DOCSLIB.ORG

Assessing Thule Inuit Impacts on High Arctic Lakes and Ponds

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Assessing Thule Inuit Impacts on High Arctic Lakes and Ponds Assessing Thule Inuit Impacts on High Arctic Lakes and Ponds: A Paleolimnological Approach by Kristopher R. Hadley A thesis submitted to the Department of Biology in conformity with the requirements for the degree of Master of Science Queen's University Kingston, Ontario, Canada December, 2007 Copyright Kristopher R. Hadley, 2007 Abstract Until recently it has been widely believed that significant anthropogenic influences on the environment began in Canada following the onset of European colonization. However, our paleolimnological data indicate that centuries prior to European settlement, ponds on Ellesmere and Bathurst Island were impacted by Thule Inuit whalers, whose activities altered nutrient levels in nearby ponds. Two Thule Inuit whaling sites were selected based on input from several archeologists, to ensure good coverage of the Thule geographic range and proximity to freshwater ponds. Multiple independent paleolimnological proxies have been used to analyze a pond from Ellesmere Island, showing taxonomic shifts in diatoms assemblages coinciding with 1.5 - 2‰ shifts in δ15 N, during the period of Thule occupation (ca. 1000 – 1670 AD). Increases in the relative abundance of Amphora ovalis , indicate nutrient concentrations above average for the High Arctic. Elevated levels of nitrogen and phosphorus were observed in the pond indicating the continuing influence of nutrient inputs centuries after the abandonment of the camp. Meanwhile, on Bathurst Island, the orientation of the Deblicquy site, such that the large majority of the Thule nutrient inputs are focused towards one of our two study ponds, provided us with the opportunity to compare two ponds that are essentially identical with the exception of the degree of Thule influence. In our “impacted” site, a marked increase in Stephanodiscus minutulus , coincides with a 2‰ shift in δ15 N. While our a priori determined control site shows no major changes in geochemistry or algal composition. ii Previous research on Bathurst Island used water chemistry and surface sediment diatoms to construct a diatom-inferred total nitrogen model for Bathurst Island. However, this study was limited by excluding unbuffered, low pH sites which characterize the western half of Bathurst Island. By expanding the previous Bathurst Island dataset to include western sites, we have been able to construct a diatom-inferred pH model which will prove invaluable in future climate research in this region. Together, these three studies serve to highlight the sensitivity of freshwater ecosystems to relatively minor anthropogenic disturbances and represent some of the earliest known anthropogenic impacts on North American aquatic ecosystems. iii Candidate’s contribution to thesis K. Hadley undertook all the diatom analyses. This included lab and microscopic work, as well as data entry and interpretation. In addition, K. Hadley completed two field seasons in the High Arctic, collecting much of the material described in this thesis. The only exception being the core from E-Knud, which was taken by one of my co-supervisor’s (M. Douglas). I did however also sample the present-day limnology of this site. The isotope analyses were performed by the G.G. Hatch Stable Isotope Laboratory and the mercury analyses were performed in the lab of Dr. Jules Blais (University of Ottawa). Water chemistry data in Chapter 4 was partially from Lim et al. (2001); I collected the water samples that supplemented this survey. iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS To begin with, I would like to thank my co-supervisors, John P. Smol and Marianne Douglas, for their endless assistance and infinite patience on what has been a long journey. To John, for helping with the day to day struggles from beginning to end, and Marianne, for making fieldwork even more enjoyable with her jokes, stories and constant abuse of John. Thanks to my committee members, Brian Cumming and Robert Gilbert, for their feedback throughout the project. I would also like to thank Dr. Robert McGhee and Dr. Karen McCullough, for advice on site choices and archeological literature. I would like to acknowledge Neal Michelutti, who encouraged me to take the chance on graduate school and has been an invaluable friend and collaborator throughout these past two years. Thanks to Alexander P. Wolfe, who got me started as a paleolimnologists and showed faith in me during the early years, and to Kathleen Rühland, who has been a crucial source of information and guidance since I first arrived in Kingston. This thesis would not have been possible without the field assistance of Catherine Crawley, John Glew, Marco Viscomi and Chris Grooms, as well as the financial support of NSERC, NSTP and PCSP. It has been an honor to work with all the PEARL members over the years, but I would like to specifically recognize Christine Greenaway, Alyson Paul, Amy Tropea and Dan Selbie, without whom I certainly would not have made it through. And finally to Steve Doctor, Aaron King, Amy Whitmore and Kellie Reynolds, who may never read this but have been constant sources of friendship and inspiration. v TABLE OF CONTENTS Abstract …………...…………………………………………………………………………..……ii Acknowledgments …………………………………………………………………………...….…v List of Tables …………………………………………………………………………….….…... viii List of Figures …………………………………………………..………………………..…...…..ix List of Appendices …………………………………………………………………………..……. xi Chapter 1: General Introduction and Literature Review…….………..…...…………………..1 Environmental Research in the Arctic ……………………………………………………….…….1 Diatoms as Indicators of Environmental Change ……………………………………..…………...2 Bowhead Whales (Balaena mysticetus) and Thule Inuit Culture ………………….………………3 Paleolimnology and Thule Inuit Whaling …………………………………………..……..……….4 References .........................................................................................................................................6 Chapter 2 : Impacts of marine-derived nutrients from ancient Thule whaling activities on diatom species and water chemistry at the Deblicquy site, Bathurst Island, Nunavut, High Arctic Canada..................................................................................................................................9 Abstract ....…………….……....…………………………………………………………...……...10 Introduction ....…………………………………………………………………………….………10 Site Description .......…………………………………………………………………….………...16 Methods ....……………………………………………………………………………….………..17 Results and Discussion ....………………………………………………………………….……..21 Conclusions ....…………………………………………………………………………….………28 References ………………………………………………………………………………….……..30 Chapter 3 : Ancient cultural eutrophication caused by Thule Inuit whalers and recent climate warming impacts on a pond at the Eskimobyen site, Ellesmere Island, Nunavut, High Arctic Canada…………………………...…………….…………….…………………….34 Abstract …………………………………………………………………………………….……..35 Introduction ………………………………………………………………………................…….35 Site Description ……………………………………………………………………………..…….39 Methods ……………………………………………………………………………………..…….42 Results and Discussion …………………………………………………………………….……..46 Conclusions ………………………………………………………………………………….…....50 Future work… ……………………………………………………………………………….…....51 References ………………………………………………………………………………….……..52 Chapter 4 : Physical and chemical limnological characteristics of lakes and ponds across two environmental gradients and development of a pH inference model for Bathurst Island, Nunavut, High Arctic Canada………………………………………………………………….57 Abstract ………………………………………………………………………….………………..58 Introduction …………………………………………………………………….…………………58 Site description …………………………………………………………………….………..…….61 Methods …………………………………………………………………………….……………..62 Results and Discussion ……………………………………………………..………………….…82 Conclusions ………………………………………………………………………………….……92 vi References …………………………………………………………………..…………….………81 Chapter 5 : General Discussion and Conclusions ..………………………..……………….…... 98 Appendices …………………………………………………………………....………..…..……101 vii LIST OF TABLES Chapter 2 Table 1……………………………………………………………………………………………21 Summary of the key modern limnological variables from the Bathurst Island Thule sites (B-AO and B-AP), the Savelle Thule Site (PaJs-13) on Somerset Island and other lakes and ponds elsewhere on Bathurst Island (Lim et al. 2001). Chapter 3 Table 1…...……………………………………………………………………………………….41 Summary of the key modern limnological variables from the Ellesmere Island Thule site (E- Knud) in comparison to other lakes and ponds elsewhere on Ellesmere Island. Chapter 4 Table 1……………………………………………………………………………………………66 Summary of all 30 environmental variables from western Bathurst Island that were included in statistical analysis and model development. A complete table of all water chemistry variables measured can be found in Appendix A. Table 2……………………………………………………………………………………………70 Summary of all 30 environmental variables from eastern Bathurst Island that were included in statistical analysis and model development. A complete table of all water chemistry variables measured can be found in Appendix A. Table 3……………………………………………………………………………………………78 Pearson correlation matrix with Bonferroni-adjusted probabilities. Significantly correlated variables are indicated in italics ( p<0.01 ) or bold ( p<0.05 ). Table 4……………………………………………………………………………………………83 List of diatom taxa included in pH model development listing number of occurrences, maximum abundance, Hill’s N2 and WA optima for pH. viii LIST OF FIGURES Chapter 2. Figure 1..…………………………………………………………………………………….....…12 Map of Bathurst Island showing the approximate location of the Deblicquy Site.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • A Hans Krüger Arctic Expedition Cache on Axel Heiberg Island, Nunavut ROBERT W
    ARCTIC VOL. 60, NO. 1 (MARCH 2007) P. 1–6 A Hans Krüger Arctic Expedition Cache on Axel Heiberg Island, Nunavut ROBERT W. PARK1 and DOUGLAS R. STENTON2 (Received 13 June 2006; accepted in revised form 31 July 2006) ABSTRACT. In 1999 a team of geologists discovered an archaeological site near Cape Southwest, Axel Heiberg Island. On the basis of its location and the analysis of two artifacts removed from the site, the discoverers concluded that it was a hastily abandoned campsite created by Hans Krüger’s German Arctic Expedition, which was believed to have disappeared between Meighen and Amund Ringnes islands in 1930. If the attribution to Krüger were correct, the existence of this site would demonstrate that the expedition got farther on its return journey to Bache Peninsula than previously believed. An archaeological investigation of the site by the Government of Nunavut in 2004 confirmed its tentative attribution to the German Arctic Expedition but suggested that it is not a campsite, but the remains of a deliberately and carefully constructed cache. The finds suggest that one of the three members of the expedition may have perished before reaching Axel Heiberg Island, and that the survivors, in order to lighten their sledge, transported valued but heavy items (including Krüger’s geological specimens) to this prominent and well-known location to cache them, intending to return and recover them at some later date. Key words: German Arctic Expedition, Hans Krüger, archaeology, geology, Axel Heiberg Island, Nunavut RÉSUMÉ. En 1999, une équipe de géologues a découvert un lieu d’importance archéologique près du cap Southwest, sur l’île Axel Heiberg.
    [Show full text]
  • Examining Precontact Inuit Gender Complexity and Its
    EXAMINING PRECONTACT INUIT GENDER COMPLEXITY AND ITS DISCURSIVE POTENTIAL FOR LGBTQ2S+ AND DECOLONIZATION MOVEMENTS by Meghan Walley B.A. McGill University, 2014 A thesis submitted to the School of Graduate Studies In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts Department of Archaeology Memorial University of Newfoundland May 2018 St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador 0 ABSTRACT Anthropological literature and oral testimony assert that Inuit gender did not traditionally fit within a binary framework. Men’s and women’s social roles were not wholly determined by their bodies, there were mediatory roles between masculine and feminine identities, and role-swapping was—and continues to be—widespread. However, archaeologists have largely neglected Inuit gender diversity as an area of research. This thesis has two primary objectives: 1) to explore the potential impacts of presenting queer narratives of the Inuit past through a series of interviews that were conducted with Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Queer/Questioning and Two-Spirit (LGBTQ2S+) Inuit and 2) to consider ways in which archaeological materials articulate with and convey a multiplicity of gender expressions specific to pre-contact Inuit identity. This work encourages archaeologists to look beyond categories that have been constructed and naturalized within white settler spheres, and to replace them with ontologically appropriate histories that incorporate a range of Inuit voices. I ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First and foremost, qujannamiik/nakummek to all of the Inuit who participated in interviews, spoke to me about my work, and provided me with vital feedback. My research would be nothing without your input. I also wish to thank Safe Alliance for helping me identify interview participants, particularly Denise Cole, one of its founding members, who has provided me with invaluable insights, and who does remarkable work that will continue to motivate and inform my own.
    [Show full text]
  • Hot Rocks from Cold Places: a Field, Geochemical and Geochronological Study from the High Arctic Large Igneous P Rovince (HALIP) at Axel Heiberg Island, Nunavut
    ! !"#$%"&'($)*"+$,"-.$/-0&1(2$3$451-.6$71"&81+5&0-$09.$ 71"&8*"9"-":5&0-$;#<.=$)*"+$#81$!5:8$3*&#5&$>0*:1$ ?:91"<($/*"@59&1$A!3>?/B$0#$3C1-$!15D1*:$?(-09.6$ E<90@<#$ $ $ by Cole Girard Kingsbury A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Affairs in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Earth Sciences Ottawa – Carleton Geoscience Centre and Carleton University Ottawa, Ontario © 2016 Cole Girard Kingsbury ! ! !"#$%&'$() ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) The geology of the Arctic is greatly influenced by a period of widespread Cretaceous magmatic activity, the High Arctic Large Igneous Province (HALIP). Two major tholeiitic magmatic pulses characterize HALIP: an initial 120 -130 Ma pulse that affected Arctic Canada and formally adjacent regions of Svalbard (Norway) and Franz Josef Land (Russia). In Canada, this pulse fed lava flows of the Isachsen Formation. A second 90-100 Ma pulse that apparently only affected the Canadian side of the Arctic, fed flood basalts of the Strand Fiord Formation. The goal of this thesis is to improve understanding of Arctic magmatism of the enigmatic HALIP through field, remote sensing, geochemical and geochronology investigations of mafic intrusive rocks collected in the South Fiord area of Axel Heiberg Island, Nunavut, and comparison with mafic lavas of the Isachsen and Strand Fiord Formations collected from other localities on the Island. Ground-based and remote sensing observations of the South Fiord area reveal a complex network of mafic sills and mainly SSE-trending dykes. Two new U-Pb baddeleyite ages of 95.18 ± 0.35 Ma and 95.56 ± 0.24 Ma from South Fiord intrusions along with geochemical similarity confirm these intrusions (including the SSE-trending dykes) are feeders for the Strand Fiord Formation lavas.
    [Show full text]
  • Research Cruise Report: Mission HLY031
    Research Cruise Report: Mission HLY031 Conducted aboard USCGC Healy In Northern Baffi n Bay and Nares Strait 21 July –16 August 2003 Project Title: Variability and Forcing of Fluxes through Nares Strait and Jones Sound: A Freshwater Emphasis Sponsored by the US National Science Foundation, Offi ce of Polar Programs, Arctic Division Table of Contents Introduction by Chief Scientist . 4 Science Program Summary . 6 Science Party List . 7 Crew List . 8 Science Component Reports CTD-Rosette Hydrography . 9 Internally recording CTD . 29 Kennedy Channel Moorings . 33 Pressure Array . 41 Shipboard ADCP . 47 Bi-valve Retrieval . 51 Coring . 55 Seabeam Mapping . 65 Aviation Science Report . 71 Ice Report . 79 Weather Summary . 91 Inuit Perspective . 95 Photojournalist Perspective . 101. Website Log . 105 Chief Scientist Log . 111 Recommendations . .125 Introduction Dr. Kelly Kenison Falkner Chief Scientist Oregon State University In the very early hours of July 17, 2003, I arrived at collected via the ship’s Seabeam system and the underway the USCGC Healy moored at the fueling pier in St. John’s thermosalinograph system was put to good use throughout Newfoundland, Canada to assume my role as chief scientist much of the cruise. for an ambitious interdisciplinary mission to Northern Part of our success can be attributed to luck with Mother Baffi n Bay and Nares St. This research cruise constitutes Nature. Winds and ice worked largely in our favor as we the inaugural fi eld program of a fi ve year collaborative wound our way northward. Our winds were generally research program entitled Variability and Forcing of moderate and out of the south and the ice normal to light.
    [Show full text]
  • Frederick J. Krabbé, Last Man to See HMS Investigator Afloat, May 1854
    The Journal of the Hakluyt Society January 2017 Frederick J. Krabbé, last man to see HMS Investigator afloat, May 1854 William Barr1 and Glenn M. Stein2 Abstract Having ‘served his apprenticeship’ as Second Master on board HMS Assistance during Captain Horatio Austin’s expedition in search of the missing Franklin expedition in 1850–51, whereby he had made two quite impressive sledge trips, in the spring of 1852 Frederick John Krabbé was selected by Captain Leopold McClintock to serve under him as Master (navigation officer) on board the steam tender HMS Intrepid, part of Captain Sir Edward Belcher’s squadron, again searching for the Franklin expedition. After two winterings, the second off Cape Cockburn, southwest Bathurst Island, Krabbé was chosen by Captain Henry Kellett to lead a sledging party west to Mercy Bay, Banks Island, to check on the condition of HMS Investigator, abandoned by Commander Robert M’Clure, his officers and men, in the previous spring. Krabbé executed these orders and was thus the last person to see Investigator afloat. Since, following Belcher’s orders, Kellett had abandoned HMS Resolute and Intrepid, rather than their return journey ending near Cape Cockburn, Krabbé and his men had to continue for a further 140 nautical miles (260 km) to Beechey Island. This made the total length of their sledge trip 863½ nautical miles (1589 km), one of the longest man- hauled sledge trips in the history of the Arctic. Introduction On 22 July 2010 a party from the underwater archaeology division of Parks Canada flew into Mercy Bay in Aulavik National Park, on Banks Island, Northwest Territories – its mission to try to locate HMS Investigator, abandoned here by Commander Robert McClure in 1853.3 Two days later underwater archaeologists Ryan Harris and Jonathan Moore took to the water in a Zodiac to search the bay, towing a side-scan sonar towfish.
    [Show full text]
  • Wolf-Sightings on the Canadian Arctic Islands FRANK L
    ARCTIC VOL. 48, NO.4 (DECEMBER 1995) P. 313–323 Wolf-Sightings on the Canadian Arctic Islands FRANK L. MILLER1 and FRANCES D. REINTJES1 (Received 6 April 1994; accepted in revised form 13 March 1995) ABSTRACT. A wolf-sighting questionnaire was sent to 201 arctic field researchers from many disciplines to solicit information on observations of wolves (Canis lupus spp.) made by field parties on Canadian Arctic Islands. Useable responses were obtained for 24 of the 25 years between 1967 and 1991. Respondents reported 373 observations, involving 1203 wolf-sightings. Of these, 688 wolves in 234 observations were judged to be different individuals; the remaining 515 wolf-sightings in 139 observations were believed to be repeated observations of 167 of those 688 wolves. The reported wolf-sightings were obtained from 1953 field-weeks spent on 18 of 36 Arctic Islands reported on: no wolves were seen on the other 18 islands during an additional 186 field-weeks. Airborne observers made 24% of all wolf-sightings, 266 wolves in 48 packs and 28 single wolves. Respondents reported seeing 572 different wolves in 118 separate packs and 116 single wolves. Pack sizes averaged 4.8 ± 0.28 SE and ranged from 2 to 15 wolves. Sixty-three wolf pups were seen in 16 packs, with a mean of 3.9 ± 2.24 SD and a range of 1–10 pups per pack. Most (81%) of the different wolves were seen on the Queen Elizabeth Islands. Respondents annually averaged 10.9 observations of wolves ·100 field-weeks-1 and saw on average 32.2 wolves·100 field-weeks-1· yr -1 between 1967 and 1991.
    [Show full text]
  • Geographical Report of the Crocker Land Expedition, 1913-1917
    5.083 (701) Article VL-GEOGRAPHICAL REPORT OF THE CROCKER LAND EXPEDITION, 1913-1917. BY DONALD B. MACMILLAN CONTENTS PAGE INTRODUCTION......................................................... 379 SLEDGE TRIP ON NORTH POLAR SEA, SPRING, 1914 .......................... 384 ASTRONOMICAL OBSERVATIONS-ON NORTH POLAR SEA, 1914 ................ 401 ETAH TO POLAR SEA AND RETURN-MARCH AVERAGES .............. ........ 404 WINTER AND SPRING WORK, 1915-1916 ............. ......................... 404 SPRING WORK OF 1917 .................................... ............ 418 GENERAL SUMMARY ....................................................... 434 INTRODUCTJON The following report embraces the geographical work accomplished by the Crocker Land Expedition during -four years (Summer, 19.13, to Summer, 1917) spent at Etah, NortJaGreenland. Mr. Ekblaw, who was placed in charge of the 1916 expeditin, will present a separate report. The results of the expedition, naturally, depended upon the loca tion of its headquarters. The enforced selection of Etah, North Green- land, seriously handicapped the work of the expedition from start to finish, while the. expenses of the party were more than doubled. The. first accident, the grounding of the Diana upon the coast of Labrador, was a regrettable adventure. The consequent delay, due to unloading, chartering, and reloading, resulted in such a late arrival at Etah that our plans were disarranged. It curtailed in many ways the eageimess of the men to reach their objective point at the head of Flagler Bay, te proposed site of the winter quarters. The leader and his party being but passengers upon a chartered ship was another handicap, since the captain emphatically declared that he would not steam across Smith Sound. There was but one decision to be made, namely: to land upon the North Greenland shore within striking distance of Cape Sabine.
    [Show full text]
  • Municipality of Northern Bruce Peninsula
    www.kiaos.ca KIA of Owen Sound 519-371-4447 Highway 26 East, across from Walmart 1-800-930-5616 Newsstand Price 95¢ (plus 5% tax) ruceThe eninsula ress B P P Since 1988 2013 Number Two February 12 to March 19, 2013 Lion’s Head Skating Club Brings Home 13 Medals From Ice Dreams Competition! Submitted by Tanis Lisk, President, Lion’s Head Skating Club On January 26th and 27th, twenty- four members of the Lion’s Head Skating Club along with their coach Cindy McMann (Hatt) attended the Ice Dreams Skating Competition at the Bayshore in Owen Sound. Over the course of the weekend many events were competed in from CanSkate Elements, Group Elements, Showcase Solos, Preliminary Dances, Family Dance and our Group Production. Despite the stormy weather on the Bruce Peninsula there was a great showing Photo: Members from the Lion’s Head Skating Club at the Ice Dreams Competition. of family and friends to support our great Front Row (L-R): Emma McMann, Megan Nearingburg, Makenzy Williamson, Audrey Hnatniw, Maryn Hnatniw, Erica little skating club. Special thanks go to Karen Henderson and Belinda Schwass Thompson, Jordan McMann and Morgan Clark. Middle Row (L-R): Riley Anderson-Burley, Anika Quist and Payton for their hard work and time spent on Lisk. Back Row (L-R): Avery Hutchinson, Haley Forbes, Natalya Keeshig-Lisk, Lindsay Forbes and Emily McKague. making our skaters beautiful costumes. Thanks also to Aundrea Williamson for her help in hair and make-up, Amanda Tobermory’s Pirate Winter Carnival Is Coming To Town! Quist and Carrie Thompson for being my Submitted by Cathy Robins many years of experience in preparing This is an any age event.
    [Show full text]
  • Sailing Directions (Enroute)
    PUB. 154 SAILING DIRECTIONS (ENROUTE) ★ BRITISH COLUMBIA ★ Prepared and published by the NATIONAL GEOSPATIAL-INTELLIGENCE AGENCY Bethesda, Maryland © COPYRIGHT 2007 BY THE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT NO COPYRIGHT CLAIMED UNDER TITLE 17 U.S.C. 2007 TENTH EDITION For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office Internet: http://bookstore.gpo.gov Phone: toll free (866) 512-1800; DC area (202) 512-1800 Fax: (202) 512-2250 Mail Stop: SSOP, Washington, DC 20402-0001 Preface 0.0 Pub. 154, Sailing Directions (Enroute) British Columbia, 0.0NGA Maritime Domain Website Tenth Edition, 2007, is issued for use in conjunction with Pub. http://www.nga.mil/portal/site/maritime 120, Sailing Directions (Planning Guide) Pacific Ocean and 0.0 Southeast Asia. Companion volumes are Pubs. 153, 155, 157, 0.0 Courses.—Courses are true, and are expressed in the same 158, and 159. manner as bearings. The directives “steer” and “make good” a 0.0 Digital Nautical Chart 26 provides electronic chart coverage course mean, without exception, to proceed from a point of for the area covered by this publication. origin along a track having the identical meridianal angle as the 0.0 This publication has been corrected to 21 July 2007, includ- designated course. Vessels following the directives must allow ing Notice to Mariners No. 29 of 2007. for every influence tending to cause deviation from such track, and navigate so that the designated course is continuously Explanatory Remarks being made good. 0.0 Currents.—Current directions are the true directions toward 0.0 Sailing Directions are published by the National Geospatial- which currents set.
    [Show full text]
  • ESTIMATING PEARY CARIBOU (Rangifer Tarandus Pearyi) and MUSKOX (Ovibos Moschatus) NUMBERS, COMPOSITION and DISTRIBUTIONS on the HIGH ARCTIC ISLANDS of NUNAVUT
    ESTIMATING PEARY CARIBOU (Rangifer tarandus pearyi) AND MUSKOX (Ovibos moschatus) NUMBERS, COMPOSITION AND DISTRIBUTIONS ON THE HIGH ARCTIC ISLANDS OF NUNAVUT Mitch Campbell1 1Regional Wildlife Biologist, Department of Environment, Government of Nunavut, P.O. Box 120, Arviat, NU X0C 0E0 2006 Status Report, No. 19 Campbell, M. 2006. Estimating Peary caribou (Rangifer tarandus pearyi) and muskox (Ovibos moschatus) numbers, composition and distributions on Ellesmere Island, Nunavut. Government of Nunavut, Department of Environment, Status report: 19, Iqaluit, 12 pp. SUMMARY REPORT TO NUNAVUT CO-MANAGERS Prepared By: Mitch W. Campbell Regional Biologist Department of Environment Wildlife Research Division P.O. 120 Arviat, Nu X0C 0E0 Ph: (867)857-2828 Fax: (867)857-2986 E-mail: [email protected] June 15th, 2006 Title: Estimating Peary Caribou (Rangifer tarandus pearyi) and Muskox (Ovibos moschatus) Numbers, Composition and Distributions on Ellesmere Island, Nunavut. Summary: The scientific study of Peary caribou and Muskox on Nunavut’s high arctic islands has been ongoing since May 2000. The data collected thus far on West Devon Island, Bathurst Island and Ellesmere Island are being analyzed and archived. The resulting file report will include a history of scientific study of Peary Caribou, the methods used during these studies, the population estimates of all surveys up to and including the 2006 Ellesmere survey, an analysis of satellite collar movement data, a resource selection analysis examining Peary caribou habitat, a summary of IQ collected by GN Biologists and a in-depth section pulling all aspects of the report into comprehensive management recommendations for the future study and continued co-management of Peary Caribou in Nunavut.
    [Show full text]
  • Antoniades.2005A.Pdf
    Journal of Paleolimnology (2005) 33: 349–360 Ó Springer 2005 -1 Quantitative estimates of recent environmental changes in the Canadian High Arctic inferred from diatoms in lake and pond sediments Dermot Antoniades1,*, Marianne S.V. Douglas1 and John P. Smol2 1Department of Geology, University of Toronto, 22 Russell St., Toronto ON, M5S 3B1, Canada 2Paleoecological Environmental Assessment and Research Lab (PEARL), Department of Biology, Queen’s University, Kingston ON, K7L 3N6, Canada; *Author for correspondence (e-mail: dermot.antoniades@ utoronto.ca) Received 26 May 2004; accepted in revised form 4 November 2004 Key words: Arctic, Climate, Diatoms, Ellef Ringnes Island, Ellesmere Island, Environmental change, Limnology, pH, Proxies Abstract Diatoms were examined in three lacustrine sediment records from Alert, northern Ellesmere Island, and from Isachsen, Ellef Ringnes Island. Diatom assemblages changed markedly since the mid-19th century following relatively stable community composition that spanned centuries to millennia. Three different assemblages, primarily composed of Fragilaria pinnata, Diadesmis spp., or Pinnularia spp., dominated the pre-1850 period at the three sites, but were replaced with different, more diverse assemblages in recent sediments. These species shifts occurred in the mid- to late-19th century in the Isachsen sites, and in the mid- to late-20th century in our Alert site. This difference in timing appears to be a result of the different sensitivities of lakes and ponds to environmental change, rather than of site-specific chemical properties. Reconstructions of pH using diatom inference models indicated increases from 0.5 to 0.8 pH units at these sites over this period of assemblage change. The diatom-inferred pH record from Alert showed agreement with measured climate data from Alert over the last 30 years.
    [Show full text]
  • Who Discovered the Northwest Passage? Janice Cavell1
    ARCTIC VOL. 71, NO.3 (SEPTEMBER 2018) P.292 – 308 https://doi.org/10.14430/arctic4733 Who Discovered the Northwest Passage? Janice Cavell1 (Received 31 January 2018; accepted in revised form 1 May 2018) ABSTRACT. In 1855 a parliamentary committee concluded that Robert McClure deserved to be rewarded as the discoverer of a Northwest Passage. Since then, various writers have put forward rival claims on behalf of Sir John Franklin, John Rae, and Roald Amundsen. This article examines the process of 19th-century European exploration in the Arctic Archipelago, the definition of discovering a passage that prevailed at the time, and the arguments for and against the various contenders. It concludes that while no one explorer was “the” discoverer, McClure’s achievement deserves reconsideration. Key words: Northwest Passage; John Franklin; Robert McClure; John Rae; Roald Amundsen RÉSUMÉ. En 1855, un comité parlementaire a conclu que Robert McClure méritait de recevoir le titre de découvreur d’un passage du Nord-Ouest. Depuis lors, diverses personnes ont avancé des prétentions rivales à l’endroit de Sir John Franklin, de John Rae et de Roald Amundsen. Cet article se penche sur l’exploration européenne de l’archipel Arctique au XIXe siècle, sur la définition de la découverte d’un passage en vigueur à l’époque, de même que sur les arguments pour et contre les divers prétendants au titre. Nous concluons en affirmant que même si aucun des explorateurs n’a été « le » découvreur, les réalisations de Robert McClure méritent d’être considérées de nouveau. Mots clés : passage du Nord-Ouest; John Franklin; Robert McClure; John Rae; Roald Amundsen Traduit pour la revue Arctic par Nicole Giguère.
    [Show full text]