• Physiographic Controls on Developlllelllt In the Queen Elizaheth Islands t By V. W. 81M" (t4t1l, Annual Technical Meeting, P. & N.G. Division, and 65th Annual General Meeting, a.I.M., Edmonton, April, 1963) INTRODUCTION ture dips below _30°F. Thomas (kg. cal./sq. m./h.L At values points out, however, that even un­ above 1,400 units, heat loss is so iDean Hare of McGill University der these extreme conditions, daily rapid that exposed flesh freezes has recently pointed out that Can­ temperature variations may range and outdoor activity is severely re­ ada is too cold and too big.tHis as high as 100 to 15°F. (Thomas, stricted. In contrast, the southern precise reasons for this belief do 1961, p. 945), Prairie Provinces, in the same not concern us here, but I suggest month, experience wind chill values Downloaded from http://onepetro.org/JCPT/article-pdf/2/04/198/2165474/petsoc-63-04-08.pdf by guest on 30 September 2021 that it is also an apt description Summer, as we know it in south­ ranging from 1,200 to 1,400 units­ of the Queen Elizabeth Islands. ern Canada. is not experienced in bitterly cold on the wind chill To put it another way, climate and the Queen Elizabeth Islands. In scale. In April, the Queen Eliza­ terrain in the Queen Elizabeth July, the mean monthly tempera­ beth Islands arc still bitterly cold Islands are seriously restrictive ture is approximately 40°F., or (wind chill: 1,300 to 1,500 units) physical factors determining the roughly the same as winter tem­ and are, in fact, comparable with direction and rate of economic ex­ peratures in Vancouver or April the southern Prairies in January. pansion. These factors are discus­ and October temperatures in Ed­ By July, the Islands experience a sed in some detail in this paper. monton. wind chill of 800 units, roughly Simple temperature values do not, comparable to Winnipeg or Toronto CLIMATE however, give a true indication of in April. Finally, by October they conditions in the high Arctic. A are again as cold as the Prairies in In all activities in the Arctic, January. man's comfort is of primary im­ much more meaningful measure of coldness is given by the "wind portance. As Harwood (1961, p. In summary, during December. 1106) suggests " ... in the end it chill" value. The degree of cold­ January and February. the Queen is his heat loss which determines nesS experienced by human beings Elizabeth Islands are colder than whether he is cold and inefficient is known to be related primarily the southern Prairie Provinces but or warm and efficient." The first to temperature and wind speed, and not quite as cold as the interior of aspect of the climate of the Queen wind chill values are a measure of Keewatin. Spring and fall are Elizabeth Islands which needs em- the heat loss under varying tem­ cold, but no more so than winter . phasis is the severity of the tern­ perature and wind speed values. on the Prairies. Summers arc cool perature and the duration of the The greatest wind chill occurs in and are similar to spring on the period of extreme cold. Tempera­ the Arctic in January. In the Prairies. tures normally associated with Queen Elizabeth Islands values Heating degree-days provides an­ winter in southern Canada occur range from 1,500 to 1,900 units other useful method of indicating during 10 months of the year (Fig· the sC'verity of the ArcUc climate. u.re 1), At Resolute, on Cornwal­ The number of heating degree days lis Island, sub-freezing tempera­ EOMONTON below 65°F. is proportional to the tures are usual between mid-Octo­ ALTA amount of fuel required to hf"at a ber and mid-April. Only during house to 70°F. Values of this par­ July and August can temperatures 50 EUREKA • N.WT. " o ameter in the Queen Elizabeth Is­ be expected to remain above freez­ ~40 lands arc two to three timps the ing, and even during this period /'io A values in southern Canada (10.000 occasional sub-freezing days may units in Edmonton compared to occur. Most areas of the Islands ':~-----~1i~--- 22.000 to 24.000 units in the Queen share with interior Keewatin 1'° --t'-f ~ 20 TORONTO Elizabeth Islands). Two to three District the distinction of being the times as much fuel is required to coldest areas in Canada in January, heat a building in the high Arctic when the mean monthly tempera- as is required in southern Canada J,-'------:"-­ (Thomas, 1961, p. 948), As the Is­ !: lands are the most expensive area -00 J in Canada for the heating of build­ tProceedings~ Resonrces for To­ ings, economic problems arise in morroW Conference, Montreal~ Dc· .• <oco purchasing and delivering the large tobe,. 23-28, 1961, Vol. 3, p. 27. _ORY -'0 amounts of fuel required. tPu.blished by permission of the \"-0 Director~ Geographical Branc7~J -'o,-'--+'------,----,--ce---r-~-~-.,JII Precipitation totals in the high 5 II 25 3 3.5 Depa1·t1nent of Mines & Technical Arctic are extremely low. No sta~ Su.rveys, Ottawa., Ontario. MEAN t.lONTHLY PRECIPITATION (lNCHESI tion records a mean annual preci­ *Geographer, Geographical Branch, Figure I.-Comparative Chart of pitation of more than 9 inches. Climates-Eureka, Edmonton and Department of Mines & Technical Eureka and Mould Bay have totals Su,rveys~ Ottawa, Ontario. Toronto. Journal of Canadian Petroleum 198 "';.0 ,C'" '. '. : - • " ", _._.o :...:.. __ ___ "" --:..••c_..._:'0 of only 2.8 inches and 3.0 inches Elizabeth Islands into three major of 10,000 feet, the highest eleva­ respectively. Approximately half physiographic regions. These are: tions in eastern North America of the annual precipitation falls as (1) the eastern mountains and up­ One pass across the United States M snow between September and May. lands, (2) the central uplands and Range between Yelverton Bay and Amounts range from 50 inches in (3) the northwestern lowlands and Tanquary Fiord is almos-t ice free. the southeastern corner of the plateaus (Figu,re 2). I would like although it reaches a height of Queen Elizabeth Islands to less than to discuss each in turn. 5,000 feet and could be crossed only 20 inches in the northwest. This with difficulty. relatively small amount (Montreal (1) The Eastern Mountains and receives an average of 112 inches Uplwtds The mountainous interior of Axel annually) is swept about by winds Heiberg Island is covered by two Extensive mountain and high large ice caps. The north cap is throughout the winter, and drift­ plateau topography occurs on the ing may be a serious problem. On smoothly contoured and reaches a three eastern islands of the Queen maximum elevation of 7,000 feet the' other hand. wind-compacted l Elizabeth group. The greater part obscuring the underlying ridge and drifts have a slab-like character of Ellesmere Island. interior Axel and can often support great valley structures. The south ice cap Heiberg Island and eastern Devon is slightly lower. At the margins weights. Heavy, tracked vehicles Island are areas of high relief. Al­ can travel with ease over wind­ of both, numerous nunataks reach Downloaded from http://onepetro.org/JCPT/article-pdf/2/04/198/2165474/petsoc-63-04-08.pdf by guest on 30 September 2021 though :rock types and structures the surface. hardened snow. The heaviest snow­ vary widely. slopes are steep and falls occur in autumn. Rain in the access to the interior is difficult. The problems of travel in the form of light showers of short dur­ To further hinder movement in this higWand areas of the Queen Eliza­ ,ation may fall from June to Aug­ area, much of it is covered with beth Islands, wJ;1ere the land is not ust. fields of permanent ice and snow covered by pennanent ice, are in :.Mean wind speeds in the Queen and. in some cases, extensive ice large part due to the broken, dis­ Elizabeth Islands do not differ caps completely obscure underlying sected nature of the terrain. The greatly from wind speeds in south­ mountains. Southeastern Elles­ coasts are commonly steep and ern Canada. Arctic winds seem mere Island and eastern Devon Is­ fringed with talus slopes and bed­ stronger because temperatures are land, for example. although under­ rock cliffs. Access to the interior low. In general, sununer is the lain by mountainous Precambrian can only be gaioed "along the deep windiest season; the fall and win­ topography, are ahnost completely fiords which penetrate the coast or ter much less so. Few really gale­ covered by ice caps. On Devon via the outwash-filied valleys which force winds have been recorded in Island. a smooth dome of ice rises extend inland from the heads of the Queen Elizabeth Islands and, to 6,200 feet, and similar elevations the fiords. These access route:s to particularly in the winter months, are attained on Ellesmere Island. the interior of the land masses periods of completely cahn weath­ In both areas, the ice domes drop generally follow the structural er are frequent. steeply to the coast where nuna­ trend but often terminate abruptly taks, mountain peaks projecting in valley ice tongues from the in­ Seasonal cloudiness and varia­ terior ice caps. Their value as i tions in visibility are of great im­ above the ice. appear. In general, 1 the coastal areas, although indented travel routes is often uncertain. 1 portance to surface and air travel Although shallow-d raft, ice­ in the high Arctic. Cloud cover is by bays and fiords, are extr~elY steep.