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Canadian Science Advisory Secretariat (CSAS) Research Document 2020/032 Central and Arctic Region Ecological and Biophysical Overview of the Southampton Island Ecologically and Biologically Significant Area in support of the identification of an Area of Interest T.N. Loewen1, C.A. Hornby1, M. Johnson2, C. Chambers2, K. Dawson2, D. MacDonell2, W. Bernhardt2, R. Gnanapragasam2, M. Pierrejean4 and E. Choy3 1Freshwater Institute Fisheries and Oceans Canada 501 University Crescent Winnipeg, MB R3T 2N6 2North/South Consulting Ltd. 83 Scurfield Blvd, Winnipeg, MB R3Y 1G4 3McGill University. 845 Sherbrooke Rue, Montreal, QC H3A 0G4 4Laval University Pavillon Alexandre-Vachon 1045, , av. of Medicine Quebec City, QC G1V 0A6 July 2020 Foreword This series documents the scientific basis for the evaluation of aquatic resources and ecosystems in Canada. As such, it addresses the issues of the day in the time frames required and the documents it contains are not intended as definitive statements on the subjects addressed but rather as progress reports on ongoing investigations. Published by: Fisheries and Oceans Canada Canadian Science Advisory Secretariat 200 Kent Street Ottawa ON K1A 0E6 http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/csas-sccs/ [email protected] © Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada, 2020 ISSN 1919-5044 Correct citation for this publication: Loewen, T. N., Hornby, C.A., Johnson, M., Chambers, C., Dawson, K., MacDonell, D., Bernhardt, W., Gnanapragasam, R., Pierrejean, M., and Choy, E. 2020. Ecological and Biophysical Overview of the Southampton proposed Area of Interest for the Southampton Island Ecologically and Biologically Significant Area. DFO Can. Sci. Advis. Sec. Res. Doc. 2020/032. vi + 96 p. Aussi disponible en français : Loewen, T. N., Hornby, C.A., Johnson, M., Chambers, C., Dawson, K., MacDonell, D., Bernhardt, W., Gnanapragasam, R., Pierrejean, M., and Choy, E. 2020. Aperçu écologique et biophysique de la zone d’importance écologique et biologique de l’île Southampton à l’appui de sa désignation à titre de site d’intérêt. Secr. can. de consult. sci. du MPO. Doc. de rech. 2020/032. vi + 105 p. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) thanks the North/South consultants who compiled the literature summary for this document. Thank you to the field experts for their inputs on the literature review: Brenda Konar, Christine Michel, Paul Allen Smith, Andrea Niemi, Cory Matthews, Paula Smith, Dave Deslauriers, Evan Richardson, Grant Gilchrest, Kyle Elliot, Ross Tallman, Steve Ferguson, David Yurkowski, Michelle Kamula, Jens Ehn, C.J. Mundy, ZouZou Kuzyk, Jim Reist, and Cortney Watt-Wheeler. Thank you to the participants of the CSAS process who provided input into the review of the ecological and biophysical overview section of the report. Thanks to Oceans sector colleagues Charlotte Sharkey, Jarrett Friesen, and Holly Mccullough for their inputs into the supporting background documents used in the report. Thanks to Chantelle Swatatzky for assistance with the marine fish distribution maps. Finally, thanks to Joclyn Paulic for providing guidance on the document and organisation of the CSAS meeting where this report was reviewed. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ..........................................................................................................iii ABSTRACT ............................................................................................................................... vi INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................................1 ENVIRONMENTAL AND ECOLOGICAL INFORMATION ...........................................................2 REGIONAL CONTEXT ........................................................................................................... 2 CLIMATE ............................................................................................................................... 3 GEOLOGY AND BATHYMETRY ........................................................................................... 5 OCEANOGRAPHIC SYSTEMS ..................................................................................................8 WATER MASSES AND GENERAL CIRCULATION ............................................................... 8 UPWELLING AND DOWNWELLING ....................................................................................11 TEMPERATURE AND SALINITY ..........................................................................................12 TIDES ...................................................................................................................................15 RIVER DISCHARGE AND PLUME .......................................................................................16 DISTRIBUTION AND SEASONAL ICE PATTERNS ..............................................................17 CLIMATIC CHANGES AND PROJECTIONS ........................................................................19 LOWER TROPHIC LEVELS .....................................................................................................19 PHYTOPLANKTON PRODUCTION AND EXPORT ..............................................................20 MARINE MACROPHYTES ....................................................................................................21 ZOOPLANKTON ...................................................................................................................22 BENTHIC COMMUNITY .......................................................................................................23 MARINE AND ANADROMOUS FISHES ...................................................................................25 ARCTIC CHAR (SALVELINUS ALPINUS) ............................................................................27 ARCTIC COD (BOREOGADUS SAIDA) ...............................................................................28 MARINE MAMMALS .................................................................................................................28 BELUGA (DELPHINAPTERUS LEUCAS) .............................................................................29 BOWHEAD (BALAENA MYSTICETUS) ................................................................................31 NARWHAL (MONODON MONOCEROS) .............................................................................34 KILLER WHALE (ORCINUS ORCA) .....................................................................................37 BEARDED SEAL (ERIGNATHUS BARBATUS) ....................................................................38 HARBOUR SEAL (PHOCA VITULINA) .................................................................................39 HARP SEAL (PAGOPHILUS GROENLANDICA) ..................................................................40 RINGED SEAL (PUSA HISPIDA) ..........................................................................................42 WALRUS (ODOBENUS ROSMARUS) ..................................................................................43 POLAR BEAR (URSUS MARITIMUS) ...................................................................................46 BIRDS .......................................................................................................................................51 THICK-BILLED MURRES (URIA LOMVIA) ...........................................................................54 ECOLOGICAL SIGNIFICANCE ................................................................................................59 VULNERABILITIES ...................................................................................................................65 iv KNOWLEDGE GAPS AND DATA DEFICIENCIES: ..................................................................66 DISCUSSION............................................................................................................................66 REFERENCES CITED ..............................................................................................................67 v ABSTRACT The Government of Canada has committed to protect 10% of its coastal and marine areas. One means of protection is through the development of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). In Nunavut, Regional Inuit Associations along with other stakeholders provided guidance to identify potential Areas of Interest (AOI) for a Marine Protected Area process. In the Kivalliq Region of Nunavut, the marine waters adjacent to Southampton Island (SI) were identified as one AOI. The Southampton Island Ecologically and Biologically Significant Area (SI EBSA) provides valuable migratory habitat for Beluga (Delphinapterus leucas), Bowhead (Balaena mysticetus) and Narwhal (Monodon monoceros), as well as feeding and calving areas for a proportion of these marine mammal populations. The SI EBSA is home to large aggregations of seabirds such as the two colonies of Thick-Billed Murres (Uria lomvia) on Coats Island and the largest single colony of Common Eiders (Somateria mollissima) in Nunavut. Resident marine mammals to the SI EBSA include Walrus (Odobenus rosmarus) and Polar Bear (Ursus maritimus) populations. In addition, migratory Arctic Char (Salvelinus alpinus) are the most abundant salmonid that is available for subsistence harvesting to Inuit communities living adjacent to the SI EBSA. The recurring polynya in Roes Welcome Sound provides approximately 52 km2 of open water during winter and is believed to play an important role in deep water formation and nutrient cycling in Hudson Bay,