OUR WATERS OUR FUTURE NOVEMBER–DECEMBER 2007 Season’sSeason’s GreetingsGreetings The Des Groseilliers Takes on 4 Mission Eureka 2007 This year, the CCGS Des Groseilliers and Terry Fox took up the delivery challenge to Eureka. A Mine of Information for 10 Discovery Channel at Snap Lake This underground diamond mine is one of DFO’s ongoing habitat regulatory review projects. DFO Fishery Officer Is 17 Selected for the Final Leg of the Law Enforcement Torch Run in Shanghai The Final Leg is not only a salute to the athletes who compete, but also an honour for the participating law enforcement officers who represent their nation. ur O DFO Scientist Wins the Massey Medal ision V ice in serv ellence By Diane Lake Exc dians to Cana re the to ensu ent DFO’s scientists rank among the best, and velopm able de ustain e of Eddy Carmack, an Institute of Oceans s safe us and ers Sciences (IOS) climate oceanographer, is an wat Canadi no exception. Recently, he received the prestigious Massey Medal for his leading role in ocean science. The medal recognizes each year an individual whose About Oceans work is deemed outstanding in the field of Oceans is available on DFO’s Intranet geography. site at: http://intra.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/ oceansnewletter/oceans_e.htm. While Carmack considers himself Submission Guidelines extremely lucky to work with the colleagues Eddy Carmack on one of his trips to the Arctic. he does, his co-workers are equally full of Oceans published by the praise. Robie Macdonald, a research scientist Communications Branch for Fisheries and at IOS who has worked with Carmack in the Canada that could be described as the last Oceans employees. All articles are accepted subject to approval. Opinions do Arctic for many years, likens him to a wilderness area of the world ocean. not necessarily reflect departmental policy. Renaissance man. Documenting movements of key species from Due to space constraints, some articles “He’s a water person through and virus to whales is crucial to understand how may be edited at the layout stage. through,” says Macdonald. “And not only that, they interact with present ocean physics and The deadline for all submissions to the his research and talks sparkle with a relentless predict how future changes will impact March-April 2008 issue is February 22, supply of images elegantly expressed.” humans and ecosystems. 2008. The maximum length of an article is Carmack points out that Arctic explorer Carmack’s work shows that currents from 400 words. Photos must have a minimum Henry Larsen was the first to win the Medal in the Arctic tend to zigzag within the resolution of 300 dpi. 1960. Larsen made history in the 1940s by neighbouring oceans through various Oceans navigating the Northwest Passage both ways “gateways.” The interest now is to find out in a single season aboard the historic how the warming seas and melting ice are Station 13E223 Communications Branch icebreaker St. Roch. Carmack, who has made affecting the surrounding oceans, and what 200 Kent Street at least 60 trips to the Arctic over the course of sort of impact this is having on weather in the Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0E6 his career, notes the incredible challenges northern hemisphere. Tel.: (613) 993-2038 • Fax: (613) 993-8277 Larsen and his crew faced at that time. Carmack’s work in ocean currents has a E-mail: XNCR, OceansNews — “Now the concern is that it is too easy to whimsical side, with practical applications. For BulletinOcéans go through,” Carmack adds. a number of years he has involved students in Editor Prior to Larsen’s time, the Arctic Ocean the Drift Bottle Project to teach about the was thought to be remote from the rest of the complexities of changing climate. The students Corinne Wilson world’s seas. But, says Carmack, what happens write messages and Carmack’s contact Contributors – in the Arctic affects climate everywhere. For information and drop them into November-December 2007 International Polar Year, Carmack is embarking biodegradable bottles. The bottles are set Catherine Barratt, Carol Bond, Mike Bonin, on an extensive study of Canada's oceans. afloat each time the ship stops to collect data Mac Campbell, Danielle Dorion, Tracie L. Scientists aboard two icebreakers will on Arctic expeditions. So far about 4,000 Eisener, Nancy Fowler, Joe Gough, Bruce document the oceans' physical properties bottles have been cast out to sea, and 150 Hanna, Stacey Hynes, Diane Lake, Wendy (such as currents) and life forms ranging from messages returned from Alaska, Norway, Morrell, Bea Noel, Sylvi Racine, Jason bacteria to whales. They will travel a 12,000- France, Ireland and even as far as the Ramey, Noëlla Richard, Alicia McTavish, Larry Vaters and Corinne Wilson. kilometre course, from Victoria through the Caribbean. These results show that the bottles Northwest Passage to Halifax. Their goal is to drift about 5-10 km a day, and take about two develop a large-scale picture of the years, on average, before being found. Cover Page Photo: Catherine Barratt, on board the Des Groseilliers, South West ecosystems in the Arctic and subarctic seas. of Ellesmere Island on September 7, 2007 Carmack will continue his research with his Diane Lake is a communications advisor in the co-workers at IOS – whom he lauds for their Communications Branch, Pacific Region. “fantastic skills and imagination” – in a part of Oceans 2 The Underwater Weather Sophisticated Technology Has the Potential to Make Canada a World Leader in Real-Time Ocean Forecasting By Tracie L. Eisener Ever wonder how it is humanly possible to predict the unpredictable? It’s a well-known fact that Nova Scotia’s weather can change on the drop of a dime; so what exactly is involved in predicting the weather in Lunenburg Bay, and what are the instruments used in doing so? That’s what scientists from the Centre for Marine Environmental Prediction answered for 500 students and the public during an open house called The Underwater Weather – Looking Beneath the Surface of Lunenburg Bay at the Fisheries Museum of the Atlantic in Lunenburg, on September 21. Students from the South Shore one of three solar-powered Regional School Board on a boat Intriguing outdoor exhibits and boat observation buoys that tour to research sites in the Bay. tours showed how a newly developed collect and transmit real-time automated ocean observation system is data to Dalhousie University The project is being used to describe and predict on different variables. Data is scheduled to conclude in conditions in the Bay – an ongoing project also collected from DFO’s March when funding will led by Dalhousie University in underwater instruments that end. To date, it is on track collaboration with Fisheries and Oceans measure currents and waves, with achieving the original Canada and Environment Canada (EC). and EC’s instruments that An observation buoy floats in Nova objectives of developing Through a live video feed, boat tour measure wind and fog Scotia’s Lunenburg Bay, collecting data and atmosphere, ocean and participants got a peek at one of the conditions. All the data transmitting it to Dalhousie University to wave models, as well as various instruments that reside far beneath collected is then describe and predict conditions in the Bay. observational techniques the surface (images were captured by transferred to DFO, EC, suitable for adaptation by scuba divers and transmitted to a monitor and Dalhousie where it is applied to government agencies. Improved numerical onboard the boat). In addition, they visited computer models that generate 24- and models for describing and forecasting 48-hour forecasts of meteorological coastal ocean biological conditions have conditions, currents, waves, and biological also been developed, which will be useful Did you know? dynamics in the Bay. for further research and development. The Lunenburg Bay project, initiated in Together, these advances will contribute to • Canada’s coastline is 243,792 2002, is a reflection of longstanding the detection and prediction of change in km long, which equals 25 per cooperation between DFO, EC, Dalhousie, coastal environments and potentially make cent of the world’s coastline. and the private industry. From the Canada a world leader in real-time ocean • There is enough water in beginning, DFO has supported this unique forecasting. Lunenburg Bay to fill 335,000 project with both cash and in-kind swimming pools. contributions while providing several Tracie L. Eisener works as a junior communications • During Hurricane Juan, the investigators to the research program. In officer in the Communications Branch, Maritimes waves at the entrance in Region. Lunenburg Bay reached as high fact, the number of DFO investigators has as 9 metres. increased to seven in just a few years. Oceans 3 The Des Groseilliers Takes on Mission Eureka 2007 By Catherine Barratt The CCGS Des Groseilliers begins the lengthy process of loading precious cargo at the Fuel for Thought dock in Nanisivik, bound for source of electricity, and to run vehicles and Eureka. Those of us that live closer to the 49th small aircraft to meet life-sustaining parallel take much for granted, never transportation needs. questioning the availability of power, food, gas or the most superfluous of our Environment Canada’s permanent weather needs. Not so for our fellow Canadians station in Eureka is one of those communities. in the North. People’s lives there It is situated on the west coast of Ellesmere literally depend on receiving fuel, food Island, which is also home to Alert – the and other supplies. northernmost permanently established community (and weather station) on earth. Each summer, Coast Guard delivers the goods to This year, the CCGS Des Groseilliers and northern communities.