Observations of juvenile ivory gulls (Pagophila eburnea) in Resolute Bay, Nunavut, Canada, August 2005

Polar Record ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 42 (2) ◽  
pp. 170-172
Author(s):  
Jeff W. Higdon ◽  
Stefan Romberg
Keyword(s):  
Breeding Success ◽  
High Arctic ◽  
Canadian High Arctic ◽  
Ivory Gull ◽  
Close Proximity ◽  
Resolute Bay ◽  
Minimum Estimate ◽  
Better Than

Canadian ivory gull (Pagophila eburnea) populations have declined ca. 80% since the early 1980s, and observations, especially of juveniles, are noteworthy. From 20 to 26 August 2005 adult and juvenile ivory gulls were observed and photographed at Resolute Bay, Nunavut, Canada. The numbers of gulls observed reached a peak on 23 August when 18 birds (13 adults and 5 juveniles) were present. A minimum of 7 juveniles and 13 adults were present on 21 and 23 August, respectively, for a total minimum estimate of 20 ivory gulls. The highest numbers were observed during the stormiest days, suggesting that the gulls were taking shelter in the protected bay. Ivory gulls were observed in close proximity to other seabirds, and one fish capture attempt was observed. These are the first reported juveniles for Resolute Bay since 2000, and the first reported for the Canadian High Arctic since 2002, suggesting that breeding success in 2005 may have been better than in previous years.

scholarly journals Effects of meteorology and soil moisture on the spatio-temporal evolution of the depth hoar layer in the polar desert snowpack

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-16
Author(s):  
Gautier Davesne ◽  
Florent Domine ◽  
Daniel Fortier
Keyword(s):  
Soil Moisture ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Temporal Evolution ◽  
High Arctic ◽  
Onset Date ◽  
Canadian High Arctic ◽  
Polar Desert ◽  
Resolute Bay ◽  
Spatio Temporal ◽  
Snowpack Properties

Abstract In polar deserts, depth hoar (hereinafter: DH) growth is not systematic unlike on tundra and this is critical for snowpack properties. Here, we address the spatio-temporal variability of the DH layer in the polar desert at two sites in the Canadian High Arctic: Ward Hunt Island (83° N) and Resolute Bay (75° N). Our data show that, over humid areas, DH represented a larger fraction of the snowpack and was characterized by lower density and coarser crystals than over dry gravelly areas. Increased soil moisture extends the zero-curtain period during freeze-up, leading to stronger temperature gradients in the snowpack and greater kinetic metamorphism. Our results also demonstrate that the large inter-annual variability in DH is primarily driven by wind conditions in the fall since this key variable controls the initial snow density and snow onset date. These strong controls exerted by soil moisture and meteorological conditions on DH growth in polar deserts highlight the possibility of major changes in polar snowpacks physical properties in response to the rapid climate and environmental changes currently affecting these regions.

Structural variation in the songs of Atlantic walruses breeding in the Canadian High Arctic

2003 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 297-318 ◽  
Author(s):  
Becky Sjare ◽  
Ian Stirling ◽  
Cheryl Spencer
Keyword(s):  
Structural Variation ◽  
High Arctic ◽  
Canadian High Arctic

In situ optical and microphysical properties of tropospheric aerosols in the Canadian High Arctic from 2016 to 2019

2021 ◽  
Vol 250 ◽  
pp. 118254
Author(s):  
Andy Vicente-Luis ◽  
Samantha Tremblay ◽  
Joelle Dionne ◽  
Rachel Y.-W. Chang ◽  
Pierre F. Fogal ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
High Arctic ◽  
Canadian High Arctic ◽  
Microphysical Properties ◽  
Tropospheric Aerosols

scholarly journals Climate Change Drives Widespread and Rapid Thermokarst Development in Very Cold Permafrost in the Canadian High Arctic

2019 ◽  
Vol 46 (12) ◽  
pp. 6681-6689 ◽  
Author(s):  
Louise M. Farquharson ◽  
Vladimir E. Romanovsky ◽  
William L. Cable ◽  
Donald A. Walker ◽  
Steven V. Kokelj ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
High Arctic ◽  
Canadian High Arctic

scholarly journals Assessing the utility of sulfur isotope values for understanding mercury concentrations in water and biota from high Arctic lakes

2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 90-106 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gretchen L. Lescord ◽  
Meredith G. Clayden ◽  
Karen A. Kidd ◽  
Jane L. Kirk ◽  
Xiaowa Wang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Food Webs ◽  
Total Mercury ◽  
Nitrogen Isotopes ◽  
Sulfur Isotopes ◽  
High Arctic ◽  
Arctic Lakes ◽  
Carbon And Nitrogen ◽  
Resolute Bay ◽  
Aquatic Food ◽  
Globally Stable

Methylmercury (MeHg) biomagnifies through aquatic food webs resulting in elevated concentrations in fish globally. Stable carbon and nitrogen isotopes are frequently used to determine dietary sources of MeHg and to model its biomagnification. However, given the strong links between MeHg and sulfur cycling, we investigated whether sulfur isotopes (δ34S) would improve our understanding of MeHg concentrations ([MeHg]) in Arctic lacustrine food webs. Delta34S values and total mercury (THg) or MeHg were measured in water, sediments, and biota from six lakes near Resolute Bay, NU, Canada. In two lakes impacted by historical eutrophication, aqueous sulfate δ34S was ∼8‰ more positive than sedimentary δ34S, suggestive of bacterial sulfate reduction in the sediment. In addition, aqueous δ34S showed a significant positive relationship with aqueous [MeHg] across lakes. Within taxa across lakes, [THg] in Arctic char muscle and [MeHg] in their main prey, chironomids, were positively related to their δ34S values across lakes, but inconsistent relationships were found across entire food webs among lakes. Across lakes, nitrogen isotopes were better predictors of biotic [THg] and [MeHg] than δ34S within this dataset. Our results suggest some linkages between Hg and S biogeochemistry in high Arctic lakes, which is an important consideration given anticipated climate-mediated changes in nutrient cycling.

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