and landscape in Inuit regions.
2
In a context of changing Arctic natural, social,
political and economic environments, there is an urgent
need to document and share the extensive and valuable
knowledge held by Elders and other experts with local
decision makers (making decisions to protect and dictate
wise use of land and sea resources today), younger
generations (those having to make such decisions and
live in relationship with this environment into the future)
as well as with members of the scientific community
trying better to understand pressures on these systems.
Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and other spatial
data organization and representation technologies have
been used for a variety of applications for, with, and by
Indigenous groups in recent decades (e.g. land use planning,
natural resource management, land claims negotiations,
documentation and transmission of Traditional Knowledge
to younger generations). Through processes such as
Participatory GIS (PGIS) and geospatial ontology research
methods of capturing and representing Indigenous
conceptualizations of spatial phenomenon, such initiatives
SEA-SURFACE TEMPERATURE IN HUDSON BAY
AND HUDSON STRAIT IN RELATION TO AIR
TEMPERATURE AND ICE COVER BREAKUP,
1985-2009
Galbraith, Peter S. and P. Larouche
Ocean and Environmental Science Branch, Maurice
Lamontagne Institute, Department of Fisheries and Oceans
Canada
Sea-surface weekly average temperatures derived
from NOAA remote sensing are analysed for the period
1985-2009 for Hudson Bay and Hudson Strait, and
compared to weekly ice cover data obtained from the
Canadian Ice Service for the period 1971-2009 as well as
monthly average air temperature at four stations around
Hudson Bay. Results show a decreasing trend in the breakup
date of the sea-ice in Hudson Strait season of 5.6 days per
decade since 1971 as well as an interannual variability of 5
C in the Hudson Bay average SST for the warmest week of
the year. There is good correlation (e.g. R2 = 0.78--0.79)
between average SST in August, average air temperature at
four meteorological weather stations from June to August,
and percentage of open water in Hudson Bay from June
to August. A climatology for SST of the warmest week of
the year is presented, and the variability of different regions
within Hudson bay is discussed. One area in southwestern
Hudson Bay is shown to exhibited the highest interannual
variability, having nearly the warmest surface waters in
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ASM2010 Conference Programme and Abstracts
some waters and nearly the coldest in others. The historical
observed variability of SST and ice cover is compared to
expected changes in the literature that are associated with
climate change.
INFLUENCE OF A RAPID SHIFT IN UV AND
PAR RADIATION ON THE PRODUCTION OF
DIMETHYLSULFONIOPROPIONATE (DMSP)
AND DIMETHYLSULFOXIDE (DMSO) BY ICE
ALGAE AND PHYTOPLANKTON DURING THE
SPRING ICE MELT PERIOD IN THE ARCTIC
Galindo, Virginie1 (virginie.galindo.1@ulaval.ca), M.
Levasseur1, M. Scarratt2, C. J. Mundy3, M. Gosselin3, T.
Papakyriakou4, Y. Gratton5, M. Lizotte1, G. Carnat4 and S.
Michaud2
Département de biologie & Québec-Océan, Université
Laval, Québec, Québec, G1V 0A6
2
Institut Maurice-Lamontagne, Ministère des Pêches et des
Océans, C.P. 1000, Mont Joli, Québec, G5H 3Z4
3
Institut des Sciences de la Mer (ISMER), Université du
Québec à Rimouski, Rimouski, Québec, G5L 3A1
4
Department of Environment and Geography, University
of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, R3T 2N2
5
Institut National de Recherche Scientifique, Centre Eau,
Terre et Environnement, Québec, Québec, G1K 9A9
vernal ice bloom and the beginning of the phytoplankton
growth season. Preliminary results from the incubation
experiments show a drastic decrease in chlorophyll a
concentrations after 2 hours in the high-light treatments,
suggesting a bleaching of ice algae and/or phytoplankton.
The stimulation of DMSP and DMSO production due to
the abrupt increased irradiance experienced by ice algae
and phytoplankton cells during the ice melt period will be
discussed.
CHILD GROWTH AND ASSOCIATED DIETARY
PATTERNS IN CANADIAN INUIT: RESULTS
FROM THE NUNAVUT INUIT CHILD HEALTH
SURVEY
Galloway, T.¹, T. K. Young¹, G. M. Egeland² and Nunavut
Inuit Health Survey Steering Committee
1
Dimethylsulfide (DMS) is particularly important
in climate regulation owing to its role in cloud formation.
This climate-active gas represents 95% of biogenic marine
sulphur emissions to the atmosphere. In polar regions, DMS
and its precursor dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP) are
produced by both planktonic and ice microalgae. In this
environment, maximum levels of DMS are consistently
measured in the marginal ice zone. DMS peaks could result
from the direct release of DMSP and DMS following
physiological adjustments of the phytoplankton and ice
algae to changes in light regime ensuing from ice breakup,
however this remains to be determined. In support of
this hypothesis, it has been recently suggested that DMSP,
dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) and DMS participate in an antioxidant cascade which reduces photo-damage in stressed
microalgae. In this study, the variations in DMSP and
DMSO were monitored along with the composition of the
autotrophic assemblages at the bottom of the ice and in
the water at Resolute Bay (74° 708 N; 95° 250 W) between
May 1st and June 21st, 2010. In addition, a series of in situ
incubations were performed during which water, collected
under the ice, was exposed to the incident light for a period
of 6 h and the changes in chlorophyll a, DMSP and DMSO
were quantified. The survey period captured the end of the
¹ Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of
Toronto, Toronto ON Canada
² Centre for Indigenous People’s Nutrition and
Environment, McGill University, Montreal QC Canada
Introduction: There is little recent anthropometric
data on the growth of preschool-age Inuit children. As part
of the International Polar Year’s efforts to gather data on
the health of circumpolar populations, the 2007-8 Inuit
Health Survey undertook health assessment in preschool
children living across a broad region of the Canadian
Arctic. The present study reports findings from the dietary
assessment portion of the Inuit Child Health Survey,
conducted in Nunavut Territory, Canada.
Methods: Height and weight measures for 376
children ages 3-5 years were compared with the 2000
CDC growth reference. A subset of 269 of these children,
and their caregivers, participated in a food frequency
interview and 24-hour recall. The data set was analyzed for
associations between BMI and dietary patterns known to
contribute to childhood obesity such as intake of sweetened
beverages, soft drinks, and high-calorie processed foods.
Consumption of traditional foods such as fish, seal, caribou,
birds and berries was also measured against overweight
status.
Results: For all age groups, stature tracks the CDC
reference, confirming that the previously reported secular
trend in height has continued in this population. Overweight
(BMIC>95) prevalence (50.8%) is higher than previously
reported in Canadian children and may be occurring at
an earlier age. No clear associations emerged between
dietary patterns and child growth outcomes, excepting the
pervasiveness of food insecurity in this population.
Discussion: The pattern of emerging obesity in
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ASM2010 Conference Programme and Abstracts
preschool-age Inuit children poses a significant public health
concern in Nunavut Territory, Canada. Qualitative followup with Nunavut Elders suggests the impact of changing
lifestyles on child growth stems as much from altered
physical activity patterns as in the quality of diet consumed
by Nunavut children. We recommend that future public
health interventions target food security as an immediate
priority and include families with very young children in
their nutrition and physical activity programs.
THREE YEARS OF COMMUNITY-BASED
MONITORING OF BERRY PRODUCTIVITY
ACROSS THE CANADIAN ARCTIC: RESULTS,
CONSTRAINTS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Gérin-Lajoie, José1 (jose.gerin-lajoie@uqtr.ca), E. Lévesque1,
L. Siegwart Collier2, L. Hermanutz2, J. Jacobs3, C. Spiech1, C.
Lavallée1, G. Henry4 and A. Cuerrier5
Département de Chimie-Biologie, Université du Québec
à Trois-Rivières, Trois-Rivières, Québec, G9A 5H7 and
Centre d’études nordiques Université Laval, Québec,
Québec, G1V 0A6
2
Memorial University of Newfoundland, Department of
Biology, St. Johns, Newfoundland and Labrador, A1C 5S7
3
Memorial University of Newfoundland, Department of
Geography, St. Johns, Newfoundland and Labrador, A1C
5S7
4
University of British Columbia, Department of
Geography, Vancouver, British Columbia, V6T 1Z2
5
Jardin botanique de Montréal, Institut de recherche en
biologie végétale, Montréal, Québec, H1X 2B2
1
Rapid changes are being observed in the Arctic
due to climate warming. The study and monitoring of these
changes are essential to better predict impacts of change.
Vegetation is a good integrator of the multiple stress factors
and can relatively easily be monitored to improve our
understanding of the fragile arctic environments. To study
trends in vegetation change, long-term data are needed
across a range of study sites to provide a broad picture of
the Canadian Arctic. Considering the costs, logistics and
time needed to follow many sites, we have been working in
collaboration with High School teachers, research stations
personal and community members. We focused on: 1) berry
productivity due to their importance in Inuit culture and
health; 2) impacts of ecological factors such as snow depth
and plant phenology. The nine communities involved are:
1 in Nunatsiavut (Nain), 3 in Nunavik (Kangiqsualujjuaq,
Kangiqsujuaq and Umiujaq) and 5 in Nunavut (Iqaluit,
Pangnirtung, Pond Inlet, Baker Lake and Kugluktuk). In
addition, three field research sites have also participated in
this project: Bylot Island in Nunavut, Daring Lake in NWT,
as well as Saglek Fjord in Nunatsiavut for a total of 12 study
sites, with latitudes ranging from 56° N to 73,1° N, and
longitudes from 117,3° W to 61,4° W.
Three species were most frequently collected:
blueberry (Vaccinium uliginosum), redberry (Vaccinium
vitis-idaea) and blackberry (Empetrum nigrum). Permanent
plots (approx. 20m X 20m) were established in areas easily
accessible for community members. Berries were collected
inside these plots, using a simple protocol developed
through IPY project CiCAT and ArcticNet initiatives.
Climate influences greatly the inter-annual
variability of fruit production. Consequently, data from the
local meteorological stations were compiled and used for
the calculation of GDD (Growing degree-days) and TDD
(Thawing degree-days >0°C) as well as annual precipitations.
Plant cover (%) was visually estimated for each berry
species, and also for other plant species as well as for lichens
and mosses.
Results show important intra and inter site
variations as well as inter-annual variation. To better
understand this variability and the major factors influencing
it, long-term data will be highly valuable. In addition to
this unique dataset, the collaboration with community
partners enriches our understanding of these ecosystems
and contributes to capacity building. However, maintaining
this widely distributed web of collaborators is not a simple
task. We have collected data over 3 consecutive years in only
one site (Pond Inlet), but for most of them, we have only
partial datasets (2 years) due to several constraints including:
late enrolment, bad weather conditions limiting access to
some sites, high travel costs limiting direct interactions with
our partners; high turnover of teachers, teacher’s workload
and school agenda vs. timing of species maturation. This
emphasizes the difficulties of maintaining a long-term
program that minimizes missing data. Among others,
we recommend the integration of monitoring protocols
in structured scientific activities that would be part of a
Science curriculum. Without the involvement of northern
authorities, it will be rather difficult, if not impossible, to
sustain such a monitoring program.
QUANTIFYING THE IMPACTS OF ARCTIC
WARMING AND PERMAFROST DEGRADATION
ON THE ORGANIC CARBON (OC) BUDGET OF
THE HUDSON BAY USING RIVER AND OCEAN
SEDIMENT DOC AND LIGNIN BIOMARKERS
Godin, Pamela1,2 (Pamela.Godin@dfo-mpo.gc.ca), G.
Stern1,2, R. Macdonald1,3, J. DeLaronde2, J. Bailey1,2 and A.
MacHutchon2 (Allison.MacHutchon@dfo-mpo.gc.ca)
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ASM2010 Conference Programme and Abstracts
Centre for Earth Observation Science, Department of
Environment and Geography, University of Manitoba,
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada R3T 2N2
2
Freshwater Institute, Fisheries & Oceans Canada, 501
University Crescent, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada R3T 2N6
3
Institute of Ocean Sciences, Fisheries & Oceans Canada,
9860 West Saanich Road, P.O. Box 6000, Sidney, British
Columbia, Canada V8L 4B2
SEVERE PERMAFROST DEGRADATION DUE TO
MAJOR FLUVIAL THERMOEROSION EVENT
With increased warming in the Arctic, there is the
potential for vast amounts of soil organic carbon (SOC)
to enter the system and ultimately change the input of
terrigenous and petrogenic carbon entering coastal seas. By
understanding changes occurring within the carbon cycle
we can begin to assess the potential feedbacks that may arise
as global temperatures increase. The Hudson Bay region,
located mostly below the Arctic Circle, is important to
monitor due to its temperature gradients which influence
vegetation, freeze/thaw cycles and ultimately the hydrology
and inputs of carbon into the Hudson Bay carbon cycle.
Permafrost degradation is therefore an important process
that will affect terrigenous sources to the Bay. Thus, we are
collecting samples and data to quantify the effect of arctic
warming on riverine inputs, hydrology and the organic
carbon (OC) budget of Hudson Bay.
Samples were collected during the CCGS
Amundsen Expedition, which departed from Quebec
City on July 2nd of this year. During a four-week period,
freshwater samples were collected from 15 major rivers of
the Hudson Bay and a permafrost core and soil samples
were extracted at a nearby location by helicopter. Water
samples were collected for salinity, O18 and trace metals
and a submersible pump with attached filter plate was
used to filter 20 litres through a GF/F filter to collect
the particulates and dissolved organic carbon (DOC).
Permafrost coring sites were located from the helicopter by
identifying thermokarst features such as pingos, frost heaves
and specific vegetation to optimize success rate for locating
permafrost prior to landing. A permafrost corer was used
to extract a core and soil samples were also collected along
with a profile and site assessment at each site.
SOC and particulate organic carbon (POC) stored
in permafrost have the potential of being very old and their
contribution to Hudson Bay organic matter is therefore
traceable through radiocarbon measurements. These
samples were collected to characterize potential sources
of carbon according to their δ13C and 14C signatures
in biomarkers such as kerogen and lignin phenols. The
data will not only identify the apparent 14C ages of OC
entering the Hudson Bay carbon cycle but will also create
baseline signatures which will be helpful in determining
future permafrost inputs into the OC budget. Presently, the
analytical process has just begun and samples have been sent
away for isotopic analysis.
In June 2008, the community of Pangnirtung was
seriously impacted by an extreme peak discharge of the
Duval River following an intense rainy storm event. In a
matter of several hours, the bouldery main channel was
overdeepened by nearly 10 m while thermal and mechanical
erosion acted simultaneously for undercutting permafrost
river banks, expanding thermo-erosional niches up to 30 m.
Eventually, the weight of the undercutted banks exceeded
the resistive strength of the permafrost and major collapses
occurred. The two bridges were permanently impaired
which resulted in a limited access to some vital services such
as drinkable water distribution and sewage transport. The
Hamlet had to declare a state of local emergency.
This event shows how climate change and more
specifically, extreme climatic events can trigger landscapes
hazards, raising safety concerns and infrastructures issues
in northern communities. In pursuance of developing a
more resilient community, this study in three steps will
focus on understanding the process of thermal erosion
and on assessing the potential risk of reoccurrence of
high magnitude fluvial events in Pangnirtung. First of
all, in order to understand the past long-term hydrologic
variability, radiocarbon dating of organic material found
in fossil alluvial sequences will allow determining if a
flood frequency trends exists. Then, with the objective of
understanding the role of the main parameters involved
during thermal erosion, mathematical equations develop
by Randriamazoaro et al (2007) and Fortier et al (2007)
will be used. The main parameters, i.e. discharge, water
temperature, ice content and ground temperature, were
measured during field work done in 2009 and 2010.
Moreover, a simple numerical simulation made with TempW
should enhance the representativeness of the mathematical
approach. Finally, a potentiel frequency of reoccurrence of
extreme peak discharge likely to cause destructive thermoerosion events in the future will be determined using climate
simulations at high resolution extracted from the Canadian
Regional Climate Model (CRCM).
1
Gosselin, Pascale (pascale.gosselin.1@ulaval.ca) and M.
Allard
Department of Geography and Centre d’Études Nordiques,
Université Laval, Québec, Canada
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ASM2010 Conference Programme and Abstracts
GEOMORPHOLOGICAL AND GEOTECHNICAL
MAPPING OF PERMAFROST CONDITIONS
FOR NUNAVIK COMMUNITIES; A PRO-ACTIVE
INITIATIVE TO SUPPORT VILLAGE EXPANSION
AND ADAPTATION TO CLIMATE CHANGE
Fortier, D.1,3, M. Allard2,3, C. Lemieux1,3, E. L’Hérault2,3,
Grandmont, Katerine1,3(kategrandmont@gmail.com), K.
Larrivée1,3, J. Cardille1, M. Paquette1, M. Sliger1 et J. Doyon2,3
Département de géographie, Université de Montréal,
Québec, Québec, H2V 2B8
2
Département de géographie, Université Laval, Québec,
Québec, G1V 0A6
3
Centre d’études nordiques, Université Laval, Québec,
Québec, G1V 0A6
1
Permafrost warming and thawing is already a reality
in Nunavik (Allard et al., 2006; 2007; 2009; Calmels et al.,
2008; Smith et al., 2010) and elsewhere in the circumpolar
north. Climate models suggest that this warming trend
will prevail in the future and that the rate of change
will be faster in the Arctic (Sushama et al., 2007; IPCC,
2007). Consequently, northern communities must adopt
specific adaptation techniques and strategies to deal with
a warming permafrost to expand their current residential,
municipal, and transportation infrastructures. Due to the
rapid demographic growth in Nunavik and because of the
current housing crisis, needs for constructions are high and
the governments will have to invest hundreds of millions
of dollars in construction projects in the near future.
This project will allow updating the existing permafrost/
surficial geology maps of four Nunavik communities
(Akulivik, Puvirnituq, Kangirsuk and Tasiujaq) built on
thaw-susceptible permafrost. Natural hazards and potential
permafrost degradation related to climate change will be
evaluated for projected land-use (e.g. housing, sewage)
and foundation types (e.g. concrete slabs, piles). This will
be achieved using regional climate scenarios from the
Ouranos Consortium together with a geodatabase of
terrain conditions (surficial geology, permafrost landforms,
geotechnical properties of permafrost, geomorphological
processes). The suitability of the projected land-use will
be evaluated in light of the potential response of the
terrain to climate warming until 2050. The end-product of
this research project will consist in risk-assessment maps
that will serve as guidelines to village development. The
methodology and results of this research project will find
immediate applications for northern development planning,
will contribute to capacity building of local communities
and regional decision-makers, and will promote sound
expansion of Nunavik villages with respect to the local
specificities of the permafrost environment.
BENTHIC DIVERSITY AND ABUNDANCE OF
THE POKAK EXPLORATION LICENSE AREA,
BEAUFORT SEA, CANADA
Lévesque, Mélanie (levesque.melanie@yahoo.ca), Grant,
Cindy (cindygrant13@hotmail.com) and P. Archambault
Institut des Sciences de la mer, Université du Québec à
Rimouski, Rimouski, Québec, G5L 3A1
In August 2010, 18 stations were sampled during
an ArcticNet expedition of the CCGS Amundsen in
the Beaufort Sea, Canada. One of the objectives was
to integrate available information to provide a current
description of the regional structure, composition, and
distribution of the benthic organisms in the marine
environment of the Pokak concession. Two different
methods were used to sample a wide range of organisms. A
box core sampled infauna while an Agassiz trawl was used
to collect epibenthic organisms. Subsequent taxonomic
analyses were performed at the laboratory. Samples collected
in the Ajurak concession in 2009 (18 stations), were used
for comparison with this year’s adjacent Pokak concession.
Clustering analysis and univariate methods were used to
explore the structure and diversity of the benthic fauna
assemblages. Results of this study will help to develop the
overall portrait of the benthic communities, and will be
a benchmark against which to evaluate species richness,
community assemblage and abundance in the Pokak
concession.
MALE QUALITY IN AN ARCTIC PASSERINE:
DOES INDIVIDUAL QUALITY DRIVE FITNESS
IN SNOW BUNTINGS (PLECTROPHENAX
NIVALIS)?
Guindre-Parker, Sarah1 (guindre@uwindsor.ca), H.G.
Gilchrist2, S.M. Doucet1, T.E. Pitcher1 and O.P. Love1
Department of Biological Sciences, University of Windsor,
Windsor, Ontario, N9B 3P4
2
National Wildlife Research Centre, Environment Canada,
Ottawa, Ontario, K1S 5B6
1
Theory predicts that an individual’s quality and
fitness are closely linked; high-quality individuals are
expected to have high fitness. However, considerable
intra-specific variation in quality-related traits indicates
the presence of significant quality-mediated trade-offs.
Maintaining a high-quality phenotype therefore appears to
be costly. While examining trade-offs in quality-mediated
traits is difficult - particularly in free-living systems – we
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ASM2010 Conference Programme and Abstracts
are taking an integrative approach across ecological,
physiological, molecular and evolutionary biology to study
selection on quality-mediated phenotypes in an Arctic
passerine, the Snow Bunting (Plectrophenax nivalis).
We are examining how individual quality drives
fitness in a free-living avian system, specifically focusing
on the underlying physiological traits linking male plumage
quality and variation in organismal fitness. Our study
population breeds at the East Bay Island Migratory Bird
Sanctuary, Nunavut, where Snow Buntings are found in high
density. Little is known about this passerine’s ecology but
by combining ecological (timing of arrival, territory size),
physiological (arrival condition, testosterone and sperm
quality) and molecular traits (extra-pair paternity) within the
evolutionary framework of reproductive trade-offs, we hope
to elucidate the mechanisms by which quality drives fitness.
Specifically, we are undertaking the following:
1) Assessing male plumage quality using feather
reflectance as an indicator of fitness given that brightness of
white feathers and UV-chroma of black feathers have been
linked to fitness in similar achromatic specie.
2) Measuring plasma testosterone levels as a direct
driver of reproductive success and stress-mediated traits
(immunoglobulin and oxidative stress levels) as costs to high
reproductive effort.
3) Assessing the true reproductive success of
each male (within-pair as well as extra-pair offspring) by
determining paternity using blood DNA samples and microsatellite analyses.
4) Measuring sperm quality by analyzing sperm
motility, density and morphology.
This project is one of the first attempts to examine
quality-mediated phenotypic hypotheses in a free-living
system using a highly integrative approach. Selected results
will be presented, which will provide information on (1) the
physiological trade-offs that drive honesty in signals of male
quality, (2) the mechanisms linking male quality and fitness
and (3) how variation in male quality affects population
persistence in this important Arctic passerine. These goals
are particularly important since our knowledge of the
mechanisms linking individual variation in quality and fitness
is limited for most Arctic-breeding species.
OCEAN COLOUR REMOTE SENSING IN
HUDSON BAY: A COMPARISON BETWEEN
IN SITU AND SATELLITE METHODS FOR
DERIVING CHLOROPHYLL SIGNATURES IN
CASE 2 WATERS
Gunn, Geoffrey G. (umgunng@cc.umanitoba.ca), D. Barber,
G. McCullough and K. Hocheim
Centre for Earth Observation Science, University of
Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, R3T 2N2
The study of ocean colour enables synoptic
characterization of water attributes and constituents on a
large scale, yet there are still many issues with corroborating
and calibrating the multiple approaches to quantify ocean
colour. The case 2 (non-chlorophyll dominant) waters
of Hudson Bay further complicate this approach. Many
systems seek to produce the water-leaving radiance (Lw)—
the flux of upwelling light at the water’s surface. Although
this cannot be easily measured directly, there are multiple
approaches—both in situ and satellite—to deriving or
measuring it. This poster displays initial results from
hyperspectral data collected on ArcticNET 2010 Leg 1a
using above- and in water methods. Both used non-imaging
hyperspectral radiometers: the former mounted on the
bow of the Amundsen while at station and underway, the
latter deployed from a zodiac semi-rigid boat away from the
mixing action of the ship. An analysis of data and sampling
methods from the 2010 campaign is presented alongside
preliminary comparisons to corresponding multispectral
satellite data.
DEVELOPMENT OF AN AUTONOMOUS SYSTEM
FOR CONTINUOUSY MONITORING THE YEARROUND HYDRO-ECOLOGY OF ARCTIC LAKES
Hancyk, Jeremy1 (jhancyk@axys.com), F.J. Wrona2,3, T.D.
Prowse2,3, P.D. di Cenzo2, L. de Rham2
AXYS Technologies Inc. (AXYS), Sidney, British Columbia
Environment Canada (EC), Water & Climate Impacts
Research Centre (W-CIRC), University of Victoria, Victoria,
British Columbia
3
Department of Geography, University of Victoria (UVic),
Victoria, British Columbia
1
2
In 2008, the Water & Climate Impacts Research
Centre (W-CIRC), a collaborative Environment Canada
and University of Victoria research centre, initiated an
innovative project to design an autonomous system to
be used for continuous year-round monitoring of hydroecology in Arctic lakes. Harsh environmental conditions
and remote deployment locations forced a creative and
customized approach to this challenge. W-CIRC looked
to AXYS Technologies and their experience as system
integrators in both the marine and water quality fields to
assist in the development of a unique monitoring solution.
The proposed deployment location would have
seasonal ice cover with ice forming and break-up transition
periods. Cooperatively, AXYS and W-CIRC agreed on
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ASM2010 Conference Programme and Abstracts
a system which would include two components; a large
spar style buoy and a smart subsurface mooring package.
These components together were then called the Arctic
Lake Monitoring System (ALMS) and would be used to
perform continuous unattended year-round monitoring of
meteorological conditions, ice cover, solar radiation and
water quality on and throughout the water column of Noell
Lake in the Northwest Territories.
Data from the ALMS system would have to be
available in near real-time to be accessed from the W-CIRC
office at the University of Victoria. In addition, the ALMS
was built with cellular and secondary LEO satellite telemetry
that would allow 2-way communications to the system yearround. An acoustic modem integrated into the buoy and
subsurface package allowed the relay of 2-way information
to and from the smart mooring under the water and/or ice.
As system power was a concern, especially during winter in
the Arctic Circle, W-CIRC scientists wanted to be able to
draw back the sampling intervals once ice cover was set and
only wake up the system from sleep mode once to twice a
day. This would keep reserve battery power, allowing future
configuration of the system for high resolution sampling
during the transition periods in the spring.
The ALMS completed its final testing phase at
the AXYS facility in Sidney, BC and was deployed at the
end of September, 2010 in Noell Lake, NT by AXYS
field technicians and W-CIRC personnel. The continuous
year-round data from this system is expected to provide
a temporal understanding of Arctic lake ecosystems and
assist in the development of hydro-ecological models for
small tundra lakes in research disciplines including but not
limited to: landscape hydrology & geochemistry, lake-ice
modeling and aquatic productivity & carbon dynamics. Such
models will be used to assess the vulnerability of Arctic
lake ecosystems to disturbance, such as climate variability/
change and those related to Canada’s northern region.
HISTORICAL TRENDS IN ICE-COVER ON
A HIGH-LATITUDE LAKE WITH CLIMATE
VARIABILITY
Harder, Silvie1 (silvieharder@gmail.com), T. Prowse1,2, Y.
Dibike1,2 and T. Callaghan3
Water and Climate Impacts Research Centre, University of
Victoria, Victoria BC
2
Environment Canada, Victoria, BC
3
Abisko Scientific Research Station, Abisko, Sweden
1
Ice formation and decay on lakes are good
indicators of climate variation and change as ice phenology
is controlled by climate. Changes to freshwater ice cover
will affect biological productivity and the diversity of Arctic
aquatic ecosystems and have important physical, ecological
and socioeconomic implications. The presence of lake ice
and timing of break-up and freeze-up shape Arctic aquatic
ecosystems through the influence they have on, for example,
solar radiation, stratification and biogeochemical processes.
Ice also provides important hunting and fishing grounds
and is used for winter transportation in the north. There
have been numerous studies and modelling attempts looking
at trends in lake ice and climate. Most of these studies are
based on short-term records as there are few sites with
detailed long-term records of climate and lake-ice data.
This data scarcity is especially true for high latitude lakes
where very few long-term ice records exist. Sweden has
been observing ice cover and composition changes as well
as related meteorological conditions at Lake Torneträsk for
over a century. Such a database is extremely beneficial to the
Canadian efforts to validate lake-ice models. The detailed
climate and ice data from Lake Torneträsk is serving as a
test bed site where the MyLake (multi-year lake simulation)
model can be validated and used to evaluate future ice cover
changes in Canada under different future climate scenarios.
COASTAL HAZARD MAPPING IN AN
EXPANDING IQALUIT
Hatcher, Scott V.1, D. L. Forbes1,2 and G. K. Manson2
Department of Geography, Memorial University, St.John’s,
Newfoundland, A1B 3X9
2
Geological Survey of Canada, Natural Resources Canada,
Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, B2Y 4A2
1
This research explores a multi-faceted approach
to mapping coastal hazards associated with a changing
environment in Iqaluit, NU. These changes are two-fold:
(1) climate-driven changes in coastal conditions, including
relative sea-level trends and possible changes in storm
climatology; (2) socio-economic changes affecting exposure,
including the population influx to the territorial capital
and associated planning and infrastructure pressures. With
a population of approximately 7000, Iqaluit lies near the
head of Frobisher Bay in southeast Baffin Island and serves
as a major aviation hub, with important administrative,
educational, health, outfitting and other services. Even in
this urban centre, the pursuit of country food remains an
important economic sector with particular exposure to the
natural environment.
Coastal hazards are natural events that negatively
impact human settlements or infrastructure along coasts.
In Iqaluit these are thought to be primarily flood hazards
caused by high tide and storm surge events, but there is
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ASM2010 Conference Programme and Abstracts
little information available on wave, current, or ice effects,
which also need to be considered. Frobisher Bay is a
macrotidal environment with spring tidal range up to 12
m. The shore is resistant rock with a pebbly sand beach
in places, including the main urban waterfront, backing
boulder-strewn tidal flats extending hundreds of metres
seaward. The bay is ice-covered in winter and a wide
icefoot is present along the shore, with mobile broken ice
over the tidal flats. With warming climate, we can expect
earlier break-up and later freeze-up, as observed elsewhere
in the Arctic, resulting in a longer open-water season and
increased exposure to waves and storm surge flooding. We
follow two approaches to the assessment of future coastal
hazards in the context of changes outlined above: (1) the
use of remotely sensed data to map the physical setting and
hazard exposure in the area, and (2) historical investigation
of past storm events using instrumental and anecdotal data
as a basis for projecting flood probability in relation to
various climate-change and sea-level scenarios. This work
is undertaken in support of project objectives related to
climate-change adaptation and hazard mitigation under
ArcticNet and the C-Change ICURA project.
Work on this project was initiated during the
second half of August 2010. Real-time kinematic (RTK)
GPS surveys were run across tidal flats directly fronting
the city. Nearshore tide and wave data were acquired over
approximately nine weeks from August to October, using
two pressure sensor loggers, one near the outer edge of
the tidal flats and the other at mid-tide level between the
outer sensor and the shore. These data will be used in
conjunction with archived tide-gauge records running
from 1963 to 1977, combined with concurrent research on
relative sea-level trends in the area. The data will also be
used in developing an understanding of wave climate in the
harbour, which is fairly protected, but open to a southeast
fetch. Future work will include additional coastal surveys of
the nearshore bathymetry in the harbour and the integration
of these surveys with a satellite-derived digital elevation
model of the city.
Sidney, British Columbia V8L 4B2
4
School of Earth and Ocean Sciences, University of
Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia V8W 3P6
Reported focal changes in the physical system of
Hudson Bay, such as decreasing in river discharge, later ice
freeze-up and earlier ice break-up dates, will undoubtedly
have an influence on the quantity, quality and seasonal
pattern of primary productivity. Primary producers form
the foundation of marine food web, transferring energy
to higher trophic levels, and serve as key players in carbon
and nutrient cycling. Nevertheless, limited information on
modern and past phytoplankton communities of Hudson
Bay is currently available.
Here, we present our current study that aims at
providing a biological link to long-term oceanographic
changes in Hudson Bay using sediment dinoflagellate cysts
- a salient group of fossilisable remains of marine primary
producers. Key data will be based on dinoflagellate cyst
assemblages of sediment box-cores collected on ArcticNet
0205 expedition in September-October 2005. Together
with latest studies on organic matter and nutrient cycling,
cyst data can help constrain the key vulnerabilities of the
Hudson Bay biological system to projected future changes.
First, we will compile a dataset of dinoflagellate cyst
distribution in surface sediment and taxa relation to key
sea-surface parameters. Second, we will produce records
of temporal changes in dinoflagellate cyst populations in
different regions around the Bay. In addition, qualitative,
semi-qualitative and/or quantitative proxy methods will be
developed in order to reconstruct recent trends in primary
productivity and sea-surface conditions.
PHYSIOLOGICAL LINKS BETWEEN
REPRODUCTIVE DECISIONS AND FITNESS IN
COMMON EIDERS NESTING IN A CHANGING
ARCTIC LANDSCAPE
Hennin, Holly L.1 (hennin@uwindsor.ca), H.G. Gilchrist2, J.
Bêty3 and O.P. Love1
MODERN AND PAST DINOFLAGELLATE CYSTS
IN HUDSON BAY – STUDY DIRECTIONS
Heikkilä, Maija1,2 (heikkila@cc.umanitoba.ca), G. A. Stern1,2,
R. W. Macdonald1,3 and V. Pospelova4
Centre for Earth Observation Science, Department of
Environment and Geography, University of Manitoba,
Winnipeg, Manitoba R3T 2N2
2
Freshwater Institute, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, 501
University Crescent, Winnipeg, Manitoba R3T 2N6
3
Institute of Ocean Sciences, Fisheries and Oceans Canada,
1
Department of Biological Sciences, University of Windsor,
Windsor, ON, Canada, N9B 3P4
2
National Wildlife Research Centre, Environment Canada,
Ottawa, ON, Canada, K1S 5B6
3
Département de Biologie and Centre d’études nordiques,
Université du Québec à Rimouski, Rimouski, QC, Canada,
G5L 3A1
1
Variation in individual quality should drive
variability in reproductive success and survival. Lower
quality individuals are expected to arrive later on the
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ASM2010 Conference Programme and Abstracts
breeding grounds, obtain lower quality territories,
attract lower quality mates, and potentially have reduced
reproductive success. Unfortunately, the internal and
external factors that drive variation in quality are largely
understudied and poorly understood. While physiological
mechanisms link individuals to their environment,
physiological pleiotropy constrains flexibility and regulates
trade-offs among life-history traits. As such, underlying
physiological mechanisms are prime candidates for linking
individual quality and fitness. Moreover, since physiological
traits are sensitive to changes in the external environment
(climate, emergence of novel diseases), the interaction
between individual state and the environmental change is
expected to shape population demographics via selection on
individual physiological phenotypes.
We are examining the physiological links between
reproductive decisions and fitness in the largest colony of
Arctic-nesting common eiders (Somateria mollissima) in
Canada (4000 – 6000 pairs annually) at East Bay, Nunavut.
We began collecting detailed physiological data from prelaying females in 2003 and our ongoing correlative database
currently includes multiple quality-mediated physiological
traits (corticosterone, leptin, immunoglobulins, oxidative
stress, antioxidant capacity, energetic metabolites). In
addition, since 2005 avian cholera (Pasteurella multocida)
has spread through this colony creating strong selection
pressure on individual physiological phenotypes.
Furthermore, an increasingly-variable climate in the
Eastern Arctic is potentially selecting for physiologically
plastic responses. We are now combining our physiological
measures with accurate data on arrival condition, laying date,
reproductive success and survival of over 1000 individual
female eiders to understand how individual quality and the
external environment interact to shape variation in lifehistory traits in this Arctic-breeding species of concern.
We will present a component of this large-scale ongoing
research project.
THE MATRIX: GETTING INSIDE THE SCIENCEPOLICY INTERFACE
Effectively addressing climate change threats and
opportunities in a timely and accountable manner requires
that decision-makers responsible for Arctic issues have
access to the best available scientific information and
knowledge. However, effective translation and uptake of
research results on urgent issues such as climate change
appears to be constrained by several factors. Sometimes
there is insufficient information available to adequately
inform policy, but quite often information is available but
not used. In order to better understand the factors and
circumstances that may impact the science–policy interface
in either a positive or negative manner, we undertook a
matrix analysis of how this knowledge translation occurs
within the Canadian context. We adopted a case-study
approach to develop a better understanding of the policy
and decision making landscape and associated pathways and
mechanisms through which to translate or connect science
and action. We propose that a number of common factors
are at play in influencing Arctic science–policy interactions
in the Arctic today. Further, our premise was that it is
important for arctic research programs (such as ArcticNet
and IPY) to have an a priori understanding of this process
in order to facilitate the best use of the knowledge
generated through scientific activities. Critical elements
included in our matrix analysis of cases were the scale of
the issue, the scope of the relevant scientific domain, the
thematic focus of the research within the science–policy
interface, the accessibility of data, the relevance of the
research for various “populations” or users within society,
among others. Our results suggest that a simple matrix
analysis can be used to identify common factors influencing
the interface environment and translation process and
this analysis can help to develop innovative methods for
translating research results to inform policy and other
decisions relevant to climate change and adaptation.
SCIENTIST, RESIDENT, EXPERT, CITIZEN:
EVOLVING ROLES AND RELATIONSHIPS IN
CANADIAN ARCTIC RESEARCH
Johnson, Noor (noor.johnson@mail.mcgill.ca)
Hik, David1 (dhik@ualberta.ca), C. Furgal2, S. Meakin3, S.
Nickels4, M. Buckham2 and J. Zgurski1
Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton,
Alberta, T6G 2E9
2
Indigenous and Environmental Studies Program, Trent
University, Peterborough, Ontario, K9J 7B8
3
Inuit Circumpolar Council - Canada, 75 Albert St., Ottawa,
Ontario, K1P 5E7
4
Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, 75 Albert St., Ottawa, Ontario,
K1P 5E7
Department of Anthropology, McGill University, Montreal,
QC H3A 2T7
1
The Canadian Arctic has been an important
geographical space for investigating physical impacts
of climate change. Some scientists have worked in very
isolated parts of the Arctic, while others work in or
near Inuit communities, drawing on local resources for
logistical support and different forms of local knowledge.
At the same time, social scientists and Inuit investigators
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ASM2010 Conference Programme and Abstracts
have worked to document Inuit environmental change
knowledge and disseminate it through global scientific
and policy networks in order to promote awareness of the
rapid changes in the Arctic and their impacts on human
lives and livelihoods. This research examines the different
practices of environmental knowledge generation in Clyde
River, Nunavut. It situates contemporary climate change
research projects within a historical genealogy of scientific
research in Clyde River. It then examines collaborations
generated by contemporary projects, and diagrams the
knowledge networks that emerge from personal and
institutional relationships. The research draws on in-depth,
qualitative interviews with scientists, planners, and Inuit
involved in knowledge production. Based on the different
kinds of research interactions and knowledge networks
observed, an initial framework for ‘relational research’ in an
Arctic context is presented. Relational research takes into
consideration the different ethical frameworks and goals
of the different actors involved, and develops evaluation
methods that incorporate non-scientific as well as scientific
goals and objectives.
TRADITIONAL FOOD USE AND DIETARY
ADEQUACY AMONG NUNAVUT PRESCHOOL
CHILDREN
Johnson-Down, Louise1 (louise.johnson-down@mcgill.
ca), G. Egeland1 and Nunavut Steering Committee (L.
Williamson2, K. Young3, L. Gunn4, G. Osborne5)
Centre for Indigenous Peoples’ Nutrition and
Environment(CINE) and School of Dietetics and Human
Nutrition, McGill University, Ste Anne de bellevue, Quebec
H9X 3V9
2
Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated, Iqaluit, Nunavut X0A
0H0
3
Dalla Lana School of Public Health , University of
Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5T 3M7
4
Nunavut Association of Municipalities, Iqaluit, Nunavut
X0A 1H0
5
Department of Health and Social Services, Government
of Nunavut, Iqaluit, Nunavut X0A 0H0
1
Bilingual and trained interviewers conducted 24-hour recalls
and food frequency questionnaires with the child’s caregiver
in order to quantify diet from both market and traditional
foods. Anthropometric measures such as height and weight
were measured by a nurse.
Assessment of dietary adequacy was done using the
Estimated Average Requirement (EAR) cut point method
as outlined in the Institute of Medicine’s Dietary Reference
Intakes (DRIs). The method requires a statistical adjustment
of the nutrient data in order to compare it to the EAR.
Some nutrients such as calcium, vitamin D and fiber do not
have an EAR and intakes of these nutrients were compared
to Adequate Intakes (AI) as defined in the DRIs. The extent
of traditional food use was evaluated using a food frequency
questionnaire. Dietary quality assessment included the
extent to which dietary habits followed the Eating Well with
Canadian Food Guide recommendations and the degree
of consumption of high sugar and high fat food and sugar
beverage consumption.
Ninety-nine percent of children reported eating
traditional food in the past month with 46.3% reporting it
in the past day. Children who ate traditional food had higher
intakes of cholesterol, vitamins A and D and magnesium.
Even though less than 30% of the children are not meeting
the required servings from Eating Well with Canada’s Food
Guide for vegetables and fruit and milk and alternatives,
they are meeting many of the nutrient requirements because
of their intake of traditional foods. Energy intake from high
sugar (e.g. candy, high sugar cereals and drinks) and high fat
foods (e.g. chips) amounted to 35% of the children’s total
sugar intake.
Programs to promote traditional food intake and
guide food selection to reduce intake of nutrient poor high
energy foods would be beneficial in this population.
CLIMATE CHANGE AND CRUISE TOURISM:
THE READINESS OF NUNAVUT FOR FUTURE
CRUISES
Johnston, Adrianne1 (ajohnst4@lakeheadu.ca), M. E.
Johnston1, J. Dawson2 and E. Stewart3
School of Outdoor Recreation, Parks and Tourism,
Lakehead University, Thunder Bay, Ontario, P7C 5E1
2
Global Environmental Change Group, University of
Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, N1G 2W1
3
Faculty of Environment, Society & Design, Lincoln
University, Christchurch, New Zealand
1
Dietary change and nutrition transition are an
ongoing concern in Indigenous Peoples of the Canadian
North. Nutrient inadequacy has also been observed among
Indigenous children in US and Canadian communities and
traditional food use correlates with greater nutrient intake.
A cross-sectional survey of 388 Inuit children, aged
3-5 yrs, from 16 Nunavut communities between August
2007 and September 2008 was conducted with funding from
the Canadian Federal Program for International Polar Year.
The expedition cruise ship tourism industry in
Nunavut is a growing industry that has challenges and
opportunities that need to be recognized, met, and exploited
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ASM2010 Conference Programme and Abstracts
or ameliorated. An influential factor on the growth of the
industry is climate change, which as observed over the past
few cruise seasons, allows access to previously unreachable
Arctic areas. Access has increased because of changes within
the sea ice, including decreased thickness and abundance of
ice overall, as well as an increase in weaker first -year sea ice
(Johnston & Timco, 2009). Weaker sea ice and an increase
Arctic accessibility have supported an exponential growth
of the industry with 11 cruises in 2005 (Stewart, Draper, &
Dawson, in press) to 22 commercial cruises in 2010. This
poster addresses the urgent question: Is Nunavut prepared
for the growth of the expedition cruise ship tourism
industry and the challenges and opportunities presented by
climate change? The research question was examined from
the perspective of decision makers and regulators. Decision
makers and regulators view of climate change and its impact
on the industry were examined through 31 semi-structured
interviews and the application of Smit and Wandel’s (2006)
Conceptual Framework for Vulnerability Assessment that
includes community and stakeholders. Thematic analysis was
used to identify the views of this cross- section of decision
makers and regulators on the challenges and opportunities
faced by the Government of Nunavut and the Government
of Canada. Preliminary findings indicate a wide range of
views on adaptations to changes including the possibility
of the development of a community-government industry
liaison position within an organization such as Nunavut
Tourism, the stream lining of the required permitting
process, and the increase of communication between
governmental agencies to minimize the disconnect between
institutions. These suggested adaptations reflect response to
both positive and negative outcomes of change.
INUVIALUIT RESEARCH, PLANNING,
MONITORING AND IMPLEMENTATION
Johnston, Jennifer (jjohnston@irc.inuvialuit.com)
Inuit Research Advisor, Inuvialuit Regional Corporation
Social science research is the most underfunded
research in the Arctic yet Inuvialuit keep struggling with
social, cultural and economic issues (food security, poverty,
housing, employment).
In order to address these issues the Inuvialuit
Institutions are currently developing a Research Agenda and
Policy to:
1. Coordinate and direct research in the ISR
2. Encourage and prioritize research
3. Provide research results to Inuvialuit communities and
institutions so they can make informed planning, policy and
program decisions.
Some of the critical areas of interest and planning
are;
1. Environmental, social, cultural and economic impacts
from resource developments
2. Sustainable community based economics
3. Impacts of government policies on sustainable
development and culture
4. Specific health determinates to achieve sustainable
communities
An example of Inuvialuit Research includes the
recently completed ISR Mental Health and Addictions
Survey (ISR_MHA Survey). The study set out to define a
culturally appropriate mental health and addictions system
for the ISR.
Monitoring efforts include the Inuvialuit Indicators
Website which was developed over the last four years and
is based on data spanning over 20 years. The Inuvialuit
Indicators Project set out to:
1. Measure the achievement of IFA goals;
2. To determine social, cultural and economic impacts from
resource development;
3. To monitor Inuvialuit and government efforts to improve
conditions.
The Implementation of research results includes
the Tuktoyaktuk Pilot Project. The Pilot Project will inform
the design of community based aftercare addictions and
mental health programs and services. The ISR-MHA Report
and the Pilot Project will continue to further define the gaps
in services and will continue to develop practical methods to
address those gaps.
IRC will continue to work towards solutions with
regards to the community identified problems areas:
Elders Role and Well-Being, Housing Concerns / Shelter
Needs, Mental Health and Addictions Issues, Access
to Activities/ Workshops, Employment and Training
Opportunities, Need for Drop-in /Community Centres,
Poverty Issues, etc.
The Inuit Research Advisor is in a unique position
to help inform, guide and connect researchers to community
driven research agenda and policy in the Inuvialuit
Settlement Region.
THE USE OF ΜXRF GEOCHEMICAL
STRATIGRAPHY IN INTERPRETING
SEDIMENTARY SOURCES AND PROCESSES FOR
PALEOHYDROLOGICAL RECONSTRUCTION
WITHIN THE ARCTIC FLUVIAL-TO-MARINE
TRANSITION ZONE
Kathan, Kasey1 (6kmkk@queensu.ca) and S.F. Lamoureux1
Department of Geography, Queen’s University, Kingston,
Ontario, K7L 3N6
1
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ASM2010 Conference Programme and Abstracts
In order to enhance the probability of observing
a linkage between sediment structure and hydrologic
processes, many studies have focused on increasing our
understanding of simple, relatively small fluvial systems.
However, these systems often have a limited sediment
supply thereby reducing the possibility of preserving
a highly resolved sedimentary record. Arctic coastal
systems have the potential to be an important sedimentary
environment for high resolution paleohydrological
reconstruction, yet they remain a relatively understudied
area.
The goal of this study has been to document the
potential use of the sediments in Pelly Bay for hydroclimatic
reconstruction. Pelly Bay (68°21’N, 90°10’W) is a marine
basin constrained by a series of bedrock islands and has a
complex localized bathymetry. The bay contains moderately
isolated sedimentary basins and receives sediment from
the Arrowsmith (7400 km2) and Kellet (10200 km2) and
numerous smaller rivers. There is an abundance of surfacial
silt and clay rich marine deposits with the regional Holocene
marine limit ca. 200 m. This setting allows for high potential
sediment loading of the regional rivers and a strong
probable linkage between hydroclimatic conditions (i.e.
discharge) and fluvial sediment transportation.
Work to date has demonstrated the presence of
visually discernable sedimentary structures (centimeters
in thickness) and the micro x-ray fluorescence (μXRF)
geochemical stratigraphy indicates that structural
preservation is maintained in cores recovered from a
shallow proximal site in Pelly Bay. The high annual sediment
accumulation from the local rivers is the likely cause for
the minimal bioturbation. By treating each sedimentary
unit as a unique event, it has been possible to evaluate
the geochemical data through superposed epoch analysis.
This analysis has indicated that there are two primary
depositional types present in the sediment cores, one with
a dominant early season signal and another with a bimodal (early and late season) signal. This is consistent with
the regional discharge regimes having a dominant spring
melt season and occasionally a strong period of fall storm
precipitation.
The fluvial-to-marine transition zone is one of
the most complicated depositional environments due to
the interplay of terrestrial and marine processes. However,
this should not exclude such sites from consideration in
reconstruction studies as the behavior of such systems
is much more similar to the frequently studied lacustrine
basins as opposed to deep water oceanographic studies.
DIETARY DIFFERENCES BETWEEN EASTERN
AND WESTERN HUDSON BAY BELUGA
POPULATIONS
Kelley, Trish1 (umkelle0@cc.umanitoba.ca) and S. Ferguson2
Department of Environment and Geography, University
of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, R3T 2N2
2
Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Winnipeg,
Manitoba, R3T 2N6
Belugas are an integral part of the eastern Canadian
Arctic; they are an important species in the diet of local
Inuit communities as well as an important economic
resource for the community of Churchill. Beluga summer
in river estuaries in the Hudson Bay region, however little
is known about their diet and its impacts on choice of
seasonal habitat and migration patterns. Decreases in fish
stock numbers in the Hudson Bay estuaries may negatively
impact the survival of beluga young of the year, and reduce
beluga population density overall. Changes in the abundance
of preferred prey items may lead to changes in migration
patterns and summering grounds. In order to understand
beluga feeding ecology, we will collect muscle, liver, and
blubber samples from beluga harvested in Hudson Bay.
Samples will be analysed for fatty acid and stable isotope
chemical signatures. Here we propose to examine beluga
dietary preferences in the Hudson Bay region, to determine:
(i) dietary differences between eastern and western Hudson
Bay stocks; (ii) beluga critical feeding habitat – areas where
beluga obtain the bulk of their energy; and (iii) how feeding
preferences affect other density dependant behaviours such
as mating.
1
IPY NORTHERN COORDINATION OFFICES:
KEY TO THE SUCCESS OF IPY AND ITS LEGACY
IN CANADA
Kilabuk, Amanda1 (Amanda.Kilabuk@arcticcollege.ca) B.
Ford2, A. Mero3, B. Van Dijken4 and S. Kalhok Bourque5
Nunavut Research Institute, Iqaluit, Nunavut, X0A 0H0
Nunavik Ressearch Centre, Kuujjuaq, Quebec, J0M 1C0
3
Aurora Research Institute, Inuvik, NWT, X0E 0T0
4
Council of Yukon First Nations, Whitehorse, Yukon, Y1A
4P1
5
International Polar Year Federal Program Office, Gatineau,
Quebec, K1A 0H4
1
2
Given the immensity of Canada’s North, its
geographic and cultural diversity, and its political complexity,
it has been essential to have key contacts in Northern
Canada play an active role in the overall coordination
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ASM2010 Conference Programme and Abstracts
of the Canadian IPY Program. In February 2006, the
Canadian IPY Program Office established “IPY Northern
Coordination Offices” (NCOs), hosted within established
research-oriented organizations in Canada’s three territories
(Yukon, Northwest Territories, Nunavut) and in northern
Québec (Nunavik). This presentation will assess the
strengths and challenges of the NCOs and examine their
structure and role as a model for future research and science
outreach programs and initiatives.
With their existing contacts, networks and
experience working with both the communities in their
region and the broader research community, the NCOs
are trusted local sources of information about IPY, and
northern science matters in general. Working in partnership
with the Canadian IPY Program Office, the NCOs have
served as regional points of contact for IPY, coordinated
IPY activities on a regional and community level, provided
guidance and support to scientists carrying out IPY
research, facilitated the involvement of Northerners and
northern communities in IPY activities, and informed and
educated the public about IPY, creating enthusiasm across
the North about the overall IPY initiative.
At least 1,000 Northerners have actively
participated in IPY projects, and many more are reached
through a variety of IPY communications and outreach
initiatives.
The NCOs have been a valued resource to
researchers, many of whom are based out of institutions
that are distant from their study destinations in the North.
Nearly two-thirds of the 52 Canadian IPY research projects
report that they have benefitted from the assistance of the
NCOs in various aspects of their research programs.
The NCOs are a model for ensuring meaningful
involvement of Aboriginal and northern peoples in future
Arctic science programs in Canada and internationally, and
an effective “tool” for broad dissemination of information
and awareness-raising of scientific news and issues across
northern Canada.
LANDSCAPE HAZARDS IN YUKON
COMMUNITIES: GEOLOGICAL MAPPING FOR
CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATION PLANNING
Kinnear, Lacia1 (lkinnear@yukoncollege.yk.ca), K. Kennedy2,
F. Camels3, P. Bonnevanture4, B. Benkert1 and S. Laxton2
Northern Climate ExChange, Yukon Research Center,
Yukon College.
2
Yukon Geological Survey, Yukon Government.
3
University of Alberta
4
University of Ottawa
1
Climate change is considered to be a significant
challenge for northern communities where the effects of
increased temperature and climate variability are beginning
to affect infrastructure and livelihoods (2005 Arctic Climate
Impact Assessment). Planning for and adapting to ongoing
and future changes in climate will require the identification
and characterization of social, economic, cultural, political
and biophysical vulnerabilities. This pilot project addresses
physical landscape vulnerabilities in two communities in
the Yukon Territory through community-scale landscape
hazard mapping and focused investigations of community
permafrost conditions.
Early results combining geophysical techniques
(ground penetrating radar and electrical resistivity), shallow
drilling, new surficial geology mapping, and pre-existing
data from public utilities and private-sector consultants have
produced detailed maps and landscape characterizations for
both communities. Communicating results in practical and
simple terms will allow for informed development, planning
and mitigation of potentially threatening hazards in and
around the communities.
EFFECT OF LANDSCAPE HETEROGENEITY
ON INTRAPOPULATION NICHE VARIATION
AND REPRODUCTIVE PERFORMANCE IN AN
ARCTIC AVIAN GENERALIST PREDATOR
L’Hérault, Vincent1, A. Franke2 and J. Bêty1
Université du Québec à Rimouski, 300 allée des Ursulines,
Rimouski, Québec, G5L 3A1
2
Canadian Circumpolar Institute,University of Alberta,
Edmonton, Alberta, T6G 2H8
1
Although intrapopulation variability in resource
use is known to be common in wild animals, the proximate
causes of such variation are difficult to identify and the
fitness consequences of such differences in foraging
strategies are still poorly known.
We investigated intrapopulation niche variation in
a top predator of the arctic food web, the peregrine falcon
(Falco peregrinus tundrius), inhabiting a coastal environment
around Ranin Inlet, Nunavut. We evaluated if landscape
heterogeneity generates intrapopulation niche variation and
differences in breeding success in falcons nesting along
a terrestrial-marine landscape continuum and we tested
two hypotheses: i) - the “restricted generalist hypothesis”
assumes that falcons are limited in their ability to exploit
marine resource. Terrestrial resources should thus represent
the bulk of falcon’s diet wherever they nest in the landscape
and individuals nesting in marine-dominated environment
should experience lower delivery rate and hence fledged
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ASM2010 Conference Programme and Abstracts
fewer offspring. ii) - The “flexible generalist hypothesis”
presumes that falcons are not limited in their ability to
exploit marine resource. Individuals nesting in marinedominated would thus mostly use marine subsidies without
undergoing lower delivery rate and should fledge similar
number of offspring than birds nesting in terrestrialdominated environment.
Using stable isotopes analysis, we found high
intrapopulation variation in resource use by falcons during
the chick rearing period. Isotopic niche variation was
driven by differences in the nesting landscape attributes
(proportion of terrestrial and marine habitat surrounding
the nest). However, terrestrial-derived prey species
(herbivores and insectivores) were the main food sources
used by virtually all falcons. We also found a significant
relationship between nesting landscape attributes and the
number of young fledged (individuals nesting in marinedominated areas fledged fewer offspring on average).
Moreover, the niche width was maximal for birds breeding
in marine-dominated areas where we also detected the
largest among-individual variation in diet.
Our data support the “Restricted Generalist
Hypothesis”. According to the strong dependance of
arctic-nesting peregrine falcons for terrestrial resources,
we suggest that the nesting position of individual in the
heterogeneous landscape likely influence the relative value
of preferred terrestrial resource and alternative marine
resource which in turn, following different foraging
decisions took by individuals, generate intrapopulation niche
variation. Extrinsic factor such as landscape heterogeneity
may have proximal and ultimate implications on a predator
population by affecting resource use and niche width, as
well as reproductive performance of individuals.
THE GEOMORPHICAL AND HYDROLOGICAL
CHARACTERISTICS OF PERMAFROST SLOPE
DISTURBANCES IN THE WESTERN CANADIAN
HIGH ARCTIC
Lamoureux, Scott F. (scott.lamoureux@queensu.ca) and
Melissa J. Lafreniere
Department of Geography, Queen’s University, Kingston,
Ontario, K7L 3N6
Projected climate change in the Arctic is expected
to result in alterations to permafrost and active layer
processes with potential impacts on a wide range of
terrestrial, hydrological, aquatic and human systems. Land
disturbance caused by ground ice melt and the failure
of overlying soil materials is one likely outcome from
projected permafrost degradation. These disturbances
generate intense localized impacts, but the broader impacts,
particularly through hydrological connections, are poorly
understood. In order to predict these downstream impacts,
understanding the geomorphic and hydrological processes
that occur in association with disturbances represents a key
knowledge need.
We have investigated the dynamics of shallow
permafrost slope disturbances commonly referred to as
active layer detachments (ALD) at the Cape Bounty Arctic
Watershed Observatory (CBAWO), located on southcentral Melville Island, Nunavut. Watershed research was
initiated at CBAWO in 2003 and ALD research began after
widespread disturbances occurred following exceptionally
warm temperatures during the summer of 2007.
Over 100 new ALD have been mapped since
2007. The majority of the disturbances occurred during
a period of several hours to days and appear to stabilize
after initial movement. In several cases where the depth
of the disturbance exposes massive ground ice, the head
scarp continues to retreat upslope at rates of c. 10 m/
year. Downslope movement of soil material varies from
< 1m to >400 m in one case. Most contain a zone of
failure, characterized by fractured vegetated soil blocks and
exposed parent material and a lower zone where displaced
soil material has accumulated, often in folded ridges. In
larger ALD, an intermediate transportation zone may
occur, where soil material has been largely removed and
bare parent material remains. Lateral boundaries of ALD
are characterized by fracture and shear plane failures, and
extensional fracturing may extend substantially beyond the
zone of primary disturbance. Most of the ALD are located
between 30-90 m asl, within the range of the Holocene
submergence of the area, and the underlying parent material
is dominated by marine clay, mixed with glacial sediment
and surface soil materials. In most cases, ALD are associated
with slope water tracks, particularly below persistent snow
banks, where elevated soil moisture is frequently observed.
Stream flow has substantially altered the initial
surface of the ALDs. In general, sediment erosion rates are
high in ALD with well developed hydrological pathways
and exposed surfaces have undergone rapid fluvial
reorganization and channel formation. High snow capture in
the depressions caused by the disturbances enhances stream
flow during the melt season, and differential snow melt may
result in short term diversion of flow pathways beyond
the emerging channels. Hence, sediment erosion remains
high with the potential for ongoing enhanced erosion. In
smaller ALD where hydrological routing is poorly developed
or delayed by pooling and convoluted drainage, erosion is
typically low and geomorphic changes minimal.
Our results indicate that identifying the
downstream impact of ALD requires consideration of
both the geomorphic and hydrologic context, which varies
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ASM2010 Conference Programme and Abstracts
substantially between individual disturbances. Additionally,
while ALD appear to stabilize rapidly and develop channel
systems, downstream effects are strongly affected by
snowcover, internal drainage patterns and hydrological
connectivity.
1
CONDUCTING RESEARCH WITHIN THE
NUNATSIAVUT REGION
This poster examines the potential local socioeconomic impacts of climate change on the Canadian
Inuit community of Rigolet. As an investigative case-study,
the research focused on the community of Rigolet in the
Nunatsiavut region of Labrador from November 2009 to
March 2010. This research was conducted as part of the
Changing Climate, Changing Health, Changing Stories
project, which was funded by Health Canada’s First Nations
and Inuit Health Branch. Surveys and in-depth interviews
were conducted with Rigolet residents and through these
qualitative data collection methods, perceptions on the
impact of climate change emerged with respect to Inuit
food systems. Providing observations of changes in
temperature, snow cover and sea ice duration and thickness,
study participants related experiences of food insecurity
under a changing climate. Furthermore, reductions in
the availability and accessibility of traditional foods were
analyzed through the lens of economics. The results indicate
that Rigolet community members have observed some
negative economic impacts in response to climate change
among other independent factors such as commodity price
increases. Despite the existence of other stresses on the
local economy, study participants felt that climate change
had contributed to increases in harvesting expenditures
and caused consumers to shift from traditional, wild
foods to store-bought foods. Finally, food sharing, a social
practice integral to Inuit culture and economy, was believed
to have decreased under climate change. Overall, the
results highlight that climate change appears to have some
noticeable, negative consequences on the Rigolet economy.
Given that climate change is projected to worsen over the
coming decades, climate change may place further stress on
the Rigolet community and has the potential to bring about
similar negative socio-economic impacts in other Inuit
communities across the Canadian North.
Lampe, John (john_lampe@nunatsiavut.com)
Nunatsiavut Government, Nain, NL, Canada, A0P 1L0
The Nunatsiavut Inuit Research Advisor (IRA) is a
position administered by the Nunatsiavut Government and
made possible by the support of the Nasivvik Centre for
Changing Environments, ArcticNet (Network of Centres of
Excellence for arctic research), the Northern Contaminants
Program and the Nunatsiavut Government.
The Nunatsiavut IRA oversees the management
of the Nunatsiavut Government Research Office in
Nain, Labrador, serving as the first point of contact
for all researchers conducting work in Nunatsiavut and
requiring contact with or assistance from the Nunatsiavut
Government.
The Nunatsiavut IRA serves as administrator
of the Nunatsiavut Government Research Advisory
Committee and oversee the research review and approval
process, ensuring that research conducted in Nunatsiavut
addresses Inuit concerns and contributes to the goals of the
Nunatsiavut Government and the Inuit Communities.
The Nunatsiavut IRA, like the other three Inuit
regions, is witnessing a major increase in all fields of human
and environmental research. This in turn places increased
demands on the capacity of the region’s environmental
review, regulatory, and project support structures. This
increased level of activity also impacts the ability of our
communities to be aware of, comment on, and be fully
involved in the conduct of research. These challenges
reinforce the need for early contact with the Nunatsiavut
IRA on all research projects within the region.
LIVELIHOODS IN TRANSITION: THE SOCIOECONOMIC IMPACTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE
ON THE INUIT FOOD SYSTEM IN RIGOLET,
NUNATSIAVUT, CANADA
Langstaff, Liane (llangsta@uoguelph.ca), S. Harper , A.
Cunsolo Willox3 , V. L. Edge2 and the Rigolet Community
Government
1
2
College of Management & Economics, University of
Guelph, Guelph, ON, N1G 2W1
2
Department of Population Medicine, Ontario Veterinary
College, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, N1G 2W1
3
School of Environmental Design & Rural Development,
University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, N1G 2W1
LONG-RANGE MOVEMENTS OF MIGRATORY
CARIBOU IN NORTHERN QUEBEC AND
LABRADOR : TEMPORAL AND SPATIAL
PATTERNS OF MIGRATIONS
Le Corre, Mael1 (lecorremael@hotmail.com), S. D. Côté1
and C. Dussault2
Département de Biologie, Université Laval, Québec,
Québec, G1V 0A6
1
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ASM2010 Conference Programme and Abstracts
Ministère des Ressources naturelles et de la Faune, Service
de la faune terrestre et de l’avifaune, Québec, Québec G1S
4X4
2
In environments with high seasonal variability
such as northern environments, migration is an important
process of habitat selection at a large scale, allowing animals
to follow seasonal changes in resource availability and
predation pressure. Migratory caribou, Rangifer tarandus,
perform a long spring migration to reach highly productive
calving grounds and summer ranges, and then return to
boreal forest during fall to reach winter ranges. In Northern
Quebec and Labrador, two herds of migratory caribou, the
Rivière-George herd (RGH) and the Rivière-aux-Feuilles
herd (RFH), range over one million squared kilometres.
Movements throughout the year vary as caribou concentrate
their activity in particular areas on seasonal ranges or
perform rapid and directional movements during migration.
Our objective was to discriminate summer and winter ranges
and migration using the structure of caribou’s movements in
order to assess timing and spatial patterns of the migration.
We used the First-Passage Time analysis to characterize
long-range movements of caribou and to obtain values that
summarize animal speed and path tortuosity throughout
the year. Then, we discriminated between different
kinds of movements using a model selection procedure
locating breakpoints by dividing the paths in bouts of
homogeneous means. We used data from more than 300
females collared with Argos transmitters between 1990 and
2010, representing more than 450 annual paths for RGH
and 250 annual paths for RFH. Preliminary results revealed
different patterns of migration between herds and between
years but similar patterns between individuals of the same
herd in a given year. Migration corridors we defined will
be used in habitat selection analyses to assess the effect of
environmental changes due to climate change and human
development on patterns of migration.
RIVERINE NUTRIENTS AND DOC INPUTS
INTO THE ARCTIC OCEAN: A MODELLING
PERSPECTIVE
Le Fouest, Vincent1 (lefouest@obs-vlfr.fr) and M. Babin1,2
Laboratoire d’Océanographie de Villefranche, CNRS &
Univ. Pierre et Marie Curie (Paris VI), Villefranche-sur-Mer,
France
2
Québec-Océan, Département de Biologie, Université
Laval, Québec, Québec
1
The Arctic Ocean is the basin the most influenced
by surrounding continents. Riverine inputs, in terms of
freshwater discharge and flux of dissolved inorganic
nutrients (DIN) and dissolved organic carbon (DOC), must
be accounted for in 3-D physical-biological coupled models
to forecast primary production and plankton ecosystem size
structure. In this study, we present a monthly climatology
of DIN (nitrate, silicate, and phosphate) and DOC
concentrations and fluxes for 11 major rivers of North
America and Eurasia. The calculated DIN and DOC annual
fluxes are generally in the range of previous estimates, but
positive or negative biases are reported for some rivers.
The spring freshet dilutes DIN and promotes higher
DOC concentrations in May-June, although some rivers
depart from this general pattern. The highest DIN and
DOC fluxes generally coincide with the peak of discharge.
Overall, the 11 rivers show differential seasonal patterns in
concentration and flux. Similarly, the mean silicate to nitrate
and nitrate to phosphate flux ratios (molar) show large
differences between the North-American and Eurasian sides
and in between rivers. Such differences in concentration,
flux and flux ratio might translate into differential response
between the Arctic regions in coupled models that must be
assessed. Finally, a monthly climatology of nitrate, silicate,
phosphate and DOC for the 11 rivers is proposed to the
modelling community, along with a simple regression model
to derive DIN-DOC conditions in rivers suffering a lack of
data.
SELENIUM IN TOENAILS AND BLOOD AND ITS
RELATIONSHIP WITH TRADITIONAL FOOD
INTAKE IN INUIT ADULTS
Leggee, Donna1 (donna.leggee@mcgill.ca), H. M. Chan2 and
G. M. Egeland1
Centre for Indigenous Peoples’ Nutrition and
Environment, McGill University, Saint Anne de Bellevue,
Quebec, H9X 3V9
2
Community Health Sciences Program, University of
Northern British Columbia, Prince George, BC, V2N 4Z9
1
Selenium (Se), an essential trace mineral, plays
an important role in metabolic processes such as redox
regulation, and antioxidant and thyroid function. High
intake of this micronutrient is associated with reduced risks
of cardiovascular disease and several cancers. Suboptimal
levels of Se appear to have a negative effect on viral
infection, immune function, inflammatory conditions,
reproduction and mood. The concentration of Se in blood
or toenails is a well recognized biomarker of Se status. The
IPY Inuit Health Survey, a cross-sectional survey of 2,595
Inuit adults living in 33 coastal and 3 inland communities
in Inuvialuit Settlement Region, Nunavut Territory and
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ASM2010 Conference Programme and Abstracts
Nunatsiavut, presented a unique opportunity to assess Se
status in a large population with a traditional diet rich in
seafood, an excellent source of dietary Se. We obtained
both blood samples and toenail clippings from a total of
1,702 individuals for whom we also had dietary data. Each
participant had provided detailed dietary information by
completing a Food Frequency Questionnaire and a 24-hour
dietary recall. Whole blood, which reflects short-term (<3
mo) Se exposure, and toenail clippings, which reflect longerterm (3-12 mo) exposure, were analyzed for Se content.
Concentrations of Se varied widely; with those in whole
blood ranging from 110-2800 μg/L, and in toenails from
0.05-10.65 μg/g. Median Se values for blood and toenails
were 270 μg/L and 0.95 μg/g, respectively. There was also
wide variation in the quantity of traditional food consumed
(0.01 - 1186 g/day, median 216g). The association between
dietary intake of traditional food, along with demographic
and certain lifestyle factors which influence Se status, and Se
concentration in each of the biomarkers are being analyzed
and will be presented.
CHEMICAL SPECIATION OF METHYLMERCURY
AND SELENIUM IN DIFFERENT TISSUES OF
BELUGA WHALE FROM THE BEAUFORT SEA
REGION
speciation, here we report, for the first time, the distribution
of various MeHg species, as well as selenium (Se), in
different tissues (e.g., muscle, liver, kidneys and brain) of
beluga from the Beaufort Sea region. Our results show that
the dominant species of MeHg in all the tissues analyzed
is MeHg-cysteine complex, a specific form of MeHg that
is believed to be able to transport across the blood-brain
barrier. Another MeHg-thiol complex, MeHg-glutathione
complex, was also detected in the muscle and liver tissues,
supporting the involvement of glutathione in the in vivo
detoxification of MeHg. Furthermore, a profound inorganic
Hg peak was detected in the liver at the same retention
time as a Se peak, suggesting the presence of a Hg-Se
compound, most likely an inorganic Hg complex with a
seleno-amino acid. Our results provide the first analytical
support that the binding of MeHg with glutathione and Se
may have protected beluga from the toxic effect of high
concentrations of MeHg in their body. Further studies are
undergoing to probe the identity of this Hg-Se compound,
and to study the uptake and detoxification mechanisms
of MeHg at various trophic levels in the Arctic marine
ecosystems. Such molecular level understanding will shed
new light on how Arctic animals are coping with Hg
contamination and on the development of remediation
strategies.
Lemes, Marcos1 (umlemesm@cc.umanitoba.ca), F. Wang1,2
and G. Stern1,3
SELENIUM – A KEY ELEMENT IN NUNAVIK
TRADITIONAL DIET
Department of Environment and Geography, University
of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, R3T 2N2
2
Department of Chemistry, University of
Manitoba, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba,
R3T 2N2
3
Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO), Winnipeg,
Manitoba, R3T 2N2
Lemire, Mélanie1 (melanie.lemire@crchuq.ulaval.ca), F.
Proust1, A. Ferland1, S. Déry2 and É. Dewailly1
Axe santé des populations et environnementale, Centre de
recherche du CHUQ, Université Laval, G1V 2M2
2
Nunavik Regional Board of Health and Social Services,
Kuujjuaq, Quebec, J0M 1C0
Concentrations of mercury (Hg) have risen
substantially in the past decades in apical predators (e.g.,
polar bears, beluga whales) in the Arctic region. The
concentrations of total methylmercury (MeHg), the
most bioavailable form of Hg for biomagnification and
neurotoxicity; in beluga typically range from 0.35 to 3.16
μg g-1 (wet wt.) in muscle and 0.11 to 6.13 μg g-1 (wet wt.)
in liver, frequently well exceeding the Canadian guideline
of 0.5 μg g-1 (wet wt.) for MeHg in fish for human
consumption. This raises concerns over the health of
marine mammals as well as the health of Northerners who
consume these animals as part of their traditional diet.
With the recent development of a new high performance
liquid chromatography – inductively coupled plasma
mass spectrometry (HPLC-ICP-MS) technique for MeHg
Selenium (Se) is an essential element involved
in several body functions, including protection against
oxidative stress and redox status balance. In fish eating
populations, there are increasing evidences showing that
high Se intake may play a role in offsetting some deleterious
effects of mercury (Hg), and this, without evidences of Se
toxicity. The range of Se status in Inuit populations are very
broad since the Inuit diet can be exceptionally rich in Se.
Marine mammal can contain very high concentrations of
Se, varying from 0.5 to 6 μg/g, whereas fish, seabirds and
land animals can also present high Se content, from 0.1 to
0.8μg/g. The objective of the present study is to describe
the spatial variation in Se status in the different villages of
Nunavik and to evaluate the associations between Se status,
socio-demographic data and food consumption patterns.
1
1
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ASM2010 Conference Programme and Abstracts
The Qanuippitaa? health survey was conducted
among Inuit adults (≥18 years, N=744) from 14 Nunavik
communities in the fall of 2004. Blood samples were
collected and analyzed for Se content by ICP-MS. Sociodemographic and food frequencies (gram/day on annual
basis) were collected using interview-administrated
questionnaires. The associations between the Se status and
the variables were evaluated by descriptive and multiple
linear regressions.
Blood Se (B-Se) status varied from 1.5 to
45.0μmol/L, and was significantly higher in the region
of the Hudson Strait (Ivujivik, Salluit and Kangirsujuaq),
followed by the villages of the Ungava and the Hudson Bay
(mean B-Se (95%CI): 5.1 (4.8-5.5) μmol/L, 3.4 (3.2-3.5)
μmol/L and 3.0 (2.9-3.1) μmol/L respectively, p<0.0001).
B-Se concentrations increased with age (p<0.0001) but
were not significantly different between men and women
(mean B-Se: 3.4 and 3.5 μmol/L, p=0.11). Preliminary
analysis showed that, when taking age into account, B-Se
was significantly correlated to annual beluga and seal
consumption (P=0.41, p<0.0001 and P=0.12, p=0.001) but
not to total fish, wildfowl and caribou consumption. Indeed,
the mean annual beluga consumption was significantly
higher in the Hudson Strait villages compared to the others
(15.5g/day versus 4.8g/day, p<0.0001), while the mean
annual seal consumption was similar in Hudson Strait and
Hudson Bay (4.0 and 5.0g/day), and higher than in Ungava
Bay region (3.2g/day, p<0.0001). As marine mammals are
also a source of Hg, we adjusted multiple regression analysis
for age, sex and Hg blood levels. In this model, B-Se was
positively associated to beluga consumption (β=0.02,
p<0.0001) but not to seal consumption (β=-0.002, p=0.33),
and the region of origin still had a significant influence on
B-Se levels (p<0.0001).
Recent studies in the Nunavik suggest several
health benefits of high Se status in Inuit populations on
cardiovascular outcomes and markers of oxidative stress.
The Hudson Strait is an important region for beluga hunting
and the present results suggest that beluga consumption
is the most important dietary source of Se in Nunavik.
Other factors explaining the regional differences of B-Se
status will be explored in additional analysis. Further studies
will explore the risk and benefits of high Se intake in the
circumpolar region.
Department of Geography and Centre d’études nordiques,
Université Laval, Québec
2
Department of History and Centre d’études nordiques,
Université Laval, Québec
CLIMATE AND CULTURE CHANGES IN
NUNATSIAVUT (CANADA): IMPACTS ON THE
FOREST LANDSCAPE
Canadian Rivers Institute, University of New Brunswick,
Fredericton, New Brunswick, E3B 6E1
2
Parks Canada, Terra Nova National Park, Glovertown,
Newfoundland and Labrador, A0G 2L0
3
Environment Canada (NWRI), Department of Biology,
University of New Brunswick, Fredericton, NB, E3B 6E1
Lemus-Lauzon, Isabel1 (isabel.lemus-lauzon.1@ulaval.ca), N.
Bhiry1 and J. Woollett2
1
During the last centuries, inhabitants of northern Labrador
experienced important climate and cultural changes.
Thus, the cooling that occurred at the end of the 18th
century may be associated with the cold climatic period of
the Little Ice Age (LIA). This cooling probably induced
environmental changes along the coast such as spruce (picea
sp.) decay and shifts in the northern limit of the forest
edge. Those environmental changes are expected to have
cause differentiations among Inuit settlements patterns
and wood resource use. At the same time, the Moravian
missionaries’ establishment and the Inuit settlement in
Nain might have increase wood consumption, affecting the
forest cover in the surrounding valleys. The main objective
of this project is to document the relationships between
climate changes, culture changes and forest cover in Nain
area. In order to achieve this objective, a multidisciplinary
approach which includes aspects of both natural and
human sciences is being used. Field and laboratory work
include 1) paleoecology; 2) dendrochronology and 3) local
knowledge and archives. The paleoenvironmental approach
aim to reconstruct local vegetation history using macrofossil
analyses. Dendrochronological analyses will enhance
knowledge of tree growth patterns and forest exploitation.
The third aspect, local knowledge and archives will provide
a better understanding of local history and wood use, but
will also give insight concerning the local perception of the
forest and the environment in general. Preliminary research
results include information about dominant species in
the main valleys surrounding the community, the amount
and characteristics of stumps and recent changes in wood
resource use by inhabitants.
THE RESPONSE OF ARCTIC STREAM BENTHIC
MACROINVERTEBRATE COMMUNITIES TO
ENVIRONMENTAL DRIVERS AT NESTED
SPATIAL SCALES
Lento, Jennifer1 (jlento@unb.ca), W. Monk1, D. Cote2, E.
Luiker3, R. A. Curry1 and J. C. Culp3
1
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ASM2010 Conference Programme and Abstracts
This study explored the relationship between
benthic macroinvertebrate communities and hierarchical
environmental variables in Arctic stream systems. Benthic
macroinvertebrates were collected at 30 stream sites in
northern Labrador, Canada. Macroinvertebrate assemblages
were described in terms of taxonomic structure (quantified
by the relative abundance of macroinvertebrates at the
subfamily level) and by 24 biological metrics (including
richness, diversity, and distinctness). We used redundancy
analysis (RDA) to examine the response of taxonomic
structure and biological metrics to geospatial, chemical, and
physical variables quantified at four spatial scales: macro
(catchment), macro-meso (1 km buffer), micro-meso (500
m buffer), and micro (site scale). Micro scale variables
were collected at the time of sampling and included water
chemistry, substrate composition, and chlorophyll a. Meso
and macro scale variables were extracted from large scale
GIS layers, and included bedrock geology, landcover,
hydrography, and DEM-derived descriptors. Taxonomic
structure and biological metrics were most highly correlated
with macro-meso and micro scale variables. Macro-meso
and micro scale variables accounted for 22% - 35% of
the unconstrained variation in taxonomic structure and
biological metrics. At the macro-meso scale, mean elevation,
mean slope, and the proportion of landcover comprised
of bare soil were most highly correlated with taxonomic
structure, while biological metrics were highly correlated
with mean slope, the proportion of landcover comprised
of bare soil, and the proportion of landcover comprised
of broadleaf trees and shrubs. At the micro scale, the
proportion of sand, the proportion of boulder, and
alkalinity were highly correlated with taxonomic structure,
while biological metrics were most highly correlated with the
proportion of sand, the proportion of cobble, and alkalinity.
When the variance was partitioned, the macro-meso and
micro scales were found to individually account for 15% 21% of the unconstrained variance in taxonomic structure
and biological metrics, which indicated that variables
at these scales describe unique gradients in community
composition and metric values. Because of the strength of
their relationship with benthic macroinvertebrate taxonomic
structure and biological metrics, both macro-meso and
micro scale variables are important to consider in future
assessments of Arctic stream communities. The results
of this study will be used to structure further work in the
development of local reference condition bioassessment
models.
LATE QUATERNARY SEDIMENT RECORDS
FROM THE NORTHERNMOST LAKE ARCHIVE
OF THE YUKON (HERSCHEL ISLAND,
WESTERN CANADIAN ARCTIC)
Lenz J. 1 (josefine.lenz@awi.de), M. Fritz1, H. Lantuit1, W.
Pollard2 and S. Wetterich1
Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research,
Potsdam, Germany
2
McGill University, Montréal, Canada
1
In spring 2009, a 730 cm sediment core was
recovered from the largest lake on Herschel Island (Yukon
Territory, Canada). This is one of the first continuous
paleo-records in the Western Canadian Arctic and the
northernmost archive derived from lake sediments in the
Yukon.
Located 70 km east of the Yukon-Alaska border in
the Southern Beaufort Sea and with a maximum elevation
about 180 m, Herschel Island is presumably a terminal
moraine representing the westernmost extension of the
Wisconsin glaciation. Characterizing the paleoenvironment
and determining the age of the maximum glacial extent are
important outcomes for Quaternary research and for the
settlement history of Canada.
A multi-proxy approach was applied to analyse
the lake sediments and pore water. A combination of
biogeochemical parameters (TOC, CNS), grain size analysis,
magnetic susceptibility, x-ray fluorescence and stable isotope
determination (δ13C) as well as the hydrochemistry of
pore water (pH and electrical conductivity) were used to
yield information about the late Quaternary limnology of
“Lake Herschel”. Age determinations by radiocarbon dating
allowed to develop an age-depth model of the sediment
core.
Our results from various analyses of the sediment
core point towards four distinguished stratigraphic and
lithologic units. A sharp contact, probably related to
mass movements in the vicinity of the lake, divides the
uppermost two units. The most prominent feature of the
core, however, relates to a drastic change in sedimentology
indicating the transition from late Holocene to Pleistocene
between the lowermost two units at a depth of 700 cm.
Electrical conductivity was observed to increase steadily
with depth, providing an indication about the water balance
throughout the Holocene. The brackish water conditions
in the lake seemed to have interestingly enabled liveable
conditions for both marine and freshwater organisms at the
same time (ostracodes, foraminifera, molluscs).
The results from this core reflect the catchment
sedimentology but provide a highly detailed and unique
record of the paleoenvironment of the coastal western
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ASM2010 Conference Programme and Abstracts
Arctic to be compared with similar records from both the
neighbouring Ocean and the more southern lake sediment
records in the Yukon.
MICROBIAL LIFE IN HIGH ARCTIC LAKES: NEW
INSIGHTS FROM HPLC PIGMENT ANALYSIS
Lionard, Marie1, 2 (marie.lionard@bio.ulaval.ca), S. Bourget1,
, I. Laurion2, 3 and W. F. Vincent1, 2
2
Département de Biologie, Université Laval, Québec,
Québec, G1V 0A6
2
Centre d’études Nordiques (CEN), Université Laval,
Québec, Québec, G1V 0A6
3
Institut national de la recherche scientifique, Centre
Eau, Terre & Environnement, 490 de la Couronne,
Québec, Québec, G1K 9A9
1
The most rapid climate warming is taking place
at the highest northern latitudes and High Arctic lakes
have been identified as sentinels of global change. The
aim of this study was to compare microbial community
structure across a range of High Arctic Lakes in order
to better understand their sensitivity to climate. The
planktonic communities from five Arctic lakes were studied
in late summer, three located along the northern coast of
Ellesmere Island (meromictic lakes A (83°00’N, 75°30’W)
and C1 (82° 51’ N, 78° 12’ W), and the epishelf lake of
Milne Fjord (82° 45’ N, 82° 00’ W)) and two situated in
the Resolute Bay region, at the south of Cornwallis Island
(Char Lake (74° 42’ N, 94° 53’ W) and Resolute Lake
(74° 41’ N; 94° 57’ W)). Conductivity and temperature
(CTD) profiles were taken and phytoplankton and
bacterial communities were sampled throughout the water
column for HPLC pigments and flow cytometry analyses.
Pronounced differences in community composition were
observed throughout the water column of the Ellesmere
Island lakes. In Lake A and Lake C1, fucoxanthin containing
phytoplankton occurred in the surface freshwater while a
deep maximum of bacteriochlorophyll occurred in lower
waters that were anoxic and saline. Milne Fjord Lake showed
a different pattern, with almost no bacteriochlorophyll but
a strong presence of violaxanthin and lutein containing
phytoplankton in the freshwater surface layer and halocline.
Fucoxanthin containing phytoplankton were observed
deeper in the water column and chlorophyll b peaked at
22m. The phytoplankton community from Char Lake
(the drinking water supply for Resolute Bay) and Resolute
Lake showed a different pattern with a strong presence of
fucoxanthin, violaxanthin and zeaxanthin throughout the
water column, and the absence of bacteriochlorophyll at all
depths. This pigment diversity provides to these ecosystems
a strong capacity to adapt and adjust to the shifting ice,
mixing and underwater light conditions associated with
climate change.
TEMPORAL AND SPATIAL VARIATION IN
WINTERING BEHAVIOUR OF SNOW BUNTINGS
(PLECTROPHENAX NIVALIS) IN SOUTHERN
ONTARIO
Macdonald, Christie (macdonaw@uwindsor.ca) and O.P.
Love
Department of Biological Sciences, University of Windsor,
Windsor, Ontario, N9B 3P4
Snow Buntings (Plectrophenax nivalis) are an Arcticbreeding passerine that over-winters in southern Canada
and the northern United States. During winter they are
commonly seen in large flocks moving throughout fields
and along roadsides of agricultural areas. The species is
believed to be highly nomadic in the winter since they must
move large distances across the resource-limited landscape
to meet their daily energetic demands. Unfortunately,
little is known about wintering biology in general and
we specifically know nothing about the how wintering
populations may partition in space and time. Given
pronounced sexual size-dimorphism, limited energetic
resources during winter and known within-flock dominance
hierarchies, it is reasonable to suggest that populations may
stratify across the landscape in relation to sex and age. Using
long-term winter-banding data from multiple sites across
Southern Ontario, our goals are to: 1) determine whether
flocks are geographically structured by age and sex, and 2)
whether potential stratification changes geographically and
temporally in response to factors such as variation in local
climate. The research will improve our understanding of
the degree of seasonal connectivity within wintering flocks
and what factors might drive nomadic behaviour in this
important Arctic species. Moreover, spatial and temporal
stratification during winter may have important sex- and
age-specific consequences for the timing and costs of
migration, and consequently, for reproductive timing and
success on Arctic breeding grounds.
A NECESSARY VOICE: CONSIDERING CLIMATE
CHANGE THROUGH THE LIVED EXPERIENCE
OF INUIT YOUTH IN RIGOLET, NUNATSIAVUT,
CANADA
MacDonald, Joanna1 (jmacdo08@uoguelph.ca), S. L.
Harper2, A. Cunsolo Willox3, V. L. Edge2 and Rigolet Inuit
Community Government4
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ASM2010 Conference Programme and Abstracts
Environmental Sciences, University of Guelph, Guelph,
Ontario, N1G 2W1
2
Department of Population Medicine, University of
Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, N1G 2W1
3
School of Environmental Design & Rural Development,
University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, N1G 2W1
4
Rigolet, Nunatsiavut, Labrador
1
Inuit youth are experiencing the impacts of
climate change on their culture, lifestyles, and well-being.
As future leaders of their communities, Inuit youth will be
challenged by continued changes to their physical and social
environments, and must lead their communities in adapting
to these changes. Furthermore, educating and engaging
youth in climate change research and dialogue is imperative
for the field of climate change, as well as for the ability of
Inuit to lead and conduct their own research. However,
young people are frequently overlooked when it comes
to climate change research as well as policy development.
Although an increasing amount of published research has
documented local Inuit observations of climate change,
the involvement of youth is often absent. This poster
presents a research project that sought to address the lack
of youth voices in the academic literature, and explored
the observations and perceptions of climate change held
by Inuit youth in Rigolet, Nunatsiavut, Labrador, Canada.
The project was a part of the Changing Climate, Changing
Health, Changing Stories project situated in Rigolet, and
funded by Health Canada’s First Nations and Inuit Health
Branch. Through a qualitative case study, which included
surveys, in-depth interviews, and digital storytelling, data
were gathered about the changes youth in Rigolet observed
in their physical environment and climate. Perceptions
and understandings of these observed changes for the
future were also investigated. Two major themes emerged:
the recognition of the connection between the changes
in the physical environment and changes to traditional
Inuit activities; and the expression of negative feelings
such as fear, anger, and worry with regard to current and
future implications of climate change on their community.
Researchers and leaders have an obligation to discover what
motivates youth and effectively include this group in future
climate change work, research, dialogue, and policy.
CHALLENGES AND RESPONSES TO
CONSERVING ARCTIC MARINE BIO-DIVERSITY
IN THE WESTERN ARCTIC THROUGH
ADAPTIVE CO-MANAGEMENT
Malone, James1 (fjmc-rp@jointsec.nt.ca), D.V. Gillman1, B.
Ayles1 and L. Porta2
Fisheries Joint Management Committee, P.O. Box 2120,
Inuvik, Northwest Territories, X0E 0T0
2
Oceans North, 1200 Harris Drive, Suite 302, Bellingham,
Washington, United States, 98225
1
Effective management and conservation of
biodiversity in the Western Arctic has been greatly enhanced
through a unique cooperative management structure
created by the Inuvialuit Final Agreement (IFA). The IFA
established the Fisheries Joint Management Committee
(FJMC) to assist the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans,
through co-management, in ensuring the long-term health
of the anadromous and marine resources of the Western
Arctic. The adaptive co-management system that has
developed since signing the IFA in 1984 has enabled the
Inuvialuit to successfully promote regional conservation
needs pertaining to fish and marine mammal stocks, as
well as assume a meaningful role in management decisionmaking and planning exercises. This poster analyzes two
examples of successful management and conservation
of marine biodiversity in the Western Arctic – examples
that would not have occurred without co-management
and the stimulus of the FJMC. The first example recently
reached a major milestone with the formal establishment
of the Tarium Niryutait Marine Protected Area (MPA) in
the Mackenzie River Delta – an MPA based primarily on
Inuvialuit traditional beluga hunting grounds. The second, in
its early stages, is the establishment of a mechanism that will
lead to a Beaufort Sea Fisheries Management Framework.
This is an ongoing process, which will ensure that any
commercial fisheries in the Beaufort Sea are developed
with sound science while adhering to the precautionary
principle. The Beaufort Sea Fisheries Framework will
represent the overall objectives of the IFA, vision statement
of the FJMC, and policies of the Department of Fisheries
and Oceans. The health of marine fish stocks will protect
Inuvialuit subsistence harvests, which depend on a thriving
Beaufort Sea ecosystem. Both examples highlight how a
contemporary set of threats to Arctic marine biodiversity
like hydrocarbon exploration and development, industrial
fishing, and climate change can be addressed through
adaptive co-management.
PASSIVE ACOUSTIC MONITORING OF BELUGA
PRESENCE AND FEEDING IN CUMBERLAND
SOUND
Marcoux, Marianne1 (marianne.marcoux@dfo-mpo.gc.ca),
S. H. Ferguson1, Y. Simard2, B. Leblanc1, E. Primeau3 and A.
T. Fisk3
1
Freshwater Institute, Fisheries and Oceans Canada,
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ASM2010 Conference Programme and Abstracts
Winnipeg, Manitoba, R3T 2N6
2
Maurice Lamontagne Institute, Fisheries and Oceans
Canada, Mont-Joli, Québec, G5H 3Z4 and ISMER-UQAR,
Rimouski, Québec G5L 3A1
3
Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research,
University of Windsor, Windsor, Ontario, N9B 3P4
With the accelerated exploration and development
in the Arctic, there is a need for increased monitoring
of marine mammal populations. Cumberland Sound is
a diverse Arctic ecosystem and is home to a threatened
population of belugas (Delphinapterus leucas). Emerging
fisheries for turbot and char, two potential prey species for
belugas, are expanding in the sound. There is a need for
research examining the usage of Cumberland Sound by
belugas and their relationship with turbot and char. In a
preliminary study, we attempted to detect the presence of
belugas as well as their feeding events using passive acoustic
methods. We used a combination of a digital recorder
(AURAL) and a click detector (C-POD) over 21 days in
Clearwater Fjord, within Cumberland Sound, August 2010.
Belugas emit echolocation trains of clicks to navigate and
locate their prey. They produce buzzes, a rapid train of
clicks with inter-click intervals smaller than 20 ms, that are
believed to correspond to closing on a prey. We quantified
the temporal pattern of click trains and buzzes as detected
by the C-POD throughout the study period. 24 811 click
trains were detected including 3028 buzzes. Almost all the
click trains detected by the C-POD were associated with
beluga calls on the audio files (98% of random sample of
50 click trains). However, their frequency range as measured
by the C-POD differed from that of belugas from other
studies. From the click series, belugas preferably visited the
fjord during the day and at high tide. Future steps for this
project include the validation of the C-POD as beluga click
detector, assessment of false alarm rates, determination of
the detection range of the instrument, and deployment of
a network of C-PODs year-round in Cumberland Sound to
monitor beluga time-space frequentation pattern.
VARIATION IN STABLE ISTOPE RATIOS IN
EASTERN CANADA-WEST GREENLAND
BOWHEAD WHALE (BALAENA MYSTICETUS)
BALEEN INDICATE SEASONAL CHANGES IN
DIET
Matthews, Cory1 (cory_matthews@umanitoba.ca) and S.
Ferguson1,2
1
2
Department of Biological Sciences, University of Manitoba
Fisheries and Oceans Canada
Bowhead whales (Balaena mysticetus) in the eastern
Canadian Arctic migrate seasonally between Hudson and
Davis Straits in winter to northwestern Hudson Bay/
Foxe Basin and Gulf of Boothia in summer. Habitat use,
including where and when bowhead whales feed across their
annual range, is poorly understood. Chemical signatures
in baleen, which grows continually and is biochemically
inert once formed, provide a means to study eastern Arctic
bowhead whale foraging patterns because dietary changes
over short time increments are recorded in its stable isotope
and trace element composition. We measured stable carbon
and nitrogen isotope ratios (d13C and d15N) along baleen
plates from ten eastern Canada-West Greenland (EC-WG)
bowhead whales, and found evidence for annual oscillations
in both d13C and d15N. d13C oscillations typically measured
less than 1‰, but the magnitude varied from year to year
and was sometimes as great as 2-2.5‰. d15N oscillations
were more consistent than d13C oscillations, and typically
measured 0.5-1‰ (maximum 2-2.5‰). Stable sulfur
isotope ratios (d34S) were measured along three of the
ten plates, and also showed oscillations of approximately
0.5‰ (maximum 1-1.5‰). The magnitude and patterns
of oscillations varied among individuals indicate seasonal
and interannual changes in diet, which could be due to
seasonal fasting (e.g., enrichment in 15N and 34S resulting
from protein catabolism) or feeding in locations across their
annual range with different isotopic signatures.
VULNERABILITY IN CANADA’S NORTH:
UNDERSTANDING A COMMUNITY’S ADAPTIVE
NEEDS TO CLIMATE CHANGE AND TOURISM
DEVELOPMENT
Mattina, Charles(cmattina@lakeheadu.ca)
Lakehead University, Thunder Bay, Ontario, P7B 3J3
Tourism is far from a new phenomena in the Arctic,
however in the region of Nunatsiavut, is not only relatively
new and unstudied, but changing with the establishment of
Torngat Mountains National Park circa 2005. Furthermore,
there is an expectation that climate change may in one
form or another, have an effect on tourism development
in Nunastiavut, as well as the entire Arctic. The purpose
of this study is to understand resident perceptions of
tourism development in the community of Nain, NL,
with a particular focus on Aboriginal (cultural) tourism
development as well as climate change. A community based
approach was used in data collection where open-ended
interviews were conducted over the summer of 2010. At
present, such interviews are being analyzed in a qualitative
manner, with initial results beginning to materialize. It is
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ASM2010 Conference Programme and Abstracts
hoped that this study will provide valuable information
to community/tourism planners both in Nain and the
region so that tourism development takes places in socially
sustainable manner at present and in the near future.
USING LAND - AND SNOW COVER
AS INDICATORS FOR PERMAFROST
DISTRIBUTION
May, Inga1 (inga.may@lmu.de), R. Ludwig 1 and M. Bernier2
Department of Geography, Ludwig-Maximilians
University, Munich, Germany
2
Centre Eau, Terre & Environnement, Institut national de la
recherche scientifique, Québec, G1K 9A9
1
The spatial distribution of permafrost affected soils
and its dynamics caused by changing climatic conditions
is one of the most important questions in recent arctic
research activities. Particularly for inhabited areas detailed
knowledge about the development of frozen ground is of
main importance e.g. for infrastructure management, but
also for the recent research of mobilization of greenhouse
gases due to thawing permafrost.
Image processing and analysis techniques, applied
to new high-resolution sensor data, offer the possibility to
retrieve such spatially distributed information over large
and remote areas. Time series of satellite images deliver
the input for an accurate detection of landscape change.
Unfortunately optical sensors only allow the monitoring
of the land surface and hence soil conditions have to be
estimated from appropriate indicators such as land cover or
snow layer dynamics. Therefore it is essential to understand
the connection between such indicators and permafrost
appearance and their possible co-occurrence.
This study is conducted in Northern Quebec,
Nunavik, close to the small Inuit village of Umiujaq (56°33’
N, 76°33’ W). The area lies in the discontinuous permafrost
zone and typical tundra vegetation, which is characterized by
scattered patterns of small bushes, moss and. This smallscaled heterogeneity of the land cover and topography
combined with high and prevailing wind speeds leads to a
snow cover depth that varies between 0 and more than 200
cm within one 1m².
During several field campaigns in 2009 and 2010,
vegetation was mapped and snow as well as soil parameters
were measured. The recordings were analyzed to investigate
the extent to which different land cover units reflect the
underlying soil conditions and to estimate the impact of
vegetation on snow (drift) accumulation. Consequently, the
relation between snow cover parameters and permafrost
features was analyzed.
The outcomes of this study show a complex
interrelation between snow, vegetation and permafrost.
Especially the effect of vegetation on snow distribution can
now be described in a more comprehensive way. This newly
gained understanding shall be used further to model the
transport and accumulation of snow.
Furthermore the results deliver necessary
information to (i) estimate the spatially dynamic distribution
of permafrost and related landforms by means of multitemporal land cover classification and snow cover mapping
covering the last decades and (ii) to simulate the probable
future development of permafrost distribution following the
projections of regional climate models, which lead to expect
a considerable change in precipitation patterns, an increase
of growing degree days and a spatio-temporal decline in
snow cover.
The poster highlights the findings of the field
measurements and the analysis of the relation between the
vegetation, snow cover and soil conditions.
OVERCOMING BARRIERS FOR REDUCTION
IN DIESEL DEPENDENCY WITH RENEWABLE
ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES IN NUNAVUT
McDonald, N.C. 1 and J.M. Pearce1,2 (pearce@me.queensu.
ca)
School of Environmental Studies, Queen’s University
Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering,
Queen’s University, 60 Union Street, Kingston, Ontario,
Canada K7L 3N6
1
2
Currently, all twenty-five communities in Nunavut
are dependent on the use of imported diesel fuel for their
electricity needs creating numerous environmental, social
and economic problems. Diesel is both a greenhouse gas,
emission-intensive and acutely polluting energy source
responsible for acute health problems. Greenhouse gas
emissions have been implicated in global climate change,
which is endangering the fragile ecosystems of the Arctic.
Finally, in a territory that suffers from low per capita
earnings the use of diesel is wasteful and expensive. The
typical diesel generator only converts 35% of the fuel
energy to electricity. Additionally, the cost of diesel in
Nunavut are the most expensive in Canada due to high
transportation costs and are expected to continue to climb
in the foreseeable future. Thus, electricity rates in Nunavut
are about 39.39 ¢/kWh (~3 to 6 times higher than other
Canadian provinces). There is a clear need to reduce
Nunavut’s reliance on diesel-generated electricity.
Fortunately, renewable energy technologies (RETs) including
wind, solar and micro-hydro represent technically viable and
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ASM2010 Conference Programme and Abstracts
scalable sources of power to reduce the use of diesel fuel
in Nunavut. Pilot projects with a wind turbine in Rankin
Inlet and a solar photovoltaic array in Iqaluit are underway.
Despite the recent successes of these pilot projects and the
systematic support of RETs in other regions of Canada
(e.g. the Green Energy Act in Ontario), there has been no
substantial push by the federal or territorial governments to
integrate RETs into many Nunavut communities.
This paper systematically reviews the reasons
for this oversight and explores potential solutions by:
i) performing numerical simulations for wind and solar
technical and economic viability in a case study Nunavut
community, ii) interviewing key government policy makers
in both Nunavut and the federal government to determine
barriers to RET deployment in Nunavut, and iii) analyzing
potential technical requirements and policy solutions to
overcome these barriers.
First, numerical simulations for wind and solar
were performed in a case study city of Iqaluit, and it was
determined that diesel can be reduced by 41% and 38%
using equivalent power plants matching 15MW base load
with wind and solar respectively. Based on the results of the
simulations and the current state of RET pilot projects in
the North, it is evident that integrating RETs in Nunavut
is a realistic solution to diesel dependency. The primary
challenges of integrating RETs in Nunavut were determined
from interviews with federal government policy-makers
over the last year; they were found to be i) lack of capacity
in the communities, ii) initial capital costs, and iii) lack of
adaptation of RETs to Northern climates. Solutions to these
challenges as identified through the interviews are proposed
including: i) set up energy hubs to provide trained personnel
for a given RET, ii) begin using life cycle economic
analysis for energy purchasing and build RETs into other
infrastructure projects (i.e. solar photovoltaic rooftops for
new construction), and iii) use existing pilot project data to
show technical reliability in the North.
Introduction
Inuit communities are reporting changes in individual
attitudes towards traditional fats and contemporary
fats. This study is investigating the changing nature of
perspectives on traditional and contemporary fats and
the impacts of these perspectives on diet and other
behaviours among Inuit in Nain, Nunatsiavut and other
Inuit communities. This project is being conducted in
collaboration with the Nunatsiavut Government under
the IPY funded project on marine fats and Inuit health:
URQSUK.
URQSUK: THE CHANGING NATURE OF ARCTIC
FATS AND THE INUIT DIET
Discussion
A better understanding of perceptions of fats through this
research project will help to address the needs of northern
health and wildlife/environment professionals in promoting
healthy food choices and of capturing early observations of
Inuit experts (hunter and Elders) of possible shifts taking
place in marine and terrestrial ecosystems associated with
climate and other forms of environmental change.
Furgal, Chris1,2,4 (chrisfurgal@trentu.ca), K. Friendship3
(katelyn@ravenquest.ca), K. McTavish1,2, E.Dewailly1,4, S.
Bernier1,4, R. Laing1,2, in collaboration with Nunatsiavut
Government
Nasivvik Centre for Inuit Health and Changing
Environments (Université Laval and Trent University)
2
Indigenous Environmental Studies Program, Trent
University, Peterborough, Ontario
3
RavenQuest Consulting; Whitehorse, Yukon
4
Unité de recherche en santè publique, CHUL Research
Centre, Québec, Québec
1
Methods
The project aims to develop and apply a survey tool to
increase our understanding of fat choice behavior and to
determine what Inuit residents believe is necessary and
possible to ensure food security for future generations.
To build this tool, 9 focus groups were conducted with
participants 14-70 years of age (23 women, 26 men) in July
2008 in Nain Nunatsiavut. Focus groups are planned for
early 2010 in one other Inuit community in the Canadian
Arctic.
Results
Preliminary results from Nunatsiavut indicate that
participants have noticed changes in fat thickness in country
food species over time. Observations were primarily
associated with caribou and bird species. Contrary to
our preliminary hypothesis, it is not only among younger
participants that behaviors to cut down or stay away
from ‘fat’ in the diet were mentioned but more so among
participants within the middle age groups, 30 years and over.
Based on these results a survey tool has been developed
and applied to investigate the representation of these
perspectives among the community population in Nain.
Results from the survey will be presented. The project is
currently being replicated in Clyde River, Nunavut.
NEW ARCTICNET OPPORTUNITIES FOR FULL
DATA ARCHIVING
Michaud, Josée1 (Josee.Michaud@arcticnet.ulaval.ca), J.
Friddell2, M-È. Garneau1, W. Vincent1 and E. LeDrew2
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ASM2010 Conference Programme and Abstracts
1
2
Université Laval, Québec, QC, Canada, G1V 0A6
University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, Canada, N2L 3G1
The Polar Data Catalogue (PDC) was launched in
July 2007 by ArcticNet in partnership with the Canadian
Cryospheric Information Network (CCIN). The number of
metadata records entered into the PDC nearly doubled over
the last year and approximately 1000 approved records are
now available online, of which a third belongs to ArcticNet.
This makes the PDC catalogue the largest archive of polar
metadata in Canada. Guided by the ArcticNet data policy,
our objective is now to archive and share full ArcticNet
datasets. Thus, all network investigators must now plan for
the long-term storage of their scientific data and methods.
The data generated within ArcticNet will be archived using
relevant existing online databases, such as governmental
Data Centers, or through the PDC at CCIN whenever
access to a traditional data center is unavailable. The
ArcticNet data policy specifies that the access to ArcticNet
data will be limited to ArcticNet participants for a period of
three years after the end of an individual project.
At that time, the ArcticNet data will be made
available fully, freely and openly to the public and
researchers alike through the PDC geospatial search tool.
To facilitate the data archiving process, the
ArcticNet Data Management Committee has prepared
guidelines to ensure the usability of datasets for present and
future end-users. Essential practices have been defined: (1)
Creation of Metadata; (2) Assignment of descriptive file
names; (3) Consistent and stable file formats for tabular
and image data;(4) Definition of the contents of data
files; (5) Consistent data organization; (6) Basic quality
assurance tests; and (7) Comprehensive documentation
and (8) Rules to cite a dataset. These practices will be
described so that researchers may implement them in order
to easily share their datasets with other researchers. For
enhanced visibility and accessibility, the ArcticNet Data
Management Committee intends, with the permission
of the scientists who collected the data, to identify select
data sets that may be part of the new Polar Information
Commons (PIC). The PIC proposes to serve as an open,
virtual repository for vital scientific data and information.
This new shared, community-based cyber-infrastructure
will foster innovation, improve scientific understanding, and
encourage participation in research, education, planning, and
management in the Polar Regions. ArcticNet researchers
who would like to contribute may label their contributions
digitally with the “PIC badge”, which specifies rights of
access and links back to a statement of norms, and agree to
make these contributions accessible and searchable online.
PHENOTYPIC ASSESSMENT OF A PUTATIVE
THIRD ECOLOGICAL FORM OF ARCTIC
CHARR IN LAKE HAZEN, ELLESMERE ISLAND,
NUNAVUT
Michaud, Wendy K.1 (wmichaud@sciborg.uwaterloo.ca), T.
Robinson1, J. D. Reist2, J. A. Babaluk2, and M. Power1
Department of Biology, University of Waterloo, Waterloo,
Ontario, N2L 3G1
2
Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Winnipeg, Manitoba, R3T
2N6
1
Located within Quttinirpaaq National Park, on
Ellesmere Island, Lake Hazen contains only one known fish
species, the Arctic charr (Salvelinus alpinus). Charr are quite
variable in terms of morphology and habitat use, and two
ecologically distinct forms of Arctic charr have already been
described for the lake. This includes a larger, silver colored,
piscivorous form and a smaller, more darkly colored
form that feeds mainly on benthic invertebrates. Recently,
samples Arctic charr sampled from Lake Hazen included
what appear to be a third form: a small, silvery-white charr
with relatively large eyes for its size and a blunt snout. To
assess whether these fish represent an ecologically distinct
form of Arctic charr, diet, morphology, and life history
traits of the new fish were compared to those described
previously. Stable isotope analyses indicates an overlap in
diet between the putative third form and the previously
described benthically feeding form, but stomach contents
analysis indicated the potentially new form of Arctic charr
incorporated zooplankton more frequently in their diets.
Morphologically, these fish have smaller heads, thicker
caudal peduncles, and longer dorsal and anal fins than the
two previously described forms. Where they overlap in
age, the putative third from is smaller in overall size, and
matures at a younger age than the other two forms. Based
on this evidence, the new fish appear to be distinct from
the previously described forms in terms of their ecology
and life-history tactics. Further genetic tests are being
conducted to determine if all forms represent genetically
distinct groups. Although trophic polymorphisms are not
uncommon among Arctic charr, Lake Hazen is particularly
interesting because it is one of the few reported cases where
multiple lacustrine forms of Arctic charr coexist in a lake
where only one fish species is present. As such, it could
serve as a useful example in comparisons of inter- and
intraspecific patterns of sympatry in other parts of the
species’ range.
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ASM2010 Conference Programme and Abstracts
REFINING THE GLOBAL CIRCULATION
MODEL (GCM) SPATIAL AND TEMPORAL
RESOLUTION OF ICE CONCENTRATION IN
HUDSON BAY USING EMPIRICAL STATISTICAL
DOWNSCALING
Middel, Kevin R.1,2 (kevin.middel@ontario.ca), and M. E.
Obbard2,1
Environmental and Life Sciences Graduate Program, Trent
University, Peterborough, Ontario, K9J 7B8
2
Wildlife Research and Development Section, Ontario
Ministry of Natural Resources, Peterborough, Ontario, K9J
7B8
sea ice concentration data in Hudson Bay to train the model,
downscaling techniques were used to build links between
modelled atmospheric variables and ice concentration.
Early results indicate that this methodology has the
potential to provide predictions at a scale relevant to polar
bear researchers, and may be easily transferable to other
geographic regions. Using varying GCM inputs and models
we expand upon previous work predicting the long term
survival of these and other polar bear populations.
1
Polar bears (Ursus maritimus) are dependent on sea
ice as a platform for hunting and mating, and characteristics
such as body condition, reproduction, and survival have
been closely linked to both the extent and duration of sea
ice. The full cryogenic cycle of the Hudson Bay region
provides the necessary conditions for the most southern
sub-populations of bears in the world to survive. However,
the Southern Hudson Bay and Western Hudson Bay
subpopulations are believed to be most at risk to climate
change due to reduced ice duration, which leads to reduced
foraging time and a subsequent increase in the amount of
time fasting on shore.
The primary source for information on climate
change are the Global Circulation Models which model
atmospheric and surface variables such as temperature,
precipitation, and ice concentration on either a monthly
or daily basis at varying spatial resolutions. However,
climatologists have recognized that local physiographic
and topographic variations in an area can have significant
affects on observed climatic conditions and these variations
are not evident or accounted for in large scale GCM data.
Statistical downscaling is a method that has been developed
which creates a link between the small scale variations and
the large scale predictions, enabling researchers to better
model local climate changes into the future. In the case of
sea ice concentration, GCMs predict a progressive decline
in the duration of seasonal ice in Hudson Bay, with melt
occurring earlier and freeze-up occurring later each decade.
One of the challenges of working with these data, especially
for consideration of polar bear habitat, is that the GCM
ice concentration data tend to be coarse both spatially and
temporally, providing only monthly average values at a >1.0°
spatial resolution.
Our objective is to investigates the use of
statistical downscaling tools to refine ice concentration
data both spatially and temporally, attempting to predict
ice concentration values at much finer scales then currently
available in the GCMs. Using 30 years of derived satellite
THE ROLE OF INTER-BASIN LANDSCAPE
CONDITIONS AND VEGETATION IN RUNOFF
PROCESSES AT POLAR BEAR PASS, BATHURST
ISLAND, NUNAVUT
Miller, Elizabeth (eamiller@yorku.ca) and K.L. Young
Department of Geography, York University, Toronto,
Ontario, M3J 1P3
Polar Bear Pass, Bathurst Island, Nunavut (75o40’,
98 30’) is the site of a large, ecologically important High
Arctic wetland. Streams and rivers in the surrounding
hillslopes are key water sources for this wetland. Two
of these stream basins were selected for study, one with
abundant moss cover and another with sparse moss cover,
to determine how differences in landscape and vegetation
cover influence ground ice content, active layer development
and runoff processes. Streamflow was maintained in both
streams due to low intensity yet prolonged rainfall and
long lasting snowbeds in 2009, however warmer and drier
conditions in 2010 resulted in both streams eventually
ceasing to flow and regenerating near the end of the season
after intense rainfall. Preliminary results indicate that the
frost table developed more quickly in 2010 at both sites yet
the active layer remained shallower in the heavily vegetated
stream in both years. It is suspected that the insulating
properties of thick moss layers promote formation of and
sustainability of ground ice. This potentially represents
an important storage component in the water balance for
heavily vegetated drainage basins and modifies runoff by
ensuring a shallow frost table. Early results suggest that
there was less ground ice content in the vegetated stream in
2010 compared to 2009.
o
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ASM2010 Conference Programme and Abstracts
DETERMINING THE IMPACTS OF SHORELINE
RETROGRESSIVE THERMOKARST SLUMPING
TO THE BASAL COMPONENTS OF THE
AQUATIC FOOD WEB OF TUNDRA LAKES OF
THE MACKENZIE DELTA UPLAND LAKES
Moquin, Paul1 (moquin.paul@gmail.com), F. Wrona1, P.
Di Cenzo1, J. Gareis2, E. Hille1, A. Houben3, W. Hurst4, D.
Ross4 and A. Trimble4
Water & Climate Impacts Research Centre, University of
Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia, V8W 3R4
2
Department of Geography, Simon Fraser University,
Burnaby, British Columbia, V5A 1S6
3
Chemical and Environmental Toxicology, University of
Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, K1N 6N5
4
Aurora Research Institute, Inuvik, North West Territories,
X0E 0T0
1
Permafrost temperatures in the high Arctic
have been rising causing a deepening of the active layer
and an increase in thermokarst activity. The degradation
of permafrost occurring directly adjacent to lakes has
been associated with terrestrial inputs to the lacustrine
environment. Formally called shoreline retrogressive
thermokarst slumping (SRTS), these inputs have been
associated with changes in chemical and biological
parameters in permafrost-embedded lakes throughout
the northern regions of the globe. A number of synoptic
studies on lakes situated in the uplands of the Mackenzie
Delta have revealed that slumping in the lakes of this
region is associated with overall decreases in turbidity and
water color as well as water-column nutrient availability.
Preliminary experimental work by Thompson et al. (2008)
suggests that the clear water observed in slumped lakes may
be a result of exposure to permafrost-related sediments.
In an effort to further our understanding of the
underlying mechanisms of the transformations observed
in disturbed lakes, we carried out an insitu mesocosm
experiment in which treatments consisted of sediment
additions varying in volume. The experiment took place in
an undisturbed Mackenzie Delta upland lake and consisted
of twelve 1.2 meters square mesocosms: three replicates
for each of three levels of sediment addition plus three
replicates of a control in which no additions were made.
Sediments for the additions were sourced from an SRTSaffected lake about a kilometer away. Mesocosms were
dosed in the spring and monitored over the course of the
open-water growing season (early June to mid-September).
We sampled weekly for water chemistry, zooplankton and
phytoplankton community structure as well as primary
and bacterial production in both the benthic and pelagic
environments. In particular, we endeavored to answer 4
questions:
1) Does the relative importance of benthic- and pelagicbased processes change as a result of shoreline slumping
events?
2) Does the relative importance of heterotrophic and
autotrophic processes as entry points of new carbon/energy
into the food web change as a result of shoreline slumping
events?
3) How does the relative importance of heterotrophic
and autotrophic processes in the benthic and pelagic
environments change over time starting from the initial
slumping event?
4) Does the magnitude of a slumping event affect the
differences observed between slumped and undisturbed
lakes?
Here we present preliminary results from the mesocosm
experiment as well as describe novel methodology used to
quantify rates of primary productivity using a non-invasive
optical probe that measures oxygen concentration by
reading inert sensor spots inside light and dark bottles.
DETECTING AND TRACKING ARCTIC ICE
ISLANDS USING RADARSAT-2
Mueller, Derek1 (derek_mueller@carleton.ca) and R. De
Abreu2
Department of Geography and Environmental Studies,
Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario, K1S 5B6
2
Canadian Ice Service, Environment Canada, Ottawa,
Ontario, K1A 0H3
1
Ice islands are large (up to several km long) and
thick (20 m, up to potentially 90 m) masses of ice that form
when an Arctic ice shelf calves. In 2008, many ice islands
and ice island fragments (< 1 km long) were produced when
214 km2 of Canada’s remaining ice shelves calved at the
northern coast of Ellesmere Island. These masses of ice are
considered to be hazards to navigation and structures such
as oil rigs. Therefore, their detection and surveillance falls
within the operational mandate of the Canadian Ice Service.
In order to determine the optimal mode for ice island
detection using the advanced synthetic aperture radar (SAR)
capabilities of Radarsat-2, we analyzed ice island signatures
from 199 images. Four ice islands were located with satellite
tracking beacons deployed in spring/summer 2009 and
fine beam mode imagery in four polarizations was acquired
regularly for these targets from September 2009 to April
2010. These were supplemented by 121 images in ScanSAR
mode (most were cross-polarized) as well as imagery in
other modes. We focused the analysis on differences in tone
(normalized backscatter or σ0) between ice islands and the
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ASM2010 Conference Programme and Abstracts
surrounding ice in order to calculate contrast ratios as an
indicator of detectability. Results were considerably different
for two broadly defined ice types: ‘Meteoric’ ice islands, with
surface ice formed from snowfall and rain and ‘marine’ ice
islands, which have higher salinities and marine sediments at
the ice surface. Marine ice islands had a relatively constant
backscatter, whereas backscatter from meteoric ice islands
and the surrounding ice was greatly reduced during the
summer melt season. Therefore, the contrast ratio for
marine ice islands was more seasonally variable. Contrast
ratio did not vary appreciably with incidence angles and a
comparison between the available polarizations indicated
that cross-polarized SAR had higher contrast ratios than
co-polarized channels. Consequently, it is recommended
to use cross-polarized SAR to detect ice islands, although
the spatial resolution of most beam modes is likely to be a
limiting factor.
ARCTIC MARINE ICE-ASSOCIATED ECOSYSTEM
IN A CHANGING ENVIRONMENT (ARCTIC-ICE)
Mundy, C. J. (christopher-john.mundy@uqar.qc.ca), M.
Gosselin1, K. Brown2, K. Campbell3, V. Galindo4, C.
Moszynski3, D. G. Barber3, R. Francois2, Y. Gratton5, M.
Levasseur4, L. Miller6, T. N. Papakyriakou3, P. Tortell2 and M.
Scarratt7
1
Institut des sciences de la mer (ISMER), 310 Allée des
Ursulines, Université du Québec à Rimouski, Rimouski,
Québec
2
Earth and Ocean Sciences, University of British Columbia,
2329 West Mall, Vancouver, British Columbia
3
Centre for Earth Observation Science, University of
Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba
4
Département de biologie, Université Laval, Québec,
Québec
5
Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique—Eau, Terre
et Environnement, Université du Québec, Québec, Québec
6
Centre for Ocean Climate Chemistry, Institute of Ocean
Sciences, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, P.O. Box 6000, 9860
West Saanich Road, Sidney, British Columbia
7
Institut Maurice-Lamontagne, Peches et Oceans Canada,
850 Rte. de la mer, Mont-Joli, Québec
1
The connection of the ice-covered marine system
to the warming Arctic environment is readily apparent,
but the extent of these changes and future changes on the
ecosystem and associated climate feedback processes are not
well understood. Points to consider include: (1) changes to
bottom-ice transmitted irradiance associated with changes
to snow depth, ice thickness, and timing of melt onset;
(2) changes in nutrient supply associated with changes
to water mass characteristics and distribution; (3) relative
contribution of ice algae and under-ice phytoplankton to
total primary production; (4) timing of ice algae release into
the water column; (5) role of biological processes on air-sea
ice-ocean exchanges of climate active gases. We hypothesize
that the timing of primary production will dictate the extent
of ice-pelagic-benthic coupling in the ice-covered ecosystem
and therefore will provide a sensitive indicator of directional
change for the system as a whole. The underlying objective
of Arctic-ICE is to determine the physical-biological
processes controlling the timing of primary production and
their influence on the drawdown/release of climatically
active gases. In this poster, we summarize the Arctic-ICE
dataset collected during spring 2010 in Resolute Passage,
Nunavut, and discuss our future plans for the program.
SHORT-TERM INDIVIDUAL GROWTH
PATTERNS OF ANADROMOUS ARCTIC CHARR
IN UNGAVA-LABRADOR, CANADA
Murdoch, Alyssa1 (alyssamurdoch@gmail.com), J. B.
Dempson2, F. Martin3 and M. Power1
Department of Biology, University of Waterloo, Waterloo,
Ontario, N2L 3G1
2
Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Science Branch, St. John’s,
Newfoundland, A1C 5X1
3
Nunavik Research Centre, Makivik Corporation, Kuujjuaq,
Quebec, JOM 1C0
1
The Arctic charr (Salvelinus alpinus) distribution
spans a wide latitudinal range and includes some of the
harshest and most variable aquatic environments known.
Growth pattern differences among Arctic charr within these
environments have been attributed to varying life-history
strategies, environmental conditions, intra- and inter-specific
interactions, and resource availability. Population somatic
growth rates are commonly inferred from age-at-length data
and thus represent mean growth over a given number of
years averaged over the varied experiences of the fish used
to compute the mean. In contrast, growth data obtained
from fish tagging experiments allow a direct measure of
individual growth over short periods of time that facilitate
estimating the importance of specific life-history events for
growth (e.g. summer marine migrations). Here, individual
growth patterns of sea-run Arctic charr from two locales
in north-eastern Canada are used to investigate patterns of
annual and intra-seasonal growth as they vary by fish size,
location, and year. Sea surface temperatures are considered
as a potential determinant of growth differences and used
to test the hypothesis that warmer summer temperatures
increase individual growth. Where individuals were tagged
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ASM2010 Conference Programme and Abstracts
upon descent and recaptured within the same season
(“spring tagging”), changes in length are used to test the
hypothesis that growth rate declines over the growing
season, with most growth occurring at the beginning of
the summer. In addition, experienced individual summer
temperatures will be calculated and correlated with withinseason growth rates. Annual growth data were obtained
from tagging studies carried out in the Nepihjee River,
southern Ungava Bay (from 2009-2010; n=101 recaptures)
and the Ikarut River, northern Labrador (from 1981-1985;
total of n=260 recaptures), where individuals were caught
upon ascent during the fall migration, measured (cm), and
recaptured one year later. Spring tagging data (from 19791987; total of n=760 recaptures) were collected from Nain
Bay, Tikkoatokak Bay, and Webb Bay, in northern Labrador.
Individuals were angled or gillnetted at river mouths in the
nearshore marine environment during ice break-up, and
recaptured from the commercial fishery later in the season.
Studying individual short-term Arctic charr growth patterns
facilitates improved understanding of growth variability in
Arctic charr that, in turn, allows investigation of specific
mechanisms driving growth. Improved knowledge of
growth patterns in natural environments is critical for
improving stock assessments and for sustaining population
levels in the face of uncertainty over the affects of climate
change on Arctic charr.
CLIMATE CHANGE AND HEALTH ADAPTATION
PROGRAM IN NORTHERN FIRST NATIONS
AND INUIT COMMUNITIES
Myers, Erin1 (erin.myers@hc-sc.gc.ca) and D. McClymont
Peace2
Health Canada, First Nations and Inuit Health Branch,
Environmental Research Division, Ottawa, Ontario, K1A
0K9
2
Health Canada, First Nations and Inuit Health Branch,
Environmental Research Division, Ottawa, Ontario, K1A
0K9
1
Over the last decade, Northern communities as
well as climate change researchers have begun to understand
the degree to which climate change is impacting the health
of Northern peoples in Canada. Climate change is not
just an environmental issue but it is becoming very much a
human health issue. The health implications resulting from a
warmer and more unpredictable climate are not distributed
evenly: current health status, age, gender, genetics,
geography, and economics, are some of the key variables
affecting the ability of individuals and communities to adapt
to and reduce the effects of climate change.
To help address these issues, it is important to
involve First Nations and Inuit communities in research
and in adaptation planning. Health Canada, as a part of
the federal government’s overall climate change strategy,
implements a community-based program that aims to build
capacity to adapt to the effects of climate change on their
health and to develop relevant communication materials for
adaptation at the community, regional, and national levels.
Since the launch of the Climate Change and Health
Adaptation Program in 2008, Health Canada has funded
37 community-based projects across the North. Research
topics that link climate change and health issues include
food security, water quality, climate change and health
awareness/education, traditional medicine, land erosion and
land use, and ice safety and monitoring. Overview of results
from these projects will be presented in the poster.
PARTITIONING OF NEE INTO GEP AND ER
FOR THE CANADIAN ARCTIC
Myklebust, May C.1, P. M. Lafleur1 and E. R. Humphreys2
Trent University, Geography Department, Peterborough,
Ontario, K9J 7B8
2
Carleton University, Geography Department, Ottawa,
Ontario, K1S 5B6
1
Measurements of the natural exchange of CO2
between the atmosphere and the biosphere are used in
models that predict climate change. At the landscape scale
these measurements normally represent the net exchange
of CO2 (NEE) and techniques are needed to partition
this flux into its basic ecosystem components of gross
ecosystem production (GEP) and ecosystem respiration
(ER). In most studies this is accomplished by modelling
ER based on night time data and then subtracting modelled
ER values from NEE to get daytime GEP. Models of ER
have traditionally been temperature driven, even though
ER data is typically not well explained by temperature
alone. However recent research (in boreal and temperate
ecosystems) indicates that GEP is likely a co-driver of ER
with temperature. In this study, we use a long term (6year) NEE record from a low Arctic site at Daring Lake,
Canada to investigate the importance of incorporating
GEP into the current temperature-only driven ER model
and then assess the impacts of this development on NEE
partitioning. Preliminary results suggest that the GEP-ER
link may be important for arctic tundra ecosystems and
that this knowledge can improve our understanding and the
predictability of variability in NEE in the Canadian Arctic.
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ASM2010 Conference Programme and Abstracts
MICROBIAL COMMUNITY DYNAMICS AND
GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS IN ARCTIC
THAW PONDS
Negandhi, Karita1,2 (karitaneg@yahoo.ca), I. Laurion1,2 and
C. Lovejoy2,3
Institut national de la recherche scientifique, Centre Eau,
Terre et Environnement, Quebec, Quebec, Canada
2
Centre d’études nordiques, Universite´ Laval, Quebec,
Quebec, Canada
3
Departement de Biologie, Universite´ Laval, Quebec,
Quebec, Canada
POLAR BEAR (URSUS MARITIMUS) MATERNITY
DENNING HABITAT IN THE HUDSON BAY
LOWLANDS OF ONTARIO: PRESENT AND
FUTURE
Obbard, Martyn E.1 (martyn.obbard@ontario.ca), K. R.
Middel1 and L. R. Walton2
1
Arctic climate change is leading to accelerated
melting of permafrost and the mobilization of soil organic
carbon pools that have accumulated over thousands of
years. Permafrost melting and erosion produce numerous
small basins that fill with water. Two types of ponds,
polygons and runnels, are formed on the continuous
permafrost of Bylot Island. CO2 and CH4 emissions vary
considerably among pond types, suggesting that carbon
cycling processes are influenced by different factors
including: physical factors such as wind speed, surfactants,
water temperature, thermal structure, pond morphology,
light exposure; chemical factors including dissolved organic
matter quantity and quality; and biological factors such
as the activity of methanogens and methanotrophs, and
photosynthetic activity. Bacterial 16s rRNA clone libraries
revealed some difference in the bacterial communities
between a polygon and a runnel pond. For instance, the
runnel pond had 40% more sequences closely matching that
of Polynucleobacter necessaries. This organism produces
acetate that methanogens use to produce CH4, suggesting a
key role in the runnel ponds.
As the liability of the organic carbon pool can
be more important than its concentration for bacterial
consumption, microcosm experiments were performed to
investigate the transformation rate of DOM in the presence
and absence of microbes and in the presence and absence
of light. In addition, CO2 and CH4 production rates over 16
days were measured at different temperatures. Preliminary
results show that under increased temperatures (+4°C) both
CO2 and CH4 production increased. The CO2 production
eventually leveled off, while CH4 continued increasing over
time. Samples were kept to test weather the changes in
activity were a result of changes in the dominant microbial
assemblages. The results of these investigations will
provide evidence of whether predicted increases in climatic
temperatures could have consequences for the effluxes
of CO2 and CH4 and how such changes are reflected in
archaeal and bacterial community structure and activity.
Wildlife Research and Development Section, Ontario
Ministry of Natural Resources, DNA Building, Trent
University, 2140 East Bank Dr., Peterborough, Ontario
K9J7B8
2
Northeast Science and Information, Ontario Ministry of
Natural Resources, South Porcupine, Ontario P0N 1H0
1
Due to the cycle of complete melting of sea ice in
Hudson Bay in summer, all polar bears are forced ashore for
up to 5 months, and pregnant females for up to 8 months.
While ashore, the bears undergo an energetically expensive
prolonged fast. Since sea ice does not re-form in Hudson
Bay before pregnant females give birth to litters of cubs
in December, all maternity denning in the Hudson Bay
ecosystem occurs on land. In the Hudson Bay Lowlands
of Ontario, pregnant females construct dens in features
characteristic of permafrost regions such as palsas and
frozen peat banks of small lakes. Other sites used are river
banks, eskers, and beds in the lee of clumps of spruce trees.
Most maternity dens are constructed in frozen peat in the
sides of palsas > 1.5 m high, or in similar height peat banks
of small lakes. The distribution of permafrost in the region
is predicted to decline by 50% by 2100. How polar bears will
adapt to loss of permafrost features is unknown, though
some bears apparently den successfully in other sites. It may
be that denning in palsas and peat banks offers an energetic
advantage to the pregnant female; if so, then pregnant
females will have higher energetic demands during winter
hibernation in the future. Body condition of pregnant
females has already declined in the Southern Hudson Bay
subpopulation since the mid-1980s, and survival rates of
all age and sex classes have declined, presumably related
to earlier sea ice melt and loss of hunting opportunities.
The additive effects of loss of hunting opportunities and
increased energetic demands during hibernation will have
major effects on reproductive success and perhaps even
adult female survival.
COMMUNITY FREEZERS AS A CATALYST
TOWARDS FOOD SECURITY: PERSPECTIVES
FROM INUIT RESIDENTS OF NAIN,
NUNATSIAVUT
Organ, Jennifer1 (jforgan@dal.ca), C. Furgal1,2 and H.
Castleden1
149
ASM2010 Conference Programme and Abstracts
School for Resource and Environmental Studies, Dalhousie
University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, B3H 3J5
2
Indigenous Environmental Studies Program, Trent
University, Peterborough, Ontario, K9J 7B8
1
Many Inuit of Canada rely heavily on sharing
mechanisms among kin and other close-knit groups to
access wild foods. Despite the increased availability of
market foods, Inuit continue to consume wild foods for
their nutritional, traditional, and cultural value. However,
participation in the wage economy, costs associated with
hunting, and changes in environmental factors have posed
challenges for some to access these foods. Inuit residents of
Nain, Nunatsiavut have recently reported challenges to wild
food access from such things as changing sea ice conditions
associated with climate change and variability. Nain currently
operates a community freezer, a response measure that
some Inuit communities throughout the Canadian Arctic
have adopted to increase support for wild food accessibility
to residents throughout the year. In the face of increasing
pressures on wild food accessibility related to climate change
and variability, there is interest from the Government
of Nunatsiavut for research to focus on the role of the
community freezer and its support for food security in
Nain.
This case study is taking place in Nain, Nunatsiavut
to understand how the Nain community freezer limits
and facilitates access to wild foods for current users, and
what key factors community freezer management should
consider to address current and anticipated future impacts
of environmental change on wild food access. Preliminary
interviews took place in Nain in July, 2010 to discuss
project interests with the community. Data collection was
completed in November of 2010 through semi-structured
interviews, focus groups, and document collection and
review.
This community-based project, conducted in
cooperation with the Nunatsiavut Government, will
provide recommendations on factors to consider in future
community freezer management in this and other regions
experiencing similar environmental.
This project is being funded by the Network
Centres of Excellence, ArcticNet, Nasivvik Centre for Inuit
Health and Changing Environments, and is being conducted
in cooperation with the Nunatsiavut Government.
ASSESSING POTENTIAL NEUROTOXICITY
ASSOCIATED WITH MERCURY EXPOSURE IN
BELUGA WHALES (DELPHINAPTERUS LEUCAS)
FROM THE WESTERN CANADIAN ARCTIC
Natural Resources and Environmental Studies, University
of Northern British Columbia, Prince George, BC, V2N
4C9
2
Freshwater Institute, Fisheries and Oceans Canada,
Winnipeg, MB, R3T 2N6
3
Community Health, University of Northern British
Columbia, Prince George, BC, V2N 4C9
1
Methylmercury (MeHg) and inorganic mercury
(iHg) have been shown to damage mammalian nervous
systems; however, selenium (Se) may play a role in
detoxifying Hg. Therefore, determining the form of Hg
and its relationship to Se in the brains of mercury-exposed
wildlife is integral to assessing potential neurotoxicity.
Elevated levels of Hg have been detected in the central
nervous systems of cetaceans compared to other marine
mammals and top predators. Previous studies of belugas
(Delphinapterus leucas) in the western Canadian Arctic
suggest that mercury levels in their brains surpass levels
associated with neurotoxicity in other mammals. In 2008,
beluga brains (N=23) from hunter-harvested whales were
sampled on Hendrickson Island in the Beaufort Sea. Total
mercury (THg), Se, percent iHg and percent MeHg were
measured in freeze-dried brain tissue (cerebellum, temporal
lobe, frontal lobe and spinal cord). MeHg species were
extracted and analyzed from temporal lobe samples with
the highest Hg concentrations (N = 10). The concentration
of THg ranged from 0.02 to 111.4 mg/kg d.w., with the
lowest concentration measured in a full-term male fetus.
The percent MeHg was statistically significantly (p < 0.05)
associated with THg concentration in the cerebellum and
frontal cortex, but not in the spinal cord or temporal lobe (p
> 0.05). Maximum MeHg concentrations measured were 2.6
mg/kg in cerebellum, 3.9 mg/kg in the frontal lobe, 5.2 mg/
kg in the temporal lobe and 1.3 mg/kg in the spinal cord.
MeHg-cysteine was present in all samples (N=10, range
97-100% of total MeHg) with the remainder of MeHg in
the form of MeHg-glutathione (N=7, range 0.2–2.7% of
total MeHg). A statistically significant relationship between
Se (mmol/kg) and Hg (mmol/kg) was determined in all
brain regions (p < 0.05). Although THg frequently exceeded
5.0 mg/kg w.w. (approximately 6.7 mg/kg d.w.), which has
been suggested as the criterion for MeHg toxicity in mink
(Mustela vison), total MeHg was below this level in all
brain regions analyzed. The relatively low concentration of
MeHg compared to THg in beluga brains combined with
the strong relationship between Se and Hg suggests that
a mechanism exists in belugas to cope with high mercury
exposure.
Ostertag, Sonja K.1 (ostertag@unbc.ca), M. Lemes2, G.
Stern2 and L. Chan1,3
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ASM2010 Conference Programme and Abstracts
EFFECTS OF BODY CONDITION AND
POPULATION SIZE ON GESTATION RATE IN A
MIGRATORY CARIBOU HERD
Pachkowski, Melanie1,2 (melanie.pachkowski@gmail.com),
M. Festa-Bianchet1,2 and S. D. Côté2,3
Université de Sherbrooke
Centre d’études nordiques
3
Université Laval
1
2
In many ungulates, including caribou, female
fecundity is affected by body condition. In turn, fecundity
has important effects on population dynamics. In other
ungulates, females adopt a conservative reproductive
strategy at high population density. We investigated what
factors affect the probability of gestation in adult female
caribou from the Rivière-George herd. We used five years
of data (1980, 1984, 1986, 1987 and 2002) that spanned
various population sizes and trends. Similar to other
populations of migratory caribou, the probability that a
female was pregnant in spring increased with body mass
and percentage of body fat. The probability of pregnancy
appeared to be reduced by high warble infestation. The
proportion of females pregnancy varied between years and
population size had a negative effect on gestation rates.
However, females of similar mass were pregnant regardless
of whether the population was increasing at low density,
had reached a peak, or was high and declining. Compared
to other ungulate species that reduce maternal expenditure
at high density, female caribou of the Rivière-George herd
may have a risk-prone reproductive strategy.
TRANSMISSION OF ENVIRONMENTAL
KNOWLEDGE AND LAND SKILLS AMONG MEN
IN ULUKHAKTOK
Pearce, Tristan1 (tpearce@uoguelph.ca), R. Notaina2, A.
Kudlak2, H. Wright2 and B. Smit1
Department of Geography, University of Guelph, Guelph,
Ontario, N1G 2W1
2
Community of Ulukhaktok, Ulukhaktok, Northwest
Territories, X0E 0S0
1
Inuit environmental knowledge and land skills have
been identified as key determinants of adaptive capacity to
climatic changes that affect subsistence harvesting. There is
evidence however that the traditional modes of knowledge
transmission and learning are not functioning as they were
in the past, particularly for younger generations. As a result,
many younger and inexperienced hunters are not as well
equipped to cope with the risks of hunting, and changing
climatic conditions are making it even more hazardous
for them. To plan for adaptation decision makers need
to know what skills are important for safe and successful
hunting under changing conditions, to what degree they
are being transmitted, and what factors facilitate or impede
transmission.
This poster presents research that responds to this
knowledge gap. The transmission of 83 skills identified
as being important for safe and successful hunting
and traveling was tested with a sample of Inuit men in
Ulukhaktok, Northwest Territories. Just over half of all
skills were being transmitted through ‘hands-on’ learning
among younger respondents. Some skills including general
hunting, traveling, fishing and camp-related skills, and skills
related to caribou, musk ox, seal (summer) and duck hunting
were transmitted well. Others such as fur preparation skills,
dog team skills, winter seal hunting, traveling on the sea ice,
and some traditional navigation and weather forecasting
skills, were not. Despite similar learning ages, there has
been an incomplete transmission of several skills among
younger respondents with implications for adaptation to
climate change. This is attributable to factors including
access to teachers, requirements of formal schooling, loss
of native language, and declining levels of involvement
in some subsistence activities. Key findings are outlined
and recommendations are made for supporting skills
transmission in the community.
WHEN AND WHERE CONTEMPORARY
(1944-2010) RETROGRESSIVE THAW SLUMPS
OCCURED ON THE MIDWAY PLATEAU
Poirier, Kamylle A. (cpoir031@uottawa.ca)
Département de Géographie, Université d’Ottawa, Ottawa,
K1N 6N5
The thaw slump activity on Midway Lake Plateau
is reconstructed from aerial photographs from the National
Air Photo Library (Ottawa). Aerial photographs from 1944
(Trimat), 1952-1954, 1970-1972, and 1980-1982 are analyzed
using a stereoscope to develop an inventory of active and
semi-active thaw slumps and to map their distribution
through time. Quckbird and Google Earth images are used
to map the present situation. The type and size of slumps,
location, slope exposition, geology and geomorphology
parameters, aerial photo number and topographic map
number are recorded in a data bank. It seems from the
results that as summer temperatures are higher and
permafrost is warming, the thaw slumps are developing on
higher altitude on the Midway Lake Plateau. Areas which
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ASM2010 Conference Programme and Abstracts
were immune of retrogressive thaw slumps are recently
sensible to this slope phenomenon.
Acknowledgements: this work is supported by
funds received through the Northern Science Training
Program, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research
Council of Canada and the Department of Indian Affairs
and Northern Development.
Field and lab assistance from: Mélanie Côté, Lisa Tellier and
Ian D. Clark, Steven Kokelj, Denis Lacelle, Bernard Lauriol
(supervisor) and Billy Wilson (from Fort McPherson).
BOWHEAD WHALE (BALAENA MYSTICETUS)
DIVING AND MOVEMENT PATTERNS IN THE
EASTERN CANADIAN ARCTIC IN RELATION
TO SEA ICE: IMPLICATIONS FOR FORAGING
ECOLOGY AND HABITAT USE
(50-65%) are important foraging areas. Animals transit
rapidly through Fury & Hecla Strait, an area of heavy ice
coverage (80-100%). Diving behaviour suggested that
whales spend most of their time in the near surface layer
(8 to 16 m) while foraging. These results contribute to a
better understanding of bowhead whale foraging ecology
and habitat requirements and will help forecast possible
effects of climate change on this Arctic species as well as
contribute to defining critical habitat.
PROMOTING NORTHERN CONSERVATION IN
CANADIAN ARCTIC WATERS
Highleyman, S.1, H. Huntington2 and Louie Porta
3
(louieporta@oceansnorth.ca)
Oceans North Canada, Director, International Arctic
Program, 30 Metcalfe Street, Suite 402, Ottawa,
Ontario, K1P 5L4
2
Oceans North Canada, Director, Arctic Science Program,
30 Metcalfe Street, Suite 402, Ottawa, Ontario, K1P 5L4
3
Oceans North Canada, Science and Policy Analyst, 30
Metcalfe Street, Suite 402, Ottawa, Ontario, K1P 5L4
1
Pomerleau, Corinne (corinne.pomerleau@dfo-mpo.gc.ca),
S. Luque3, T. A. Patterson4, S. H. Ferguson3, V. Lesage1 and
L. L. Dueck3
1,2
Fisheries & Oceans Canada, Institut Maurice Lamontagne,
Mont-Joli, Québec, Canada
2
Institut des Sciences de la mer, Université du Québec à
Rimouski, Rimouski, Québec, Canada
3
Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Freshwater Institute,
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
4
CSIRO Marine & Atmospheric Research, Hobart,
Tasmania, Australia
1
Inuit knowledge supported by scientific research
indicates that the Eastern Canada-West Greenland (ECWG) bowhead whale (Balaena mysticetus) population is slowly
recovering from the commercial whaling of the 19th and
20th centuries. However, bowhead whales are still at risk
because of a combination of biological characteristics (e.g.,
low natural growth rate and long interbirth interval) and
identified threats (e.g., climate change, predation, human
activities). In this context, it is crucial to better understand
foraging ecology and habitat requirements of bowhead
whales. Five individual whales from the northern Foxe
Basin (n=3 in July 2003) and Cumberland Sound (n=2
in July 2006) were remotely equipped with SDR-T16
Argos satellite-linked time-depth recorders. Tags provided
information on date, time, location, and signal quality, as
well as dive characteristics. Here, we report on diving and
movement patterns in relation to sea ice using satellitetracking location and dive data analyzed with Hidden
Markov models (HMM). We contrasted dive characteristics
during transit and non-transit (e.g., foraging) periods.
Results indicated that Prince Regent Inlet and the northern
part of the Gulf of Boothia with moderate ice coverage
For the ArcticNet 2009 Conference, Oceans North
Canada provided an assessment of marine conservation
opportunities in the Canadian Arctic that were ecologically
significant, pertinent to northern concerns, and achievable.
(1) Fish stocks in the Beaufort Sea are not well understood,
particularly in light of ecosystem restructuring due to
climate change. A precautionary commercial fisheries
management framework would provide time to assess the
status of fish stocks and related ecosystem processes and
their likely trends. (2) Lancaster Sound is a world-class
ecological area, abundant in marine mammals and seabirds,
rich in cultural and historical legacy, and already identified
by Parks Canada as a potential [marine conservation area].
Creating a marine protected area would provide cultural and
environmental protection in advance of anticipated human
activities such as commercial fishing, offshore oil and gas
activities, and marine shipping. (3) Limited commercial
fishing already takes place in Baffin Bay, but without an
ecosystem-based fishery management plan. Drawing on
northern models, the development of such a plan could
protect culturally important activities and species, prevent
destructive fishing practices especially in sensitive areas, and
realize sustainable economic benefits for Nunavut. This
poster, Promoting Northern Conservation in Canadian
Arctic Waters, will provide an update of the status of
all three conservation campaigns, which have relied on
Northerners in designing conservation approaches and
creating the scientific and traditional knowledge necessary
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ASM2010 Conference Programme and Abstracts
to accomplish each conservation objective, as well as help
protect and safeguard Arctic marine biodiversity.
THE PAN-ARCTIC BIODIVERSITY OF MARINE
PELAGIC AND SEA-ICE UNICELLULAR
EUKARYOTES: A FIRST-ATTEMPT ASSESSMENT
dinoflagellates and prymnesiophytes), Excavata (euglenids)
and Opisthokonta (choanoflagellates). The bulk of this
marine biodiversity of Arctic microorganisms consists
of large cells (>20 μm) mainly due to examination at low
magnification under light microscopy. Future efforts should
focus enhancing our knowledge of the biological diversity
of small cells (<20 μm), which represent less than 20% of
our actual biodiversity assessment of pan-Arctic regions.
Poulin, Michel1 (mpoulin@mus-nature.ca), N. Daugbjerg2, R.
Gradinger3, L. Ilyash4, T. Ratkova5 and C. von Quillfeldt6
Research Division, Canadian Museum of Nature, PO Box
3443, Station D, Ottawa, Ontario, K1P 6P4, Canada
2
Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Øster
Farimagsgade 2D, DK-1353 Copenhagen K, Denmark
3
School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, University of
Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, Alaska, 99775-7220, USA
4
Lomonosov Moscow State University, GSP-1, Leninskie
Gory, Moscow 119991, Russian Federation
5
Russian Academy of Sciences, P.P. Shirshov Institute
of Oceanology RAS, GSP 997, Nahimovski Prospect 36,
Moscow 117997, Russian Federation
6
Norwegian Polar Institute, PO Box 505, N-9171
Longyearbyen, Norway
1
Arctic marine unicellular eukaryotes comprise
a well-diversified group of organisms that are either
adapted to live in the upper water column of coastal
and oceanic regions, here defined as phytoplankton/
pelagic communities, or in bottom horizons of sea ice
and known as sympagic/sea-ice-associated communities.
There are approximately 5000 recognized legitimate
marine phytoplankton species and an unknown number
of sympagic eukaryotes. Although pelagic and sea-ice
eukaryotes have been described since the exploration
phase of the Arctic regions up to the early 20th century, no
synthesis regarding information from all Arctic seas have
been undertaken, and no exhaustive current information
provides the exact number and composition of species
at a pan-Arctic scale. In a first attempt to assess the panArctic diversity of marine eukaryotes, a wealth of data from
various sources (e.g. scientific publications, unpublished
reports, databases) were reviewed, while taxonomic
data were confirmed with current nomenclature and
classification. We report a total of 2106 marine single-celled
eukaryote taxa with 1874 phytoplankton and 1027 sympagic
taxa from four grouped pan-Arctic regions, namely Alaska,
Canada, Scandinavia including Greenland and the Russian
Federation. Both phytoplankton and sympagic taxa were
present in four of the six super-groups of eukaryotes
described by Adl et al. (2005), which are Archaeplastida
(chlorophytes and prasinophytes), Chromalveolata (e.g.
chrysophytes, cryptophytes, diatoms, dictyochophytes,
ASSOCIATIONS OF BLOOD SELENIUM LEVELS
WITH CIRCULATING CONCENTRATIONS OF
INFLAMMATORY BIOMARKERS AMONG INUIT
ADULTS FROM NUNAVIK
Proust, Françoise (francoise.proust@crchul.ulaval.ca), and
É. Dewailly
Axe Santé des populations et Environnement, Centre de
recherche du CHUL-CHUQ / Université Laval, Québec,
Québec, G1V 2M2
Context: Selenium is an essential cofactor of the
glutathione peroxidase enzyme complex and has been
recognized to play a preventive role in oxidative damage.
It has also been demonstrated that populations with low
selenium intake have two to three times greater risk of
ischemic heart disease. Now, inflammation is considered
to play a key role in coronary artery disease and other
manifestations of atherosclerosis. However, data on how
selenium is associated with concentrations of circulating
inflammatory biomarkers are still sparse and inconsistent.
Objective: To examine the association of circulating
concentrations of inflammatory biomarkers C-reactive
protein and interleukine-6 with blood selenium levels among
Inuit adults from Nunavik.
Methods: The study population consisted of
861 Inuit from Nunavik aged ≥18y who participated
in a health survey in 2004. Data were collected through
clinical questionnaires and examinations. Blood samples
were analyzed for selenium, C-reactive protein and IL-6
concentrations. Logistic regressions were performed to
assess the association between selenium concentrations
and elevated levels of CRP and IL-6, while controling for
potential confounders. Several possible sources of effect
modification were also tested.
Results: Overall, mean (±SD) blood selenium
concentration was 4.42 (± 0.15) μmol.l-1. No significant
associations were found between blood selenium levels
and the circulating concentrations of CRP and IL-6 among
our subjects, after adjustment for potential confounders.
Participants in the highest versus the lowest quartile of
blood selenium did not have significantly different levels of
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ASM2010 Conference Programme and Abstracts
CRP [odds ratio (OR): 0.77; 95% confidence interval (CI):
0.44-1.35; p = 0.363] or IL-6 (OR: 1.49; 95% CI: 0.932.40; p = 0.096). Age and body mass index were strongly
associated with both inflammatory biomarker levels, but
none of the covariables tested for interaction (age, gender,
smoking status, alcohol consumption and n-3 intake)
appreciably modified the results.
Conclusion: Our results showed no relationships
between blood selenium and inflammation when measured
by CRP and IL-6. The fact that the levels of selenium
measured at baseline were particularly high (partly due to
a high fish consumption) in our subjects may explain our
null association findings, because selenium intake above
a certain level may not increase selenoprotein antioxidant
properties. This may confirm the narrow safety range of
selenium intake as recently suggested.
IDENTIFICATION OF KNOWLEDGE AND
PROGRAM GAPS TO SUPPORT FOOD SECURITY
IN NUNAVIK
Rajdev, Vinay 1(vinayrajdev@dal.ca), C. Furgal2 and J. Ford3
School for Resource and Environmental Studies, Dalhousie
University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, B3H 3J5
2
Indigenous Environmental Studies Program, Trent
University, Peterborough, Ontario, K9J 6B8
3
Department of Geography, McGill University, Montreal,
Quebec
1
Food support programs and other mechanisms are
receiving increasing attention in the Arctic as food insecurity
has been identified as a critical issue affecting many Inuit
communities, including those in Nunavik. Food insecurity
is defined as “the limited, inadequate, or insecure access of
individuals and households to sufficient, safe, nutritious,
personally acceptable food both in quality and quantity to
meet their dietary requirements for a healthy and productive
life.” With increasing pressures on physical access to
fresh and healthy country foods in Inuit communities
as a consequence of climate change and variability, our
understanding of what the current gaps are in food support
programs at the regional and community level is increasingly
important. In Nunavik, little is known about the current
network of food support programs and other mechanisms
supporting availability and access to safe and healthy foods.
Using key-informant interviews and document review this
project is characterizing that network of programs and
other support mechanisms and analyzing it for its’ strengths
and challenges in supporting household food security and
the potential threats from climate change and variability.
Working closely with the Nunavik Nutrition and Health
Committee and their member organizations in the region,
the expected results will provide the organizations with a
comprehensive understanding of existing food support
mechanisms in the region, gaps in the program landscape
as well as identified strengths and challenges in supporting
household food security in Nunavik in the context of
challenges posed by climate change and variability.
FISHERIES RESEARCH IN RESPONSE TO A
HYDROCARBON DEVELOPMENT IN THE
BEAUFORT SEA
Majewski, A.R. and Jim D. Reist (Jim.Reist@dfo-mpo.gc.ca)
Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Freshwater Institute, 501
University Cres., Winnipeg, MB
R3T 2N6
The proposed Mackenzie Valley Pipeline Project
has sparked renewed intensive oil and gas exploration
in the Beaufort Sea. Governmental regulators and
resource managers are tasked with assessing the impacts
of multiple stressors, including anthropogenic activities,
on the region’s natural environment, including fish and
fish habitat. While proponents are tasked with collecting
data in support of Comprehensive Studies under the
Canadian Environmental Assessment Act (CEAA), the
federal government is mandated to provide unbiased,
credible science on behalf of Canadians in order to fulfill
its regulatory role. The scope of government science is
to conduct regional ecosystem research, and baseline data
collection, so Environmental Assessments (EAs) can be cast
in the context of the broader ecosystem and the cumulative
impacts of multiple stressors. Despite considerable
research focus on the biological and physical makeup of the
Beaufort Sea during the last period of extensive oil and gas
exploration in the late 1970s and early 1980s, the complex
dynamics of the Beaufort Sea and its biota are still poorly
understood.
Fisheries and Oceans Canada’s (DFO’s) Northern
Coastal Marine Studies program (NCMS), 2003 – 2009,
was a multidisciplinary study aimed at characterizing the
physical and biological nature of the Canadian Beaufort
Shelf. Marine fish surveys were conducted from the
Canadian Coast Guard Ship (CCGS) Nahidik to study the
composition and spatial distribution of fish relative to
physical and chemical habitat parameters, and to contribute
to the general biological and ecological information on
offshore fish populations. In 2010, DFO initiated a pilot
monitoring study (ACES, Arctic Coastal Ecosystem Studies)
in the newly established Tarium Niryutait Marine Protected
Area (TNMPA) to update baseline information and
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ASM2010 Conference Programme and Abstracts
assess the feasibility of proposed indicators of ecosystem
change. Herein, we provide an overview of these studies
as they relate to DFO’s role in conducting science to
support its regulatory mandate. Future research is planned
to continue these activities, integrate knowledge across
ecosystem components, and to extend fish research to the
Beaufort Sea at large.
“WHERE THE ARCTIC VERGE DRIVES SO FAR
SOUTH”: ILLUMINATING THE CHALLENGES
OF CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATION IN
LABRADOR
climate change with those from other regions of the
Canadian North.
PREPARING FOR THE FUTURE: A SOIL CO2
OBSERVATORY FOR THE NORTH AMERICAN
ARCTIC
Risk, David1, Nick Nickerson2,1, Jennifer Owens1, Chance
Creelman1, Gordon McArthur1, Claire Phillips1, Evelise
Bourlon3, Christian Hart1, Alvaro Montenegro1 and Emily
Burns1
Earth Sciences, St. Francis Xavier University, Antigonish,
Nova Scotia, B2G 2W5
2
Earth Sciences, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova
Scotia, B3H 4R2
3
SeisMap Consulting Inc., Havre Boucher, Nova
Scotia, B0H 1P0
1
Riedlsperger, Rudy (r.riedlsperger@mun.ca), B. Wood ,
Harry Borlase1, Ilana Allice1,2, J. Wolf1,2 and T. Bell1
1
1
Department of Geography, Memorial University, St.
John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, A1B 3X9
2
Labrador Institute, Memorial University, Happy ValleyGoose Bay, Newfoundland and Labrador, A0P 1E0
1
Climate change is about to reshape the Canadian
North in environmental, economic and social terms. It has
been argued that Arctic regions are especially vulnerable
to climate change, due to their dependence on the
predictability and characteristic stability of the cryosphere
(snow, glaciers, freshwater/sea ice and permafrost).
According to Robert Bone, northern and coastal Labrador
is considered arctic, whereas the rest of Labrador and
northernmost Newfoundland are subarctic. In reference
to Newfoundland and Labrador, climatologist Ken Hare
stated that “…nowhere else on earth does the arctic verge
drive so far south into the middle latitudes.” The province
therefore straddles an important latitudinal climate gradient
as well as a strong coastal climate gradient due to the effects
of the cold Labrador Current offshore. It is not surprising
then that the projected impacts of climate change are
equally diverse and range in severity across these climate
gradients. The challenge for Newfoundland and Labrador
is to develop climate change adaptation strategies that are
regionally responsive to a variety of impacts, yet locally
relevant for a distributed population in predominantly
coastal communities.
Our presentation will focus explicitly on Labrador to
illustrate the challenges faced by one region of the province
in responding to climate variability and change and to
explore potential approaches to adaptation in complex
social, economic, political and environmental settings.
Specifically, the presentation will characterize Labrador’s
arctic climate and landscape, its communities, provide
examples of its sensitivity to climate variability and change,
and compare Labrador strategies and action plans for
Arctic regions hold vast reserves of carbon as soil
organic matter in cool anaerobic soils, and/or permafrost.
These areas are warming rapidly, and while the ultimate
fate of this newly mobilized carbon is not certain, soil
emissions are expected to accelerate. Since the feedback
on atmospheric CO2 and CH4 concentrations is potentially
large and of international interest, soil gas fluxes should be
monitored in a systematic long-term manner. This poster
describes research moving towards an integrated North
American Arctic Soil CO2 observation system, comprised of
three main components: rugged soil flux instrumentation;
sampling network design; and ecoinformatics. Robust
monitoring instrumentation is a precondition for an
automated Arctic soil gas flux sensing system. We have
developed a new technique for measuring soil CO2 fluxes,
called Continuous Timeseries-Forced Diffusion (CT-FD),
which measures soil efflux rate via continuous concentration
measurements in a membrane-forced diffusion housing.
Unlike other methodologies and instruments, CT-FD can
be used in harsh conditions, under snow, and also with
sensors for other gases such as methane. Tests of the
instrumentation have been successful, and new work this
year consists of demonstration projects in Atlantic Canada,
Wyoming, and in Antarctica.
Beyond the need for robust instrumentation,
an observatory network should consist of sampling
instrumentation configured in a scientifically sound fashion balancing the need to capture hotspots of emission with the
needs for representativity, site access, etc. To address these
needs, we have applied a Simulated Annealing-based process
to optimize sampling densities and distributions according
to various factors. For North American sites, our network
optimization makes use of several different CO2 emission
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ASM2010 Conference Programme and Abstracts
estimates for the North American Region. Results highlight
the need for soil flux observational nodes in several parts of
the North American Arctic, but especially in northwestern
Canada, Alaska, and at points in the eastern Canadian
Arctic Archipelago. To maximize the utility of measured
data, we have been developing ecoinformatics tools to
automatically retrieve and process observatory data in real
time, including: carbon accounting, on-demand visualization
and plotting, continuous real-time regression analysis, and
real-time automated validation/parameterization of soil
and Terrestrial Ecosystem models running in parallel. This
presentation will link these research threads, and discuss
progress towards an Arctic Soil CO2 observation system.
GENETIC ASSESSMENT OF ECOLOGICAL
FORMS OF ARCTIC CHARR (SALVELINUS
ALPINUS) IN LAKE HAZEN, ELLESMERE
ISLAND, NUNAVUT, CANADA
Robinson, Terin N.1 (t3robins@uwaterloo.ca), W. Michaud1,
J. D. Reist2, R. Bajno2, M. Power1 and B. Dixon1
Department of Biology, University of Waterloo, Waterloo,
Ontario, N2L 3G1.
2
Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Winnipeg, Manitoba, R3T
2N6
1
Two ecological forms of Arctic charr (Salvelinus
alpinus) have previously been described from lake Hazen
on Ellesmere Island, Nunavut. It is not well understood,
however, if the forms simply represent different lifehistory strategies or if they are representative of distinct
populations or groups with some level of reproductive
isolation. Recent morphological and isotopic analyses
suggest a third possible ecological form. The first ecological
form, collected from Lake Hazen is a larger piscivore that
feeds pelagically. The second form is smaller and tends to
feed on benthic invertebrates. The third proposed form
is smaller than the forms previously described and feeds
on zooplankton as well as benthic invertebrates. To better
understand the differences between the three groups, fish
of each morph were analyzed at twenty-one microsatellite
loci (which are relatively neutral) to determine the level of
genetic differentiation among the three possible forms.
Samples were also genotyped at the MH Class IIB locus,
which is under selection to evaluate the relationship
between ecological forms, selection for immune function
and local adaptation of each possible form. Our results
provide valuable insights into the relationship between
immunogenetic selection and local adaptation among
possible sympatric ecological forms. The results can help
to better understand evolutionary processes, functional
differences between groups and the processes through
which adaptive potential is maintained within and between
populations.
IMAGING FLUID ESCAPE FEATURES
IN HUDSON BAY FROM MULTIBEAM
BATHYMETRY DATA
Roger, Jonathan1,2 (jonathan.roger.1@ulaval.ca), P.
Lajeunesse1,2, M. J. Duchesne3 and G. St-Onge4
Department of Geography, Université Laval, Quebec,
Quebec, G1V 0A6
2
Centre d’études nordiques (CEN), Quebec, Quebec, G1V
0A6
3
Geological Survey of Canada, Quebec, Quebec, G1K 9A9
4
Institut des sciences de la mer de Rimouski (ISMER),
Rimouski, Quebec, G5L 3A1
1
The Hudson Bay covers an area of ~637, 000
km2 and extends ~900 km north to south and 1000
km at its widest point. Despite many seismic surveys
undertaken since the 1960’s, seabed morphology of this
large shallow inland sea is still mostly unknown. Recent
multibeam bathymetry data collected in July 2010 by the
Ocean Mapping Group (OMG) during an ArcticNet cruise
on board the CCGS Amundsen shows a sector of the
bay characterized by a dense assemblage of peculiar ring
structures and pockmarks. The observed ring structures are
found at 200m water depth and have never been reported
before in Hudson Bay. They are <200 m in diameter and
10 m deep and have a central peak. Their presence in
Hudson Bay can be explained by salt doming that fractured
bedrock to allow fluids to escape to the surface and to
dilute carbonate rocks. The very good state of preservation
and the fact that they attenuate iceberg scours suggest that
they have been active recently (after deglaciation, i.e., after
~8000 years ago).The occurrence of the ring structures
and the pockmarks within the same area suggests that they
might have a related origin.
ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGES AND HUMAN
OCCUPATION AT DOG ISLAND IN NORTHERN
LABRADOR, CANADA
Roy, Natasha1(natasha.roy.1@ulaval.ca), N. Bhiry1 and J.
Woollett2
Centre d’études nordiques and Department of geography
of Laval University, Québec,G1V 1A0, Canada
2
Centre d’études nordiques and Department of history of
Laval University, Québec, G1V 0A6, Canada
1
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ASM2010 Conference Programme and Abstracts
To document the Human-environment
relationship in northern Labrador, paleoenvironmental
and palaeoecological studies have been undertaken on
and around of archaeological sites Oakes Bay 1, located at
Dog Island, and Koliktalik 6, at Koliktalik Island. Fourteen
marine terraces were identified. According the relative sea
level curve of Clark and Fitzhugh (1990), the oldest terrace,
T1 was built around 9000 years BP, while the most recent
one, T14 have emerged around 2000 years BP. Pollen data
highlight four phases of canopy development since 5700
years cal. BP: 1) a shrub tundra, 2) a transition from tundra
to shrub tundra trees, 3) an opening of the canopy and 4) a
return to humid conditions. The macrofossils data sampled
from paludified terraces, T13 and 14 show that wood and
peat were intensively used by Thule and Inuit to build their
habitations.
SCALE-DEPENDENCE RELATIONSHIPS
BETWEEN BENTHIC BIODIVERSITY AND
BIOGEOPHYSICAL VARIABLES ON THE
CANADIAN ARCTIC SHELF
Roy, Virginie1 (virginie.roy@uqar.qc.ca), P. Archambault1, K.
Conlan2 and S. K. Juniper3
Institut des sciences de la mer de Rimouski, Université du
Québec à Rimouski, Rimouski, Québec, G5L 3A1
2
Canadian Museum of Nature, Ottawa, Ontario, K1P 6P4
3
School of Earth and Ocean Sciences, University of
Victoria, Victoria, British-Columbia, V8W 2Y2
on the Canadian Arctic shelf is governed by habitat
heterogeneity, physical and biogenic roughness elements
and topographic features that contribute to structural
complexity of benthic habitats will be identified with the
collaboration of seafloor mapping specialists. The ability
to use geophysical information as a surrogate to describe
marine benthic biodiversity may allow better understanding
of the potential effects of future climate changes on the
Canadian Arctic seafloor realm. Both modern benthic data
collected during the 2000s in the Canadian Arctic (e.g.,
ArcticNet-CHONe, IPY-CFL, CASES, MERICA cruises)
and historical data that have been collected by several
expeditions since the 1950s will be used. Outcomes of
this project will be used to construct a map of potential
macrobenthic habitat hotspots in the Canadian Arctic that
could serve to support the creation and implementation of
polar marine protected areas and be used at a global scale
by the Arctic Marine Biodiversity Monitoring Plan. There
is an urgent need for the establishment of baseline for
monitoring benthic biodiversity in this almost last pristine
area of Canada, against which to evaluate anticipated future
changes resulting from anthropogenic exploitation (e.g.,
fisheries, trawling, petrol exploitation, etc.) and climatedriven impacts (e.g., reduction in sea ice cover, water
temperature warming).
1
LANDSCAPE CONTROLS OVER PERMAFROST
SLOPE DISTURBANCES, SABINE PENINSULA,
MELVILLE ISLAND, NUNAVUT
Rudy, Ashley (ashley.rudy@queensu.ca) and S. F. Lamoureux
According to a widely accepted conceptual model,
sea-ice reduction and water temperature warming in the
Arctic may reduce the strength of pelagic-benthic coupling
and thus negatively impacted the seafloor organisms.
Although in the recent past sea surface hotspots of primary
productivity have been monitored to follow the impact of
climate change on the Arctic food webs, several studies
failed in finding a link between benthic distribution patterns
and presumably hotspots of food availability. Then, seabed
attributes might be major control factors affecting seafloor
biodiversity. The main objective of this project is to describe
and compare the benthic biodiversity in different locations
of the Canadian Arctic (from west to east: Beaufort
Sea to Baffin Bay, including Hudson Bay) in relation to
major biogeophysical variables describing benthic habitat
(e.g., substrate type, seafloor topographic heterogeneity,
temperature, salinity, oxygen concentration, sediment
pigment concentration, current speed, depth, etc.). Because
the relationships are suspected to be scale-dependant, their
strength and form will be evaluated at multiple scales. In
order to demonstrate particularly how benthic biodiversity
Department of Geography, Queen›s University, Kingston,
Ontario, K7L 3N6
Permafrost disturbances, including active layer
detachments and retrogressive thaw slumps, have been
identified throughout the High Arctic. While many known
triggering mechanisms have been identified, little research
has been done to understand how the landscape may govern
the spatial distribution of these disturbances. However, with
projected climate change and potential development of the
Arctic, a diagnostic tool is needed to understand and predict
the sensitivity of the land to disturbance.
This study seeks to evaluate the landscape controls
over permafrost slope disturbances on the Sabine Peninsula,
Melville Island, Nunavut (76°27’ N, 108°33 W), an area with
two large known natural gas reserves. Historic disturbances
will be identified and mapped with the use of orthorectified
and georeferenced aerial photographs from the 1950s and
1970s, and then compared to Worldview2 imagery acquired
in the summer of 2010. With these datasets, the spatial
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ASM2010 Conference Programme and Abstracts
distribution of the disturbances will be identified for each
temporal period. Each disturbance will then be categorized
according to key landscape controls such as slope, aspect,
drainage, surficial materials and bedrock type. Initial field
work conducted in 2010 examined each of these controls
across different formations of the Sverdrup Basin, which
is host to many oil and natural gas reserves and widespread
throughout the western Canadian High Arctic.
The overall goal of this study will be to develop a
model to identify and assess areas in the High Arctic that
are susceptible to high degrees of permafrost disturbance.
As this model will be based on landscape terrains and
features that are representative of much of the western
Canadian High Arctic, it has the potential to be a widely
used predictive tool for assessing the impact that a changing
climate, land use and development may have on this
sensitive region.
AN ANALYSIS OF CANADIAN FOREIGN POLICY
IN THE ARCTIC
Sachse, Marcel (marcelsachse@msn.com)
Department of Political Science, FernUniversitaet Hagen,
Germany
Climate change in the Arctic is causing multi
year ice to retreat and thus impacting ecology and native
communities. Political consequences can be derived from
an ice free North-West-Passage, accessible offshore oil and
gas fields and shipping routes across the Arctic Ocean.
The Arctic has become a highly important political arena
in which national and international interests are confronted
with each other. Analysing Canada’s arctic policies,
addressing arising sovereignty issues, looking at how foreign
influence and national arctic concerns have to be balanced,
will put Canada’s Northern Strategy to a test. While the
international energy market is getting ready to exploit
newly accessible offshore oil and gas fields in the Arctic
Archipelago, Canada is also wanting to protect its pristine
arctic environment. With multinational companies already
working offshore and requiring local educated workforce,
Canada has to face and ultimately resolve the poor state of
health and education in its northern communities. With the
Arctic Ocean, specifically the North-West-Passage (NWP),
becoming easier to navigate, Canada’s northern shoreline
and thus, unprotected entry to Canada and eventually
further south to the US, is within easy reach for terrorists,
smugglers and others bearing illegal activities in mind. For
many reasons, the Canadian government will have to plan
strategically and carefully consider the state of the NWP.
and for the first time in history, Canada will have to find
ways of protecting its own northern border.
Knowing that an Antarctic treaty can’t be applied to the
Arctic and that shelf claims will take too long to be decided,
multinational collaboration in the Arctic region is the only
way of resolving arising challenges and conflicts in this new
international political arena. The decisions and ultimately
the leadership of the Canadian government will largely
impact collaboration between Arctic nations and determine
the security for everyone involved in this region.
CENTRE D’ÉTUDES NORDIQUES, CEN
Sarrazin, Denis (denis.sarrazin@cen.ulaval.ca)
The CEN is an interuniversity centre of excellence
for multidisciplinary research bringing together over forty
researchers including biologists, geographers, geologists,
engineers, archaeologists, and landscape management
specialists. The CEN community also counts two hundred
graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and employees.
In partnership with government, industry and northern
communities, CEN plays a pivotal role in environmental
stewardship and development of the circumpolar North.
The Centre for Northern Studies has established over the
past fifty years eight field stations and more than 75 climate
stations.
SELF-REPORTED HEALTH AND CORRELATES
FROM THE INUIT HEALTH SURVEY 2007-2008
Saudny, Helga1 (helga.saudny-unterberger@mcgill.ca), K.
Young2, G. Egeland1 and Inuvialuit Settlement Region,
Nunavut and Nunatsiavut Steering Committees.
Centre for Indigenous Peoples’ Nutrition and
Environment, McGill University, Montreal, H9X 3V9
2
Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of
Toronto, Toronto, M5T 3M7
1
The IPY Inuit Health Survey was designed to
provide a broad-based assessment of health among Inuit
residing in three jurisdictions within the Canadian Inuit
Nunangat (homeland): Inuvialuit Settlement Region,
Nunavut Territory, and Nunatsiavut. A frequently used
measure of a person’s subjective assessment of their
overall health is a single question asking individuals to
rate their health on a 5-point scale from excellent to poor.
Self-reported health assessment has consistently shown to
predict mortality and clinical outcomes and may also be
associated with biomarkers.
A cross-sectional study was carried out in 36
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ASM2010 Conference Programme and Abstracts
communities in 2007 and 2008 and 2595 individuals (998
males and 1597 females) from randomized households
participated.
We investigated the association of self-rated health
(SRH) with frequently used biomarkers (fasting glucose,
total cholesterol, HDL and LDL-cholesterol, triglycerides,
C-reactive protein), clinical measurements (blood pressure),
demographic characteristics (predominant language spoken
at home, marital status, and smoking), anthropometry
(BMI, waist circumference) and nutrition (traditional food
consumption). Self-reported health was dichotomized into
good health (excellent, very good and good) and poor health
(fair and poor).
The prevalence of poor self-reported health by
categories of demographic characteristics and chronic
disease risk factors identified no significant relationships
with marital status, gender, primary language spoken in the
home or in traditional food use. Self-reported poor health
was higher (32.5%) for a BMI≥ 30 than for a normal or an
overweight BMI (22.8 and 25.8% respectively). Elevated
fasting blood glucose levels (> 6.0 mmoL/L) resulted in
higher self-reported poor health (50.6%) than normal
levels (25.8%). Self-reported poor health was also higher
for gender specific low levels (males ≤ 1.0, females ≤
1.3 mmoL/L) of HDL-cholesterol, 32.5% versus 26.3%
for normal levels and elevated triglyceride levels (≥ 1.7
mmoL/L) , 35.1% versus 25.4% for normal levels. Finally,
C-reactive protein levels considered high risk (> 3.0 - ≤ 10
mg/L) were associated with a higher prevalence of selfreported poor health (40.4%) than average or low risk levels
(28.0% and 19.1% respectively).
The data indicate that self-reported health is a
valid measurement tool among Inuit and add to the limited
literature relating self-reported health with objectively
measured biomarkers and clinical measurements.
CHARACTERISTICS ASSOCIATED WITH
GLUCOSE INTOLERANCE IN THE IPY INUIT
HEALTH SURVEY
Sefidbakht, Saghar1, T. Kue Young2 and Grace M. Egeland1,3
School of Dietetics and Human Nutrition, and Centre for
Indigenous Peoples’ Nutrition and Environment (CINE),
McGill University, Montreal
2
Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of
Toronto, Toronto
3
Corresponding author
1
Introduction: Among Inuit, rates of diabetes are
currently increasing.
Objectives: To investigate the lifestyle factors
associated with newly identified glucose intolerance (GI)
among Inuit.
Methods: A cross-sectional study of a subsample
of 813 adults with a 2-hr oral glucose tolerance test who
participated in the International Polar Year Inuit Health
Survey (2007-2008). Those with pre-existing diabetes
were excluded. Individual and dietary questionnaires and
anthropometric measurements were also collected.
Results: GI was associated with older age
and a higher body mass index, %body fat, and waist
circumference. Percent Energy protein and % Energy highsugar drinks were positively associated with GI. Adjusting
for those two aforementioned nutrients, %E traditional
food was significantly protective (P<0.05). Fiber (g/d) was
inversely and cholesterol (mg/d) was positively associated
with risk for GI with a borderline significance (P< 0.10).
Conclusion: These findings emphasize the need
for dietary and lifestyle changes to prevent high rates of GI
among Inuit.
THE USE OF STABLE ISOTOPE SIGNATURES
(D13C, D15N, D34S) OF YOUNG-OF-THE-YEAR
ARCTIC CHARR TO DETERMINE MATERNAL
MORPHOTYPE
Sinnatamby, R. Nilo1 (nsinnata@scimail.uwaterloo.ca), J. D.
Reist2 and M. Power 1
Department of Biology, University of Waterloo, Waterloo
ON, Canada, N2L 3G1
2
Fisheries & Oceans Canada, Central & Arctic Region,
Winnipeg MB, Canada, R3T 2N6
1
Arctic charr, Salvelinus alpinus, demonstrate a high
degree of phenotypic variability and often a number of
morphotypes can coexist within one lake. Arctic charr
are the only fish species within Lake Hazen (~83oN) on
Ellesmere Island, Nunavut, Canada. Lake Hazen contains
two known forms, a large, pelagic piscivore and a small,
littoral form that feeds largely on benthic invertebrates.
Additionally, ongoing studies have brought to light a
potential third form; a smaller form feeding on benthic
invertebrates and zooplankton. Although Lake Hazen
does not contain anadromous charr, stable isotopes have
been previously used to differentiate between the large
and small forms (Guiguer et al., 2002). Owing to maternal
contributions to progeny development via the egg, youngof-the-year (YOY) salmonids have been found to reflect
maternal stable isotope signatures to varying degrees
depending on growth (Doucett et al., 1999). YOY signatures
allow for the estimation of the proportion of anadromous
versus resident contribution to juvenile populations (Charles
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ASM2010 Conference Programme and Abstracts
et al., 2004). Here we use carbon, nitrogen and sulphur
stable isotopes to identify the presumptive morphotype of
the maternal parent of Lake Hazen YOY obtained along
the nearshore and in streams of Lake Hazen. Piscivorous
versus non-piscivorous maternal contribution to the YOY
population is estimated and spatial distribution of the two
feeding types is discussed.
Charles, K, J-M Roussel and RA Cunjak. 2004.
Estimating the contribution of sympatric anadromous and
freshwater resident brown trout to juvenile production.
Marine and freshwater research 55: 185-191.
Doucett, RR, W Hooper, G Power. 1999.
Identification of anadromous and nonanadromous adult
brook trout and their progeny in Tabusintac River, New
Brunswick, by means of multiple stable isotope analysis.
Transactions of the American Fisheries Society 128: 278288.
Guiguer, KRRA, JD Reist, M Power, JA Babaluk.
2002. Using stable isotopes to confirm the trophic ecology
of Arctic charr morphotypes from Lake Hazen, Nunavut,
Canada. Journal of Fish Biology 60: 348-362.
CIRCUMPOLAR PATTERNS IN RODENT
FEEDING ECOLOGY – IMPLICATIONS OF
COMPETITION?
Soininen, Eeva M. (eeva.soininen@uit.no), D. Echrich ,
N. Lecomte1, R. A. Ims1, N. G. Yoccoz1, K. A. Bråthen1, D.
Berteaux2 and G. Gauthier3
1
1
Department of Arctic and Marine biology, University of
Tromsø, Tromsø N-9037, Norway
2
Département de biologie, chimie et géographie, Université
du Québec à Rimouski, Rimouski, Québec, G5L 3A1
3
Département de Biologie, Université Laval, Québec,
Québec, G1V 0A6
1
The range of food resources exploited by a
population, i.e. its niche width, is expected to be shaped by
competition. As the population density increases, individuals
should in an increasing degree feed on different food
resources. Thus, the intra-population niche variation should
increase, potentially leading to population niche width
increase. For mammals, this hypothesis has mostly been
studied using predator species as models, but its validity for
herbivores is known in a lesser degree. Arctic small rodent
populations, which undergo high amplitude changes of
density, are expected to be a good model to study such a
mechanism in herbivores.
In this study we investigate whether similar patterns
of population and individual niche width changes could
be found circumpolarily in rodent populations. Rodent
communities at four arctic field sites were included in the
study (2 sites in Russia, 1 in Norway and 1 in Canada). We
apply two complementary methods: diet analysis using
DNA barcoding, and stable isotope analysis. The DNA
barcoding gives very detailed results, but is restricted to one
point in time. The stable isotope analysis covers a longer
time-span, but is less specific in separating food plants. We
present here the ecological background of this study, the
methods and how they are applied to our questions, the
results of our first analysis and the contribution that our
study is expected to make.
MULTI-TEMPORAL ANALYSIS OF A GRAVELDOMINATED COASTLINE IN THE CENTRAL
CANADIAN ARCTIC ARCHIPELAGO
St-Hilaire-Gravel, Dominique1 (dsthilaire@mun.ca), D. L.
Forbes1,2, R. B. Taylor2 and T. J. Bell1
Department of Geography, Memorial University of
Newfoundland, St. John’s, Newfoundland A1B 3X9, Canada
2
Geological Survey of Canada, Natural Resources Canada,
Bedford Institute of Oceanography, PO Box 1006,
Dartmouth, Nova Scotia B2Y 4A2, Canada
1
Using technological advances of the last few
decades, this study assesses the stability of Arctic gravel
coasts at various timescales, investigates the sensitivity of
Arctic gravel coasts to external forcings by sea-ice and
storms, and provides perspective on gravel beach response
to storm events by situating such events within a long-term
evolutionary context. Coastal evolution of the Resolute area
between 1958 and 2006 is characterized by the development
of a less sinuous planform morphology resulting from
the erosion of convex segments and the progradation of
concave segments. Overall, progradation surpassed erosion
in the Resolute area between 1958 and 2006. Although
similar patterns of erosion and progradation are identifiable
from the 1958-2006 long-term evolution and the July 20-24
2007 short-term storm event, some dramatic impacts of
the latter are not recorded by the former, meaning that
the coastal impacts of storms can be short-lived and are
not necessarily indicative of longer-term trends. Between
1979 and 2009, the Resolute area experienced a statistically
significant (a = 0.05) increase of 0.954 day/year in openwater duration resulting from an earlier onset of sea-ice
break-up and a later onset of sea-ice freeze-up. The increase
in the duration of the open-water season has repercussion
on the number and timing of storms, with the likelihood
of more numerous storms impacting the coast later in the
season when the active layer is at its maximum thickness.
The stability of the coastline of the Resolute area could be
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compromised if this trend in open-water duration was to
continue unabated.
INUIT QAUJIMAJATUQANGIT AND THE
TRANSFORMATION OF HIGH SCHOOL
EDUCATION IN NUNAVUT
Stewart, Bonnie1 (bstewart@upei.ca), F. Walton,2 A.
McAuley3, L. Metuq4, J. Hainnu5, S. Pitsiulak6, N. Qanatsiaq7,
and H. McGregor8
Faculty of Education, University of Prince Edward
Island, Charlottetown, PE. C1A 4P3
2
Faculty of Education, University of Prince Edward
Island, Charlottetown, PE. C1A 4P3
3
Faculty of Education, University of Prince Edward
Island, Charlottetown, PE. C1A 4P3
4
Attagoyuk School, Pangnirtung, NU. X0X 0R0
5
Qukuaq School, Clyde River, NU. X0A 0C0
6
Department of Education, Government of Nunavut,
Iqaluit, NU. X0A 0H0
7
Department of Education, Government of Nunavut,
Iqaluit, NU. X0A 0H0
8
Department of Education, Government of Nunavut,
Iqaluit, NU. X0A 0H0
1
Background: K-12 graduation rates for Nunavut
Inuit are currently among the lowest in Canada for the
Aboriginal population (Canadian Council on Learning
[CCL], 2009; Richards, 2008; Statistics Canada, 2006).
Systemic challenges of school disengagement, high staff
turnover, and struggles to implement Inuktitut/Innuinaqtun
education (T. Berger, 2006) continue to limit Inuit
participation in the knowledge economy and preparation for
the impact of climate change. However, recent legislative
and policy developments in Nunavut include enhanced roles
for parents through locally elected education committees,
District Education Authorities (DEAs), and the Coalition
representing all Nunavut communities, as well as an
increased emphasis on Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit. Mary
Simon, National President of the Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami
(ITK) has also launched a National Committee on Inuit
Education (NCIE) to develop a National Strategy on Inuit
Education focusing on strategic priorities for change (ITK,
2009a). The strategy’s goal is to raise awareness of education
in Inuit communities in Canada, with emphasis on the
importance of parental and student engagement and hope
for change in educational outcomes.
Research Goal: This research investigates and
documents how Inuit educational leaders in Pangnirtung
and Clyde River are catalyzing change by engaging students
and parents to improve educational success in high schools.
Research is conducted in partnership with the Nunavut
Department of Education and the DEA Coalition, with
the Nunavut Research Institute (NRI) as a collaborative
agency. Four M.Ed-holding Inuit educational researchers
from Nunavut along with members of community DEAs
work on the university-based research team, sustained by
successful school-community partnerships. Interview data is
collected primarily in Inuktitut.
Key Research Questions:
1. What decisions, practices, strategies and actions
contribute to successful school-community collaborations
and improved parental engagement in two Nunavut
communities?
2. Which decisions, practices, strategies and actions enable
Inuit school leaders, in collaboration with DEAs, to
implement new policies and curriculum initiatives designed
to engage high school students and improve educational
outcomes based on Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit?
Methods: Using decolonizing methodologies,
case studies of Pangnirtung and Clyde River high schools
are being completed by March 31, 2011. Histories, tenyear statistical profiles, and interviews/focus groups with
parents, students, Elders, DEA members and school staff
and principals are in progress. Gemini Award winning
filmmaker Mark Sandiford is producing a documentary
video.
Results: Preliminary results emerging from the
school profiles, the community interviews and focus groups,
and the video footage related to key themes and issues will
be shared in the poster.
Impact: Inuit management of climate change and
its impact on the socio-cultural and economic fabric of
Inuit societies requires engaged, active citizens. Success
in education at the high school level impacts the health,
well-being, knowledge, and engagement of Inuit individuals
and communities. Contributing to ArcticNet’s Strategic
Framework, this research will be shared widely with school
personnel, DEAs, and communities in Nunavut.
GRADIENTS IN BIO-OPTICAL PROPERTIES IN
THE HUDSON BAY COMPLEX
Tang, Shilin1 (Shilin.Tang@dfo-mpo.gc.ca), P. Larouche2, M.
Ardyna3, J. Ferland 3, M. Gosselin3 and C. Michel1
Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Freshwater Institute, 501
University Crescent, Winnipeg, Manitoba, R3T 2N6, Canada
2
Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Institut MauriceLamontagne, Mont-Joli, Québec, G5H 3Z4 Canada
3
Institut des sciences de la mer (ISMER), Université du
Québec à Rimouski, 310 Allée des Ursulines, Rimouski,
Québec G5L 3A1, Canada
Accurate characterization of ocean bio-optical
1
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ASM2010 Conference Programme and Abstracts
properties is fundamental to the development of ocean
color models, which themselves provide innovative tools
to study the temporal and spatial variability of ecological
process and the coupling between ocean biogeochemistry
and dynamics. In situ measurements of total suspended
matter (TSM) and chlorophyll a (chl a) concentrations,
particle size distribution, and inherent optical properties
were carried out throughout the Hudson Bay Complex
during the ArcticNet expedition in July 2010. The sampling/
analytical methods combined the use of an optical profiler
and discrete measurements at various depths using a rosette
sampler. The optical profiler provided vertical profiles of
hyperspectral absorption and scattering (Wetlabs AC-S),
particle backscattering (Wetlabs Eco-BB9), colour dissolved
organic matter (CDOM) absorption (0.2 μm filtered AC-9),
chl a and CDOM fluorescence (Wetlabs fluorometer) and
particle size distribution (Sequoia LISST-100X). Rosette
samples were collected for CDOM and Particulate Organic
Matter (POM) absorption spectra, TSM, and pigment
composition (High Performance Liquid Chromatography)
measurements. During this study, surface TSM
concentration ranged from 0.16 to 1.75 mg L-1, with highest
concentrations in the Nelson River estuary. Surface highest
chlorophyll-a concentration was located in the Hudson
Strait. This paper presents preliminary results on the spatial
distribution of a series of water column parameters and
investigates relationships with measured optical properties.
METAMORPHOSIS OF THE ARCTIC
TERRESTRIAL FOOD WEBS: BETWEEN
COLLAPSE OF NATIVE SPECIES AND
EXPLOSION OF EXOTIC PREDATORS?
Tarroux, Arnaud1 (arnaud.tarroux@gmail.com), N.
Lecomte1-2, D. Ehrich2, M.-A. Giroux1-2, S. T. Killengreen2,
A. Sokolov3 , E. Fuglei4, J. Bêty1, D. Berteaux1, N. G.
Yoccoz2 and R. A. Ims2
Chaire de recherche du Canada en conservation des
écosystèmes nordiques et Centre d’études nordiques,
Université du Québec à Rimouski, Rimouski, Canada
2
Department of Arctic and Marine Biology, University of
Tromsø, Tromsø, Norway
3
Ecological Research Station - Institute of Plant & Animal
Ecology, Ural Division Russian Academy of Sciences, 21
Zelyonaya Gorka, Labytnangi, Yamalo-Nenetski, Russia
4
Norwegian Polar Institute, Tromsø, Norway
1
Arctic terrestrial ecosystems are facing drastic
changes in their structure and function, with the collapse
of some key herbivores populations (e.g. lemmings) and the
increasing presence of exotic predators (e.g. red foxes). Such
recent metamorphosis raises conservation issues for native
predators such as arctic foxes. Yet, how widespread these
changes are still remains unclear. Here we present evidence
for the competition between arctic and red foxes throughout
the Arctic at study sites located in Canada, Northern
Norway, and Western Siberia. This competition occurs
through the overlap in both prey and habitat use, where the
dominant red fox excludes arctic fox from the richest areas.
Historically, native predators have switched between smallmammal prey and migratory birds during the former regular
cycles. Thus, we expect alternative prey to constitute a more
important part of the diet for native predators in the near
future. The resulting picture of the terrestrial Arctic will
then imply structural conversion of animal guilds as well
as a greater reliance of this ecosystem upon allochthonous
flows of energy.
ECOLOGY AND DISTRIBUTION OF THE
MARINE HETEROTROPHIC FLAGELLATE
CRYOTHECOMONAS (CERCOZOA) IN THE
CANADIAN ARCTIC
Thaler, Mary (mary.thaler.1@ulaval.ca) and C. Lovejoy
Département de Biologie, Université Laval, Québec,
Québec, G1V 0A6
Heterotrophic flagellates are a phylogenetically
diverse group that mediates energy flow from primary
producers to higher trophic levels in marine food webs.
Knowledge of how individual taxa differ ecologically is a
key step towards understanding ecosystem dynamics in the
Canadian Arctic. Cryothecomonas, a genus of heterotrophic
flagellates within the phylum Cercozoa, has been reported
from a wide range of marine habitats, including sea-ice
and water columns. It is thought to graze on both bacteria
and eukaryotic phytoplankton and hence play an important
role in marine and ice-based food webs. Using updated
phylogenies, we designed oligonucleotide probes to track
the abundance of this genus in the Canadian Arctic
Archipelago and Beaufort Sea over three summer-autumn
periods. Geographic and temporal distribution was highly
variable. Vertically, Cryothecomonas appears to be restricted
to the surface waters and the deep chlorophyll maximum.
Very localized maximum densities of up to 24 000 cells L-1
were observed, but the taxon was completely absent from
geographically close sites. This patchy distribution suggests
that Cryothecomonas requires very specific conditions
to thrive. The influence of environmental factors such as
bacterial and phytoplankton biomass, community structure,
salinity, temperature and turbidity was evaluated. SSU rRNA
clone library results as well as morphological variation
among hybridized cells suggests the presence of more than
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ASM2010 Conference Programme and Abstracts
one species of this genus, possibly with differing effects on
marine food webs.
INTEGRATION OF MULTIPLE DATA TYPES FOR
GEOHAZARDS SURVEY PLANNING, CANADIAN
BEAUFORT SEA
Thomson, James A. (james.thomson@bp.com) and J.
Dingler
BP America, 501 Westlake Park Blvd., Houston, Texas,
77079
This poster shows how a variety of data types were
assembled for initial geohazards review in a portion of the
Beaufort Sea, Canada. Most of the datasets were provided
by public agencies such as Geological Survey Canada
(Natural Resources Canada) and academic institutions
including the Ocean Mapping Group, University of New
Brunswick. The types of data assembled include multibeam
echo sounder for detailed bathymetric mapping, subbottom
profiler for understanding marine soils stratigraphy and
results from soil cores describing shallow and surficial
sediment types. These data were collected in the field during
the past twenty-five years although most of the data are of
21st century vintage. Selected 2-D seismic lines, circa 20062008, were also incorporated.
The purpose of this project was to stitch together
historical datasets to gain an understanding of the shallow
and surficial geology in the study area. BP holds exploration
license blocks in the Canadian Beaufort Sea and needed
this understanding at both a regional and local scale
for exploration planning purposes. Results of the data
integration were used to plan an efficient data acquisition
program performed during 2010 aboard the Canadian
Coast Guard icebreaker Amundsen in collaboration with
ArcticNet, the network of scientists and managers from
academia, northern communities, governmental agencies
and the private sector.
A geographic information system was selected
to host the collected data in a common mapping space.
Most of the data arrived in digital format as collected or
as digitized from analog records. Published maps including
information on permafrost and gas hydrate distribution
were scanned and georeferenced for inclusion. Conversion
from multiple projections to a common mapping datum
and projection was critical to co-visualize the individual
component datasets in a proper geospatial reference frame
with one another.
Following data assembly and integration,
results were used for understanding major categories of
geohazards features and to better know the distribution
of these features and soil types. Detailed bathymetry from
multibeam echo sounder data provided information about
geological processes operating at seabed including seabed
slumps, channels, faults and expulsion features. Seabed
characterization was based on piston core results. Shallow
geology was evaluated based on subbottom profiler data.
Results of this project allowed us to integrate data from
numerous independent prior investigations and gain
understanding of seabed processes and shallow geology.
This understanding has been applied to plan additional
surveys and will be incorporated in preparing future field
operations to be more efficient while increasing awareness
of the marine environment and constraints to operations.
BREEDING BIOLOGY OF AMERICAN ROBIN
(TURDUS MIGRATORIUS) AT THE NORTHERN
EXTENT OF THEIR RANGE
Turner, Devin(devinturner@trentu.ca)
Trent University, Peterborough, Ontario, K9J 7B8
American Robins (Turdus migratorius) are one of the
most widespread species in North America. The range of
this species spreads well up into the Arctic Circle. However,
there have been no studies which measure the breeding
success at this latitude. This study will use a population
of American Robins in Ivvavik National Park, Yukon
Territory, a region where Robins have been pushed to the
Northern limit of their range. I will compare the nest site
characteristics to those at non-use sites, as well as use the
Logistic Exposure method to predict the daily survival rate
of the nests. Habitat variables and nesting stage (i.e. hatched
vs. egg) are used as explanatory variables in this model. In
total, 22 habitat variables were used to describe the nest, and
vegetation characteristics surrounding 53 American Robin
nests. These were measured near the end of the season, July
7th to August 20th 2010, ensuring that the vegetative growth
had been completed, yet decomposition was not yet a factor.
Information gained from this project will be an important
benchmark for future studies of this species in Ivvavik
National Park. As the climate in the Arctic warms there will
be subsequent changes to the biology of American Robins.
This is the first step in understanding what the implications
of these changes are on this species.
INFLUENCE OF MERCURY EXPOSURE ON
CARDIOVASCULAR RISK FACTORS AMONG
NUNAVIK INUIT ADULTS
Valera, Beatriz1 (beatriz.valera@crchul.ulaval.ca), E.
Dewailly1,2 and P. Poirier3,4
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ASM2010 Conference Programme and Abstracts
Axe santé des populations et environnementale, Centre de
recherche du CHUQ. Quebec, Quebec, G1V 2M2
2
Department of preventive and social medicine, Laval
University, Quebec, Quebec, G1K 7P4
3
Quebec Heart and Lung Institute, Laval Hospital Research
Centre, Quebec, Quebec, G1V 4G5
4
Faculty of Pharmacy, Laval University, Quebec, Quebec,
G1K 7P4
1
Introduction: Mercury exposure has been
associated with a deleterious impact on cardiovascular risk
factors such as blood pressure (BP) and heart rate variability
(HRV). Consequently, this is of concern in populations in
which diet is based mainly on seafood. Objective: In the
present study, we assessed the impact of this contaminant
on BP and HRV in among Nunavik Inuit adults. Methods:
Sampling was carried out among 732 adults ≥18 years.
Blood mercury level was used as a marker of recent
exposure. HRV parameters were derived from a 2-hour
ambulatory electrocardiogram. The association between
blood mercury and HRV and BP parameters was studied
using multiple linear regressions. HRV and BP risk factors
as well as fish nutrients (selenium and n-3 fatty acids) were
considered as potential confounders. Results: Mean age
of the participants was 34.3 yrs (95%CI: 33.6-34.9 yrs).
Mean of systolic BP (SBP), diastolic BP (DBP) and pulse
pressure (PP) were 117 mmHg (95%CI: 116-118 mmHg),
73 mmHg (95%CI: 72-74 mmHg) and 43 mmHg (95%CI:
42-44 mmHg), respectively. Blood mercury mean was 50.2
nmol/L. Mercury was positively associated with SBP (beta
= 2.14, p= 0.0004) in multivariable analyses while the
association with DBP approached the significance level
(beta = 0.96, p= 0.069). Also, mercury was associated with
the standard deviation of R-R intervals measured over
5-minute periods (SDANN) (beta = -0.09; p= 0.026), which
represents overall HRV. Conclusion: Mercury exposure
seems to increase BP and decrease HRV among Nunavik
adults after adjusting for fish nutrients and traditional BP
and HRV risk factors.
A MULTIMEDIA APPROACH TO
COMMUNICATING THE EFFECTS OF CLIMATE
CHANGE AND GLOBALIZATION IN THE
CANADIAN NORTH
Vanderbilt, Will1 (william.vanderbilt@mail.mcgill.ca), J.
Ford1, M. Lardeau1 and G. Healey2
Department of Geography, McGill University, Montreal,
Quebec, H3A 2K6
2
Arctic Health Research Network Qaujigiartiit, Iqaluit,
Nunavut, X0A 0H0
1
Communicating the present and future effects of
climate change in the Canadian Arctic to individuals without
a scientific background presents significant challenge, due
to the often invisible and long-term nature of the changes
taking place. Through the use of innovative visual mediums
and a constantly updated website (http://jamesford.ca),
we seek to counteract this norm, and engage viewers from
multiple audiences with our research.
Our team is using short videos, blog posts from
the field, and online slideshows of photovoice results to
share the progress and results of our research with the
general public, policy makers, and study communities. A
series of short videos were created to profile community
partners to the ArcticNet project, “Climate change and food
security among at-risk populations in regional Inuit centres”
in Iqaluit, Nunavut. As well, the results of a community
photovoice workshop were made available online in
an interactive slideshow, with the permission of the
workshop participants. Blog posts and short video updates
from researchers during and after their visits to study
communities have also helped to give viewers a window into
the research process.
We believe that opening up our research through
these visual mediums gives our community partners and
participants a method of direct communication with
Canadians and policy makers who might not otherwise be
able to see or experience the effects of climate change on
the Arctic. Toward that aim, this work seeks to enhance the
policy relevance of our group’s ongoing projects.
SPATIAL AND TEMPORAL VARIATION OF ICE
MOTION AND ICE FLUX FROM DEVON ICE
CAP, NUNAVUT CANADA
Van Wychen, Wesley 1,3, Luke Copland 1, Laurence Gray 2
and Dave Burgess 3
Department of Geography, University of Ottawa, Ottawa,
Ontario K1N 6N5, Canada
2
Natural Resources Canada, Canada Centre for Remote
Sensing, 580 Booth, Ottawa, ON, Canada K1A 0E4,
3
Natural Resources Canada, Geological Survey of Canada,
601 Booth, Ottawa, ON, Canada K1A 0E8
1
This study presents new surface ice velocity maps
for Devon Ice Cap, Nunavut, Canada, using a combined
method of remote sensing techniques and data measured
in the field. When a glacier surface remains relatively
undisturbed (ie. little melt or snowfall), its surface physical
properties remain constant and it is possible to spatially
track these features using RADAR imagery on consecutive
orbital passes using a process called speckle tracking.
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ASM2010 Conference Programme and Abstracts
Using this method, highly accurate maps of surface ice
displacements of the Devon Ice Cap were made and glacier
velocities are resolved with great accuracy over large areas.
In order to ensure the accuracy of these maps, differential
GPS systems with mm accuracy were used to determine
displacements of marker stakes set out on the Belcher
Glacier surface during field seasons, allowing for the
collection of independent in situ ice displacements and the
validation of velocity maps. New velocity measurements
over the ice cap are compared with previous measurements
of ice velocity measurements in the region, allowing for
the determination of glacier change in the high Arctic
over the last ~15 years. This temporal tracking of glacial
change allowed for the specific identification of a previously
suspected surge type glacier (Southeast2 glacier) and
allowed for the monitoring of the dynamic progression
of a surge glacier from its quiescent to active phase. In
addition, repeated acquisitions of new RADAR imagery
throughout the year over the Belcher Glacier allowed for
the determination of seasonal change in ice dynamics
throughout the year. These results revealed that high Arctic
glaciers are much more dynamic throughout the winter than
previously believed. This study also proves that the speckle
tracking method is highly accurate for the detection of
glacial motion, providing errors well below those associated
with speckle tracking of Radarsat-1 and ERS1/2 data.
research is to quantify the impact of ALDs of differing
sizes and activity on sediment transport dynamics and fluxes
in the West River (unofficial name) of the Cape Bounty
Arctic Watershed Observatory (CBAWO) on Melville
Island, Nunavut, Canada.
During the 2010 runoff season, the West River
was divided into five reaches, each hydrologically connected
to different sizes of ALDs, and equipped with a gauging
station that continuously measured discharge and turbidity.
Discharge and suspended sediment samples were collected
twice daily at approximate high and low flow at each
gauging station in addition to five tributary stations from
hydrologically connected ALDs. This will allow for sediment
fluxes and storage changes within the reaches to be
calculated, along with the determination of both the timing
and direct contribution of suspended sediment from the
ALDs to the main channel, thereby linking specific ALDs to
downstream sediment storage changes. A sediment budget
approach will be used to calculate the net sediment yield
entering and exiting each section of river, thus indicating
whether each reach was an overall source or sink of
sediment to the river system.
These results will provide key insights into the
perturbation of a fluvial system by permafrost disturbance,
with implications for downstream water quality, contaminant
transport and aquatic ecosystem function.
SEDIMENT TRANSPORT RESPONSES TO
PERMAFROST DISTURBANCES IN A CANADIAN
HIGH ARCTIC RIVER, CAPE BOUNTY,
NUNAVUT
VEGETATION REMOVAL TREATMENTS AND
THEIR INFLUENCE ON THE CARBON BUDGET
OF A POLYGONAL PEAT PLATEAU IN THE
HUDSON BAY LOWLANDS
Veillette, Maryse1 (maryse.veillette@queensu.ca), S. F.
Lamoureux1 and J. F. Orwin2
Verma, Sarah (sdv@yorku.ca) and R. L. Bello
Department of Geography, Queen’s University, Kingston,
Ontario, K7L 3N6
2
Department of Geography, University of Otago, Dunedin,
New Zealand, 9016
1
The impacts of active layer detachments (ALDs),
a form of permafrost slope disturbance, on sediment
transport and budgets of High Arctic rivers remain
poorly documented. In particular, the short term impact
of catchment permafrost disturbance on sediment fluxes
and longer term changes in channel dynamics have not
been previously studied. Projected climate warming in the
High Arctic will likely accelerate the rate of permafrost
disturbances, thus, it is important to characterize how
rivers respond to disturbances in order to predict the
fluvial response and recovery, changes to water quality, and
downstream ecosystem impacts. The overall goal of this
Department of Geography, York University, Toronto,
Ontario, M3J 1P3
Northern peatlands have traditionally been sinks
of carbon because their rates of productivity have exceeded
their rates of decomposition. This has resulted in them
containing some of the world’s largest terrestrial carbon
stocks equivalent to about one third of the world’s soil
carbon or about 60 per cent of the carbon currently in the
atmosphere. Only covering approximately 3 per cent of the
Earth’s surface, they are a highly significant area of study,
especially with high latitudes predicted to experience the
greatest increases in temperature with the onset of climate
warming. This warming has the potential to change these
systems to an atmospheric source of carbon dioxide (CO2)
if underlying permafrost melts, improving the drainage of
soils and leading to an increase in decomposition.
Soil moisture and temperature are two abiotic
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ASM2010 Conference Programme and Abstracts
factors that influence carbon exchange in peatland
ecosystems and have been studied extensively. Biotic factors
however, such as the vegetation community and changes
in their composition, have not received as much attention.
This study proposes to measure how different vegetation
functional groups contribute to the carbon budget of a
peat plateau in the Hudson Bay Lowlands, the second
largest continuous peatland in the world. The functional
groups considered are moss, lichen, and vascular plants.
Their contribution to the carbon budget was measured
by implementing five treatments and measuring CO2 flux
measurements with an infrared gas analyzer in a closed
chamber system. The treatments consisted of plots that
had the removal of all: i) moss, or ii) lichens, or iii) vascular
plants, or iv) all vegetation, or v) nothing (control). By
removing a specific functional group, the resulting CO2 flux
measurements can aide in better understanding the direct
effects a functional group has on carbon exchange and
indirectly their affects on the remaining functional groups.
All five treatments were repeated in three habitats:
ice-wedge polygon tops, a riparian zone along a pond,
and a bog. Results show that during the summertime the
ice-wedge polygons and riparian habitats were small net
sinks of carbon, whereas the bog habitat was a source of
atmospheric CO2. Results from each treatment within a
habitat will further aide in carbon model estimates of how
these systems may respond to future changes in climate.
THE SPEECH DICHOTOMY OF THE HARPER
GOVERNMENT ON CLIMATE CHANGE AND
THE INFLUENCE OF INUIT ORGANIZATIONS
Vézeau, Nicolas1 (nicolas_vezeau@hotmail.com), C. Furgal2
and P. Le Prestre3,
Institut québécois des hautes études internationales,
Université Laval, Québec, Québec, G1V 0A6
2
Department of Indigenous Environmental Studies,
Trent University, Peterborough, Ontario, K9J 7B8
3
Département des sciences politiques, Université Laval,
Québec, Québec, G1V 0A6
1
Whether stated in a United Nations Framework
Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC) Conference of
Parties presentation (i.e. Kyoto Protocol), or at an Arctic
Council Ministerial Meeting, the Harper Government’s
discourse on climate change (CC) and environmental health
differs a great deal. Most analysts explain this dichotomy
as being due to the Conservatives’ military and geographic
ambitions in the Arctic and their national energy policies.
What analyses too often fail to highlight is the key role that
Inuit residents and organizations play in the recognition of
Canada’s sovereignty over contested northern lands with
Denmark, the United States and Russia, as they are the ones
that have effectively occupied these territories for thousands
of years. This situation has put unprecedented power in
the hands of Inuit political organizations such as the Inuit
Circumpolar Council (ICC).
Have Inuit organizations taken advantage of
this fact though, and if yes, what has been the resulting
impact?This project provides a descriptive analysis of ICC’s
discourse over the past 20 years, their evolution and current
influence on the Harper government. The analysis identifies
key lobbying efforts of the organization during this time
period. The project then analyses the Harper governement’s
speeches to evaluate the treatment of those key Inuit
lobbying issues to determine if those issues are treated
differently than others not focused on by ICC.
Content analysis of the Harper Governement
speeches was then performed with QDA Miner and Tropes.
It shows that the Conservatives refer to the concepts of
sustainable development, environmental health and actions
to tackle climate change 2.41 times more often in Arctic
governance fora than they do at the UNFCCC.
We argue that the Harper government’s speech
dichotomy is related to ICC’s lobbying activities, through an
analytical framework that has been adapted from theories on
the influence of NGOs on elected governments proposed
by Bas Arts (2005) and Corell & Betsill (2001). This model
stems from the constructivist paradigm of International
Relations.
A CANADA-WIDE ASSESSMENT OF SPRING
BREAK-UP WATER LEVELS AND RELEVANT
PHYSICAL CONTROLS
von de Wall, Simon J.1 (swall@uvic.ca), L. P. de Rham2, T. D.
Prowse2 and F. J. Wrona2
Department of Geography, University of Victoria, Water
and Climate Impacts Research Centre, Victoria, British
Columbia, V8W 3R4, CANADA
2
Environment Canada, University of Victoria, Water and
Climate Impacts Research Centre, British Columbia, V8W
3R4, CANADA
1
Acting as a control on annual peak water levels,
the significance of ice effects on rivers in the Northern
Hemisphere is particularly evident in the annual spring
break-up of river ice. This hydrologic event is of
considerable importance as peak ice-induced water levels
occur due to in-channel ice effects frequently exceeding
peak open water levels for comparable discharge. In
addition to causing damage and disturbance to riparian
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ASM2010 Conference Programme and Abstracts
environments, the spring break-up of river ice and
associated flooding poses threats to hydroelectric and
transportation infrastructure, repeatedly resulting in
substantial costs. In the context of a changing climate,
it is anticipated that the effects of river ice break-up will
intensify. In this work, a regional scale assessment of the
spatial and temporal characteristics of the river ice breakup season in Canada is presented. Based on a return period
analysis of annual peak break-up and open water levels,
a spring break-up river ice regime classification is used to
illustrate the effects of river ice as a control of annual peak
water level events. Furthermore, event-based based timing
related hydrometric variables and break-up water levels are
used to establish mean baseline conditions representative of
the river ice break-up season.
RELATIONSHIPS AMONG PHENOLOGY, NDVI,
AND CO2 EXCHANGE IN THREE HIGH-ARCTIC
PLANT COMMUNITY TYPES
Wagner, Ioan (wagneri@queensu.ca), A. Beamish, A.
Cassidy, P. Treitz and N. Scott
Department of Geography, Queen’s University, Kingston,
Ontario, K7L 3N6
The degree of climate warming and increase in
precipitation in the Arctic is expected to be disproportionate
compared to other regions. Of special concern is the
disruption of the carbon balance in arctic regions, which
is sensitive to small changes in temperature and humidity,
and the potential creation of positive feedbacks which
could accelerate climate change. Therefore, it is important
to understand the interactions among carbon exchange,
vegetation cover, and climate change in order to predict the
effects of climate warming on arctic terrestrial ecosystems.
One approach to investigating these interactions at large
scales is linking remote sensing indicators, such as NDVI,
to plant cover and carbon exchange (e.g. net ecosystem
production—NEP). Even though this method has been
used in lower sub-arctic regions, little research has been
done in the Canadian High Arctic.
In the summer of 2010, CO2 flux measurements
using static chamber techniques were made at Cape Bounty,
Melville Island, Nunavut. Carbon exchange (both gross and
net) was measured about every five days throughout the
growing season (Jun–Aug) in three major plant community
types: polar desert, mid-moisture tundra and wet sedge
meadow. The CO2 flux measurements were accompanied
by phenological assessments of the vegetation, by assigning
keys for vegetative and generative phenological stages of
individual plant species. NDVI images of the study plots
were collected with a multispectral digital NDVI camera.
Initial comparisons of CO2 fluxes, NDVI, and
plant phenological status suggest a significant correlation
among these variables. NDVI gradually increased until the
end of July (full phenological development of vegetation
and peak NEP), followed by a sharp decline in August
(leaf senescence). These results suggest that NDVI data
collected with relatively high temporal frequency may be a
useful way to monitor the net carbon balance of high Arctic
ecosystems
ASSESSMENT OF NARWHAL (MONODON
MONOCEROS) FORAGING ECOLOGY FROM AN
ICE ENTRAPMENT EVENT
Watt, Cortney1 (cortneywatt@gmail.com), and S. H.
Ferguson1,2
Department of Biological Sciences, University of
Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, R3T 2N2
2
Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Winnipeg, Manitoba, R3T
2N6
1
Narwhals (Monodon monoceros) are medium sized,
toothed whales that live exclusively in Arctic waters. The
Baffin Bay population spends summer in the northern
fjords and inlets around Baffin Island, Canada and West
Greenland. In November they migrate south to Baffin
Bay and Davis Strait where they are believed to feed on
deep water fish beneath ice cover until April. Narwhals are
considered the most vulnerable Arctic cetacean based on
their limited distribution, small population size, specialized
physiological adaptation, and restricted diet which together
limit their ability to modify behaviour in the face of
changing climate. As a result of changes in seasonal ice
characteristics associated with climate change and the
limited ability of narwhal for behavioural modification,
ice entrapment events may become more prevalent. In
November 2008 an ice entrapment event occurred off
the coast of Bylot Island, Nunavut near the community
of Pond Inlet. Thousands of narwhals that attempted to
travel outside of the inlets and fjords in the area became
entrapped by thickening ice preventing escape. As a result, a
humane Inuit harvest of animals occurred before the whales
drowned. In total, 250 skin and blubber samples were
collected from over 600 harvested whales. The entrapment
event provided a unique sample because many females
and their young died together, whereas typically samples
obtained from Inuit subsistence hunts are biased towards
males.
Understanding the biology of entrapped narwhals
may aid in future conservation efforts to mitigate such
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ASM2010 Conference Programme and Abstracts
events. Thus, a diet study was initiated to analyze samples
for stable isotopes of carbon and nitrogen in skin tissue,
and dietary fatty acids in blubber. Nitrogen isotopes can
provide information on the trophic level that narwhals
feed, while carbon signatures provide information on the
location of foraging. Fatty acids are transferred relatively
unmodified from prey to predator tissues, thus they can
identify primary prey items. Non-parametric statistics
identified differences in isotopic signatures between sexes
and among age classes of narwhals. Inferences were made
regarding narwhal trophic level and foraging locations.
Principle component analysis of fatty acids resulting from
dietary intake qualitatively assessed feeding ecology of
narwhals and identified diet differences between sexes and
among age classes. Fatty acids that contributed substantially
to the observed separation of narwhals were identified and
potential social groupings based on dietary biology were
recognized. Given the unpredictable nature of the Arctic
climate it is likely these entrapment events will continue and
possibly increase. Thus, our findings may eventually aid in
preventing, or at least mitigating, such events in the future.
RECONSTRUCTING LATE HOLOCENE ALPINE
GLACIER DYNAMICS IN THE TORNGAT
MOUNTAINS, NORTHERN LABRADOR
Way, Robert1 (robert.way@mun.ca), T. Bell1 and M.J. Sharp2
Geography Department, Memorial University of
Newfoundland, St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador,
Canada A1B 3X9
2
Earth & Atmospheric Sciences Department, University of
Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada T6G 2E3
1
Mountain glaciers are sensitive indicators of
climate change and their mass balance has implications
for both global sea level rise and local ecosystems. In the
Torngat Mountains of northern Labrador, there are 59
small cirque glaciers (<2 km2) covering an area of 16.7 km2.
These glaciers represent the southernmost glaciers (5860°N) in the Arctic Cordillera and the easternmost glaciers
in continental North America. They have experienced
a significant decline (21.4%) in area between 2005 and
2007. Although it has been argued on the basis of a short
interval of glacier monitoring in the early 1980s that winter
precipitation is the controlling climate variable in local
glacier mass balance, the dramatic recent decline in areal
extent is interpreted as a glaciological response to a regional,
multi-decadal trend towards lower winter precipitation,
coupled with anomalously warm summers. To address the
climatic sensitivity of Torngat Mountain glaciers, three
different approaches are being pursued: topographic analysis
of glacier setting; melt-modelling of selected glaciers;
and short- (historical photographs) and long-term (late
Holocene) analysis of past glacier activity. This presentation
will illustrate the approach being used to reconstruct
the Neoglacial history of glacier activity in the Torngat
Mountains and will describe some initial results.
Specifically, five research questions will be
addressed by field and laboratory analysis in this project:
Did local glaciers survive the Hypsithermal warm period
during the early to mid-Holocene in northern Labrador?
What was the maximum advance of glaciers during the
Neoglacial and when did it occur? When did local glaciers
respond to Little Ice Age cooling? How has topography
affected the response of glaciers to climatic changes? These
research questions are being addressed through: (i) mapping
of former ice marginal positions, marked by abandoned
frontal moraines and valley-side trimlines, for current and
recently melted glaciers, using colour aerial photographs
(1:40,000 scale, 2005) of the region; (ii) dating of moraine
sequences in front of selected glaciers using established
lichenometric techniques; and (iii) reconstructing an
integrated record of ice cover through measurement of in
situ cosmogenic radionuclide inventories in rock surfaces
recently exposed by receding glaciers. Mapping of former
ice margins will follow established geomorphological
methods and will employ both field and remote sensing
techniques. Lichenometric dating of moraines and trimlines
will build on previous local chronologies in the Torngat
Mountains, but will develop and employ a local lichen
growth curve based on periodic observations at established
lichen growth stations in the Torngat Mountains over the
past 25 years. The application of in situ cosmogenic 14C
will follow the protocols recently established for studies of
ice cap recession on northern Baffin Island (Anderson et al.
Geophysical Research Letters 35, 2008).
RESPIRATORY HEALTH INITIATIVES
ENVIRONMENTAL SCAN – FIRST NATIONS,
INUIT AND MÉTIS
Wesche, Sonia1 (swesche@naho.ca), R. Ryan2, C. Carry3, M.
Demmer4 and L. Tognela5
Métis Centre, National Aboriginal Health Organization,
Ottawa, Ontario, K1P 5Z9
2
First Nations Centre, National Aboriginal Health
Organization, Ottawa, Ontario, K1P 5Z9
3
Inuit Tuttarvingat, National Aboriginal Health
Organization, Ottawa, Ontario, K1P 5Z9
4
Corvus Solutions, Wolfe Island, Ontario, K0H 2Y0
5
Dept. of European, Russian, and Eurasian Studies,
Carleton University, Ottawa Ontario, K1S 5B6
1
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ASM2010 Conference Programme and Abstracts
In Canada, respiratory diseases result in thousands
of deaths every year, with high costs to the health care
system. These diseases present a particular burden for
Aboriginal people. Here we report on the results of
an environmental scan and associated case studies of
respiratory health initiatives for Canada’s three Aboriginal
populations: First Nations, Inuit, and Métis (FN/I/M).
This research was conducted by the National Aboriginal
Health Organization, with support from the Public
Health Agency of Canada and the National Lung Health
Framework Partnership Secretariat. The first component,
an environmental scan, was conducted to provide a
foundation for creating an Aboriginal-specific component
of the National Lung Health Framework Action Plan.
We undertook extensive Internet searches and initiated
email contact with approximately 100 individuals and
organizations who work in the respiratory health field
and/or in Aboriginal health. More than 100 respiratory
health projects, programs, initiatives (P/P/I) and strategies
for FN/I/M, were identified for incorporation into the
National Lung Health Framework database. These P/P/I
and strategies were reviewed to identify promising practices
and recommendations for future replication. The second
project component includes between two and four indepth case studies for each of the FN/I/M populations,
using a distinction-based approach and reflecting a range
of community sizes and structures. Potential case studies
were identified from the list of P/P/I and prioritized to
cover a diversity of respiratory illnesses and geographic
regions. Key informant interviews were conducted based
on a standard interview guide. The case studies address
tobacco cessation, tuberculosis, respiratory syncytial virus,
chronic disease prevention, and healthy lifestyles. As a
group, the case studies illustrate how the intent behind
broad-based respiratory health strategies translates to
successful programming and positive health outcomes
on the ground. The case studies also identify successful
models to share with other communities that may be
interested in adapting and enhancing existing programs or
developing new ones. Results from the environmental scan
indicate that most P/P/I for Aboriginal respiratory health
are funded by a limited number of strategies, and other
relevant P/P/I are intended for the general public. Tobacco
cessation and tobacco-related diseases are the most targeted
respiratory health issues for Aboriginal populations, in part
due to high Aboriginal smoking rates and the preventable
nature of these diseases. The case studies illustrate that
few organizations directly target the effects of respiratory
disease for Aboriginal Peoples. Rather, many programs
are more holistic in nature, focusing on healthy lifestyles
or living with chronic diseases. Indirect interventions
also exist, such as housing programs which improve the
social determinants of overall health. Federal initiatives
are common for Inuit communities and First Nations
living on-reserve; however, fewer programs are available
for off-reserve and Métis populations. Additionally, Métis
health data remains limited. The strategies and initiatives
examined in this report provide a foundation for creating
more effective programming that directly targets Aboriginal
respiratory health and addresses relevant social determinants
of health.
VARIATION IN HOME RANGE SIZE OF
ONTARIO’S WOODLAND CARIBOU (RANGIFER
TARANDUS CARIBOU)
Wilson, Kaitlin1 (kaitlinwilson@trentu.ca), B. Pond2, J.
Schaefer1, G. Brown3 and K. Abraham2
Environmental and Life Sciences, Trent University,
Peterborough, Ontario, K9J 7B8
2
Wildlife Research and Development Section, Ontario
Ministry of Natural Resources, Peterborough, Ontario, K9J
7B8
3
Ontario Terrestrial Assessment Program, Ontario Ministry
of Natural Resources, Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, P6A 2E5
1
Woodland caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou) are an
iconic boreal forest species, synonymous with old growth
stands and large tracts with untouched habitat. They are
also listed as threatened in Canada (COSEWIC). As part
of an Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources (OMNR)
initiative, 200 caribou were outfitted with GPS collars in
eight collaring regions throughout the Western Upland and
Eastern Lowland regions of the province. Dense mixed and
conifer forest, sparse forest and burns dominate the Western
Uplands. The Eastern Lowlands is considerably wetter and
is dominated by open and treed fen and bog complexes.
The Transition Zone is the interface where the Uplands and
Lowlands converge, representing a mix of both dense forest
and wetland. Woodland caribou in Ontario exhibit a great
amount of variability in their spatial behaviour at the home
range scale. Based on preliminary home range analysis using
kernel density estimation, annual ranges sizes vary from 230
km2 to over 100,000 km2. While these animals are currently
considered the same subspecies, individuals are behaving
quite differently, likely in response to biogeographic
variation across the province. For example, caribou collared
around Keewaywin (Western Uplands) maintain some of
the smallest annual ranges (mean = 1358 km2, n = 20, SD
= 877). Animals collared around Hearst (Eastern Lowlands)
have slightly larger annual ranges (mean = 3801 km2, n
= 20, SD = 2487). The greatest disparity is in the more
northerly Lowlands, where mean annual ranges are 39,904
km2 for caribou collared around Big Trout Lake (n = 15,
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ASM2010 Conference Programme and Abstracts
SD = 29,129) and 40,504 km2 for caribou collared near
Attawapiskat (n = 17, SD = 27,389). Caribou home range
is likely influenced by predation risk and the need to forage,
as well as climatic conditions, geography, and disturbance.
The goal of this study is to determine which are the most
important drivers throughout each season for caribou in
different geographic regions. It is possible that individuals
inhabiting one part of the province are limited differently
from conspecifics in another area due to landscape
structure and community composition. The next step will
be to estimate season ranges and quantify the landscape
therein. In order to make effective decisions regarding the
protection of caribou habitat, more information is needed
about how caribou are responding to the landscape and
interacting with other key ecosystem components. In terms
of home range size, this means teasing out the key drivers
behind variation among individuals across large distances
so that habitat of both appropriate size and quality can be
protected.
managers across the range of caribou-reindeer. In particular,
we seek to explore the phylogeography and connectivity
of caribou-reindeer populations at the circumpolar scale.
That research involves genetic analysis using microsatellite
markers and the mitochondrial control region of cariboureindeer samples from many parts of Canada, Alaska,
Greenland, Iceland, Norway, Finland and Russia. A better
knowledge of genetic relationships between the different
populations, particularly between the threatened sedentary
ecotype, montane and migratory populations, is essential for
caribou conservation.
TRENDS IN FEEDING ECOLOGY OF RINGED
(PHOCA HISPIDA) AND BEARDED SEALS
(ERIGNATHUS BARBATUS) IN HUDSON BAY
Young, Brent G.1 (Brent.Young@dfo-mpo.gc.ca) and S.H.
Ferguson1,2
Department of Environment and Geography, University
of Manitoba, R3T 2N2
2
Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Winnipeg, Manitoba, R3T
2N6
1
POPULATION GENETICS OF RANGIFER: A
CIRCUMPOLAR APPROACH
Yannic, Glenn1,2 (Glenn.Yannic@gmail.com), J. Ortego3, L.
Bernatchez1,4, S. D. Côté1,2 and many other collaborators.
Département de biologie, 1045 avenue de la Médecine,
Université Laval, Québec, Québec, G1V 0A6, Canada
2
Centre d’Études Nordiques, 2405 Rue de la Terrasse,
Université Laval, Québec, Québec G1V 0A6 Canada
3
Departamento de Ecología Evolutiva, Museo Nacional de
Ciencias Naturales (CSIC), C/ 10 José Gutiérrez Abascal 2,
Madrid, E-28006, Spain
4
IBIS (Institut de Biologie Intégrative et des Systèmes),
Université Laval, Pavillon Charles-Eugène-Marchand,
Québec, Québec, G1V 0A6, Canada
1
A key species in Arctic ecosystems is the caribou
(or reindeer in Eurasia, Rangifer tarandus). Alterations to the
distribution of caribou attributed to global climate change
could have biological, social, and economical implications.
Several ‘sub-species’ and ecotypes of Rangifer have been
described worldwide. In North America, three ecotypes
are present: migratory, montane, and sedentary, in addition
to Peary caribou. The management and conservation of
populations, however, is complicated by the uncertainty
over taxonomic status and distribution, and population
delineation, all of which are central to conservation
strategies. In that context, information on genetic
population structure of Rangifer is essential for both science
and management. Our study is a worldwide collaborative
project, which brings together researchers and wildlife
Hudson Bay is a sub-arctic ecosystem that is
expected to see considerable changes with warming and
marine mammal species will likely respond by eating
different food, competing for similar food, and ultimately
changing distribution and abundance. Here, we present
a research project to study trends in feeding ecology of
ringed (Phoca hispida) and bearded seals (Erignathus barbatus)
in Hudson Bay over a four year period, 2007-2010.
Environmental fluctuations will likely result in changes in
prey availability, density, and distribution thereby shifting
seal feeding ecology and levels of competition among seals.
Preliminary results for nitrogen (δ15N) and carbon (δ13C)
stable isotope analysis of seal muscle and hair samples
collected from two Hudson Bay communities, Arviat and
Sanikiluaq, are contrasted. Aanalysis of δ15N is used in
determining relative trophic position due to a 3-5‰ increase
with each trophic step, while δ13C is used for determining
the general area of the aquatic environment in which the
individual has been feeding (e.g. pelagic vs. benthic). Trends
over time, differences between locations, and inter- and
intra-specific differences will be examined in relation to
environmental indicators. Winter ice conditions and spring
break-up date are two important environmental variables
that are believed to influence prey availability and could
cause a shift in ringed and bearded seal diet. The proposed
research project will contribute to our cumulative knowledge
of the Hudson Bay marine ecosystem. Understanding
changes to seal diet and feeding ecology which may be
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ASM2010 Conference Programme and Abstracts
associated with changing environmental conditions will
assist in predicting changes to the Arctic marine food web
and allow for appropriate management and conservation
mitigation measures.
BACULAR AND TESTICULAR ALLOMETRY IN
THE AQUATIC-MATING RINGED SEAL (PHOCA
HISPIDA): EVIDENCE FOR POLYGYNY?
Yurkowski, David1 (daveyurkowski01@hotmail.com),
M. Chambellant1 and S. H. Ferguson1,2
Department of Biological Sciences, University of
Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, R3T 2N2
2
Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Freshwater Institute,
Winnipeg, Manitoba R3T 2N6
1
Penile morphology, and bacular and testicular
size vary considerably among mammals and are relatively
smaller in species with monogamous and polygynous
mating systems in comparison to promiscuous mating
systems. The mating system of ringed seals (Phoca hispida)
has been difficult to study since mating occurs underwater
during the ice-covered spring breeding season in the Arctic.
We investigated ringed seal bacular and testicular growth
relationships, and made interspecific comparisons to species
with better known mating systems in order to elaborate on
current hypotheses about the ringed seal mating system. We
measured 161 bacula, 251 pairs of testes and 55 mandibles
collected from ringed seals of known age harvested
during Inuit subsistence harvests in Arviat and Sanikiluaq,
Nunavut, Canada from 2003 to 2006. Ringed seal bacular
and testicular size were positively allometric relative to
mandibular size for immature males (<7 years of age), but
increased isometrically in sexually mature males (≥7 years
of age). These relationships were similar to better studied
polygynous species, such as hooded seals (Cystophora cristata),
Cape fur seals (Arctocephalus p. pusillus) and Steller sea lions
(Eumetopias jubatus), but contrasted with the gregarious and
promiscuous harp seal (Pagophilus groenlandicus), in which
bacular size may be sexually selected and act as an honest
indicator of male quality and size. Our results, combined
with previously reported ecological and behavioural ringed
seal characteristics, suggest that ringed seals in Hudson Bay
could display a weak resource-defense polygynous mating
system, where a male may defend a territory encompassing
birth lair complexes of a small number of females.
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PARTICIPANTS
A
Abnizova, Anna anna_abnizova@yahoo.ca
York University
Ahluwalia, Pardeep Pardeep.Ahluwalia@dfo-mpo.gc.ca
Fisheries and Oceans Canada
Aitken, Alec alec.aitken@usask.ca
University of Saskatchewan
Alie Poirier, Kamylle cpoir031@uottawa.ca
University of Ottawa
Allard, Michel Michel.Allard@cen.ulaval.ca
Université Laval
Allice, Ilana ilana.allice@mun.ca
Memorial University of Newfoundland
Allux, Sarah s.allux@queensu.ca
Queen’s University
Amos, Lawrence
Inuvialuit Game Council
Amundsen, Helene helene.amundsen@cicero.uio.no
CICERO Center
Andersen, Tony
Community of Nain, Nunatsiavut
Angelopoulos, Michael michael.angelopoulos@mail.mcgill.ca
McGill University
Angnatok, Joey
Community of Nain, Nunatsiavut
April, Andre april.andre@ec.gc.ca
Environment Canada
Archambault, Philippe philippe_archambault@uqar.qc.ca
Université du Québec à Rimouski - ISMER
Armitage, Derek darmitage@wlu.ca
Wilfrid Laurier University
Assini, Jane jane.assini@yahoo.com
York University
Aston, Tim aston@cfcas.org
CFCAS
B
Babb, David dave_babb@hotmail.com
University of Manitoba
Babin, Marcel marcel.babin@takuvik.ulaval.ca
Université Laval & CNRS
Bailey, Joscelyn Joscelyn.bailey@NRCan.gc.ca
University of Manitoba
Baker, James jsbaker82@gmail.com
University of British Columbia
Baldo, Sarah baldos@uwindsor.ca
University of Windsor
Barber, David dbarber@cc.umanitoba.ca
University of Manitoba
Barbosa, Andreas
Natural History Museum
Barrette, Carl carl.barrette.1@ulaval.ca
Université Laval - CEN
Barrette, Jessy jessy.barrette@ete.inrs.ca
INRS - Eau, Terre & Environnement
Bassutti, Anthony a.bassutti@queensu.ca
Queen’s University
Beamish, Alison 7ab12@queensu.ca
Queen’s University
Beaudoin, Anne anne.beaudoin.1@ulaval.ca
Université Laval - CEN
Beaulieu, Jean-Marie beaulieuj@polarcom.gc.ca
Canadian Polar Commission
Beaumier, Maude maudebeaumier@hotmail.com
McGill University
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ASM2010 Conference Programme and Abstracts
Bégin, Yves yves.begin@ete.inrs.ca
INRS - Eau, Terre & Environnement
Bott, Cassie cassandrabott@trentu.ca
Trent University
Bélanger, Simon simon_belanger@uqar.ca
Université du Québec à Rimouski
Bouchard, Caroline caroline.bouchard@giroq.ulaval.ca
Université Laval
Bell, Trevor tbell@mun.ca
Memorial University of Newfoundland
Boucher, Bernie bernie.boucher@sympatico.ca
JF Boucher Consulting Ltd
Bennett, John bennettj@polarcom.gc.ca
Canadian Polar Commission
Bennett, Robbie rbennett@nrcan.gc.ca
Natural Resources Canada
Boulanger-Lapointe, Noémie boulangn@uqtr.ca
Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières
Bergmann, Marty martin.bergmann@nrcan-rncan.gc.ca
PCSP - Natural Resources Canada
Bernhardt, Darcy
Community of Tuktoyaktuk
Bernier, Jean-Luc jean-luc.bernier@arcticnet.ulaval.ca
ArcticNet
Bernier, Monique Monique.Bernier@ete.inrs.ca
INRS - Eau, Terre & Environnement
Berteaux, Dominique dominique_berteaux@uqar.qc.ca
Université du Québec à Rimouski
Bêty, Joël joel_bety@uqar.ca
Université du Québec à Rimouski
Bigras, Steven bigrass@polarcom.gc.ca
Canadian Polar Commission
Bilodeau, Frédéric frederic.bilodeau.4@ulaval.ca
Université Laval
Blasco, Katie katie.blasco@arcticnet.ulaval.ca
ArcticNet
Blasco, Steve SBlasco@nrcan.gc.ca
Natural Resources Canada
Boisvert, Dominique Dominique.Boisvert@ete.inrs.ca
INRS - Eau, Terre & Environnement
Bolton, Kenyon kenyon.bolton@mail.mcgill.ca
McGill University
Borlase, Harry harry.borlase@gmail.com
Memorial University of Newfoundland
Borsy, Emily eborsy@irc.inuvialuit.com
Inuvialuit Land Administration
Boulter, Patricia pjb556@mun.ca
Memorial University of Newfoundland
Brammer, Jeremy jeremy.brammer@mail.mcgill.ca
McGill University
Braune, Birgit birgit.braune@ec.gc.ca
Environment Canada
Braune, Gerd braune@rogers.com
Frankfurter Rundschau
Breau, Anne abreau@mus-nature.ca
Canadian Museum of Nature
Breton-Honeyman, Kaitlin kaitlinbreton@trentu.ca
Trent University
Brooks, Rheannon rbrooks@uvic.ca
University of Victoria / W-CIRC
Brown, Ross ross.brown@ec.gc.ca
Environment Canada & Ouranos
Brown, Tanya Tanya.Brown@dfo-mpo.gc.ca
University of Victoria - IOS
Brucker, Steven steveb@omg.unb.ca
University of New Brunswick
Bruyant, Flavienne flavienne.bruyant@qo.ulaval.ca
Université Laval
Buckham, Meghan meghanbuckham@trentu.ca
Trent University
Burchill, Nick nick.burchill@kongsberg.com
Kongsberg Maritime
Burt, Alexis alexisbmd@gmail.com
University of Manitoba
Buxton, Derek derek.buxton@dfo-mpo.gc.ca
Canadian Coast Guard
173
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C
Cadieux, Marc mcadieux@trentu.ca
University of Manitoba
Campbell, Karley umcampb2@cc.umanitoba.ca
University of Manitoba
Campbell Jarvis, Marian maricamp@nrcan.gc.ca
Natural Resources Canada
Canals, Miguel
Barcelona University
Carbonneau, Andrée-Sylvie andree-sylvie.carbonneau.1@ulaval.ca
Université Laval
Carlsson, Pernilla pernillac@unis.no
University Centre in Svalbard
Carnat, Gauthier gauthier.carnat@gmail.com
University of Manitoba
Caron, Amanda amandapcaron@gmail.com
McGill University
Carou, Silvina silvina.carou@ec.gc.ca
Environment Canada
Carpenter, Larry wmac-c@jointsec.nt.ca
Inuvialuit Joint Secretariat
Carpenter, Mallory mcarpenter@mun.ca
Memorial University of Newfoundland
Carr, Christina carrc@uoguelph.ca
University of Guelph
Carson, Lee lee.carson@norstrat.ca
NORSTRAT
Cartwright, Doug cartd@omg.unb.ca
University of New Brunswick
Cassidy, Alison alison.cassidy@queensu.ca
Queen’s University
Chadbourn, Jodie jrking@mun.ca
Memorial University of Newfoundland
Chalifour, Émilie emiliechalifour@gmail.com
Université du Québec à Rimouski
Chambellant, Magaly mchambellant@yahoo.fr
University of Manitoba
Champagne, Emilie emilie.champagne.2@ulaval.ca
Université Laval
Chancey, Melissa Melissa.Chancey@dfo-mpo.gc.ca
Fisheries and Oceans Canada
Charvet, Sophie sophie.charvet.1@ulaval.ca
Université Laval
Chateau-Degat, Marie-Ludivine marie-ludivine.chateau-degat@
crchul.ulaval.ca
Centre de recherche du CHUQ
Chauret, Yanie yanie.chauret@ainc-inac.gc.ca
Indian and Northern Affairs Canada
Cheechoo, John cheechoo@itk.ca
Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami
Cheng, Angela angela.cheng@ec.gc.ca
Environment Canada
Chételat, John john.chetelat@ec.gc.ca
Environment Canada
Choquette, Réal real.choquette@arcticnet.ulaval.ca
ArcticNet
Christoffersen, Kirsten kchristoffersen@bio.ku.dk
University of Copenhagen
Church, Ian ichurch@unb.ca
University of New Brunswick
Churchill, Stephen stephen.churchill@c-core.ca
C-CORE
Clukey, Edward clukeyec@bp.com
BP
Coffey, Juliana juliana.coffey@torngatsecretariat.ca
Torngat Secretariat
Collingwood, Adam adam.collingwood@queensu.ca
Queen’s University
Collins, Kate collinsk@mar.dfo-mpo.gc.ca
Fisheries and Oceans Canada
Comtois, Claude Claude.Comtois@umontreal.ca
Université de Montréal
Cunsolo Willox, Ashlee ashlee@uoguelph.ca
University of Guelph
Corkery, Catherine catherinecorkery@trentu.ca
Trent University
Cossette, Stéphane stephane.cossette@mddep.gouv.qc.ca
MDDEP - Gouvernement du Québec
174
ASM2010 Conference Programme and Abstracts
Côté, Mélanie mcote093@uottawa.ca
Université d’Ottawa
de Damborenea, Juan
Marine Sciences Institute
Côté, Steeve steeve.cote@bio.ulaval.ca
Université Laval
Delaronde, Joanne Joanne.Delaronde@dfo-mpo.gc.ca
Fisheries and Oceans Canada
Couture, Ariane ariane.couture.1@ulaval.ca
Université Laval
Demers, Christine christine.demers@arcticnet.ulaval.ca
ArcticNet
Cray, Heather heather.cray@mail.mcgill.ca
McGill University
Dempson, J. Brian brian.dempson@dfo-mpo.gc.ca
Fisheries and Oceans Canada
Croteau Dufour, Julien julien.croteau-dufour@umontreal.ca
Université de Montréal
Denniston, Mary mary.denniston@nunatsiavut.com
Nunatsiavut Government
Cuerrier, Alain alain.cuerrier@umontreal.ca
Jardin botanique de Montréal
Desjardins, Louise louise.desjardins@cihr-irse.gc.ca
Canadian Institutes of Health Research
Cullingford, Tim tim@geomission.co.uk
Geo Mission Ltd
Desmarais, Natalie natalie.desmarais@arcticnet.ulaval.ca
ArcticNet
Culp, Joseph joseph.culp@ec.gc.ca
Environment Canada & CRI
Dewailly, Eric eric.dewailly@crchul.ulaval.ca
Université Laval
Cunliffe, Chip info@geomission.co.uk
Geo Mission Ltd
di Cenzo, Peter peter.dicenzo@ec.gc.ca
University of Victoria / W-CIRC
Curry, Michelle miche.curry@gmail.com
University of Manitoba
Dibike, Yonas yonas.dibike@ec.gc.ca
University of Victoria / W-CIRC
D
Dale, Aaron aaron.dale@torngatsecretariat.ca
Torngat Secretariat
Danobeitia, Juanjo
Marine Sciences Institute
Daraeikhah, Mohsen daraeikh@ualberta.ca
University of Alberta
Darling, Samantha samantha.j.darling@gmail.com
University of Ottawa
Davies, Evan evan.davies@ualberta.ca
University of Alberta
Dawson, Jackie dawsonj@uoguelph.ca
University of Guelph
De Abreu, Roger roger.deabreu@ec.gc.ca
Canadian Ice Service
Dingler, Jeffrey jeffrey.dingler@bp.com
BP Exploration Operating Company Limited
Doniol-Valcroze, Thomas thomas.doniol-valcroze@dfo-mpo.gc.ca
Fisheries and Oceans Canada
Dorn, Shannon sdorn@sciborg.uwaterloo.ca
University of Waterloo
Douglas, Vasiliki douglasv@unbc.ca
University of Northern British Columbia
Doyon, Jérémie jeremie.doyon@cen.ulaval.ca
Université Laval - CEN
Duguay, Yannick yannick.duguay@ete.inrs.ca
INRS - Eau, Terre & Environnement
Dunford, Andrew adunford@tunngavik.com
Nunavut Tunngavik Inc.
Durkalec, Agata agata.durkalec@gmail.com
Trent University
De Armas, Demetrio
Spanish Oceanographic Institute
175
ASM2010 Conference Programme and Abstracts
E
Edmunds-Potvin, Sharon
Nunavut Tunngavik Inc.
El Hayek, Jessy jessy.hayek@mail.mcgill.ca
McGill University
Elosegui, Pedro Maria
Marine Sciences Institute
Else, Brent b_else@umanitoba.ca
University of Manitoba / CEOS
Estrada, Esteban esteban.estrada@rmc.ca
Royal Military College - ESG
Ewins, Peter pewins@wwfcanada.org
WWF-Canada
Ford, James james.ford@mcgill.ca
McGill University
Fortier, Louis louis.fortier@bio.ulaval.ca
ArcticNet
Fortier, Marie-France mariefrance.fortier@asc-csa.gc.ca
Agence spatiale canadienne
Fortier, Martin martin.fortier@arcticnet.ulaval.ca
ArcticNet
Fortin, Robert robert.fortin@ainc-inac.gc.ca
Indian and Northern Affairs Canada
Franke, Alastair alastair.franke@ualberta.ca
Canadian Circumpolar Institute
Fraser, John jfraser@irc.inuvialuit.com
Inuvialuit Land Administration
F
Fréchette, Bianca Bianca.Frechette@internet.uqam.ca
Université du Québec à Montréal
Ferguson, James colorens@ise.bc.ca
International Submarine Engineering Ltd.
Fresque, Jennifer fres3130@mylaurier.ca
Wilfrid Laurier University
Ferguson, Steve steve.ferguson@dfo-mpo.gc.ca
Fisheries and Oceans Canada
Friddell, Julie julie.friddell@uwaterloo.ca
University of Waterloo - PDC
Fernandez, Estrella
Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation
Funston, Bernard W.
Canadian Polar Commission
Fily, Michel fily@lgge.obs.ujf-grenoble.fr
LGGE - UJF Grenoble & CNRS
Furgal, Chris chrisfurgal@trentu.ca
Trent University - Nasivvik Centre
Fischer, Kathleen kathleen.fischer@ainc-inac.gc.ca
Indian and Northern Affairs Canada
Flanders, David flanders@interchange.ubc.ca
University of British Columbia - CALP
Flannelly, R. Chris chris.flannelly@gmail.com
University of British Columbia
Fleming, Laura lfleming@uoguelph.ca
University of Guelph
Fontaine, Anne anne.fontaine@uqar.qc.ca
Université du Québec à Rimouski - ISMER
Forbes, Donald DForbes@nrcan.gc.ca
Natural Resources Canada
Ford, Barrie bford@makivik.org
IPY Northern Coordination Offices
G
Gaden, Ashley ashley_gaden@umanitoba.ca
University of Manitoba
Gagnon, Jonathan jonathan.gagnon@qo.ulaval.ca
Université Laval / Québec-Océan
Galindo, Virginie virginie.galindo@gmail.com
Université Laval
Gamache, Étienne etienne.gamache@umontreal.ca
Université de Montréal
Gauthier, Gilles gilles.gauthier@bio.ulaval.ca
Université Laval
Gélinas, Véronique vgelinas@trentu.ca
Trent University
176
ASM2010 Conference Programme and Abstracts
Geoffroy, Maxime maxime.geoffroy.1@ulaval.ca
Université Laval
Georgine, Pastershank Georgine.Pastershank@dfo-mpo.gc.ca
Fisheries and Oceans Canada
Gérin-Lajoie, José jose.gerin-lajoie@uqtr.ca
Université du Québec à Rimouski - CEN
Ginsburg, Alexander adginsburg@fulbrightmail.org
University of Oregon
Godin, Pamela pam.earthgirl@gmail.com
University of Manitoba
Goldhar, Christina christina.goldhar@mun.ca
Memorial University of Newfoundland
Goodwin, Ross rgoodwin@ucalgary.ca
Arctic Institute of North America
Gordoa, Ana gordoa@ceab.csic.es
Spanish National Research Council - CSIC
Gosselin, Michel michel_gosselin@uqar.qc.ca
Université du Québec à Rimouski - ISMER
Gosselin, Pascale pascale.gosselin.1@ulaval.ca
Université Laval - CEN
Grandmont, Katerine kategrandmont@gmail.com
University of Montreal
Grant, Cindy cindygrant13@hotmail.com
Université du Québec à Rimouski - ISMER
Gratton, Yves yves_gratton@ete.inrs.ca
INRS - Eau, Terre & Environnement
Green, Geoff expedition@studentsonice.com
Students on Ice
Grenier, Patrick patrick_grenier_@hotmail.com
Université du Québec à Montréal
Grogan, Paul groganp@queensu.ca
Queen’s University
Guéguen, Céline celinegueguen@trentu.ca
Trent University
Guindre-Parker, Sarah guindre@uwindsor.ca
University of Windsor
Gunn, Geoffrey umgunng@cc.umanitoba.ca
University of Manitoba
H
Haas, Christian chaas@ualberta.ca
University of Alberta
Hammill, Mike mike.hammill@dfo-mpo.gc.ca
Fisheries and Oceans Canada
Hancyk, Jeremy jhancyk@axys.com
AXYS Technologies Inc.
Hannah, Charles hannahc@mar.dfo-mpo.gc.ca
Fisheries and Oceans Canada
Hansen-Craik, Kayla
Joint Secretariat
Hanson, Udloriak uhanson@rogers.com
Nunavut Tunngavik Inc.
Harder, Silvie silvieharder@gmail.com
University of Victoria / W-CIRC
Harper, Karen Karen.Harper@Dal.ca
Dalhousie University
Harper, Sherilee harpers@uoguelph.ca
University of Guelph
Hatcher, Scott svh160@mun.ca
Memorial University of Newfoundland
Hawkins, James jim.r.hawkins@exxonmobil.com
Imperial Oil
Heath, Joel heath.joel@gmail.com
University of British Columbia
Heikkila, Maija maija.heikkila@dfo-mpo.gc.ca
University of Manitoba
Hennessey, Ryan rhennessey@yukoncollege.yk.ca
Yukon College - Northern Climate ExChange
Hennin, Holly hennin@uwindsor.ca
University of Windsor
Henry, Greg greg.henry@geog.ubc.ca
University of British Columbia
Herod, Matthew mattherod@gmail.com
University of Ottawa
Hickie, Brendan bhickie@trentu.ca
Trent University
177
ASM2010 Conference Programme and Abstracts
Higdon, Jeff Jeff.Higdon@dfo-mpo.gc.ca
University of Manitoba
Hik, David dhik@ualberta.ca
University of Alberta
Hille, Erika ehille@uvic.ca
University of Victoria / W-CIRC
Hirsch, Rachel rhirsch@alumni.uwo.ca
York University - FES
Houben, Adam ahouben@uottawa.ca
University of Ottawa
Hughes Clarke, John jhc@omg.unb.ca
University of New Brunswick
Hunter, Patricia patricia.hunter@dfo-mpo.gc.ca
Fisheries and Oceans Canada
I
Ip, Morgan morgan.alexander.ip@gmail.com
Carleton University
Iqaluk, Pilipoosie
Resolute Bay
J
James, Thomas tjames@nrcan.gc.ca
Geological Survey of Canada
Jayas, Digvir digvir_jayas@umanitoba.ca
University of Manitoba
Johnson, Noor noor.johnson@mail.mcgill.ca
McGill University
Johnson-Down, Louise louise.johnson-down@mcgill.ca
McGill University - CINE
Johnston, Adrianne ajohnst4@lakeheadu.ca
Lakehead University
Johnston, Jennifer jjohnston@irc.inuvialuit.com
Inuvialuit Regional Corporation
K
Kapfer, Mark kapferm@noetix.on.ca
Noetix Research Inc.
Karpik, Sarah
Community of Nain, Nunatsiavut
Kathan, Kasey 6kmkk@queensu.ca
Queen’s University
Kautuk, Gordon
Ittaq Heritage and Research Centre
Keeling, Arn akeeling@mun.ca
Memorial University of Newfoundland
Kelley, Trish umkelle0@cc.umanitoba.ca
University of Manitoba
Kilabuk, Amanda Amanda.Kilabuk@arcticcollege.ca
Nunavut Research Institute - Arctic College
Knopp, Jennie jenniferknopp@trentu.ca
Trent University
Knotsch, Cathleen cknotsch@naho.ca
NAHO
Kotakak, Max
FJMC -Tuktoyaktuk HTC
Kotokak Sr., Max
Joint Secretariat
Kouril, Diana diana_kouril@hotmail.com
Trent University
Krywulak, Tim tim.krywulak@scienceadvice.ca
Council of Canadian Academies
Kulkarni, Tanuja tanuja.kulkarni@ainc-inac.gc.ca
Indian and Northern Affairs Canada
Kurszewski, Denise denise.kurszewski@ichr.ca
Institute for Circumpolar Health
Kurvits, Tiina tiina.kurvits@grida.no
UNEP / GRID-Arendal
Kuzyk, Zou Zou ZouZou.Kuzyk@ete.inrs.ca
INRS - Eau, Terre & Environnement
Joseph, Helen helen.joseph@dfo-mpo.gc.ca
Fisheries and Oceans Canada
178
ASM2010 Conference Programme and Abstracts
L
Labonté, Danielle danielle.labonte@ainc-inac.gc.ca
Indian and Northern Affairs - IPY Directorate
Lackenbauer, P. Whitney pwlacken@uwaterloo.ca
University of Waterloo
Laforest, Brandon laforest@yorku.ca
York University
Laidler, Gita gita_laidler@carleton.ca
Carleton University
Laing, Rodd rodd.laing@gmail.com
Trent University
Lamarca, Mario mario.lamarca@nserc-crsng.gc.ca
CRSNG / NSERC
Lamoureux, Scott Scott.lamoureux@queensu.ca
Queen’s University
Lampe, John john_lampe@nunatsiavut.com
Nunatsiavut Government
Langstaff, Liane llangsta@uoguelph.ca
University of Guelph
Lansard, Bruno bruno.lansard@gmail.com
Université McGill
Lantuit, Hugues Hugues.Lantuit@awi.de
Alfred Wegener Institute
Lapoussière, Amandine amandine.lapoussiere@qo.ulaval.ca
Université Laval / Québec-Océan
Lardeau, Marie-Pierre marie-pierre.lardeau@mail.mcgill.ca
McGill University
Larouche, Pierre Pierre.Larouche@dfo-mpo.gc.ca
Institut Maurice-Lamontagne
Larrivée, Caroline larrivee.caroline@ouranos.ca
Ouranos
Larrivée, Katryne helyothrope@gmail.com
University of Montreal
Laurion, Isabelle isabelle.laurion@ete.inrs.ca
INRS - Eau, Terre & Environnement
Le Corre, Mael lecorremael@hotmail.com
Université Laval
Le Fouest, Vincent lefouest@obs-vlfr.fr
Lab. d’Océanographie de Villefranche - CNRS
LeBlanc, Bernard bernard.leblanc@dfo-mpo.gc.ca
Pêches et Océans Canada
LeBlanc, Philippe pleblanc@mun.ca
Memorial University of Newfoundland
LeDrew, Ellsworth ells@watleo.uwaterloo.ca
University of Waterloo
Leggee, Donna donna.leggee@mcgill.ca
McGill University
Leitch, Dan leitch@cc.umanitoba.ca
University of Manitoba
Lemay, Mickaël mickael.lemay@cen.ulaval.ca
Université Laval - CEN
Lemes, Marcos umlemesm@cc.umanitoba.ca
University of Manitoba
Lemire, Mélanie melanie.lemire@crchuq.ulaval.ca
Université Laval
Lemus-Lauzon, Isabel isabel.lemus-lauzon.1@ulaval.ca
Université Laval
Lennie, Crystal clennie@irc.inuvialuit.com
Inuvialuit Regional Corporation
Lento, Jennifer jlento@gmail.com
Canadian Rivers Institute
Lenz, Josefine josefine.lenz@awi.de
Alfred Wegener Institute
Levasseur, Maurice maurice.levasseur@bio.ulaval.ca
Université Laval
Lévesque, Esther Esther.Levesque@uqtr.ca
Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières
Lévesque, Keith keith.levesque@arcticnet.ulaval.ca
ArcticNet
Lévesque, Mélanie levesque.melanie@yahoo.ca
Université du Québec à Rimouski - ISMER
L’Hérault, Emmanuel emmanuel.lherault@cen.ulaval.ca
Université Laval - CEN
Link, Heike link.heike@gmail.com
Université du Québec à Rimouski - ISMER
179
ASM2010 Conference Programme and Abstracts
Lionard, Marie marie.lionard@bio.ulaval.ca
Université Laval
Martel, André amartel@mus-nature.ca
Musée canadien de la nature
Loring, Eric loring@itk.ca
Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami
Matley, Jordan ummatley@cc.umanitoba.ca
University of Manitoba
Loseto, Lisa lisa.loseto@dfo-mpo.gc.ca
Fisheries and Oceans Canada
Matthews, Cory cory_matthews@umanitoba.ca
University of Manitoba
Love, Oliver olove@uwindsor.ca
University of Windsor
Mattina, Charlie cmattina@lakeheadu.ca
Lakehead University
Lovejoy, Connie connie.lovejoy@bio.ulaval.ca
Université Laval
May, Inga inga.may@lmu.de
Ludwig-Maximilians University Munich
Lowings, Malcolm MLowings@golder.com
Golder Associates Ltd
McAuley, Alexander amcauley@upei.ca
University of Prince Edward Island
Luo, Yi Yi.Luo@ec.gc.ca
Canadian Ice Service
McClymont Peace, Diane diane.mcclymont-peace@hc-sc.gc.ca
First Nations & Inuit Communities - Health Canada
Luque, Sebastian spluque@gmail.com
University of Manitoba
McCullough, Greg gmccullo@cc.umanitoba.ca
University of Manitoba
M
Macdonald, Christie christiemacdonald@hotmail.com
University of Windsor
MacDonald, Joanna jmacdo08@uoguelph.ca
University of Guelph
Machutchon, Allison Allison.Machutchon@dfo-mpo.gc.ca
Fisheries and Oceans Canada
Magee, Angelique angelique.magee@NRCan-RNCan.gc.ca
Polar Continental Shelf Program
Mallory, Mark mark.mallory@ec.gc.ca
Canadian Wildlife Service
Malone, James travel@jointsec.nt.ca
Joint Secretariat
Malone, Laura laura.malone@gmail.com
University of Ottawa
Maps, Frédéric fmaps@gmri.org
University of Maine
Marcoux, Marianne marianne.marcoux@mail.mcgill.ca
Fisheries and Oceans Canada
Mariani, Zen zmariani@atmosp.physics.utoronto.ca
University of Toronto
McCullough, Karen kmccullo@ucalgary.ca
Arctic Institute of North America
McDonald, Nicole 9nm@queensu.ca
Queen’s University
McKenna, Meghan mckenna@itk.ca
Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami
McKeown, Derek dmckeown@hoskin.ca
Hoskin Scientific Ltd.
McLennan, Donald donald.mclennan@pc.gc.ca
Parks Canada Agency
McTavish, Kristeen nasivvik@gmail.com
Nasivvik Centre
Meakin, Stephanie smeakin@ripnet.com
Inuit Circumpolar Council (Canada)
Mero, Alana amero@auroracollege.nt.ca
Aurora Research Institute
Michaud, Josée josee.michaud@arcticnet.ulaval.ca
ArcticNet
Michaud, Wendy wmichaud@sciborg.uwaterloo.ca
University of Waterloo
Michel, Christine christine.michel@dfo-mpo.gc.ca
Fisheries and Oceans Canada
180
ASM2010 Conference Programme and Abstracts
Middel, Kevin kevin.middel@ontario.ca
Trent University
Nightingale, John yasmin.sidi@vanaqua.org
Vancouver Aquarium
Midgley, Scott scott.midgley@mun.ca
Memorial University of Newfoundland
Nozais, Christian christian_nozais@uqar.qc.ca
Université du Québec à Rimouski
Miller, Elizabeth eamiller@yorku.ca
York University
Mills, Richard richardmills@ise.bc.ca
International Submarine Engineering
Minich, Katherine k.minich@rogers.com
CINE
Miquel, Juan-Carlos j.c.miquel@iaea.org
International Atomic Energy Agency
Moquin, Paul moquin.paul@gmail.com
University of Victoria
Moss-Davies, Pitseolalaq pmoss-davies@inuitcircumpolar.com
Inuit Circumpolar Council (Canada)
Mucci, Alfonso alfonso.mucci@mcgill.ca
McGill University
Mueller, Derek derek_mueller@carleton.ca
Carleton University
O
Obbard, Martyn martyn.obbard@ontario.ca
Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources
O’Connor, Mark moconnor@nmrwb.ca
Nunavik Marine Region Wildlife Board
Okalik, Maatalii
Carleton University
Organ, Jennifer jforgan@dal.ca
Dalhousie University
Ostertag, Sonja ostertag@unbc.ca
University of British Columbia
Outridge, Peter outridge@nrcan.gc.ca
University of Manitoba
Owens, Sandra sandra.owens@crchul.ulaval.ca
Centre de recherche du CHUQ
Mundy, C.J. christopher-john.mundy@uqar.qc.ca
Université du Québec à Rimouski
Murdoch, Alyssa alyssamurdoch@gmail.com
University of Waterloo
Myers, Erin erin.myers@hc-sc.gc.ca
First Nations & Inuit Communities - Health Canada
Myklebust, May maymyklebust@gmail.com
Trent University
N
Nasogaluak, Shelia
Community of Tuktoyaktuk
Negandhi, Karita karitaneg@yahoo.ca
INRS - Eau, Terre & Environnement
Néron, Marie-Eve marieeve.neron@ainc-inac.gc.ca
Indian and Northern Affairs Canada
P
Pachkowski, Melanie melanie.pachkowski@gmail.com
Université de Sherbrooke
Pagnan, Jeanne jpagnan@acanac.net
Twin Dolphins
Papakyriakou, Tim papakyri@cc.umanitoba.ca
University of Manitoba - CEOS
Pearce, Tristan tpearce@uoguelph.ca
University of Guelph
Pedrós-Alió, Carlos cpedros@icm.csic.es
Marine Sciences Institute
Pereda, Pilar
Spanish Oceanographic Institute
Peters, Daniel daniel.peters@ec.gc.ca
University of Victoria - W-CIRC
Nickels, Scot nickels@itk.ca
Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami
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Peters, Mike peters@capp.ca
CAPP
Prowse, Terry terry.prowse@ec.gc.ca
University of Victoria / W-CIRC
Petersen, Stephen stephen.petersen@dfo-mpo.gc.ca
Fisheries and Oceans Canada
Pucko, Monika umpucko@cc.umanitoba.ca
University of Manitoba
Peterson, Ingrid petersoni@mar.dfo-mpo.gc.ca
Fisheries and Oceans Canada
Pyc, Cynthia cynthia.pyc@bp.com
BP Exploration Operating Company Limited
Piekutowski, Thomas Thomas.Piekutowski@asc-csa.gc.ca
Canadian Space Agency
Pienitz, Reinhard reinhard.pienitz@cen.ulaval.ca
Université Laval - CEN
Q
Quesada, Antonio
Madrid Autonomous University
Pieper, Sara pieper.sara@gmail.com
University of Saskatchewan
Pit, Mare mare.pit@iasc.info
International Arctic Science Committee
Pitre, Mike m2pitre@ryerson.ca
Ryerson University
Pokiak, Frank
Inuvialuit Game Council
Pokiak, Rebecca
Community of Tuktoyaktuk
Pollock, Lisa lisapollock@trentu.ca
Trent University
Pomerleau, Corinne corinne.pomerleau@dfo-mpo.gc.ca
Université du Québec à Rimouski
Porta, Louie louieporta@oceansnorth.ca
Oceans North Canada
Poulin, Michel mpoulin@mus-nature.ca
Musée canadien de la nature
Power, Michael m3power@sciborg.uwaterloo.ca
University of Waterloo
Prazeres, Laura laura.prazeres@ainc-inac.gc.ca
Indian and Northern Affairs Canada
Prinsenberg, Simon prinsenbergs@mar.dfo-mpo.gc.ca
Fisheries and Oceans Canada
Proust, Françoise francoise.proust@crchul.ulaval.ca
CRCHUL / Université Laval
Provencher, Jennifer jennipro@uvic.ca
APECS / University of Victoria
R
Rajdev, Vinay vinayrajdev@gmail.com
Dalhousie University
Rautio, Milla milla.rautio@uqac.ca
Université du Québec à Chicoutimi
Reinfort, Breanne umreinfo@cc.umanitoba.ca
University of Manitoba
Reist, Jim jim.reist@dfo-mpo.gc.ca
Fisheries and Oceans Canada
Rencz, Andy rencz@nrcan.gc.ca
Natural Resources Canada
Riedlsperger, Rudy r.riedlsperger@mun.ca
Memorial University of Newfoundland
Risk, Dave drisk@stfx.ca
St. Francis Xavier University
Robert, Dominique dominique.robert@qo.ulaval.ca
Québec-Océan
Robineau, Brigitte brigitte.robineau@qo.ulaval.ca
Québec-Océan
Robinson, Terin t3robins@uwaterloo.ca
University of Waterloo
Robus, Jennifer jenniferrobus@trentu.ca
Trent University
Rodon, Thierry thierry.rodon@pol.ulaval.ca
Carleton University - CIÉRA
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Roger, Jonathan jonathan.roger.1@ulaval.ca
Université Laval
Scott, Neal neal.scott@queensu.ca
Queen’s University
Rolland, Nicolas nicolas.rolland@cen.ulaval.ca
Université Laval - CEN
Scrivener, Robina robina.scrivener@ainc-inac.gc.ca
Indian and Northern Affairs Canada
Ross, Donald mckenna@itk.ca
Aurora Research Institute
Shearer, Russel Russel.Shearer@ainc-inac.gc.ca
Indian and Northern Affairs Canada
Rosta, Laura Laura.Rostas@NRCan-RNCan.gc.ca
Natural Resources Canada
Sheikh, Nelofar nelofar.sheikh@mcgill.ca
McGill University
Rouillard, Alexandra alexandrarouillard@yahoo.ca
Queen’s University
Sheldon, Tom tom_sheldon@nunatsiavut.com
Nunatsiavut Government
Rousseau, Claudia claudia.rousseau.1@ulaval.ca
Université Laval
Shields, Megan megan.shields@hotmail.com
University of Manitoba
Roy, Natasha natasha.roy.1@ulaval.ca
Université Laval - CEN
Shiwak, Inez inezs@rigolet.ca
My Word
Roy, Virginie royvirgie@hotmail.com
Université du Québec à Rimouski - ISMER
Siegwart Collier, Laura lsiegwart@mun.ca
Memorial University of Newfoundland
Royer, Alain Alain.Royer@Usherbrooke.ca
Université de Sherbrooke
Simard, Yvan yvan_simard@uqar.qc.ca
Université du Québec à Rimouski - ISMER
Rudy, Ashley ashley.rudy@queensu.ca
Queen’s University
Simpson, Angus angus.simpson@pc.gc.ca
Parks Canada Agency
S
Sachse, Marcel marcelsachse@msn.com
FernUniversitaet Hagen
Salcedo-Castro, Julio j.salcedo@mun.ca
Memorial University of Newfoundland
Sanchez, Jose Juan
Marine Sciences Institute
Sandlos, John jsandlos@mun.ca
Memorial University of Newfoundland
Sanei, Hamed hsanei@nrcan.gc.ca
Geological Survey of Canada
Sarrazin, Denis denis.sarrazin@cen.ulaval.ca
Université Laval - CEN
Saudny, Helga helga.saudny-unterberger@mcgill.ca
McGill University - CINE
Saulnier-Talbot, Émilie emilie.saulnier-talbot@cen.ulaval.ca
Université Laval - CEN
Sinnatamby, Nilo rn.sinnatamby@gmail.com
University of Waterloo
Smit, Barry bsmit@uoguelph.ca
University of Guelph
Smith, Duane inuvialuk@northwestel.net
Inuit Circumpolar Council (Canada)
Smith, Simon simon.smith@ainc-inac.gc.ca
Northern Contaminants Program
Snow, Norm execdir@jointsec.nt.ca
Joint Secretariat
Soininen, Eeva eeva.soininent@uit.no
University of Tromsø
Solomon, Eric Eric.solomon@vanaqua.org
Vancouver Aquarium
Stern, Gary Gary.Stern@dfo-mpo.gc.ca
DFO / University of Manitoba
Stewart, Bonnie bstewart@upei.ca
University of Prince Edward Island
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St-Hilaire, Dominique dsthilaire@mun.ca
Memorial University of Newfoundland
Tougas, Sylvain sylvain.tougas@arcticnet.ulaval.ca
ArcticNet
Stow, Jason jason.stow@ainc-inac.gc.ca
Indian and Northern Affairs Canada
Trana, Marci marcitrana@gmail.com
University of Manitoba - DFO
Suzuki, Keita suzuki.keita.1@ulaval.ca
Québec-Océan
Tremblay, Jean-Éric jean-eric.tremblay@bio.ulaval.ca
Université Laval
T
Taillon, Joëlle joelle.taillon@bio.ulaval.ca
Université Laval
Tang, Shilin shilin.tang@dfo-mpo.gc.ca
Fisheries and Oceans Canada
Tarroux, Arnaud arnaud.tarroux@gmail.com
Université du Québec à Rimouski
Tremblay, Martin martin.tremblay@ainc-inac.gc.ca
Indian and Northern Affairs Canada
Tucker, Jane jane.tucker@mun.ca
Memorial University of Newfoundland
Turner, Devin devinturner@trentu.ca
Trent University
Tuttauk, Ed ed.tuttauk@nunatsiavut.com
Nunatsiavut Government
Tellier, Lisa lisa.t@videotron.ca
Université d’Ottawa
V
Tester, Frank ftester@interchange.ubc.ca
University of British Columbia
Valera, Beatriz beatriz.valera@crchul.ulaval.ca
Université Laval
Thaler, Mary mary.thaler.1@ulaval.ca
Université Laval
Van Dijken, Bob bob.vandijken@cyfn.net
Council of Yukon First Nations
Théoret-Gosselin, Rachel rarach555@msn.com
Université Laval
Van Wychen, Wesley wesley.vanwychen@gmail.com
University of Ottawa
Thériault, Yves yves.theriault@ainc-inac.gc.ca
Indian and Northern Affairs Canada
Vanderbilt, William william.vanderbilt@mail.mcgill.ca
McGill University
Thivierge, Christian christian.thivierge@nce-rce.gc.ca
Networks of Centres of Excellence
Veillette, Maryse maryse.veillette@queensu.ca
Queen’s University
Thomas, David dthomas@axys.com
The Axys Group
Verma, Sarah sdv@yorku.ca
York University
Thomas, Helmuth helmuth.thomas@dal.ca
Dalhousie University
Vincent, Ron Ron.Vincent@rmc.ca
Royal Military College
Thomassie, Louisa lthomassie@krg.ca
Kativik Regional Government
Vincent, Warwick warwick.vincent@bio.ulaval.ca
Université Laval - CEN
Thompson, Shanley shanley.thompson@gmail.com
Rescan Environmental Services
Voudrach, B.J.
Community of Tuktoyaktuk
Thomson, James james.thomson@bp.com
BP Exploration Operating Company Limited
Tomlinson, Scott scott.tomlinson@ainc-inac.gc.ca
Indian and Northern Affairs Canada
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W
Wagner, Loan wagneri@queensu.ca
Queen’s University
Walker, Anita anita.walker@ainc-inac.gc.ca
Indian and Northern Affairs Canada
Walker, Xanthe xanthe.walker@gmail.com
University of British Columbia
Walton, Fiona fwalton@upei.ca
University of Prince Edward Island
Warner, Kerri warner.kerri@gmail.com
University of Manitoba
Watkins, Jill Jill.Watkins@dfo-mpo.gc.ca
Canadian Hydrographic Service - DFO
Watt, Cortney cortneywatt@gmail.com
University of Manitoba
Way, Robert rway019@gmail.com
Memorial University of Newfoundland
Wesche, Sonia swesche@naho.ca
NAHO - Metis Centre
Westlake, Michael michael.westlake@ainc-inac.gc.ca
Indian and Northern Affairs Canada
White, Adrienne awhit059@uottawa.ca
University of Ottawa
Wickenheiser, Christy christy.wickenheiser@neb-one.gc.ca
National Energy Board
Wilkes, James visualvoices@hotmail.com
Trent University
Williams, Tim Willit@parl.gc.ca
Library of Parliament
Wohlleben, Trudy trudy.wohlleben@ec.gc.ca
Canadian Ice Service
Wojczynski, Eduard ewojczynski@hydro.mb.ca
Manitoba Hydro
Wolf, Johanna jwolf@mun.ca
Memorial University of Newfoundland
Wolfrey, Charlotte
Nunatsiavut Government
Wood, Bryn brynwood@gmail.com
Memorial University of Newfoundland
Wood, Michele michele_wood@nunatsiavut.com
Nunatsiavut Government
Wrona, Frederick fred.wrona@ec.gc.ca
University of Victoria / W-CIRC
X
Xenos, Nick nick.xenos@ainc-inac.gc.ca
Indian and Northern Affairs Canada
Y
Yannic, Glenn Glenn.Yannic@gmail.com
Université Laval
Young, Brent Brent.Young@dfo-mpo.gc.ca
University of Manitoba
Young, Kathy klyoung@yorku.ca
York University
Yurkowski, David daveyurkowski01@hotmail.com
University of Manitoba
Williams-Jones, Leigh-Ann leigh-ann.williams-jones@mail.mcgill.ca
McGill University
Wilson, Kaitlin kaitlinwilson@trentu.ca
Trent University
Wilson, Katherine katherine.wilson@ainc-inac.gc.ca
Indian and Northern Affairs Canada
Winegardner, Amanda awinegar@uoguelph.ca
University of Guelph
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SPONSORS
GOLD
Indian and Northern Affairs Canada - Northern Contaminants Program / Affaires indiennes
et du Nord Canada - Programme de lutte contre les contaminants dans le Nord
“Working to reduce and, wherever possible, eliminate contaminants in traditionally harvested foods, while providing
information that assists informed decision making by individuals and communities in their food use.”
For more information on the Call for Proposals 2009-2010, visit our website at www.inac.gc.ca/nth/ct/ncp/index-eng.asp
« Travailler à réduire et, autant que possible, éliminer les contaminants présents dans les aliments récoltés de façon
traditionnelle, tout en fournissant de l’information aidant les personnes et les collectivités à prendre des décisions éclairées
concernant leur alimentation. »
Pour plus de renseignements sur la Demande de propositions 2009-2010, visitez notre site web au
www.ainc.gc.ca/nth/ct/ncp/index-fra.asp
STUDENT DAY
BP Canada Energy Company
www.bp.com/bodycopyarticle.do?categoryId=1&contentId=7052055
BP is one of the world’s largest energy companies employing nearly 100,000 people and operating in 100 countries
worldwide. BP’s main activities are the exploration and production of crude oil and natural gas; refining, marketing, supply
and transportation; and the manufacturing and marketing of petroleum products. BP is also a leader in solar and alternative
energy.
GRADUATE STUDENT POSTER AWARDS (Marine & Terrestrial)
Imperial Oil & ExxonMobil & BP
As operator of the deepwater Beaufort Sea exploration drilling program, Imperial can draw on over fifty years of Arctic
experience and the expertise of its joint venture partners, ExxonMobil and BP, to ensure that all operations are carried out in a
safe and environmentally responsible manner. As one of Canada’s largest corporations, Imperial is one of the country’s largest
producer of crude oil and natural gas, and its largest petroleum refiner.
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SPONSORS
GRADUATE STUDENT POSTER AWARDS (Social)
Canadian Polar Commission
Commission canadienne des affaires polaires
Canadian Polar Commission / Commission canadienne des affaires polaires
www.polarcom.gc.ca
Established in 1991 as the lead agency in the area of polar research, the Canadian Polar Commission has responsibility
for: monitoring, promoting, and disseminating knowledge of the polar regions; contributing to public awareness of the
importance of polar science to Canada; enhancing Canada’s international profile as a circumpolar nation; and recommending
polar science policy direction to government.
La Commission canadienne des affaires polaires, qui a été créée en 1991 en tant que principal organisme chargé de la recherche
polaire, a les responsabilités suivantes : promouvoir et diffuser les connaissances relatives aux sciences polaires et suivre leur
évolution; aider à sensibiliser le public à l’importance de la science polaire pour le Canada; intensifier le rôle du Canada sur la
scène internationale à titre de nation circumpolaire; et recommander l’adoption d’une politique sur la science polaire par le
gouvernement.
GRADUATE STUDENT POSTER AWARDS (Health)
Nasivvik Centre
www.nasivvik.ulaval.ca
The Nasivvik Centre for Inuit Health and Changing Environments is a multidisciplinary research and training centre funded
by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research-Institute of Aboriginal Peoples’ Health. The Nasivvik Centre is focused on
building capacity in Inuit environmental health research through trainee support and the provision of targeted research
support and facilitation.
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SPONSORS
COFFEE BREAK
Campbell Scientific Canada Corp.
www.campbellsci.ca/Index.html
Campbell Scientific (Canada) Corp. is a provider of rugged, reliable data acquisition systems. Our dataloggers feature wide
operating ranges, durable construction and dependable stand-alone operation. In addition, they have low power consumption
from a variety of sources, many telecommunications options, and have the flexibility to support a variety of measurement and
control applications.
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EXHIBITORS
Students on Ice
www.studentsonice.com
Students on Ice is an award-winning organization offering unique educational expeditions to the
Arctic and Antarctic. Our mandate is to provide students, educators and scientists from around
the world with inspiring educational opportunities at the ends of the Earth and, in doing so, help
them foster a new understanding and respect for the planet.
ATS Technology Systems Inc.
www.atstechnology.ca
Established in 2007 as a sister company to ATS Services Ltd. (1998), we specialize in weather
and environmental monitoring systems. ATS Technology Systems Inc. partners with several
world-class manufacturers of professional sensors allowing us to offer meteorological
solutions ranging from basic monitoring to fundamental research.
Arctic Institute of North America
www.arctic.ucalgary.ca
The Arctic Institute of North America, located at the University of Calgary, is mandated to advance the
study of the circumpolar Arctic through the natural and social sciences, the arts, and the humanities.
The Institute publishes an interdisciplinary journal Arctic, operates the Arctic Science and Technology
Information System, and maintains the Kluane Lake Research Station.
Hoskin Scientific
www.hoskin.ca
Hoskin Scientific is a Canadian environmental monitoring instrumentation distributor with offices in
Vancouver, Burlington and Montreal. We carry an extensive range of products with major emphasis in the
following areas: Water Quality, Limnology, Hydrology, Meteorology, Agronomy and Soil Science. Please
stop by our booth for a brochure or visit our website (www.hoskin.ca) for more information.
Imperial Oil & ExxonMobil
www.imperialoil.ca/Canada-English/HomePage.asp
As one of Canada’s largest corporations, Imperial is one of the country’s largest producers of
crude oil and natural gas, and its largest petroleum refiner. As operator of the deepwater Beaufort
Sea exploration drilling program, Imperial can draw on over fifty years of Arctic experience to
ensure that all operations are carried out in a safe and environmentally responsible manner.
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EXHIBITORS
Québec-Océan
www.quebec-ocean.ulaval.ca
Québec-Océan is a research center combining the efforts of the main institutions active in
oceanography in the province of Québec (Canada). Québec-Océan’s mission of is to favor the
mobilization of researchers and the training of students for the promotion of excellence in
oceanographic research and the dissemination of knowledge.
Polar Continental Shelf Program
polar.nrcan.gc.ca
The Polar Continental Shelf Program (PCSP), part of Natural Resources Canada, provides
logistical support for up to 165 research projects each year that involve over 1100 scientists,
students and field technicians conducting field studies across Canada’s Arctic. Services
include air transport to and from remote field camps, field equipment, and accommodations
at the PCSP Resolute facility.
Satlantic
www.satlantic.com
Satlantic Inc is an advanced ocean technology company that develops precision optical sensors for aquatic research and water quality monitoring. World-class marine scientists and field
technicians have been using Satlantic’s innovative oceanographic and aquatic sensors for optical
research, satellite calibration, validation, and environmental assessments for over two decades.
DFO - Science and Technology Liaison
www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/index-eng.htm
Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) operates the CCGS Amundsen, collaborates in
ArcticNet research and supports the strong role played by ArcticNet in the formation
of a new generation of Arctic researchers. ArcticNet’s focus on natural, human health
and social sciences assists the Government of Canada’s priority-setting in the north.
Campbell Scientific Canada Corp.
www.campbellsci.ca/Index.html
Campbell Scientific (Canada) Corp. is a provider of rugged, reliable data acquisition
systems. Our dataloggers feature wide operating ranges, durable construction and
dependable stand-alone operation. In addition, they have low power consumption
from a variety of sources, many telecommunications options, and have the flexibility to
support a variety of measurement and control applications.
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ASM2010 Conference Programme and Abstracts
EXHIBITORS
L’Agence spatiale canadienne / Canadian Space Agency
www.asc-csa.gc.ca/index.html
L’Agence spatiale canadienne (ASC) appuie les priorités stratégiques du gouvernement du Canada
dans l’Arctique, telles le développement durable, la sécurité et la souveraineté. Par le biais de ses
programmes et activités, l’ASC travaille, en étroite collaboration avec ses partenaires, à relever les
défis et enjeux auxquels font face tous ceux et celles qui vivent et travaillent dans le Nord canadien.
The Canadian Space Agency (CSA) supports government priorities related to sustainable
development, security and sovereignty in the Arctic. Through its programs and activities, the CSA is
working closely with its stakeholders to address the key challenges and issues facing those living and
working in the Canadian North.
Inuit Circumpolar Council (Canada)
www.inuitcircumpolar.com
ICC promotes and celebrates Inuit unity and works collectively to advocate internationally on
behalf of the 155,000 Inuit living in Chukotka, Greenland, Alaska and Canada. ICC (Canada) is a
non-profit organization led by a board of directors comprising the elected leaders of the four landclaims settlement regions: Inuvialuit, Nunatsiavut (Labrador), Nunavik, and Nunavut.
Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami
www.itk.ca
Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami (ITK) was founded in 1971. ITK is the national Inuit organization in
Canada representing the 55,000 Inuit from four Arctic regions: Nunatsiavut (Labrador), Nunavik
(northern Quebec), Nunavut, and the Inuvialuit Settlement Region in the Northwest Territories.
The President of ITK is Mary Simon.
Indian and Northern Affairs Canada - Northern Contaminants Program / Affaires
indiennes et du Nord Canada - Programme de lutte contre les contaminants dans le Nord
“Working to reduce and, wherever possible, eliminate contaminants in traditionally harvested foods, while providing
information that assists informed decision making by individuals and communities in their food use.”
For more information on the Call for Proposals 2009-2010, visit our website at www.inac.gc.ca/nth/ct/ncp/index-eng.asp
« Travailler à réduire et, autant que possible, éliminer les contaminants présents dans les aliments récoltés de façon
traditionnelle, tout en fournissant de l’information aidant les personnes et les collectivités à prendre des décisions éclairées
concernant leur alimentation. »
Pour plus de renseignements sur la Demande de propositions 2009-2010, visitez notre site web au
www.ainc.gc.ca/nth/ct/ncp/index-fra.asp
191
ASM2010 Conference Programme and Abstracts
EXHIBITORS
Canadian Polar Commission /
Commission canadienne des affaires polaires
www.polarcom.gc.ca
Established in 1991 as the lead agency in the area of polar research, the Canadian Polar
Commission has responsibility for: monitoring, promoting, and disseminating knowledge
of the polar regions; contributing to public awareness of the importance of polar
science to Canada; enhancing Canada’s international profile as a circumpolar nation; and
recommending polar science policy direction to government.
La Commission canadienne des affaires polaires, qui a été créée en 1991 en tant que
principal organisme chargé de la recherche polaire, a les responsabilités suivantes :
promouvoir et diffuser les connaissances relatives aux sciences polaires et suivre leur
évolution; aider à sensibiliser le public à l’importance de la science polaire pour le Canada;
intensifier le rôle du Canada sur la scène internationale à titre de nation circumpolaire; et
recommander l’adoption d’une politique sur la science polaire par le gouvernement.
Canadian Polar Commission
Commission canadienne des affaires polaires
Government of Canada International Polar Year
Program / Le programme de l’Année polaire
internationale du Gouvernement du Canada
www.api-ipy.gc.ca
The IPY Program Office at Indian and Northern Affairs Canada is in the
5th year of its 6 year program. The Government of Canada supported 52
Canadian IPY science and research projects. Canada will host the final IPY
wrap-up event the From Knowledge to Action Conference in April 2012 in
Montreal.
Axys Technologies Inc.
www.axystechnologies.com
AXYS Technologies Inc. (AXYS) is an ISO 9001-2008 registered Canadian company with over 30
years experience in the design, manufacture and installation of remote environmental monitoring
systems worldwide. AXYS is pleased to introduce the new Arctic Lake Monitoring System for the
year-round continuous monitoring of the hydro-ecology of Arctic freshwater lake systems.
ROMOR Atlantic Limited
www.romor.ca
ROMOR Atlantic Limited is a Canadian owned company with 25 years of experience in
the Marine Industry. ROMOR is an Oceans Solutions provider exclusively representing and
distributing oceanographic and geophysical instrumentation. ROMOR provides our clients
with ROMOR Ocean Application Research (ROAR); a team of experts to assist with their
integration requirements. Our team has the ability to offer full systems integration, new
product development needs, mooring design and deployment, field service and custom
training on instrumentation and technology.
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ASM2010 Conference Programme and Abstracts
EXHIBITORS
Fisheries and Oceans Canada - Polar Icebreaker Project
www.ccg-gcc.gc.ca
Budget 2008 provided funds for the acquisition of a new Canadian-built
multi-purpose Polar Icebreaker. This icebreaker will provide Canadian Coast
Guard increased coverage in the Canadian Arctic by being able to operate
for three seasons in the Arctic, over a larger area and in more difficult ice
conditions.
Designing and building a Polar Icebreaker will take eight to ten years to
complete. “CCGS John G. Diefenbaker” should enter Arctic service in 2017.
Kongsberg Maritime Ltd.
www.kongsberg.com
Kongsberg Maritime delivers systems for positioning, surveying, navigation and automation to
merchant vessels, offshore, oil and gas installations. We are a market leader in dynamic positioning
systems, automation and surveillance systems, process automation, satellite navigation and
hydroacoustics. Important markets include countries with large offshore and shipyard industries.
Aquatics Environmental Services Inc.
www.aquatics-esi.com/index.html
Aquatics Environmental Services Inc. is a hydrographic services company specializing
in vessel leasing and remote sensing in arctic environments. Aquatics has vessels
designed for arctic travel and overwintering. We present the Aurora Magnetica, a
61’ ice strengthened shallow draft research ship for offshore environments as well as
the Beaufort Explorer, a 36’ catamaran designed nearshore environments.
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ASM2010 Conference Programme and Abstracts
NORTHERN CONTAMINANTS
PROGRAM
Photo: Eric Loring
Call for Proposals
2011-2012
The Northern Contaminants Program (NCP) is led by Indian and Northern
Affairs Canada in partnership with other federal, territorial, provincial,
academic and Aboriginal organizations.
The NCP is now accepting proposals for work to be undertaken in the 20112012 fiscal year in the following areas: Human Health; Environmental
Monitoring and Research; Community Based Monitoring and Research; and
Communications, Capacity, and Outreach. Deadline for proposal
submission is January 24, 2011. For more information, stop by the NCP
booth at the ASM, or visit our website: www.inac.gc.ca/ncp.
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ASM2010 Conference Programme and Abstracts
We also invest in brain power.
BP Exploration collaborated with ArcticNet to conduct its
2010 Field Data Collection Program in the Canadian Beaufort.
The ArcticNet-led research program was a success thanks to the
hard work of the scientific team and the officers and crew of the
CCGS Amundsen. Merci beaucoup.
BP’s community investment program focuses on three areas –
education, environment and community. That’s why we are proud to
support the ArcticNet Schools on Board program and the ASM2010
Student Day.
bp.com
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ASM2010 Conference Programme and Abstracts
The Polar Data Catalogue (PDC, http://polardata.ca) is
an on-line portal that provides access to diverse Arctic
and Antarctic datasets and metadata. The numerous
records cover a wide range of disciplines from natural
sciences and policy to health and social sciences. This
tool is available to the public and researchers alike.
The PDC is growing!
Over 7,000 RADARSAT-1 images from the Canadian Space Agency are now available
through the Geospatial Search Tool, as seen below:
Thousands of additional RADARSAT-1 images plus new data from ArcticNet and IPY
Investigators will be uploaded to the PDC over the next year.
Visit us at
www.polardata.ca
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ArcticNet, Igloolik Isuma Productions and Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami present…
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Travel on the land with elders and hunters to explore the social and
ecological impacts of a warming Arctic.
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Date: Wednesday, December 15, 2010
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Place: The Westin Ottawa, Confederation Ballroom
Time: 7:30 pm to 9:30 pm
Or join us for a live webcast at www.isuma.tv/ikcc
Online viewers are invited to ask questions using thee
Skype username: isumatv.ikcc.
Open to the public. No charge for admission.
Admission does not include access to other events att
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Inuit Knowledge and Climate Change
198
ASM2010 Conference Programme and Abstracts
The Westin Ottawa
FOURTH FLOOR
PROVINCES
BALLROOM
I
II
SERVICE AREA
CONFEDERATION BALLROOM
I
III
II
FOYER
1
1. PRINCE EDWARD
ISLAND
2. NUNAVUT
3. QUEBEC
4. NOVA SCOTIA
5. NEWFOUNDLAND
6. NEW BRUNSWICK
7. ALBERTA
SERVICE AREA
2
3
4
5
6
7
GOVERNOR GENERAL BALLROOM
I
LES SAISONS
II
III
FOU
RETAIL
RETAIL
ONTARIO
DALY’S
THIRD FLOOR
SASKATCHEWAN
199