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Showing papers in "Arctic in 1973"


Journal ArticleDOI
01 Jan 1973-Arctic
TL;DR: Radiocarbon dates and glaciological features of the Ward Hunt area along northernmost Ellesmere Island suggest the following chronology, which is consistent with worldwide climatic oscillations as mentioned in this paper.
Abstract: Radiocarbon dates and glaciological features of the Ward Hunt area along northernmost Ellesmere Island suggest the following chronology, which is consistent with worldwide climatic oscillations: 1) 10,000-4100 B.P.: deglaciation, and development of several marine levels, particularly one now 40 m above sea level, at 7500 ± 300 B.P.; 2) 4100-2400 years B.P.: climatic deterioration, glacial readvance and formation of ice shelves; 3) 2400-1400 years B.P.: general climatic amelioration; development of dust ablation horizon on Ward Hunt Ice Shelf, glacial retreat; 4) 1400 B.P.-present: climatic deterioration, with renewed thickening of Ward Hunt Ice Shelf, and beginnings of growth of ice rises; the last-mentioned experienced maximum growth in the interval between 350-170 years ago; slight glacial readvance. The isostatic rebound curve for northernmost Ellesmere Island differs from that of the Tanquary Fiord area 80 miles (128 km) to the south because of differing Pleistocene ice thicknesses. We estimate these to average at least 600 m for the former area and 1800 m for the latter.

45 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
01 Jan 1973-Arctic
TL;DR: The Canadian Arctic marine flora is basically a regional extension of Atlantic species as discussed by the authors, and the decreasing diversity of species, as the physical conditions become more adverse, together with the nearly complete absence of endemics, indicate a low level of adaptation, and the arctic communities are judged to be ecologically immature.
Abstract: The Canadian Arctic marine flora is basically a regional extension of Atlantic species. As the extreme environmental conditions of low temperature, low salinity and long periods of darkness intensify towards the western and northern parts of the Canadian Arctic, there is a marked reduction in the number of species. The protective cover of sea ice, together with the seasonal development of a low salinity layer from ice melt, hinders mixing between water layers, and nutrient replenishment is apparently a critical problem. Communities are generally small and isolated largely because of substrate limitations. A population may be extensive and dense, but this is attributed to the small number of species and the relative ineffectiveness of most of these in competing for the available space. Following seasonal ice melt, the intertidal habitat in colder regions remains unsuitable for algal growth, because of its exposure to a combination of adverse climatic and oceanographic conditions. The decreasing diversity of species, as the physical conditions become more adverse, together with the nearly complete absence of endemics, indicate a low level of adaptation, and the arctic communities are judged to be ecologically immature.

43 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
01 Jan 1973-Arctic
TL;DR: In this article, an 18-gram and 30-gram rock ptarmigan chicks were estimated to require between 34 and 50 crop loads per 24 hours to survive in adverse weather conditions.
Abstract: Rock ptarmigan ( Lagopus mutus ) chicks are brooded periodically during the first few days of life; longer in cold and rainy weather. Computed minimum foraging time in adverse weather conditions is 96 minutes/24 hours. Crop analysis and calorimetry of the 6 major food items show that a full crop may contain up to 0.47 kcals. Energy requirements were calculated for both an 18-gram chick and a 30-gram chick. The 18-gram chick required between 34 and 50 crop loads per 24 hours. With 96 minutes foraging time, and the observed pecking rates, this was considered possible. The 30-gram chick required twice as much foraging time but since it was approaching homeothermy, it was tentatively concluded that neither was that chick being handicapped by brooding. Vagaries in early survival of rock ptarmigan chicks, therefore, are not due to differences in post-hatch weather.

38 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
01 Jan 1973-Arctic
TL;DR: In this paper, a study to estimate nitrogen fixation input in arctic coastal tundra was carried out using the acetylene reduction assay using high intensity sampling over a limited area of Tundra containing both high-centred and low-centered polygons with their corresponding variations in micro-vegetation.
Abstract: A study to estimate nitrogen fixation input in arctic coastal tundra was carried out using the acetylene reduction assay. Areal estimation was attempted by high intensity sampling over a limited area of tundra containing both high-centred and low-centred polygons with their corresponding variations in micro-vegetation. The highest average rates of acetylene reduction were obtained from cores in damp interpolygonal troughs (10.50 µmoles ethylene/m²-hr) where mats of the blue-green alga Nostoc were abundant. Wet moss-algal associations in hydric meadows showed high nitrogenase activity (average 6.86 µmoles ethylene/m²-hr) and dry high-centred polygons were comparatively inactive (2.80 µmoles ethylene/m²-hr). The lichens Peltigera sp. and Stereocaulon sp. were the most active nitrogen fixers in the drier tundra. Nitrogen fixation increased with rising temperature with a measured Q10 for Nostoc commune of 3.7.

38 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
01 Jan 1973-Arctic
TL;DR: In this paper, three transverse profiles across a large pressure ridge located in the Beaufort Sea are presented, which suggests that form drag coefficients for flow transverse to the long axes of multi-year ridges may be as high as 0.8.
Abstract: Three transverse profiles across a large pressure ridge located in the Beaufort Sea are presented. The ridge sail extended 4m. above sea level and the ridge keel 13 m. below. The cross-sections of the ridge keel can be described as roughly semi-circular. This suggests that form drag coefficients for flow transverse to the long axes of multi-year ridges may be as high as 0.8. Examination of several salinity, temperature and brine-volume profiles shows that much of the ice in the ridge has a very low salinity and is quite strong. All the inter-block voids that initially existed in the ridge at the time of its formation have been completely filled with ice. These observations, coupled with icebreaking experience indicate that multi-year ridges are, indeed, significant obstacles to even the largest icebreaking ship and should be avoided if possible. A very large first year ridge with a sail height of 12.8 m. is also described. This is the largest free-floating ridge yet measured.

34 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
01 Jan 1973-Arctic
TL;DR: In this article, two definitions of ecological stability are used, and it is essential to keep them separate and explicitly stated, and they are found in the tropics and perhaps in certain parts of high latitude systems, such as lakes, subarctic forests and perhaps the tundra vegetation itself.
Abstract: The conclusions reached in this paper, concerning the "Fragile Arctic" are the following: 1) Two definitions of ecological stability are in use, and it is essential to keep them separate and explicitly stated. "Type-l stability" is the condition of non-oscillation, or nearly non-oscillation and steady state found in certain tropical situations, the result of continued evolution toward greater economy of energy and involving high information content and low production/biomass ratio. This type of stability is highly vulnerable to serious perturbation, to which it cannot adapt. Such systems may thus be called "fragile" and they are found in the tropics and perhaps in certain parts of high latitude systems, such as lakes, subarctic forests and perhaps the tundra vegetation itself. "Type-2 stability" is the condition of ability to absorb serious perturbation and return to a stable state, usually the status quo ante. This involves system oscillation, smaller information content, higher production/biomass ratios, and lesser economy of energy use. This type is found in mid and high latitudes, in which the physical environment itself oscillates considerably. 2) In tundra environments, extreme ecosystem simplicity in the animal communities leads to extreme oscillation, and it is suggested that such oscillations can be tolerated only if the geographic scale is large, which it is in the Arctic. 3) "Thermokarst", or damage to tundra terrain by damage to, or removal of, the active layer, is a serious hazard which is well understood and can be easily avoided. It is upon this that the "fragile Arctic" reputation is founded. 4) Oil in arctic sea water constitutes a serious hazard, probably more serious than in warmer waters.

29 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
01 Jan 1973-Arctic
TL;DR: In this article, the authors measured the optical properties of the Arctic Upper Water from T-3 in the Arctic Ocean, and found that it is optically uniform and very clear in early May before the snow cover on the ice has cleared.
Abstract: Optical properties of the Arctic Upper Water have been measured from Fletcher's Ice Island, T-3, in the Arctic Ocean. Beam transmittance for various wave-lengths and the upwelling and downwelling irradiance have been measured to a depth of 120 metres. In the spectral region of maximum transmittance, the beam transmittance was found to be 93.1% per metre and the diffuse attenuation coefficient for irradiance was 0.0444 per metre. The data show that the Arctic Upper Water, in early May before the snow cover on the ice has cleared, is optically uniform and very clear.

25 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
01 Jan 1973-Arctic
TL;DR: In this article, the authors examined temperature and precipitation records for Baffin Island on a seasonal basis for the last 40 to 50 years and found that the most recent fluctuation of summer temperatures is related to changes in the frequency of synoptic types in the area.
Abstract: Temperature and precipitation records for Baffin Island are examined on a seasonal basis for the last 40 to 50 years. Accumulation season temperatures (September to May) during the late 1960s were similar to those that prevailed 30 to 40 years ago. Ablation season temperatures (June, July, August) during the same period were cooler than for at least 30 years. Precipitation variations showed much less spatial coherence, but during the last 10 to 15 years there have been marked increases, mostly during winter months. These increases, accompanied by cooler summers and warmer winters, have led to increased glacierization of the area. The most recent fluctuation of summer temperatures is related to changes in the frequency of synoptic types in the area. Baffin Island is sensitive to small changes in climate that are only revealed by an analysis of temperature and precipitation on a seasonal basis.

24 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
01 Jan 1973-Arctic
TL;DR: In 1970, a local hunter reported that a polar bear (Ursus maritimus) had successfully killed three beluga (Delphinapterus leucas) during March near King Edward VII Point (76°08" N, 81°08' W) in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago.
Abstract: During May 1970, while conducting field work at Grise Fiord in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, a local hunter reported that a polar bear ( Ursus maritimus ) had successfully caught 3 beluga ( Delphinapterus leucas ) during March near King Edward VII Point (76°08' N, 81°08' W), the extreme southeast cape of Ellesmere Island, Northwest Territories. As none of the fifteen local hunters had ever witnessed such an event, and only one had ever heard of it before, I assumed bear predation on whales to be very rare, and consequently recorded whatever information I could obtain at the time. According to the hunter's narrative, movement of a partially grounded iceberg about 200 metres offshore had prevented freezing of a small area of water surrounding the berg. ... it seems probable that a small number of beluga had endeavoured to pass the winter in the open water alongside this berg. At some time in March a medium-sized female bear had caught and removed an adult female beluga together with another adult and a grey-coloured subadult beluga both of unspecified sex; the adult female beluga was dragged about 7 metres from the edge of the water, the other two a shorter distance only. ... Four days later on reaching the site of the whale kill, only the carcass of the grey beluga remained; apparently movement of the berg had broken up the ice and no trace of the other two carcasses could be found. The remaining carcass was attracting large numbers of glaucous gulls ( Larus hyperboreus ) and some ravens ( Corvus corax ) and earlier that day two male bears had been present. The smaller of the two bears had walked backwards dragging the beluga carcass tail-first in a zig-zag course a distance of about 150 metres from an earlier resting place on the ice. Inspection of the carcass indicated loss of all skin and fat, and most of the meat from head and trunk; fracture of the occipital bones had occurred, but it is not known if this damage was suffered before or after death. An eyewitness account of a polar bear killing beluga in Novaya Zemblya however, relates how the bear lies with outstretched paws on the ice and delivers a blow to the head when the whale surfaces within range. ... There appears no reason to doubt that the hunter reporting this event had, as he believed, discovered the beluga shortly after they were caught in March, nor that the tracks of the medium-sized female bear near the carcasses at that time were those of the predator. According to the description given, such a bear would weigh in the range of 130 to 180 kilograms, or about one-fifth the probable weight of each adult beluga it had successfully killed and removed from the water. The only other reports on bears killing beluga I can find in the literature appear contradictory. One asserts that, in the Baffin Bay region, at small openings in the ice where whales are sometimes trapped in winter, "a small flock of bears will congregate and kill a small whale, which they will then drag up on to the ice and eat". The other commentary, relating to the Eurasian arctic, suggests that attacks on beluga by single bears are quite frequent, and that when a bear discovers a pod of trapped whales it remains nearby and successively kills them (up to 13 are reliably reported). This present report of a multiple killing by a solitary bear, substantiated by direct inspection shortly after the event, establishes that there is no difference between Eurasian and North American polar bears in regard to this predatory behaviour.

22 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
01 Jan 1973-Arctic
TL;DR: In this paper, a series of flights was undertaken through the winters of 1970-71 and 1971-72 to assess the part played by ice export through the Canadian Arctic Archipelago in the heat budget of the Arctic Ocean, one of the factors that must be known is the length of time per year that the channels are sealed by fast ice.
Abstract: In order to assess the part played by ice export through the Canadian Arctic Archipelago in the heat budget of the Arctic Ocean, one of the factors that must be known is the length of time per year that the channels are sealed by fast ice. To establish this for Nares Strait, a series of flights was undertaken through the winters of 1970-71 and 1971-72. The resulting observations, combined with a search of historical records, suggest that the date of consolidation of ice in this channel tends to be late. A tentative calculation of annual export leads to the conclusion that the contribution of the Canadian channels may be greater than has been supposed.

21 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
01 Jan 1973-Arctic
TL;DR: It is concluded that a comparatively small increase in the DDE levels to which these birds are exposed would endanger the population.
Abstract: A preliminary survey of breeding peregrine falcons ( Falco peregrinus ) in West Greenland in 1972 indicated both a high nesting density (one pair per 100 square miles) and a high production rate (2.25 young per pair or 2.57 per pair with young). ... Peregrines in the eastern United States and southern Canada experienced an increasing incidence of reproductive failures throughout the 1950s and early 1960s, culminating in the disappearance of the breeding populations by 1964. Studies were therefore carried out in the Northwest Territories and Alaska in 1966 to determine the status of the northern birds. No apparent abnormalities were found, and the reproduction was considered to be normal. ... Thin eggshells have been a characteristic of all the declining populations. The degree of thinning is closely associated with levels of the DDT compound p,p'-DDE in the eggs .... We have therefore examined the eggshells and shell fragments obtained in Greenland in 1972 for evidence of shell thinning and have measured the chlorinated hydrocarbons in two unhatched eggs. During the 1972 Greenland peregrine survey, 1 unhatched egg was collected from each of 2 eyries. In addition, shell fragments of 7 hatched eggs from 4 different females were collected. The mean thickness of these 9 eggs from 6 females was 0.298 mm ±0.018 (95 per cent C.L.: range 0.26-0.33), 14 per cent lower than the mean thickness of 42 peregrine eggs from Greenland that were collected before 1940 (thickness = 0.347 mm ±0.018 ...). Shell thinning of unhatched and broken eggs obtained from Ungava in 1967 and 1970 was somewhat more severe; the mean thickness was 21 per cent less than that of 59 peregrine egg-shells collected in the eastern Arctic between 1900 and 1940. ... DDE concentrations, expressed on either a wet weight or a lipid weight basis are within the range of those measured in peregrine eggs from Alaska and northern Canada. Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) have not previously been determined in peregrine eggs from the Arctic. Levels in the Greenland eggs were comparable to those of DDE .... The composition of the PCB mixture was similar to that of commercial mixtures containing 60 per cent chlorine by weight, Profiles of PCB residues in these eggs are strikingly like those of fat biopsies from peregrines in Chile, a further example of the global nature of the contamination to which this species is exposed. Body burdens of organochlorine compounds in the West Greenland peregrines are not therefore sufficiently high to affect reproductive success; the pollution ecology of this population might be considered comparable to that of other arctic-breeding peregrines in the mid-sixties. These also had comparatively high organochlorine levels with no apparent effect on reproduction, but many eggs approached a critical level of shell thinning. Because of the close relationships found in other populations between DDE concentrations and the degree of shell thinning and associated reproductive failures, we conclude that a comparatively small increase in the DDE levels to which these birds are exposed would endanger the population.

Journal ArticleDOI
01 Jan 1973-Arctic
TL;DR: In this paper, environmental and floristic evidence is presented to show that after removal of the white spruce (Picea glauca ) and willow-alder ( Salix spp.- Alnus crispa ) canopies from exposed sites in the Mackenzie River Delta, Northwest Territories, environmental degradation is such that secondary succession of low-arctic tundra heath, moss and lichen species takes place.
Abstract: Environmental and floristic evidence is presented to show that after removal of the white spruce ( Picea glauca ) and willow-alder ( Salix spp.- Alnus crispa ) canopies from exposed sites in the Mackenzie River Delta, Northwest Territories, environmental degradation is such that secondary succession of low-arctic tundra heath, moss and lichen species takes place. The extreme exposure of cleared sites enables a hardy group of tundra plants to compete with the local flora and invade the previously forested location. Site degeneration is further evidenced by turf hummocks and a characteristic "hummock-type" active layer configuration that developed within only 20 years after clear-cutting.

Journal ArticleDOI
01 Jan 1973-Arctic
TL;DR: The Eskimo snow igloo is not a hemisphere as frequently depicted, but a catenoid of revolution with an optimum height-to-diameter ratio as discussed by the authors, which eliminates ring tension and shell moments and therefore prevents failure by caving or bulging.
Abstract: The Eskimo snow igloo is not a hemisphere as frequently depicted, but a catenoid of revolution with an optimum height-to-diameter ratio. This shape eliminates ring tension and shell moments and therefore prevents failure by caving or bulging. Rainbow Natural Bridge, Utah, is a catenary, probably because of weathering along the trajectory of maximum compressive stress.

Journal ArticleDOI
01 Jan 1973-Arctic
TL;DR: The Truelove flora is part of the High Arctic biogeographic element of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago as discussed by the authors, and contains a distinct element of species of more southerly distribution probably due to the moderating influence of the lowland environment.
Abstract: Ninety-three species of vascular plants are recorded from a 16 sq. mile coastal lowland on the northern coast of Devon Island, Northwest Territories. The following taxa are apparently new records for Devon Island: Cystopteris fragilis, Woodsia alpina, Equisetum variegatum, Poa alpigena, Carex amblyorhyncha, Draba oblongata, Saxifraga tenuis, Epilobium arcticum, Hippuris vulgaris, Pedicularis lanata, Puccinellia vaginata var. paradoxa. These additions bring the total known flora of Devon Island to 115 species. The Truelove flora is part of the High Arctic biogeographic element of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. However, a distinct element of species of more southerly distribution is present probably due to the moderating influence of the lowland environment.

Journal ArticleDOI
01 Jan 1973-Arctic
TL;DR: In this paper, four main genetic coastal types are proposed to classify the shoreline of northern Alaska bordering the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas, which extends for more than 2,150 km.
Abstract: Four main genetic coastal types are proposed to classify the shoreline of northern Alaska bordering the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas, which extends for more than 2,150 km. from Cape Thompson eastward to the Canadian border: Land erosion - coast marked by subaerial erosion of terrestrially shaped land forms and partly drowned by rise in sea level (8.9 per cent of coastline); River deposition - coast formed by fluvial deposition (19.9 per cent); Wave erosion - coast shaped primarily by marine agencies and expos to the open ocean, being marked by coastal retreat and negligible nearshore deposition (37.5 per cent); Marine deposition - similar to preceding except nearshore sediment deposition is pronounced (33.7 per cent). Four categories of coastal relief or sea cliff height associated with these coastal types are proposed: Low relief - less than about 2 m; Moderate relief - about 2-5 m; High relief - about 5-8 m; Very high relief - greater than about 8 m. About 1590 km or 74% of the coast has relief of 5 m or less whereas mean relief or scarp height for the entire coast is about 4 m. In general, mean scarp heights decrease to the east along the coastal plain.

Journal ArticleDOI
01 Jan 1973-Arctic
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors discuss the possible reasons for exclusion of sockeye, chinook and coho salmon from arctic Alaskan coastlines and Atlantic salmon from the arctic coastlines in northern Quebec.
Abstract: The long arctic coastlines between Alaskan salmon stocks and the Mackenzie River, and between Atlantic salmon of Ungava and Hudson Bay, are seen as major barriers to range extension as the rivers on these coastlines are not capable of being colonized. The potential of subarctic fresh water as spawning and nursery areas for anadromous salmon may be worth testing in the Hudson Bay and Mackenzie drainages. The possible reasons for exclusion of sockeye, chinook and coho salmon from arctic Alaskan coastlines and Atlantic salmon from arctic coastlines in northern Quebec are discussed. The arguments are based upon the North American situation but may have some bearing on the situation in northern U.S.S.R. The rapidity with which civilization is modifying northern waters is emphasized.

Journal ArticleDOI
01 Jan 1973-Arctic
TL;DR: The amount of animal matter in the stomach contents of tree sparrows collected at Churchill, Manitoba, increased from June until the middle of July but quickly dropped off in August, suggesting it is doubtful that gross energy of available foods limits the breeding density of tree Spizella arborea.
Abstract: The amount of animal matter in the stomach contents of tree sparrows ( Spizella arborea ) collected at Churchill, Manitoba, increased from June until the middle of July but quickly dropped off in August. Chief food items were seeds of 6 species of Carex ; seeds, flowers and fruits of Empetrum and Vaccinium ; adult Diptera and Araneida; and larvae of Coleoptera and Lepidoptera. From available foods tree sparrows selected several species of Carex and ignored others. Snails though abundant were not eaten, and several larval insect forms were selected out of proportion to their occurrence in availability samples. The gross caloric value of the average summer diet was 5211 cal./g. dry weight and the kcal./day or the equivalent of 5.06 and 6.33 g. dry wt. of diet items. On the basis of food supply it is doubtful that gross energy of available foods limits the breeding density of tree sparrows at Churchill.

Journal ArticleDOI
01 Jan 1973-Arctic
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors found that pollution levels doubled or tripled during periods of extreme cold inversions, while total suspended matter and carbon monoxide averaged exceeded ambient standards. But the results were limited to Fairbanks and the Chena River valley.
Abstract: Expanding population centred around Fairbanks has brought concern that air pollution in the area may become intolerable. The atmosphere of the lower Chena River Valley is extremely stable during much of the year. Temperature inversions are believed to be among the steepest in the world. Inversions at -35°C or below are characterized by a dense layer of "ice fog." This study found that pollution levels doubled or tripled during periods of extreme cold inversions. Some pollutants approached national urban averages, while total suspended matter and carbon monoxide averages exceeded ambient standards. Since air contaminants as well as ice fog increase with human habitation, the possibility of pollution reaching hazardous proportions in this subarctic community should be viewed with urgency.

Journal ArticleDOI
01 Jan 1973-Arctic
TL;DR: In this article, the satellite brightness measurements taken over selected areas are used for external calibration, and the calibrated data were used to study sea ice conditions in the North American Arctic, which correspond to the following: 1) compact or very close pack, snow covered, without snow but with little or no puddling.
Abstract: Although television pictures from Earth satellites have been used for over ten years to detect major sea ice features, direct photo-interpretation methods have been supplemented with a fully-automated technique employing Composite Minimum Brightness (CMB) charts. Lack of on-board calibration has prevented quantitative use of the CMB method. In a newly-developed procedure the satellite brightness measurements taken over selected areas are used for external calibration. The calibrated data were used to study sea ice conditions in the North American Arctic. Characteristic brightness levels were found corresponding to the following: 1) compact or very close pack, snow covered; 2) compact or very close pack, without snow but with little or no puddling; 3) very close to close pack with much puddling; 4) open pack, generally with much puddling and rotten ice; 5) very open pack or ice-free conditions.

Journal ArticleDOI
01 Jan 1973-Arctic
TL;DR: In this paper, a time-dependent, two-dimensional thermodynamic model of an open lead in central arctic sea ice is presented and the effects of various advective parameterizations and temperature and salinity profiles on the nature of ice formation are investigated as the lead refreezes.
Abstract: A time-dependent, two-dimensional thermodynamic model of an open lead in central arctic sea ice is presented. The effects of various advective parameterizations and temperature and salinity profiles on the nature of ice formation are investigated as the lead refreezes. Velocity and stratification under the lead appear to impose secondary but significant constraints on the rate of refreezing. This suggests the existence of regional variations in the heat loss per lead as a function of purely oceanographic factors.

Journal ArticleDOI
01 Jan 1973-Arctic
TL;DR: The first winter oceanographic temperature and salinity data from Baffin Bay were obtained using discrete samples from Knudsen bottles, equipped with deep-sea reversing thermometers, and an in situ recording salinity/temperature/depth unit (STD) as discussed by the authors.
Abstract: During February 1972, scientific personnel operating from the Louis S. St. Laurent obtained the first winter oceanographic temperature and salinity data from Baffin Bay. Six oceanographic stations were occupied: one in central Baffin Bay; a second in eastern Baffin Bay southeast of the first; and a cross-section of 4 stations in southern Davis Strait .... The temperature and salinity data were obtained using discrete samples from Knudsen bottles, equipped with deep-sea reversing thermometers, and an in situ recording salinity/temperature/depth unit (STD). Temperatures and salinities determined from the discrete water samples were used to calibrate the STD and correct it for drift, while the STD was used to detect fine structure in the vertical distributions of temperature and salinity. ... The temperatures presented ... were those obtained from the reversing thermometers. ... they are presented here in comparison with summer data from the same region .... While it is not possible to draw quantitative conclusions from the small amount of available information, it appears that the deep vertical distributions of temperature and salinity in central and southeastern Baffin Bay and Davis Strait may not undergo significant seasonal variation. Observed near-surface variations may be accounted for qualitatively by a combination of winter cooling, freezing and convective mixing and summer meltwater addition. The apparent constancy of flow through Davis Strait is of particular interest. It has been demonstrated that for sufficient heat to be present in the water column for prevention of ice formation in the open lead in northern Baffin Bay known as the North Water, northerly flow of warm water (>0°C) would have to be greater than observed during the summer months. That this does not appear to be the case strengthens the hypothesis... that the open water is due to a southward advection of ice by winds and currents rather than by heat from the water column preventing formation of the ice.

Journal ArticleDOI
01 Jan 1973-Arctic
TL;DR: The Wood River site of Tanquary Fiord as mentioned in this paper was the first site of the Independence I and II cultures to be found at the mouth of the Wood River in the UK.
Abstract: In July 1965, at the end of a long walk westward from Alert, I marked down an Eskimo site on the south side of the well-developed delta terrace at the mouth of the Wood River, 82°30' N, 63°07' W. In setting and lay-out it resembled sites of the Independence I and II cultures that we found at Tanquary Fiord in 1963 .... It was not until August 1972 that I was able to revisit the delta of the Wood River.... The Eskimo site is 11.5 m above sea level ... and lies 3 m from the edge of the delta terrace and about 60 m from the sea. The level terrace, composed mainly of shingle and gravel with scattered flat rocks and small boulders, ends above the foreshore in a steep bank, the material of which is more or less at angle of rest and lightly vegetated. The distinctive feature of the site is the central hearth, which measures 260 cm in length by 69 cm in breadth. It is oriented at right angles to the shore so that the entrance of the tent ring faces the sea, and it is formed in the usual way of flat slabs (in this case 3 in number) of fissile rock set on edge in the ground. Outside the central hearth only 4 rocks define the tent ring .... About 6 m to the north of this main structure there is a rough circle (1.5 m in diameter) of small boulders, and a similar feature 35 m to the south; the latter comprises 6 boulders with maximum dimensions of 35 cm set on the arc of a rough circle about 2 m in diameter. The site is protected to the south by a cliff in bedrock to a height of about 100 m. In the middle of the central hearth, with minimum disturbance of the floor, we made a small collection of charcoal and charred bones for radiocarbon dating. Radiocarbon analysis of the charcoal ... has yielded an age of 1070 ±270 yr BP .... The discovery of the Wood River site raises the question of how many others remain to be discovered on the north coast of Ellesmere Island. Very little is to be seen at the surface, and it is likely that similar sites in the Alert area to the east have escaped notice, although by now they may have been destroyed by the passage of vehicles. On the long coast of northern Ellesmere Island no other archaeological sites have been found but then few people have had the interest and opportunity at the right time of year to look for them. ... Two further comments are offered with diffidence, since I am not an archaeologist. First, the radiocarbon age of the charcoal, if it can be accepted as a maximum age for occupation of the site, belies what appeared to be a distinctive feature of the Independence culture, namely the central hearth. Can it be that this was a feature that persisted to the end of the Dorset period in certain areas? Secondly, on the question of the movement north of these Eskimos, they may all have crossed the plateau southwest of the Grant Ice Cap from the Lake Hazen area and then followed the valley of the Wood River to its mouth, thus by-passing the Robeson Channel coast. From excavations in 1958, Dr. M. S. Maxwell concluded that hunters from the south visited the Lake Hazen area during the period from about A.D. 1000 to 1450. However, sites of both Independence and Thule cultures have since been found at the head of Tanquary Fiord .... Thus, although Maxwell found no evidence that Eskimos had made the passage from Tanquary Fiord to Lake Hazen, it now seems certain that immigration came from that direction at some time, thus completely by-passing the Smith Sound route.


Journal ArticleDOI
01 Jan 1973-Arctic
TL;DR: In 1970 and 1971, 46 species of birds were seen on Southampton Island, most in the interior of the island where previous records were scarce as discussed by the authors, and a comparison with observations in 1932 suggests little change in the status of the avifauna over the past 40 years.
Abstract: During the summers of 1970 and 1971, 46 species were seen on Southampton Island, most in the interior of the island where previous records were scarce. A comparison with observations in 1932 suggests little change in the status of the avifauna of the island over the past 40 years.

Journal ArticleDOI
01 Jan 1973-Arctic
TL;DR: In this article, the authors report on their attempt to develop techniques for taking snow samples at high altitude in locations where work had to be done under adverse conditions, and with simple equipment.
Abstract: Recently there have been a number of attempts to determine the presence of pollutants in remote areas of the world. The snow of glaciers is a particularly interesting subject for such work, since it contains a record of past years as well as the present. ... Such pollutants are transported by the atmosphere, and it is especially interesting to know if they are present in precipitation that forms at high altitude. As part of the Ice Field Ranges Research Project (IRRP) of 1970, we undertook the study of another common pollutant, the pesticide DDT. Here we report on our attempt to develop techniques for taking snow samples at high altitude in locations where work had to be done under adverse conditions, and with simple equipment. Samples were taken at an elevation of 5,364 metres on Mount Logan, Yukon Territory, Canada. ... The work was performed at temperatures below -20°C, and often in high winds. At this elevation the effects of hypoxia are quite marked .... when unpacked in the field, quantities of an oily material were found on the [new SIPRE snow] auger. It was not practical to achieve a thorough cleaning under field conditions, but as much of the material as possible was removed by using Coleman Fuel - a highly refined non-leaded gasoline designed for camp stoves. Provision of suitable sample containers was an important aspect of the preparations. Two-gallon wide-mouth Nalgene jugs were used on the glacier. The mouth was large enough so that the snow core could slide into the jug directly from the auger without intermediate handling. As long as the samples remained frozen, they could be stored in plastic. However, since liquid water slowly leaches material from the jugs, the samples were transferred to glass jars as soon as they melted. ... A special effort was made in the precleaning of both jars and jugs because of the low levels of pesticide expected. ... Precautions were taken to avoid contamination during sample collection. The first few samples were discarded in the hope of removing any residual contamination from the auger. During the sampling process the auger was never touched by bare hands or gloves. The only surface which came into contact with the samples before their arrival at the laboratory were the auger and the precleaned jugs and jars. At the end of the work, one sample was deliberately mishandled as a control. It subsequently showed no contamination from either polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) or DDT. Nineteen samples were taken at depths of from 1 to 15 metres. The DDT analysis was carried out ... using a gas chromatographic technique .... DDT was not detected in any of the samples. In seven of the samples the lower limit of detectibility for DDT was 5 nanograms per liter. Due to interference, apparently from PCBs, 10 to 50 ng/l of DDT could have been present in the remaining samples and not have been detected by this method. It is suggestive that the samples showing no PCB contamination were the last ones taken. It is likely that the PCB contamination came from the oily material originally on the auger, and that the remnant of this was removed during the early part of the drilling. On the basis of these results it seems that sampling of glacial snow for trace organic pollutants is feasible, even when samples must be taken under unfavourable conditions with primitive techniques. It is of paramount importance to preclean every surface that will come into contact with the sample, both sampling tools, and sample containers. ...

Journal ArticleDOI
01 Jan 1973-Arctic
TL;DR: In this paper, the special problems of providing adequate water supply and waste disposal systems for arctic settlements are examined at the community of Frobisher Bay, Northwest Territories. And the two existing methods, a trucked and a piped system, are compared for adequacy, reliability and cost.
Abstract: The special problems of providing adequate water supply and waste disposal systems for arctic settlements are examined at the community of Frobisher Bay, Northwest Territories. The two existing methods, a trucked and a piped system, are compared for adequacy, reliability and cost. A series of alternative improvements to upgrade community services is proposed. It was concluded that any of the suggested alternatives up to the level of complete piped services are feasible from engineering and economic points of view.

Journal ArticleDOI
01 Jan 1973-Arctic
TL;DR: Fifty-two bird species were observed between 12 June and 4 July 1970 in the coastal plain near Nuvagapak Point, northeastern Alaska, and most birds were associated with some form of surface waters.
Abstract: Fifty-two bird species were observed between 12 June and 4 July 1970 in the coastal plain near Nuvagapak Point, northeastern Alaska. Habitat preferences were studied. Nesting was established or seemed probable in 25 species, and a further 5 may have been breeding. Among these were 2 species of Gaviiformes , 7 Anseriformes , 16 Charadriiformes , and 2 Passeriformes . Most birds were associated with some form of surface waters. Among the 8 predators, 6 were largely rodent hunters. Between mid June and early July, these species decreased markedly in abundance together with brown lemmings.

Journal ArticleDOI
01 Jan 1973-Arctic
TL;DR: It is apparent that there was much more bradycardia during the period of eating (reduced 20 per cent to 60 b/m), and this slow rate during eating was remarkably close to the sleeping heart rate.
Abstract: For several years two male polar bears have been studied by long-life implanted physiological radio capsules at the Naval Arctic Research Laboratory, at Point Barrow. One of the siblings has consistently been larger than the other. A regular measurement has been the resting heart rate; for this we used the lowest heart rate obtained during night-time sleep. Night-time sleep is used because different heart rate levels are obtained during day-time sleep and night-time sleep. The two bears, during the continuous light of the summer, sleep regularly from about 11 PM until 9:00 AM; occasionally short bouts of sleep occur around early afternoon. Sleeping heart rates have been obtained throughout the lifetime of these two individuals. For example, during the summer of 1971, the larger polar bear, Irish (310 kg), had mean resting heart rates of 54 ±2 SD b/m (N=12); in 1972 at 332 kg his rate was 48 ±5 SD b/m (N=12); the smaller bear in 1971, at 286 kg, had a lower sleeping heart rate (50 ±5 SD b/m). ... A technique for demonstrating bradycardia (rapid slowing of heartbeat) in marine mammals was developed by Irving and Scholander, namely instrumenting the animal and training it to place its head under water. We decided to try this technique with the larger of the polar bears (Irish). The bear was separated from its companion, deprived of food and water overnight, and then recorded during three routine situations: 1) during high activity time; 2) during the filling of the water tub (approximately 300 litres) and 3) during feeding time. Heart rates were taken by the stopwatch every 15 seconds. ... Head immersion and diving bradycardia were evident for periods lasting up to 2 minutes; during that time the animal appeared to be searching for food at the bottom of the tub. Although diving bradycardia was evident (rate reduced 10 per cent to 72 b/m), it is apparent that there was much more bradycardia during the period of eating (reduced 20 per cent to 60 b/m). This slow rate during eating was remarkably close to the sleeping heart rate. One might have expected the heart rate to go up during the excitement of feeding. Also, competition for the food was not entirely lacking; the companion polar bear in the adjoining cage was constantly reaching through the bars as it attempted to obtain some of the food. One might have expected this activity to increase the excitement. We have found no other reference to bradycardia during feeding.

Journal ArticleDOI
01 Jan 1973-Arctic
TL;DR: Bone fragments are common in the fine talus weathering off the outcrop as discussed by the authors, indicating a skeleton more than 5 feet long, most of one side of the rib case is exposed, and some limb structures seem preserved.
Abstract: Fragments of vertebrate fossils are found in beds of the Shublik Formation, which blanketed most of northern Alaska during Triassic time. Although articulated remains are uncommon, one partial skeleton was discovered in 1950 during exploration of Naval Petroleum Reserve No. 4. ... This note calls attention to the existence of the skeleton and reports on what has been observed of the vertebrate remains. Figs. 1 and 2 locate the site (68°37'15" N, 157°35' W) on Cutaway Creek (Howard Pass 1:250,000-scale quadrangle) in the geologically disturbed zone of the Brooks Range foothills. It is about 200 miles south of Point Barrow and 35 miles northwest of Howard Pass. Fig. 3 is a photograph of the actual bedding-plane exposure. Most of one side of the rib case is exposed, and some limb structures seem preserved. The exposed parts indicate a skeleton more than 5 feet long. Bone fragments are common in the fine talus weathering off the outcrop. Although no invertebrate fossils were seen on the surfaces of beds containing the skeleton, they are abundant in correlative beds; detailed examination of this or nearby exposures should yield pelecypods that will fix the biostratigraphic level of the vertebrate remains. Some features of the Late Triassic environment can be assessed. A sea of remarkably persistent character extended beyond the length of the present Brooks Range and probably more than twice the width of the present Arctic Slope. A shoreline existed near the present northeast coast of Alaska, but coarse detritus was not carried far southward. The bottom elsewhere was below wave base, and the sediment that settled onto it formed thin deposits, first of anaerobic chert, shale and limestone, then aerobic lithographic limestone. Pectens ... are abundant .... The thin chert beds surrounding the skeleton are correlative with beds elsewhere that contain Halabia of Karnian or early Norian age .... The skeleton is older than 200 million years as shown by K/Ar age determinations on minerals in diabase sills that intrude the Shublik Formation about 20 miles to the east .... Vertebrate fragments previously collected from the Shublik have been identified as follows: from this locality and from limestone near Hardway Creek (68°38'5" N, 156°51' W) about 20 miles to the east - vertebra of a possible ichthyosaur and teeth of a probable Mixasaurus ...; in limestone, chert, and shale on Kiligwa River (68°43'45" N, 158 °26' W) about 25 miles to the northwest - probable caudal vertebra of an ichthyosaur ...; and in limestone at the west end of the Sadlerochit Mountains (69°35'15" N, 145°55'5" W), northeastern Brooks Ranges - vertebral, costal, and jaw fragments of either the Shastasauridae or Ichthyosauridae ichthyosaur family .... Helicopters offer the only practical access to the site, for the nearest lake on which a float plane can land is more than 10 miles away. Transportation for preliminary inspection could probably be arranged with any geologic field party working within a hundred miles of the locality. Collection of the skeleton would require that an outfit be landed near the outcrop by ski plane in the spring and retrieved during the fall or winter. We cannot judge the quality or significance of the skeleton but feel that it should be examined by a vertebrate paleontologist as it could yield valuable information on life in the seas during Triassic time at a present arctic latitude.

Journal ArticleDOI
01 Jan 1973-Arctic
TL;DR: The lists given below are, of course, not complete in the sense that a native name is given for every species for which some one, Cree, Chipewyan or metis in the Lake Athabasca area knows such a name as discussed by the authors.
Abstract: ... The lists given below are, of course, not complete in the sense that a native name is given for every species for which some one, Cree, Chipewyan or metis in the Lake Athabasca area knows such a name. ... However, as the lists were collected by one with a special interest in birds and mammals (and this does not generally apply to the compilers of dictionaries), they do, in fact, contain more native names of species or species groups (generic names in the linguistic, not the zoological sense) than the dictionaries of the languages in question known to me. ... My informants for Cree names were Mr. Henry Powder, a long-time resident of Camsell Portage, Saskatchewan, originally from Lac la Biche, Alberta; Mr. Solomon Cardinal of Fort Chipewyan, Alberta, and Mrs. A. Anderson of Edmonton, originally from the nearby Calahoo Indian reserve, who has edited a Plains-Cree-English dictionary. The Chipewyan names were obtained in 1972 from Fr. F. Marcel, chief of the Chipewyan band at Fort Chipewyan. I have also drawn on a list I prepared in 1949 with the help of Mr. George Norm, an elderly Chipewyan or metis who lived at the mouth of the Little Buffalo River on Great Slave Lake, Northwest Territories. ...