Phase 3 (2011-2014) |
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IRIS 3 Research (Hudson Bay) The Hudson Bay marine ecosystem encompasses Hudson Bay, Foxe Basin and Hudson Strait and, at 1 240 000 km2, is the largest inland sea in the world. It connects to the Arctic Ocean through Fury and Hecla Strait and to the Atlantic Ocean through Hudson Strait. The surrounding Hudson Bay Lowlands are low, permafrost-laden plain characterized by marshes, peat and ponds. The land surrounding the Bay is slowly rising due to isostatic rebound, slowly exposing more and more coast. Its relatively southern location supports the most southern Arctic marine ecosystem in the world. This leaves the Hudson Bay system highly susceptible to climate change. The Bay experiences complete annual sea ice cover in the winter, and becomes ice-free each summer. Ice cover starts in late October in the northern parts of the Bay, while the maximum ice coverage occurs in April. Several polynyas recur in the Bay predominantly along the north-west and east coasts. The Bay is fed by numerous large rivers on its western, southern and eastern shores. This freshwater influx strongly affects the general counter-clockwise coastal circulation. The Hudson Bay watershed covers over a third of the Canadian landmass, from southern Alberta to central Ontario to Baffin Island, as well as parts of North Dakota and Minnesota. The Bay is home to several species of fish, seals, whales, migratory birds, sea birds, as well as mammals such as the polar bear and caribou. The bioregion has been traditionally inhabited by Cree in the south, occupying parts of Manitoba, Ontario and Quebec, while Inuit have long inhabited the north, including the eastern shores of Hudson Bay, north Nunavik, and the Nunavut, including the island communities of Coral Harbour and Sanikiluaq. As part of their traditional subsistence hunting, Cree harvest waterfowl and terrestrial mammals like moose. Inuit traditional subsistence includes the harvesting of fish, seals, whales, while caribou are also important in some communities. The shores of Hudson Bay are shared by the provinces of Quebec, Ontario and Manitoba, and the territory of Nunavut. The islands within Hudson Bay are part of Nunavut, including the Belcher Islands in the south, while the waters of the Bay are under exclusive federal jurisdiction. Hydroelectric development is extent in the Hudson Bay watershed, and plays a significant role in the water flow and timing of several of the large rivers draining into the Bay. Other commercial activities in Hudson Bay include mining and shipping in summer via the Port of Churchill, the only deep water port of the Canadian Arctic.
Leader: David Barber Projects and Project Leader(s): Papakyriakou, Tim (University of Manitoba) Barber, David (University of Manitoba); Sydor, Kevin (Manitoba Hydro) Ferguson, Steven (University of Manitoba/Fisheries and Oceans Canada) Hik, David (University of Alberta); Furgal, Christopher (Trent University) Gratton, Yves (INRS-ETE) Barber, David (University of Manitoba) Ford, James (McGill University) Keeling, Arn (Memorial University of Newfoundland) Lasserre, Frédéric (Université Laval) |
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ASM2010 ArcticNet’s 7th Annual Scientific Meeting - ASM2010 - was successfully held from 14 to 17 December 2010 at the Westin Ottawa, in downtown Ottawa, Ontario. For a summary of the meeting . 
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