Regions: Inuvialuit Settlement Region
Tags: zooplankton, geochemistry, Beaufort Sea, freshwater ecosystem
| Principal Investigator: | Williams, Bill (4) |
| Licence Number: | 17552 |
| Organization: | Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) |
| Licensed Year(s): |
2024
|
| Issued: | Jul 16, 2024 |
| Project Team: | Sarah Zimmermann, Sarah Quesnel, Mike Dempsey, Paige Hagel, Chris Clarke, Mary Timmermans, Kazu Tateyama, Jeff Obrien, Celine Gueguen, David Walsh |
Objective(s): Improved knowledge of the Beaufort Gyre is of fundamental importance to understanding the marine cryosphere. We collect data annually so that we can link decadal-scale perturbations in the Arctic atmosphere to inter-annual basin-scale changes in the freshwater content, freshwater sources, ice properties and distribution, water mass properties and distribution, ocean circulation, ocean acidification and biota of the Beaufort Sea.
Project Description: This licence has been issued for the scientific research application No. 5939. Research questions seek to understand the impacts of global change on the physical and geochemical environment of the Beaufort Gyre (BG) Region in the Canada Basin of the Arctic Ocean and the corresponding biological response. We thus collect data annually so that we can link decadal-scale perturbations in the Arctic atmosphere to inter-annual basin-scale changes in the freshwater content, freshwater sources, ice properties and distribution, water mass properties and distribution, ocean circulation, ocean acidification and biota. Sampling will be conducted by CTD/rosette for oceanic profiles and discrete water samples. Geochemical tracers measured will include dissolved oxygen, nutrients, the carbon cycle (CO2), ammonium, radionuclides, markers for river water, markers for ice melt, DNA/RNA and primary productivity. Zooplankton will be collected at a subset of stations. Ice tethered profiling buoys will be deployed to drift with the ice for a year or more and collect temperature/salinity profiles that are reported in near-real time via satellite. Three 3,800m long moorings will be recovered and redeployed. These moorings are all deployed outside of the ISR in the open watr of the Beaufort Sea. The expedition will remain offshore for the bulk of the 28 days. There will be daily bulletins highlighting the events of the day available online. Satellite communications are now reliable enough to allow for direct communication with personnel on the ship at most times. The fieldwork for this study will be conducted from: August 29 - September 26, 2024
