The Arctic Summer Knows No Darkness
It’s been light out 24 hours a day for a while now in Gjoa Haven, Nunavut. Although the sun has been setting, it’s only been dropping just below the horizon for a brief rest before popping back into view.
Ye...
Whiteouts Bring New Meaning to Everyday Tasks
We’ve recently come back from a successful five days out on the ice drilling holes, taking measurements and testing different fishing gear to see what fish occur in the area (see that story here). We were in th...
Gathering Food Data on the Northern Ice
I’m preparing to head out onto the ice with Dr. Peter de Groot, a researcher from Queens University, and some very skilled and knowledgeable hunters from the community of Gjoa Haven, Nunavut. Peter’s drilling h...
Return to Gjoa Haven
It’s warmed up to -4 degrees C in Gjoa Haven, Nunavut – right in time for my arrival. The ice will be softening over the next few weeks and beginning its rapid retreat. By mid-June, the ice will be too dangerou...
Breaking Down Barriers and Building Bridges in the Arctic
As head of Arctic initiatives at the Vancouver Aquarium, I am fortunate to be able to travel north and experience the Arctic first-hand. But I’m far from the first to set foot on the ice and tundra of the Canad...
The Other Melt Factor
We’ve talked a bit on this blog already about the importance of sea ice in the Arctic. But there are also large areas of “permanent” ice on land: massive sheets that spill glaciers – rivers of ice – into the va...
Visiting The Finest Little Harbour In The World
By Neil Fisher, Vancouver Aquarium videographer and photographer
Gjoa Haven, also known as Uqsuqtuuq (meaning “place of plenty blubber”), is situated on the southeast coast of King William Island, Nunavut. ...
An Under-ice Checkup for the Arctic Archipelago
By Eric Solomon, director of Arctic programs, Vancouver Aquarium
“I don’t live 50 meters down, so why should I care what the temperature is?” asked a new friend in Gjoa Haven.
It’s a fair question, and I ...