The science enabled icebreaker CCGS Amundsen being loaded for its annual Arctic expedition at the Coast Guard Base in Quebec City. The ship leaves Quebec in July and returns again in October at the end of Arctic operations. Photo by Tereza Jarníková
From July 10 to August 20 I will be aboard the CCGS Amundsen working with a group of scientists to better understand how climate change in the Arctic is affecting important physical, biological and chemical processes and conditions in the marine environment. The main scientific objectives of this program are as follows:
develop novel water & circulation tracers to monitor future circulation changes in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago (CAA), an important flow path where the Pacific, Arctic and Atlantic Ocean waters are connected assess the effect of ocean acidification on metal speciation, bioavailability and toxicity to marine organisms document the effect of trace chemical elements on plant and animal growth & greenhouse gas emissions develop better models to predict changes in ocean circulation & productivity in the CAA, their consequences in the N. Atlantic, and globally