Spectacular Lancaster Sound

Posted by: Trevor Taylor, policy director, Oceans North Canada 

Narwhal photo: Lyda Hill

While the Arctic Endeavour continues its push north into the ice off the Greenland coast, I visited Lancaster Sound on the Canadian side of Baffin Bay on a fact-finding trip. I work as policy director for Oceans North Canada. I arrived with other members of our team in the hamlet of Pond Inlet on Eclipse Sound for a trip out to the floe edge where the still-frozen sound meets the open waters of Baffin Bay. This nutrient-rich margin of ice is where marine life abounds in the early Arctic summer. 

We flew 38 nautical miles across Eclipse Sound to the southeast of Bylot Island and camped at Button Point. Scrambling up ridges and walking along sea ice starting to break up we witnessed a small part of what makes the Lancaster Sound region so important. We saw a polar bear ambling along the ice edge before plunging in to capture a seal; small groups of narwhal swimming along the margin of the ice, surfacing with their characteristic tooth flashing in the sun; Canada and Arctic snow geese flying overhead; and seals popping their heads up from breathing holes they maintain throughout the winter. 

Humans have been tightly integrated into this environment for thousands of years and still are. Snow machines pulling komatiks (wooden sleds) from Pond Inlet arrived on the floe edge for traditional Inuit harvesting including gathering sea bird eggs from the craggy cliffs and hunting seals and narwhal for food to be shared with the community. 

Polar bear photo: Lyda Hill

Hunters from Pond Inlet and other communities in the region have been leaders in efforts to protect Lancaster Sound for more than 30 years. Just last year, these communities insisted that no oil and gas activities should occur in these waters in order to protect the whale migration. I stood with the Inuit leader for Baffin Island last December and listened as the Canadian environment minister proposed a park boundary for Lancaster Sound and pledged that no oil and gas activity would take place while the park is being created – including the spectacular area of the floe edge where we just camped. 

The delay caused by the ice in northern Greenland to the Arctic Endeavour’s planned route is a potent reminder that ice is still a major factor for life in in Baffin Bay and Lancaster Sound. That’s true for industry, tourism, scientific work or traditional Inuit activities. This year the ice is doing its part to continue to protect the Arctic whale migration in this magical place. But the overall trend in the Arctic including Baffin Bay is for earlier melting and less ice. Anomalies such as this year’s pack ice that the Arctic Endeavour encountered cannot be relied upon. Humans will have to step up to protect the Arctic from inappropriate schemes made possible by receding ice. As elders and hunters from Pond Inlet and similar hamlets in the region remind us, a National Marine Conservation Area for Lancaster Sound is a good place to start.

The need for continued vigilance became obvious when we returned from our camp to Pond Inlet. As we debriefed in the hotel cafeteria, the National Energy Board held an informational meeting in the room next door. The meeting was part of an Arctic offshore oil and gas drilling review to determine how to prevent a catastrophe like the Gulf of Mexico spill if Arctic drilling proceeds. It was a sobering end to the trip and a reminder that there’s still a lot of work to be done.

Rumors of narwhal near Greenland floe edge

Posted by: Chris Debicki, expedition leader 

Alex Ootoowak shows our hosts in Nutarmiut pictures of life in Mittimatalik (Pond Inlet).

We arrived in the village of Nuussuaq yesterday and plan to head out today with local guides to explore the floe edge north of here where narwhal have been sighted. 

We first heard about narwhal sightings while in Nutarmiut on the weekend. No sooner had we weighed anchor there than six people came out by boat to greet us and invite us ashore for coffee and cookies. None of our expedition members speak Greenlandic fluently. But Alex, who speaks Inuktitut, has found Greenlandic easier to understand as we travel north. And it is Alex whom Greenlanders are most interested in talking to. They feel an immediate connection with Alex, who is from Pond Inlet on the Canadian side of Baffin Bay.

Our hosts gave us plenty of helpful advice during their conversation with Alex. They told us that narwhal had been seen in the area only a week or so ago and they predicted more would be at the floe edge close to Nuussuaq. An older man named Pauluq suggested a potential route to help us skirt a wall of drifting pack ice that will otherwise impede our progress.  As a word of caution, he also told the story of three small hunting boats that got pinched in the ice off the Nuussuaq Peninsula only weeks ago. Sadly, several lives were lost and the rescue operation recovered only two of the boats. 

Their advice about the ice conditions added to the information we’ve gleaned from satellite imagery. We’re lucky to have met these very knowledgeable local residents and will rely on their instructions as we travel north.

More Arctic ice analysis: route to North Water blocked

Posted by: Knut Espen Solberg, captain 

Currently, Baffin Bay is filled with predominantly first year ice, as opposed to multiyear ice that survives at least one summer and continues to grow.  I have been surprised by just how thick much of this ice has been. This winter was not extremely cold in this part of the world but spring arrived late. Many inlets and fjords are still filled with fast ice — ice that is attached to the shore. 

This week we’ve capitalized on a recent, narrow open water lead that has given us access to the northern waters and communities of the Upernavik district. But our route to Melville Bay is still inaccessible. This persistent ice has caused major problems for northern Greenlanders in this region as their resupply vessel was unable to penetrate the ice, leaving several villages short on all kinds of products we take for granted. 

In most years, the main pack ice has been located along the coast of Baffin Island, giving access to the North Water Polynya through an open water route through Melville Bay. However, this year a stationary low pressure system is situated over northwestern Greenland. This anomaly has caused the main pack ice to shift eastward, causing more than 90 percent ice cover in Melville Bay and much of Baffin Bay. This ice makes access to the North Water Polynya impossible right now for non-icebreaking vessels. 

The extreme local and seasonal variability makes it difficult to predict what the ice will do or plan commercial activities. Although whales can migrate in very dense ice, this year’s conditions have slowed or halted marine-related activities for people in the region, including our expedition. Unfortunately, nothing can be done to reduce these uncertainties. Sometimes the Arctic presents limitations that don’t apply to the same degree elsewhere. Caution is the key to sustainable development in the High Arctic.

A tough ice year in northwest Greenland

Posted by: Chris Debicki, expedition leader 

Thick fog rolled in on Thursday afternoon, halting our progress once we’d completed our CTD (conductivity, temperature, depth) studies in the Upernavik Icefjord. That made travel unsafe and we pulled into a small, protected cove for the night. 

The weather made it too risky to try to dodge the usual hazards of icebergs and sea ice. We’ve also discovered that charts in this region are missing critical information. Huge areas have not been sounded and many of the depth readings on our nautical charts are not accurate. This is a mountainous region of sharp cliffs and the sea bottom is similarly rugged. Shallow water appears without warning. 

After 24 hours of work, this break afforded Knut and I some time to seriously discuss the most recent ice reports. The reports do not look good. Melville Bay is not opening up in the way we had hoped. This year may turn out to be the “worst” ice year in a decade in this region. I put “worst” in quotations because it is obviously silly to attach a negative judgment to sea ice. This is the same ice cover that acts as one of the world’s most important cooling systems. That’s because sea ice, with its white surface, reflects much more of the sun’s radiation than does open water. 

The ice also protects migrating whales. Ninety percent ice cover is no obstacle to these marine mammals. What will happen to bowhead and narwhal migration patterns if the icescape continues to change so dramatically? What kind of industries will move in if these regions become accessible? What measures to protect this ecosystem will be in place before this happens? 

Even though there has been a pronounced decline in sea ice extent in this part of the Arctic over the last decade, we knew that climate modeling experts still predict great variability form year to year. This is turning out to be one of those years.  

Our experience with heavier than average sea ice –- at least for recent years — may also serve as a reminder that increased commercial activity in the Arctic must take into account these extreme shifts in ice conditions. That’s essential to lower the risk of accidents in an area without the infrastructure to respond.  

Fortunately, we planned for the possibility of insurmountable ice obstacles. We have plenty of work to do in this northwestern region of Greenland. Over the next few days, we are consulting with locals in the small communities between Upervanik and Melville Bay to learn more about ice conditions and the whale migrations that pass through.