10Th Annual Northern Research Day

Circumpolar Students’ Association 10th Annual Northern Research Day

Monday, 19 April 2010 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. 3-36 Tory Building

Featuring the Documentary Film Arctic Cliffhangers Show Time: 12:30 Followed by a Keynote with Filmakers: Steve Smith and Julia Szucs

NORTHERN RESEARCH DAY – SCHEDULE OF SPEAKERS TIME AUTHORS/SPEAKERS TITLE 9:00 Justin F. Beckers, Christian Changes in Satellite Radar Backscatter and the Haas, Benjamin A. Lange, Seasonal Evolution of Snow and Sea Ice Properties on Thomas Busche Miquelon Lake, a Small Saline Lake in Alberta 9:15 Benjamin A. Lange, Christian Sea ice Thickness Measurements Between Canada and Haas, Justin Becker and Stefan the North Pole: Overview and Results from Three Hendricks Campaigns in 2009 (CASIMBO-09, Polar-5 & CATs) 9:30 Hannah Milne, Martin Sharp Recording the Sight and Sound of Iceberg Calving Events on the Belcher Glacier, Devon Island, Nunavut 9:45 Gabrielle Gascon, Martin Sensitivity of Ice-atmosphere Interactions Since the Sharp and Andrew Bush Last Glacial Maximum 10:00 Brad Danielson and Martin Seasonal and Inter-Annual Variations in Ice Flow of a Sharp High Arctic Tidewater Glacier 10:15 Xianmin Hu, Paul G. Myers Numerical Simulation of the Arctic Ocean Freshwater and Qiang Wang Outflow 10:30 Coffee 10:45 Qiang Wang, Paul G. Myers, Numerical Simulation of the Circulation and Sea-Ice Xianmin Hu and Abdrew B.G. in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago Bush 11:00 Porter, L.L. and Rolf D. Impacts of Atmospheric Nitrogen and Phosphorous Vinebrooke. Deposition on the Alpine Ponds of Banff National Park: Effects on the Benthic Communities 11:15 Stephen Mayor The Changing Nature: Human Impacts on Boreal Biodiversity 11:30 Louise Chavarie, Kimberly Diversity of Lake Trout, Salvelinus namaycush, in Howland, and W. (Bill) Tonn Great Bear Lake, Northwest Territories: Occurrence of Four Shallow-Water Morphotypes 11:45 A Wynne, Janis Huntington, Helicobacter pylori infection in Aklavik, NWT: Karen J Goodman, R Munday, Describing Demographic Characteristics of S Van Zanten, Aklavik Health Participants in a Community Driven Project Committee, CANHelp Working Group 12:00 Félicité Belisimbi The Impact of Education on Inuit living Conditions. The Case of Nunavik. 12:15 Break 12:30 Lunch + Documentary Arctic Cliffhangers 13:30 KEYNOTE Filmmakers Steve Smith and Julia Szucs 14:15 Break 14:30 Workshop Facilitators: Marianne Douglas, Steve WORKSHOP: How to Interact with Smith, Julia Szucs, and Ken Northern Communities as a Researcher Caine 16:00 RATT Mixer

ABSTRACTS FOR ORAL PRESENTATIONS

Changes in Satellite Radar Backscatter and the Seasonal Evolution of Snow and Sea Ice Properties on Miquelon Lake, a Small Saline Lake in Alberta Justin F. Beckers,1 Christian Haas,1 Benjamin A. Lange,1 and Thomas Busche2 1Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, 1-26 ESB, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, T6G 2E3, Canada 2 German Space Agency (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- undRaumfahrt; DLR e. V.) Microwaves and Radar Institute. Sea ice coverage in the arctic is changing more rapidly than expected. To better understand these changes, more information on ice and snow thickness is required. However, little is known about their spatial distribution and change. Improved snow thickness information is required for ice thermodynamic models, and ice thickness retrieval from satellite altimetry. In order to refine observations and modeling of the properties of snow on sea ice, and to support satellite radar algorithms for the retrieval of snow properties, we have performed a seasonal study of snow and ice properties on Miquelon Lake, a saline lake in Alberta, which serves as a sea ice analogue. In the winters of 2008/09 and 2009/10, measurements of snow and ice thickness and temperatures were performed at hourly intervals using an autonomous station. Additional snow and ice sampling was conducted every 2-3 weeks to gather data of snow density, stratigraphy, and the spatial variability of snow and ice thickness. Airborne measurements of ice thickness and freeboard were performed by means of electromagnetic sounding and laser altimetry to develop advanced algorithms for snow and ice thickness retrieval. Preliminary results comparing the development of snow and ice thickness and properties to changes in Ku, X, and C-band backscatter imagery from the QuikSCAT, TerraSAR-X and Envisat ASAR sensors will be presented.

Sea Ice Thickness Measurements Between Canada and the North Pole: Overview and Results from Three Campaigns in 2009 (CASIMBO-09, Polar-5 & CATs) Benjamin A. Lange,1 Christian Haas,1 Justin Beckers1 and Stefan Hendricks2 1Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, T6G 2E3, Canada 2Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research, Bussestrasse 24. D-27570 Bremerhaven, Germany Satellite observations demonstrate a decreasing summer Arctic sea ice extent over the past ~38 years, as well as a smaller perennial sea ice zone. This has implications for the global climate system as less solar energy is being reflected out of our atmosphere causing further warming of our planet. There is a large disagreement between the modeled and observed Arctic sea ice conditions which is in part due to the lack of sea ice mass balance observations for the Arctic. Here we present an overview and preliminary results of 3 campaigns conducted during the 2009 field season, all are part of a larger project: the Canadian Arctic Sea Ice Mass Balance Observatory (CASIMBO), headed by Dr. Christian Haas here at the University of Alberta, dedicated to maintaining sea ice mass balance observations between Canada and the North Pole. The Polar-5 campaign was conducted during April and was dedicated to measuring sea ice thickness in many regions of the Arctic using an electromagnetic (EM) induction thickness sounding device suspended from a DC-3 airplane. The CASIMBO-09 campaign was conducted in May based out of CFS Alert, Nunavut and the Canadian Arctic Through flow (CATs) campaign was conducted in August based from the CCGS Henry Larsen ice breaker. These 2 campaigns conducted sea ice thickness surveys using the EM device suspended below a helicopter (HEM). The CASIMBO-09 also included ground based surveys of snow and ice properties as well as the deployment of 3 drift buoys as part of the International Arctic Buoy Program (IABP).

Recording the Sight and Sound of Iceberg Calving Events on the Belcher Glacier, Devon Island, Nunavut Hannah Milne and Martin Sharp Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, T6G 2E3, Canada Continuous observations of the Belcher Glacier terminus have provided new evidence of the timing, relative magnitude and environmental conditions associated with iceberg calving events on this grounded High Arctic tidewater glacier. The purpose was to test the capability of audio signals and time lapse photography to identify major calving events and spatial variations in glacier flow speed which may precede or lag calving. The precise timing and length of the events was determined from audio data recorded 24 June to 24 July 2009 and validated using time lapse imagery. The audio system was installed on the glacier ~400m from the ice front; the time lapse camera was placed on the valley wall above the ice front. The imagery was also analyzed using optical flow and edge detection techniques to investigation the interactions between calving and glacier motion, particularly spatial variations in flow. The results of this analysis will be presented and the success of this new analysis method will be discussed.

Sensitivity of Ice-Atmosphere Interactions Since the Last Glacial Maximum Gabrielle Gascon, Martin Sharp, and Andrew Bush Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, T6G 2E3, Canada The understanding of ice sheet-climate interactions is critical to the simulation of past and future climates using General Circulation Models (GCM). Ice sheet evolution has previously been modeled using prescribed temperature and precipitation fields derived from proxy data, field observations, or GCM experiments. This approach ignores important climate feedbacks involving the changes in ice sheet topography and surface albedo that occur as ice sheets grow and decay. Here, we use a relatively new two-way coupling scheme between climate and ice sheet models that allow surface boundary conditions to be exchanged between these models during simulations and thus simulates ice-atmosphere interactions. This study explores the sensitivity of the deglaciation of the last glacial maximum (LGM, ~20 kyr BP) Laurentide Ice Sheet to the coupling interval between the NCAR Community Atmospheric Model (CAM) and a three-dimensional thermo-mechanically coupled ice sheet model. The effects on the ice sheet deglaciation timescale under constant atmospheric forcing of ice-atmosphere interactions simulated with no coupling, and 500- and 1000-year coupling intervals are investigated. Greenhouse gas concentrations (CO2, CH4, NO2) were fixed to their LGM minimum values, while orbital parameters were set to 10 kyr BP values. Sensitivity experiments lead to the determination of deglaciation timescales associated to each coupling interval. Insights are used to identify and quantify the role of ice- atmosphere feedbacks and their effects on the deglaciation of the Laurentide Ice Sheet.

Seasonal and Inter-Annual Variations in Ice Flow of a High Arctic Tidewater Glacier Brad Danielson and Martin Sharp Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, T6G 2E3, Canada The Belcher Glacier is a tidewater glacier that drains the North East quadrant of the Devon Island Ice Cap in Nunavut, Canada. The ~45km long glacier terminates in approximately 300m of water, and the ice cliff rises 20-40m above the water surface. Continuously recording GPS stations have been installed on the ice to measure displacement at several points along the glacier. Continuous observations were collected from 3 stations during the spring and summer of 2008, and from 4 stations during a similar period in 2009. The stations were operated at a reduced duty-cycle for most of the intervening winter. The spring-summer GPS observations have been processed using a kinematic method to produce continuous glacier motion timeseries from May through August of both years. The winter GPS observations have been used to produce a timeseries of sequential static points. During the two years of observation, this glacier has demonstrated distinct seasonal flow regimes. During winter and early spring, glacier motion is relatively stable, with little variability. In summer, horizontal ice velocity increases during periods of intense surface meltwater production. Vertical motion of the ice (uplift) coinciding with prolonged periods of positive air temperatures and increased horizontal ice velocity provides a strong indication that surface meltwater is reaching the glacier bed, increasing subglacial water pressure and thereby enhancing basal sliding. In this presentation I will examine the differences between the seasonal ice flow responses observed in 2008 vs. 2009, in order to explore the dynamic sensitivity this glacier exhibits to variations in the intensity and timing of the summer melt season.

Numerical Simulation of the Arctic Ocean Freshwater Outflow Xianmin Hu, Paul G. Myers and Qiang Wang Department of Earth and Atmospheric Science, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada,T6G 2E3 A tri-polar mesh based high resolution sea ice-ocean coupled numerical model, NEMO v3.1, is applied in the Pan-Arctic region to investigate the climatological state of the Arctic Ocean freshwater outflow. The temperature and salinity fields are initialized with the PHC3.0 climatology. Forced perpetually by atmospheric forcing from the Common Ocean-ice Reference Experiment (CORE v2) and open boundary data from a ¼ degree global model (ORCA025), we spin up the model for 18 years before it approached a stable state in the upper ocean. Then some observations and other modeling studies results were utilized for model validation. Using the monthly model output, we studied the Arctic Ocean freshwater storage and export both in the liquid and solid form. The outflow of freshwater from the Arctic Ocean through the Fram Strait, the channels within the Canadian Arctic Archipelagos (Lancaster Sound, Jones Sound and Nares Strait) and Svalbard-Norwegian section as well as one of the main freshwater sources, the Pacific inflow through the Bering Strait, will also be studied. In the end, how variability in the large atmospheric circulation over the Arctic Ocean potentially affects the Arctic Ocean freshwater storage and outflow will be discussed.

Numerical Simulation of the Circulation and Sea-Ice in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago Wang, Qiang, Paul G. Myers, X. Hu, and Andrew B.G. Bush 1 Department of Earth and Atmospheric Science, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada, T6G 2E3 A fine resolution (~ 7km) coupled sea-ice ocean configuration of the NEMO (Nucleus for European Modeling of the Ocean) model was used to study the circulation and sea-ice in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago (CAA). The model domain includes parts of the Beaufort Gyre, the Arctic Ocean north of the CAA, and most of Baffin Bay. The model is embedded in a global ocean model using one way nesting. An initial 6 year control is performed with repeated climatology forcing. Correcting the air-sea fluxes from the CORE forcing set based on buoy data leads to improved sea ice fields. A set of further 1998-2004 inter-annual forced runs are used to examine seasonal and inter-annual variability, as well as validate the configuration.

Impacts of Atmospheric Nitrogen and Phosphorous Deposition on the Alpine Ponds of Banff National Park: Effects on the Benthic Communities L.L. Porter and Rolf D. Vinebrooke. University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada, T6G 2E9 ([email protected]) Nitrogen deposition has doubled in the Canadian Rocky Mountains over the past 20 years. This can be attributed to energy production, fertilizer use, and crop cultivation. Similarly, phosphorous deposition has also increased in mountainous areas due to expansions in human land-use and desertification. Yet, there is no monitoring or active management in Banff National Park for alpine ponds, despite the presence of over 3000 them in the 44% of the park categorized as an Alpine Eco-region. Previous research has found that increased atmospheric pollution can result in populations of inedible algae, changes in community composition, and a loss of species diversity. To determine the effects of these increases in nitrogen and phosphorous, we employed a replicated whole-ecosystem approach. This study assessed nutrient limitations in the ponds, quantified, and explained the changes occurring in the pond communities at the benthic level. Sixteen alpine ponds located in the Cascade Valley in Banff National Park were surveyed in the summer of 2008. Results show that the ponds are most reactive to nitrogen additions, and that periphyton growth is co-limited by nitrogen and phosphorous, but only later in the growing season. This research is highly significant as most of the world’s water bodies are small, with small ponds representing of over 190,000 km2 in surface area. It is suspected that the changes we observed in the alpine ponds of Banff National Park will provide insights into expected changes in other aquatic communities in the Canadian Rockies.

The Changing Nature: Human Impacts on Boreal Biodiversity Stephen Mayor, Stan Boutin, and Fangliang He University of Alberta, Department of Biology, Canada, T6G 2E9 The boreal landscape is the world’s largest intact forest. In Alberta, it is currently facing unprecedented changes in land use due to the combined impacts of rapidly expanding energy sector, forestry, agricultural, urban, and transportation related activities. How is biodiversity—the variety of living things – altered by these changes? I explore the ecology of > 750 species of plants over nearly 400 000 km2 boreal ecoregion of northern Alberta to answer this question. While species extinctions are rare in the resilient, disturbance-adapted boreal, the organization and structure of ecological communities is drastically affected by increasing human footprint. Plant communities are becoming dominated by fewer weedy generalist species while rarer specialists are reduced, leading to an overall homogenization of life. Even the rules governing how species group together are changed: the relative importance of competition among species, dispersal limitation, and environmental filtering is altered. By analyzing the phylogenetic relationships among species and the phenotypic traits they share, I show that heavily impacted communities have been shaped by different ecological mechanisms than those in intact landscapes. Endangered species are the tip of the proverbial biodiversity iceberg—here I reveal what lies beneath the surface of the water.

Diversity of Lake Trout, Salvelinus namaycush, in Great Bear Lake, Northwest Territories: Occurrence of Four Shallow-Water Morphotypes Louise Chavarie1Kimberly Howland,2 and W. (Bill) Tonn1 1University of Alberta, Department of Biology, Canada, T6G 2E9 2Freshwater institute, Department of Fisheries and Oceans, Canada, R3T 2N6 Great Bear Lake (Northwest Territories, Canada) is the largest lake within Canada, ninth largest in the world and the most northerly lake of its size. In contrast to other large lake trout lakes, such as Laurentian Great Lakes, the pristine natural environment and largely unimpacted communities of Great Bear Lake facilitate investigations of intra-specific variation. However, little is known of the extent to which lake trout polymorphism occurs in other large northern Canadian lakes, such as Great Bear Lake. Although studies in more southerly and impacted lakes have shown lake trout morphs to be generally segregated by depth, the reported occurrence of multiple shallow water morphotypes of lake trout in Great Bear Lake provides an exceptional system to investigate the origin and the maintenance of sympatric phenotypic diversity in lake trout. For the first objective of this project, we are combining classical morphometric/meristic measures with shape analysis (geometric morphometrics) to quantify morphological differences among the lake trout of Great Bear Lake. Preliminary results suggest the presence of up to four sympatric morphs in the shallow-waters of Great Bear Lake (<30m). Our research will not only advance understanding of sympatric polymorphism in northern lakes, it should also contribute to a comprehensive stock productivity model that will have implications for management.

Helicobacter pylori Infection in Aklavik, NWT: Describing Demographic Characteristics of Participants in a Community Driven Project A Wynne,1Janis Huntington,1KJ Goodman,1 R Munda,y2 S van Zanten,2 Aklavik Health Committee, 1CANHelp Working Group. 1University of Alberta 2Susie Husky Health Centre Aklavik, NWT

Helicobacter pylori infection is of growing concern in some northern Canadian communities due to perceived high rates of associated gastric cancer and challenges in effective treatment in this population. Residents of Aklavik, NWT have identified H. pylori infection as a priority for research. The resulting Aklavik H. pylori Project is a collaborative effort between local stakeholders and a multidisciplinary team from the University of Alberta. The project aims to describe socio-demographic patterns of H. pylori infection and the associated burden of disease in order to generate evidence to inform local health care policy and address community concerns regarding health risks. Over half (320/590) of Aklavik residents were tested for H. pylori by urea breath test (UBT) to estimate infection prevalence. 194 participants underwent gastrointestinal endoscopy assess the burden of H. pylori associated disease. Results were entered into a database which included participants’ demographic characteristics, and were analyzed using SPSSv.17 and Statav.10. Of the participants 59% tested positive for H. pylori infection by UBT. Positive values range from 4-103.85. Participants had a mean age of 35 (SD=19.8), 88.2% were Inuit, First Nations or Métis, and 54.4% were female. Differences in demographic characteristics of patients that had UBT and those that underwent endoscopy are not greater than what could be expected by random variation. The prevalence of H. pylori infection in Aklavik is high. This work represents a first step in describing the epidemiology of H. pylori infection in Aklavik. Further research is needed to determine risk factors for infection which will help to develop effective prevention strategies.

The Impact of Education on Inuit Living Conditions. The Case of Nunavik Félicité Belisimbi,1 PhD Candidate 1Sociology department, Université Laval, Québec, G1K 7P4 Recent studies have demonstrated that there is a strong correlation between the level of education and living conditions. In this paper, it was hypothesized that education is positively related to income distribution and that the higher someone’s level of education is, the better his living conditions are. Four indicators (individual and household income, label market activities, number of births, and traditional activities) issued from the data of APS-SLICA on a sample of 1280 Nunavimmiut, fifteen years old and over, helped measure the impact of education, and test the presumed association between the level of education, income distribution and living conditions. The analytical results suggest that education is relatively correlated to individual income but not to the household income distribution. Factors such as labour market characteristics, individual characteristics, also influence income distribution. Moreover, the empirical analysis confirms that education contributes to the improvement of living conditions by helping Inuit to pursue the practice of traditional activities and by encouraging birth control.

Documentary Film Arctic Cliffhangers Show Time: 12:30 Followed by a Keynote with Filmakers: Steve Smith and Julia Szucs

Arctic Cliffhangers is a film that tells the story of how seabirds are unlocking the secrets of a changing Arctic marine ecosystem, and how these animals provide vital information to guide in our understanding of climate change. The story follows biologist and filmmaker Steve Smith as he travels to the stunning colonies of cliff-dwelling seabirds of the eastern Canadian Arctic. While living out on the land with scientists and Inuit, he learns about the dramatic complexity of the polar marine ecosystem and he discovers how reduced sea ice cover is influencing marine life in Arctic waters, altering the way of life of northern peoples. The film spotlights and interprets aspects of the biology and life history of seabirds and provides insights into the interactive role that humans play in affecting ecosystem balance. In addition to communicating some of the latest scientific findings on polar marine research, Arctic Cliffhangers also celebrates the age-old hunting traditions carried on by the human inhabitants of the Arctic. Three seabird colonies are highlighted in the film, each unique and stunningly panoramic. Here is an Arctic that is little known, yet is surprisingly colourful and teeming with life: a dramatic landscape with hundreds of thousands of birds milling and careening into a veritable feast for the eyes. Researchers descend the cliff rim to glean knowledge about the changing Arctic ecosystem, going about their daily routines roped and suspended in a world abuzz with prolific life. Away from the colonies, Inuit and Newfoundland subsistence hunters take the viewer out with them onto the sea, then into their camps and homes to witness the cultural value and importance of seabirds as a food source. The film’s roving narrator guides his audience on a journey of discovery and wonderment, a personal quest to explore the Arctic ecosystem in order to better understand how all species are being affected by the widespread effects of global climate change. A must see for anyone concerned about our ecological future!

Category: Feature Documentary Format: True Hi-Definition Duration: 60:00 Release Date: September 2009 Producers: Steve Smith & Julia Szucs Director of Photography: Steve Smith Picture Editor: Julia Szucs

World Premiere: IPY Film Festival, National Archives, Ottawa, September 28, 2009

AFTERNOON WORKSHOP 2:30 – 4:00 p.m.

How to Interact with Northern Communities as a Researcher

Workshop Facilitators: Marianne Douglas, Steve Smith, Julia Szucs, and Ken Caine

This workshop is organized as a venue to discuss experiences in research in northern (often mostly Aboriginal) communities, and will explore such issues as: the role and responsibilities of the researcher, research protocols, establishing dialogue, community involvement in the research, potential conflicts, research dissemination/communicating research results to communities.