The 2017 winter estuary and mobile ice sampling program will be the most comprehensive effort thus far to simultaneously characterize physical, biological and biogeochemical conditions in Hudson Bay sub-Arctic estuaries during peak winter sea ice cover.

The 2016 Fall campaign will be focussed on deploying moorings in Churchill and Nelson River Estuary, and the James Bay region, using the CCGS Des Groseilliers. The 2016 mooring field program will take place in southern Hudson Bay from September 26 (Churchill) to October 4 (Kujjaurapik). Opportunistic sampling will continue from October 5 to October 12 in northern Hudson Bay.

A focused study on the C-band polarimetric scattering and physical characteristics of frost-flower-covered sea ice will be conducted at the Sea-ice Environmental Research Facility (SERF). Sea ice will be grown in the outdoor pool. Environmental conditions (air temperature, humidity, wind speed) will be monitored using automated sensors, while seawater and ice temperatures will be monitored through a series of thermocouples installed in the water column.

The goal of this research project is to provide an update to the scientific community on the carbonate chemistry of waters in Baffin Bay. We are interested in how quickly the process of ocean acidification may be advancing in these waters, and so we plan to collect water samples for the overall determination of the carbonate system.

PI: Tim Papakyriakou

Project Lead: Tonya Burgers

Little is known about the distribution, abundance and diet of marine mammals and birds in offshore areas in the Baffin Bay –Davis strait marginal ice zone. The objectives was to monitor marine mammals and birds in the Southern and Central Baffin bay during the phytoplankton spring bloom 2016. To describe the geographical (GPS position) relationship among species and observations across the MIZ. Relate the distribution and abundance of birds to the local abundance and biomass of juvenile Polar cod across the MIZ.

With increasing oil exploration activities in the Greenland Sea more information on the ecology and temporal and spatial sensitivity of this very little studied marine ecosystem, is needed for environmental planning and regulation, in order to meet the goal of minimal environmental impact. A Strategic Environmental Study Plan for Northeast Greenland for providing environmental information for planning and regulating oil exploration activities and oil spill response in the Greenland Sea has been established.

North Water Polynya Scientific Conference will bring together scientists working on the North Water Polynya Region to present recent research and to discuss status, trends and the future of the North Water Polynya as well as future research needs.

Conference website

Scientists from the BaySys Project (University of Manitoba/Manitoba Hydro) will be conducting work in Hudson Bay from September 26-October 4. Specifically, they will be deploying moorings in the Churchill and Nelson River Estuary, and James Bay region.