The Biological Importance of Polynyas in the Canadian Arctic

Abstract

ABSTRACT. Polynyas are areas of open water surrounded by ice. In the C a n a e h Arctic, the largest and best known polynya is the North Water. There are also several similar, but smaller, recurring polynyas and shore lead systems. Polynyas appear tobe of critical importance to arctic marine birds and mammals for feeding, reproduction'itnd migration. Despite their obvious biological importance, most polynya areas. are threatened by extensive disturbance and possible pollution as a result of propesed offshore petrochemical exploration and year-round shipping with ice-brewg

Phytoplankton production in the North Water Polynya: size-fractions and carbon fluxes, April to July 1998

“…The North Water Polynya (NOW, north of Baffin Bay between Ellesmere Island and Greenland) is one of the most productive areas in the Arctic (Stirling 1980, Klein et al 2002, Tremblay et al 2002b). The timing of photosynthetic fixation of organic carbon relative to such physical processes as the opening and closing of the ice cover and water column mixing determines the role of Arctic polynyas as carbon sinks or sources.…”

The Significance of the North Water Polynya to Arctic Top Predators

“…This movement was facilitated by the predictable occurrence of important marine resources like walruses, seals, and sea birds. Even today, large catches of marine mammals and sea birds are made in the Thule area (Table 4), and although other activities contribute to the economy, maritime hunting is considered essential to modern subsistence life in Northwest Greenland (Born 1987 (Stirling 1980), and certainly compared to those in neighboring areas like Baffin Bay and Kane Basin to the south or north of the polynya. The concentration of top predators is supported by an exceptionally high level of primary production (up to 5.3 gCm -2 d -1 ), which rivals that reported for temperate and sub-arctic areas like the Bering Sea, the Dutch Wadden Sea, the Gulf of St. Lawrence, or Cheasapeake Bay .…”

“…This production and southward transportation of sea ice also brings water and nutrients from the deeper layers to the surface that help create a highly productive food web sustaining a large Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s13280-012-0357-3) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users. number' of marine mammals and sea birds (Stirling 1980;Dunbar 1981) The maritime Inuit subsistence hunting culture in Northwest Greenland is dependent on access to marine resources in the North Water (Born 1987), but the sustainability of recent levels of exploitation of some of those resources, especially walruses (Odobenus rosmarus) and narwhals (Monodon monoceros), has been questioned (NAMMCO 2010;Nielsen 2009). At the same time, the sea ice coverage in the North Water has declined in the 2000s compared to earlier decades (see ''Results'' section).…”

Revisiting an Early Thule Inuit occupation of Skraeling Island, Canadian High Arctic

“…Skraeling Island is a small island with many raised gravel-beach ridges. The island is on the western border of the North Water Polynya (Barber and Massom 2007), just south of the Flagler Bay polynyas (Schledermann 1980;Stirling 1980), and near several secondary, less stable, polynya concentrations. The close proximity to these ice-free waters would have made Skraeling Island an attractive location to Arctic peoples, as important marine resources were readily accessible year-round.…”

“…The close proximity to these ice-free waters would have made Skraeling Island an attractive location to Arctic peoples, as important marine resources were readily accessible year-round. Large populations of beluga (Delphinapterus leucas), narwhal (Monodon monoceros), bowhead whale (Balaena mysticetus), and walrus (Odobenus rosmarus) are found during the summer months (Stirling 1980), and smaller frequencies of these animals can be found in the North Water Polynya during the winter. Polar bears (Ursus maritimus) are present yearround and abundant along the edge of the polynyas throughout the winter (ibid.).…”