Pack Ice and Ocean Fluxes in Lancaster Sound of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago

As human activities shift to northern regions, accurate assessments and simulations of the effects of climate change on sea-ice and oceanographic conditions in the Canadian Archipelago will benefit global climate research and Canadian regulators and operators responsible for arctic energy development and transportation activities. Regulators and operators will be able to manage Canada's offshore resources more safely and efficiently with knowledge of existing and future seasonal variations in sea ice and oceanographic properties due to climate change.

The project is part of an international effort under the Arctic Sub-Arctic Ocean Flux (ASOF) program, which monitors the volume and freshwater fluxes leaving the Arctic Ocean and affecting the North Atlantic. Data and model simulations available to regulators, energy operators and the shipping industry will support their mandates to effectively and safely manage and use Canada's offshore resources. Mooring work uses both conventional instrumentation, modified for the low horizontal magnetic field, and new instrumentation (i.e., ICYCLER) capable of profiling the surface layer beneath a mobile ice cover.

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DFO Contact:

Simon Prinsenberg

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