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C S A S S C C S Canadian Science Advisory Secretariat Secrétariat canadien de consultation scientifique Research Document 2010/066 Document de recherche 2010/066 Ecosystem status and trends report: Rapport de l’état des écosystèmes et Arctic Marine Ecozones des tendances : écozones marines de l’Arctique Andrea Niemi, Joclyn Paulic and Don Cobb Fisheries and Oceans Canada / Pêches et Océans Canada Central & Arctic Region / Région du Centre et de l’Arctique 501 University Crescent / 501, University Crescent Winnipeg, MB R3T 2N6 This series documents the scientific basis for the La présente série documente les fondements evaluation of aquatic resources and ecosystems scientifiques des évaluations des ressources et in Canada. As such, it addresses the issues of des écosystèmes aquatiques du Canada. Elle the day in the time frames required and the traite des problèmes courants selon les documents it contains are not intended as échéanciers dictés. Les documents qu’elle definitive statements on the subjects addressed contient ne doivent pas être considérés comme but rather as progress reports on ongoing des énoncés définitifs sur les sujets traités, mais investigations. plutôt comme des rapports d’étape sur les études en cours. Research documents are produced in the official Les documents de recherche sont publiés dans language in which they are provided to the la langue officielle utilisée dans le manuscrit Secretariat. envoyé au Secrétariat. This document is available on the Internet at: Ce document est disponible sur l’Internet à: http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/csas/ ISSN 1499-3848 (Printed / Imprimé) ISSN 1919-5044 (Online / En ligne) © Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada, 2010 © Sa Majesté la Reine du Chef du Canada, 2010 TABLE OF CONTENTS / TABLE DES MATIÈRES ABSTRACT................................................................................................................................. vii RÉSUMÉ..................................................................................................................................... vii OVERVIEW OF ARCTIC ECOZONES .........................................................................................1 DESCRIPTION OF THE ECOZONES ......................................................................................1 Beaufort Sea Marine Ecozone (BSME).................................................................................1 Canadian Arctic Archipelago Ecozone (CAA) .......................................................................2 Hudson & James Bay and Foxe Basin Ecozone (HJBFB)....................................................3 GENERAL CLIMATE ................................................................................................................3 HISTORY OF USE....................................................................................................................4 Hunting and Fishing ..............................................................................................................4 Transport...............................................................................................................................5 Oil & Gas...............................................................................................................................6 DESCRIPTION OF THE ARCTIC ECOZONES CONDITION.......................................................6 DRIVERS OF CHANGE............................................................................................................6 ECOSYSTEM FUNCTION AND PROCESSES ........................................................................8 Physical Oceanography ........................................................................................................8 Water temperature ................................................................................................................8 Water salinity.........................................................................................................................9 Nutrient Cycling...................................................................................................................10 CO2 and Ocean Acidification...............................................................................................12 Primary Productivity ............................................................................................................12 Beaufort Sea ...................................................................................................................15 Canadian Arctic Archipelago...........................................................................................15 Hudson Bay, James Bay and Foxe Basin.......................................................................17 Trophodynamics..................................................................................................................17 Disease ...........................................................................................................................18 Ecological effects of changing trophodynamics ..............................................................19 ECOSYSTEM STRUCTURE ......................................................................................................20 CHANGES IN EXTENT AND QUALITY OF IMPORTANT BIOMES.......................................20 Sea Ice................................................................................................................................20 Ice Thickness ......................................................................................................................22 Polynyas..............................................................................................................................24 Shelves and Coastal Erosion..............................................................................................25 HABITAT.................................................................................................................................25 COMPOSITION ..........................................................................................................................28 BEAUFORT SEA ....................................................................................................................28 CANADIAN ARCTIC ARCHIPELAGO ....................................................................................30 HUDSON BAY, JAMES BAY AND FOXE BASIN ...................................................................33 TRENDS IN SPECIES OF SPECIAL INTEREST ...................................................................36 Ivory Gulls ...........................................................................................................................36 Arctic Cod............................................................................................................................37 Chars...................................................................................................................................39 Killer Whales .......................................................................................................................40 HUMAN INFLUENCES ...............................................................................................................40 STRESSORS/CUMULATIVE IMPACTS.................................................................................40 Contaminants......................................................................................................................40 Shipping ..............................................................................................................................47 Fisheries..............................................................................................................................47 STEWARDSHIP/CONSERVATION ........................................................................................48 iii INTEGRATED ANALYSIS OF ECOZONES STATUS AND TRENDS........................................50 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ...........................................................................................................50 REFERENCES ...........................................................................................................................51 FIGURES Figure 1: Marine Arctic Ecozones consisting of the Beaufort Sea, Canadian Arctic Archipelago and Hudson & James Bay & Foxe Basin Ecozone ...............................................................1 Figure 2. History of whaling voyages in the Marine Arctic Ecozones ...........................................4 Figure 3. Landed Beluga in BSME 1970 to 2007..........................................................................5 Figure 4. Ship transits of the Northwest Passage between 1906 and 2004 .................................5 Figure 5. Location of current oil and gas rights and potential oil development areas in the Marine Arctic Ecozones ....................................................................................................................7 Figure 6. Sea Surface Temperature (SST) anomalies for the Beaufort Sea (1957-2006, A) and Hudson Bay (1957-2006, B), note different y-axis ................................................................9 Figure 7. Sea Surface Temperature (SST) anomalies in July 2009 ...........................................10 Figure 8. Warming and freshening of the Beaufort Sea in 2008 compared to the 1970s ...........11 Figure 9. Monthly mean ocean primary productivity (OPP) for 2003 estimated