Melville Island South Ice Cap Mass Balance & Snow Pollution

Regions: Inuvialuit Settlement Region

Tags: physical sciences, climatology, climate change, glaciology, snow, ice cap

Principal Investigator: Burgess, David O (15)
Licence Number: 14859
Organization: Natural Resources Canada
Licensed Year(s): 2023 2022 2021 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012 2011 2010 2009
Issued: Feb 11, 2011

Objective(s): To measure the changing volume of the ice cap, to maintain an automatic weather station and to measure how much the climate is changing.

Project Description: The objective of this study is to measure the changing volume of the ice cap, to maintain an automatic weather station and to measure how much the climate is changing. The snow sampling tells how clean the snow and thus the air above it and whether it is changing. There is an automatic weather station on the ice cap, which provides a year-round record of snowfall and temperature. Because of weather conditions, the exact dates of this proposed work cannot be predicted. Small samples (100 grams each) of snow will be collected at several sites to check for the acid content of the snow. The researchers will keep the hamlets of Sachs Harbor and Ulukhaktok informed of progress and send any copies of TV or Radio interviews and also specially designed posters about the Melville results and the other ice caps as well. The researchers have posters prepared of the work done on the ice cap so far and what it has shown and have sent these to the Aurora Research Institute and the communities of Sachs Harbor and Ulukhaktok. The researchers will send short progress reports of the work directly to the Hunters and Trappers Committees of Sachs Harbor and Ulukhaktok. The fieldwork for this study will be conducted from April 18, 2011 to April 21, 2011.