Recent Year-to-year Variations in Seasonal Temperatures and Sea Ice Conditions in the Eastern Canadian Arctic

Arctic sea ice is currently receiving increasing attention, both in relation to technological problems associated with resources development and shipping (Walker and Penney, 1973), and to basic research questions. The polar pack ice in the Beaufort Sea, for example, is the focus of the Arctic Ice Dynamics Joint Experiment (AIDJEX) (Untersteiner, 1974), while an analysis of physical links between the characteristics of polar surfaces and climate is to be the crux of the United States contribution to the Polar Experiment (POLEX) (Weller and Bierly, 1973; National Academy of Sciences, 1974). A general discussion of sea ice, with emphasis on pack ice, has been presented recently by Wittman and Burkhart (1973), but another aspect of the sea ice regime deserving separate attention, particularly in the light of Arctic offshore oil developments, is the landfast or fast ice, ie that part of the sea ice which remains attached to the shore (see “Sea ice terminology”). This paper attempts to provide a broad picture of fast ice characteristics in the context of our field experience in the eastern Canadian Arctic.

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Sea ice and substratum shape extensive kelp forests in the Canadian Arctic

10.32942/osf.io/t82cf ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Karen Filbee-Dexter ◽

Kathleen A MacGregor ◽

Camille Lavoie ◽

Ignacio Garrido ◽

Jesica Goldsmit ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Sea Ice ◽

Coastal Zone ◽

Environmental Changes ◽

Canadian Arctic ◽

Open Water ◽

Saccharina Latissima ◽

Kelp Forests ◽

Coastal Habitat ◽

Potential Productivity ◽

Eastern Canadian Arctic

The coastal zone of the Canadian Arctic represents 10% of the world’s coastline and is one of the most rapidly changing marine regions on the planet. To predict the consequences of these environmental changes, a better understanding of how environmental gradients shape coastal habitat structure in this area is required. We quantified the abundance and diversity of canopy forming seaweeds throughout the nearshore zone (5 - 15 m) of the Eastern Canadian Arctic using diving surveys and benthic collections at 55 sites distributed over 3000 km of coastline. Kelp forests were found throughout, covering on average 40.4 % (± 29.9 SD) of the seafloor across all sites and depths, despite thick sea ice and scarce hard substrata in some areas. Total standing macroalgal biomass ranged from 0 to 32 kg m‑2 WW and averaged 3.7 kg m‑2 (± 3.2 SD) across all sites and depths. Kelps were less abundant at depths of 5 m compared to 10 or 15 m and distinct regional assemblages were related to sea ice cover, substratum type, and nutrient availability. The most common community configuration was a mixed assemblage of four species: Agarum clathratum (14.9% ± 12.0 SD), Saccharina latissima (13% cover ± 14.7 SD), Alaria esculenta (5.4% ± 1.2 SD), and Laminaria solidungula (3.7% ± 4.9 SD). A. clathratum dominated northernmost regions and S. latissima and L. solidungula occurred at high abundance in regions with more open water days. In southeastern areas along the coast of northern Labrador, the coastal zone was mainly sea urchin barrens, with little vegetation. We found positive relationships between open water days (e.g., without sea ice) and kelp biomass and diversity, suggesting kelp forests could increase, and their species composition could shift, as sea ice diminishes in some areas of the Eastern Canadian Arctic. Our findings demonstrate the high potential productivity of this extensive coastal zone and highlight the need to better understand the ecology of these systems and the services they provide.

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Multi‐year sea‐ice conditions in the western Canadian arctic archipelago region of the northwest passage: 1968–2006

ATMOSPHERE-OCEAN ◽

10.3137/ao.460203 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 46 (2) ◽

pp. 229-242 ◽

Cited By ~ 28

Author(s):

Stephen E.L. Howell ◽

Adrienne Tivy ◽

John J. Yackel ◽

Steve McCourt

Keyword(s):

Sea Ice ◽

Canadian Arctic ◽

Canadian Arctic Archipelago ◽

Northwest Passage ◽

Ice Conditions

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Ice over troubled waters: Navigating the Northwest Passage using Inuit Knowledge and scientific information

10.31230/osf.io/bzywv ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Bindu Panikkar ◽

Benjamin Lemmond ◽

Brent Else ◽

Maribeth Murray

Keyword(s):

Sea Ice ◽

Scientific Information ◽

Rapid Change ◽

Canadian Arctic ◽

Weather Conditions ◽

The Arctic ◽

Northwest Passage ◽

Ice Conditions ◽

Inuit Knowledge ◽

Coppermine River

Sea ice throughout the Arctic is undergoing profound and rapid change. While ice conditions in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago have historically been more stable than conditions in the open ocean, a growing body of evidence indicates that the major thoroughfares in much of the western and central Canadian Arctic, including the Northwest Passage, are increasingly vulnerable to climatic forcing events. This is confirmed by the observations of Inuit elders and experienced hunters in the communities of Cambridge Bay, a hamlet along Dease Strait, and Kugluktuk, a hamlet situated at the mouth of the Coppermine River where it meets Coronation Gulf. People in these hamlets now face new navigational challenges due to sea-ice change. Navigation practices described by elders and hunters reflect an intimate knowledge of the land and ice topography, currents, and weather conditions for hundreds of kilometers around their communities, although people reported increasing unpredictable weather and ice conditions, making travel more treacherous. Many emphasized the importance of traditional knowledge and survival skills as necessary to adapt to ongoing and impending changes. They expressed particular concern that younger generations are untrained in traditional navigation practices, landscape- and weather-reading abilities, and survival practices. However, elders and hunters also stressed the need for more localized weather information derived from weather stations to help with navigation, as current weather and ice conditions are unprecedented in their lifetimes.

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