University of Calgary PRISM: University of Calgary's Digital Repository University of Calgary Press University of Calgary Press Open Access Books 2016-02 Baffin Island: Field Research and High Arctic Adventure, 1961-1967 Ives, Jack D. University of Calgary Press Ives, J.D. "Baffin Island: Field Research and High Arctic Adventure, 1961-1967." Canadian history and environment series; no. 18. University of Calgary Press, Calgary, Alberta, 2016. http://hdl.handle.net/1880/51093 book http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ Attribution Non-Commercial No Derivatives 4.0 International Downloaded from PRISM: https://prism.ucalgary.ca BAFFIN ISLAND: Field Research and High Arctic Adventure, 1961–1967 by Jack D. Ives ISBN 978-1-55238-830-3 THIS BOOK IS AN OPEN ACCESS E-BOOK. It is an electronic version of a book that can be purchased in physical form through any bookseller or on-line retailer, or from our distributors. 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Acknowledgement: We acknowledge the wording around open access used by Australian publisher, re.press, and thank them for giving us permission to adapt their wording to our policy http://www.re-press.org chapter 7 B Glaciology in the Rockies A Added to Baffin Studies, 1965 The first year of the IHD opened as plans for the Geographical Branch’s new venture into the Canadian Rockies and Coast Ranges were being refined. Gunnar Østrem arrived in Ottawa from Stockholm on New Year’s Day, 1965, this time with his entire family. I had found my way through the Civil Service Commission’s labyrinthine channels for specialized appointments and, as part of Gunnar’s special pleading for Swedish and Norwegian assistants who had previously worked with him in northern Scandinavia, six of them were added to our glaciological field team, including Stig Jonsson, Wibjörn Karlén, and Randi Pytte. Randi was part of the “women in the field” breakthrough. The strong Scandinavian personnel contingent was vital to what would be an exacting undertaking that we hoped would produce almost immediate results. Keith Arnold, another mem- ber of the permanent branch staff, who was temporarily distracted from his Polar Continental Shelf Program love affair with the small Meighen Island ice cap in the High Arctic, provided additional, well-seasoned sup- port. Kent Sedgewick, Tijs Bellaar Spruyt, Robert Gilbert, and Chris Cambray were recruited from the now rapidly growing number of students from Canadian universities applying for summer employment. Gunnar’s objective was to select representative glaciers for detailed and long-term mass balance studies that would provide a cross-section from the eastern rain-shadow side of the Rockies with a continental climate to the wet maritime western Coast Ranges. Factors that would affect the choice of individual glaciers during the field reconnaissance included distinctiveness of their accumulation areas, size, nature of their meltwater streams, relatively smooth surfaces for safety and ease of foot or ski travel, availability of early records such as photographs, and accessibility for approach on the ground. It was hoped that six suitable glaciers could be located. This would require reconnaissance inspection of a large number of glaciers across some of Canada’s most rugged terrain. Glaciological fieldwork in the Rockies and Coast Ranges The work began in Ottawa by examining all of the available 1:63 360 topographic maps: that is, one inch equals one mile (the adoption of metric by the federal government came later). Some areas of the cross-section had no adequate map coverage and so had to be eliminated. Nevertheless, some three hundred glaciers were selected for more intensive review. This led us to the National Air Photo Library. The air photos clearly demonstrated 85 that many of the three hundred were unsuitable be- established and precisely surveyed for future special cause of severe crevassing, a feature not shown on air photography and preparation of contoured maps; the topographic maps. In the end, thirty individual numerous snow pits were dug; accumulation and ab- glaciers were identified for final examination on the lation were measured continuously on two glaciers ground. At this stage, the operation shifted to the and intermittently on another; and meteorological Rocky Mountains, with Gunnar taking with him as data were collected from selected locations. Equip- an assistant Stig Jonsson, an experienced skier who ment and many specialized instruments had been had worked with him in Arctic Sweden. brought from Stockholm, and given the intensive In mid-April, I received an urgent telephone call undertaking that extended across the entire width of from Gunnar, who was then at Lake Louise. After the western mountains, the tightly knit and experi- his initial vivid and enthusiastic account of the entire enced field team more than justified itself. Valuable proposed transect of Canada’s mountainous west, he experience was also transferred to the Canadian sum- explained that he was facing problems of accessibility. mer student assistants. He had realized that an intensive reconnaissance sur- One special outcome was that the detailed sur- vey would involve field visits to each of the provi- vey of Place Glacier, along with air photos taken later sionally listed glaciers before he could proceed with in the summer, became the basis for the first metric confidence to the final selection. It had become ap- map ever produced by the Surveys and Mapping parent that this would require extensive helicopter Branch. It was a challenge to negotiate this switch support. He needed to find out if his budget could to the metric system with the very conservative fed- be increased, in order to enable him to set up a series eral surveyors and mappers, but I doubt that anyone of local helicopter charters. I said I understood the could have been more persuasive than Gunnar Østr- necessity and that he ought to go ahead. em. Much assistance for the fieldwork was provid- “But how many hours of helicopter charter time ed by the Canadian National Parks Service and the can I plan to use?” DOT, who supplied all the standard meteorological “As many as you need!” I rejoined. instruments. Specialized equipment was borrowed And he needed a lot—too many for either of from the Norwegian Water Resources and Electri- us to remember now! I told him “not to worry,” as I city Board. The western field research that year was would go cap in hand to head office, and that I felt an outstanding example of interagency and inter- confident. To this day, Gunnar still talks about my national collaboration. response and how it totally astounded him, as he had Olav Løken joined Gunnar at the end of August fully expected questioning, compromise, or apologet- for an inspection of the ongoing work on the Peyto ic regret. Glacier. This led to a short journey across the Can- As a result, five glaciers were firmly identified: ada–United States border to meet with Dr. Mark from east to west, Ram Glacier, northeast of Lake Meier, a leading American glaciologist. The ensuing Louise (one of the most easterly); Peyto Glacier, some negotiations led to adoption of internationally uni- thirty kilometres north of Lake Louise; Woolsey Gla- form field methods so that comparative assessments cier, in Mount Revelstoke National Park; Place Gla- could be made. The stage was set for a major expan- cier, northeast of Pemberton; and Sentinel Glacier, sion in the 1966 season. Gunnar had also spent most between Pemberton and Vancouver.