Cumberland Sound Research Articles

A Heinrich‐like event, H‐0 (DC‐0): Source(s) for detrital carbonate in the North Atlantic during the Younger Dryas Chronozone

In the North Atlantic we define H‐0 as a Heinrich‐like event which occurred during the Younger Dryas chron. On the SE Baffin shelf prior to 11 ka, surface water productivity was reasonably high, as measured by the numbers of diatom and planktic foraminifera per gram, but an abrupt increase in detrital carbonate (DC‐0 event) (from approximately 15% up to 50% carbonate by weight) occurred at 11 ± 14C ka and continued to circa 10 ka. These deposits, 2–6 m thick, are dominated by detrital calcite and silt‐ and clay‐sized sediments. During this event (DC‐0/H‐0), ice extended onto the inner shelf but did not reach the shelf break and probably originated from a center over Labrador‐Ungava. As a consequence, the pattern of ice‐rafted debris and sediment provenance shown by H‐O in the North Atlantic is different from that during H‐1 (14.5 ka) or H‐2 (20 ka) when the ice sheet extended along the axis of Hudson Strait and may have reached the shelf break; for example, there is no concrete evidence for DC‐O is cores on the floor of the Labrador Sea due east of Hudson Strait (HU75‐55,‐56), but H‐O has been noted in cores off Newfoundland and west of Ireland. A coeval carbonate event to DC‐0, but this one dominated by dolomite, occurs in HU82‐SU5 on the west side of Davis Strait with a source either from northern Baffin Bay or Cumberland Sound. Although other sources for North Atlantic detrital carbonate cannot be totally excluded, our evidence suggests that H‐0 represents the expression of glaciological instability of the Laurentide Ice Sheet within the general region of Hudson Strait and probably to the north (Cumberland Sound and northernmost Baffin Bay). There is one younger DC event, dated circa 8.4 ka, present in sediments along the Labrador margin and in Hudson Strait, which represents the final collapse of the ice sheet within Hudson Strait and Hudson Bay.

First North American Record of the Marine Leech Notostomum laeve (Annelida: Hirudinea)

The Arctic marine leech Notostomum laeve is reported for the first time from North America. A single, small specimen was collected in April 1990 on the external surface of 1 of 30 Greenland halibut Reinhardtius hippoglossoides from Cumberland Sound, Baffin Island, Northwest Territories, Canada. Total length of the specimen including suckers is 41 mm; maximum body width is 1.8 mm. The species is easily identified by the unusual suckers. The caudal sucker is divided into 2 lateral halves that appear to close somewhat like a clam shell; the oral sucker is very thick and muscular with a row of small, hard teeth-like papillae around the outer margin. On the basis of this report from northern Canada, N. laeve probably has a circumpolar distribution in the Arctic Ocean.

Size-at-age relationships as discriminators of white whale (Delphinapterus leucas) stocks in the eastern Canadian Arctic

White whales harvested by Inuit at Arviat on western Hudson Bay, Pangnirtung on Cumberland Sound and Grise Fiord on the north side of Jones Sound were sampled for analysis of size and age in 1984-87. The sampling sites are thought to represent western Hudson Bay, Southeast Baffin and High Arctic stocks of white whales, respectively.
 Males were longer than females at all locations. White whales from western Hudson Bay were significantly shorter as adults than white whales from the other two locations. Analysis of published data showed that eastern Hudson Bay white whales are also significantly smaller than Cumberland Sound whales. Differences in asymptotic length between whales from Cumberland Sound and Jones Sound, and between whales from eastern and western Hudson Bay, were not significant.

A survey of the parasites of Greenland halibut (Reinhardtius hippoglossoides) caught off Atlantic Canada, with notes on their zoogeography in this fish

A survey of the parasites of Greenland halibut (Reinhardtius hippoglossoides) caught in Canadian Atlantic waters extending from Cumberland Sound, Northwest Territories, to the Gulf of St. Lawrence and Saguenay Fjord was conducted during the period January 1990 to March 1991. From examination of 350 fish a total of 46 parasite taxa were identified (4 Myxosporea, 1 Monogenea, 19 Digenea, 6 Cestoda, 8 Nematoda, 5 Acanthocephala, 2 Crustacea, and 1 Hirudinoidea). Included among these are 15 taxa previously unreported from this fish (Genolinea laticauda Manter, 1925; Gonocerca phycidis Manter, 1925; Neophasis sp.; Podocotyle reflexa (Creplin, 1825); Prosorhynchus squamatus Odhner, 1905; Steringophorus sp.; Eubothrium parvum Nybelin, 1922; Proteocephalus sp.; Ascarophis arctica Polyansky, 1952; Ascarophis filiformis Polyansky, 1952; Spirurida gen. sp. larva; Corynosoma validum Van Cleave, 1953; Corynosoma wegeneri Heinze, 1934; Gnathia elongata (Krøyer, 1849); and Notostomum laeve Levinsen, 1882). New Canadian records include only Steringophorus sp. and N. laeve. The parasite fauna of Greenland halibut is characterized by a large number of ubiquitous species, including many larval forms that show little host specificity, and a smaller number of species typical of pleuronectiform fishes, two of which (Myxoproteus reinhardti (Wierzbicka, 1986) and Hatschekia reinhardtii Wierzbicka, 1989) are known only from this fish. A complete listing of all parasites reported from Greenland halibut is included as an appendix.

Franz Boas' research trip to Baffin Island 1882–1884

Abstract In the summer of 1883 Franz Boas travelled from Germany to Cumberland Sound, Baffin Island, aboard the sailing vessel Germania whose main objective was to evacuate the personnel of the German station of the First International Polar Year from Kingua Fiord. Boas planned to spend a year as a participatory observer, living and travelling with and studying the Inuit of this part of Baffin Island. This detailed study summarizes and evaluates Boas’ preparations, his fieldwork, and the subsequent period of data analysis and evaluation. The fieldwork may be divided into two phases: Over the winter of 1883–1884 Boas confined himself to Cumberland Sound and during this phase he was considerably dependent on the American and Scottish whalers wintering at Kekerten. During the second phase, in the spring and summer of 1884, Boas crossed the Cumberland Peninsula and visited numerous Inuit communities along the Davis Strait coast; during this period he was much more dependent on his own resources. Relying espec...

The German expedition of the first International Polar year to Cumberland Sound, Baffin Island, 1882–83

Abstract The year 1882–1883 saw the first international effort at coordinated, synchronized polar research. Through the coordinating efforts of the International Polar Commission, 11 countries (United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Austro‐Hungary, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, the Netherlands, and Russia) mounted a total of 14 expeditions, 12 locating themselves in the Northern Hemisphere and 2 in the Southern Hemisphere. For a full calendar year these expeditions carried out a prearranged schedule of synchronized scientific observations, the major foci being meteorology and earth magnetism. Germany dispatched two expeditions, one being to Clear‐water Fiord, Cumberland Sound, Baffin Island. It consisted of seven scientists and support staff of four. One of the members was a mathematician and physicist, H. Abbes. In this article he presents a detailed and lively account of the events of the expedition, not the least interesting aspects being his observations on the local Inuit and their inter...

Thermoluminescence properties of a deglacial marine sequence from Cumberland Sound, Arctic Canada: sedimentologic and geochronologic implications

Thermoluminescence (TL) analysis of glacial-marine and postglacial sediments in core 85027-029 from Cumberland Sound, Baffin Island shows that the TL signal can be used to differentiate glacial-marine sediments deposited extremely close (< 0.5 km) to an ice margin from other glacial-marine facies. Sediments deposited in very close proximity to an ice margin are not exposed to light during deposition and retain a high TL level inherited from bedrock. Overlying ice-proximal, ice-distal and postglacial sediments are exposed to sufficient light during transport to undergo a substantial reduction in TL level prior to deposition, these sediment types may be amenable for TL dating but only on time scales of 10 4 to 10 5 yrs.

Jim Netsiapik Kilabuk (1902-1985)

Jim Netsiapik Kilabuk was part of the dramatic whaling era, of the relatively tranquil fur-trading era that followed and of the first years of drastic change in the 1960s. Kilabuk served as assistant to, and mentor for, a series of Hudson's Bay Company managers. His many duties, and often those of his family, included interpreting and mediating when sealskins and fox furs were traded over the counter, using the brass Company tokens, and supervising the preparation of beluga and narwhal skins and oil after the communal whale hunts that continued until the early 1960s. At ship time he organized the off-loading of supplies and the loading of the year's produce, involving every man, woman and child available. ... The third era of change for the people of Cumberland Sound, and for all Inuit, is hard to label. It is characterized by urbanization, rapid communication and an ever-accelerating technical change common to much of the world. ... [Kilabuk excelled as a mediator between Inuit and non-Inuit factions, he taught white administrators his language and about the land. He was also instrumental in Pangnirtung becoming the first locality to adopt surnames among its Inuit population.] For most of his life, Kilabuk worked to bring about understanding and harmony between Inuit and Qallunaat in his home region. He was an able pilot through the ebb, flow and turbulence of culture change and is remembered by many with gratitude and affection.

Eenoolooapik (ca. 1820-1847)

... Eenoolooapik was born around 1820 at Qimisuk, on the west coast of Cumberland Sound. While still young, he travelled with his family on an unusual voyage by umiak, skirting the coastline of Cumberland Sound until they reached Cape Enderby on Davis Strait. The boy closely observed the outline of the coast as they rowed slowly past. At Cape Enderby, they met a group of whalers and decided to continue their voyage to Cape Searle, a location frequented by the whalers, where they settled. Contact with these strangers fired Eenoolooapik's curiosity about their land, and a desire grew in him to visit their homeland. ... At about this same time, unpredictable catches in Davis Strait and worsening ice conditions had the fishery concerned. At least one widely publicized article appeared in Britain suggesting that only diversification into trade and the establishment of permanent whaling stations could save the fishery. In 1833, William Penny, mate on the Traveller, was sent to investigate Inuit reports of a large bay full of whales to the south of Exeter Bay. Penny's trip failed, but he tried again in 1839 when he discovered that Eenoolooapik was a native of Tenudiackbeek and could map its entire coastline. Here, the desires of both Penny and Eenoolooapik merged. Penny wanted to take the Inuk to Britain because he felt Eenoolooapik's information could convince the Navy to sponsor an expedition to Tenudiackbeek, and perhaps keep the fishery alive. ... Despite an excellent map Eenoolooapik prepared of Tenudiackbeek, the Navy was unwilling to back an expedition. Without government support, Penny was forced to catch whales first, and only then, if time permitted, to explore. As well, Penny's plans to educate Eenoolooapik in boat building and other skills came to naught because of the Inuk's poor health. Although Eenoolooapik had made many friends in Aberdeen, he eventually grew homesick, sailing for the Arctic on April 1, 1840. ... Back home, he resumed a normal life and does not appear to have tried to impress people unduly with his tales or possessions. He married Amitak shortly after leaving Penny, and by 1844, when Penny once again returned to Cumberland Sound, Eenoolooapik had a son called Angalook. Three years later, in the summer of 1847, Eenoolooapik died of consumption, and after his death his name - according to custom - was given to a newborn nephew. ... Every year after Eenoolooapik's return, whalers visited Cumberland Sound. In 1851-1852 Sidney Buddington led the first intentional wintering by a whaling crew, and two years later Penny conducted the first wintering with a ship.

William Duval (1858-1931)

... At the age of 21, William Duval shipped aboard a whaler for the Arctic; he arrived in Cumberland Sound in the summer of 1879 and remained there for the next four years. He was usually employed as second helmsman aboard the Lizzie P. Simmonds, a whaler owned by an American firm, Williams and Company. In 1883 he returned to the United States for a year. His activities over the next 20 years are little known. ... In the Arctic, Duval lived a life not unlike that of the Inuit whom he came to know so intimately. He learned to speak their language fluently, and they gave him an Inuktitut name - Sivutiksaq, the harpooner. He married a native woman, Aullaqiaq. They had at least four children. ... In 1903 Duval and his family, with other Cumberland Sound Inuit, accompanied the Scottish whaler James Mutch to Pond Inlet to establish the first shore station there for Robert Kinnes's Dundee-based whaling and trading firm. Duval remained in northern Baffin Island until 1907, when he returned to the United States for a winter. The following year he went out again and for the next eight years ran a post for Kinnes at Durban Harbour on the Baffin coast of Davis Strait. In 1916 he joined Henry Toke Munn's Arctic Gold Exploration Syndicate, despite its name a fur-trading company; he and his family accompanied Munn to Southampton Island, where they traded for two years. Duval returned to Cumberland Sound in 1918 and established a post for Munn at Usualuk, the American Harbour of the whalers. He remained there until 1922; in that year he returned to the United States again and spent the winter with relatives in New Jersey. The following year the Canadian government employed Duval as interpreter for the trial at Pond Inlet of the Inuit charged with the murder of the trader Robert Janes, the first trial in the High Arctic. In interpreting the words of the judge and the verdict of the jury against the three Inuit accused, Duval, a man who had long straddled two immensely different cultures, felt an empathy for the Inuit who could not possibly, he thought, understand the implications of the proceedings of which they were a part. ... Munn sold his syndicate to the Hudson's Bay Company, which now had a monopoly on trade in the sound. As a condition of its agreement with Munn, the Company gave employment to Duval as manager of the outpost it opened at Usualuk. ... In the latter half of the 1920s, Pangnirtung served as a base for official government scientific activity in southern Baffin Island. Geologists, naturalists, and map-makers explored Cumberland Sound and beyond. Some of them met the old man of Usualuk, whom they rightly recognized as a living store of knowledge on the Inuit and their land. ...

Geographical Aspects of the First International Polar Year, 1882–1883

marks the centennial of a milestone event in the history of scientific research in the polar regions, the First International Polar Year. A total of 14 stations was established in the polar regions by 12 different nations, along with a number of subsidiary stations. Focusing primarily on meteorology, geomagnetism, and auroral studies, scientists at these stations car- ried out a standardized, synchronized program of observations for a full calendar year. In terms of the geographical spinoff from the project, several of the expeditions made notable contri- butions in the area of exploration and mapping, particularly the American expedition to Elles- mere Island and the French expedition to Cab0 de Hornos (Cape Horn). The meteorological program naturally produced a wealth of raw data, which are now of great value as a basis for comparisons. Although geomorphology was not part of the official program, several of the scientists made very useful observations, particularly in the area of periglacial forms and pro- cesses. Concerning the marine environment the Dutch expedition, whose ship was adrift in the ice of the Kara Sea for the entire year, contributed very valuable observations on the nature and behavior of sea ice. Its oceanographic contribution was also extremely significant, as was that of the French expedition to Cab0 de Hornos. Scientists from several of the expeditions also made extensive and valuable pioneer observations of the indigenous peoples in their re- spective areas. Worthy of particular mention here are studies of the Eskimo of the North Slope by the American expedition to Point Barrow, of the Inuit of Cumberland Sound by a scientist with the German expedition to Baffin Island, and of the Yahgan Indians of Tierra del Fuego by the French expedition to Cab0 de Hornos.

Franz Boas (1858-1942)

A desire to delve into simple relationships between man and land among the Baffin Island Inuit was the ambitious goal of a 25-year-old German scientist who left Hamburg aboard the Germania on 20 June 1883. The schooner was bound for Kingua Fjord in Cumberland Sound, where the young German would stay for a year, the Germania herself returning home with the German scientific team of the First International Polar Year 1882/83. That voyage - one hundred years ago - marked the beginning of intensive and innovative field work on Inuit geographical perception, social and economic organization, and religious beliefs. In retrospect, this research was also the pivot of an extraordinary scientific career of an influential and farsighted man who shaped modern anthropology in North America - Franz Boas. All his life Boas encouraged rigorous scientific work and international cooperation; moreover, as a conscientious citizen and scientist, he energetically fought cultural and racial prejudices, the implications of which he was keenly aware, having been exposed to them as a Jew in his homeland of Germany. His arctic endeavours, although only a small part of his scientific work, not only advanced the discipline of anthropology in general, but contributed immensely to our knowledge of man-land relations and Inuit culture in the Canadian North. ... His curiosity about the Inuit and their arctic environment grew out of the question of how environmental influences on human behaviour affect spatial distribution. ... Covering nearly 4000 km on foot, by sled, and by boat, Boas showed no signs of physical fatigue, always pushing himself to the very limit. He vigorously pursued his scientific goals but never neglected to ask for local advice and to adjust to unforeseen circumstances, such as when canine disease left him without dogs for long stretches. With simple instruments he charted the configurations of Cumberland Sound and the east coast of Baffin Island, producing a map that served as a reference into the twentieth century. His relationship with the Inuit was based on mutual respect and appreciation, evident in his sole use of native place-names and in his criticism of explorers and whalers, who arrogantly and whimsically assigned European names, thus creating never-ending confusion. His dedication to the people and their culture was dictated not by a romantic perception of the native, but rather by the urgent feeling that as much as possible of the cultural tradition of the Inuit must be preserved, an approach he followed in his later work among the Northwest Coast Indians and instilled in his students. The enormous body of information on Inuit culture, so valuable to today's Inuit, found its way into two major English publication that still retain their immediacy and are accepted source books. ...

Glacial and Sea-Level History of Southwestern Cumberland Peninsula, Baffin Island, N.W.T., Canada

Southwestern Cumberland Peninsula has been glacierized at various times by eastward flowing Laurentide ice, by an expanded Penny Ice Cap, and by fiord and valley glaciers fed from cirques. Two major weathering zones (A and B) and a fivefold subdivision of the younger zone (A) are recognized. The zone boundaries are marked by end and lateral moraines, some of which are related to raised marine deltas. Radiocarbon dates and amino acid age estimates on fossils from these deltas and correlations with the stratigraphic record of northern Cumberland Peninsula allow establishment of a tentative absolute chronology. The oldest terrain is that glaciated before the last interglaciation. The last glaciation is subdivided locally into the Duval, Outer Usualuk and Ranger stades, named for the end and lateral moraines which mark their maximum extents. During the Duval Stade (ca. 100,000 to 60,000 yr BP), Laurentide ice filled the inner one-third of Cumberland Sound and ice from local sources filled Pangnirtung and Kingnait fiords. Relative sea level was 100 m above present at the ice mar

Bernhard Hantzsch: the probable cause of his death in Baffin Island in 1911

Bernhard Hantzsch was a German zoologist and explorer, born in 1875, whose first work in Canada was in northernmost Labrador in 1906. He returned to the north in 1909 with the object of exploring the then unknown Foxe Basin coast of Baffin Island. His plan was to set off from Cumberland Sound and travel with Eskimos across Baffin Island by way of Nettilling Lake and the Koukdjuak River, follow the coast north and west to Fury and Hecla Strait, and then make his way to Pond Inlet. Unfortunately, the ship that was taking him to Kerketen sank in Cumberland Sound; although all aboard made their way safely to Blacklead Island, most of his supplies were lost. Nevertheless he set off, ill-equipped, in the spring of 1910 with a group of Eskimos. By the end of the year he had established winter quarters at the mouth of what is now 245 Sylvan called the Hantzsch River, with two families, Aggakdjuk, his wife Arnga and their children, and Ittusakdjuak and his wife Sirkinirk.

Pre-Dorset and Dorset Artifacts: The View from Lake Harbour

Throughout the geographic and temporal range of dorset there is little yet documented to indicate major cultural changes. The Pre-Dorset part of the Paleoeskimo continuum is better known by its lithic artifacts, and to date too few sites have produced non-lithic ones to afford a clear picture of technological development. On the other hand, there is enough available information on the two periods to indicate that some non-lithic artifacts reflect a regularity in the shifting styles of discrete attributes over those thirty-five hundred years involved. Such minor style shifts do not readily appear functional in the sense of producing a more efficiently adaptive weapon, and some seem to entail more manufacturing energy coupled to greater risk of breakage without apparent gain in efficiency. Regardless of the reasons for these changes in style, they appear to occur simultaneously over relatively broad areas and appear to indicate an intensity of information exchange and cultural conformity within such areas. This is most notable within what has been called the core area (see Introduction): a region including North Baffin and Bylot Islands, the Fury and Hecla Straits, Southampton, Coats, and Mansel Islands, both shores of Hudson Strait, and southern Baffin Island at least as far north as Cumberland Sound. As McGhee (this volume) has suggested, there are periods in which this stylistic homogeneity extended into the High Arctic, and different periods in which the Central Arctic as far west as Victoria Island (but not the High Arctic) participated in many of these discrete style shifts.

Identity, Abundance, and Present Status of Populations of White Whales, Delphinapterus leucas, in North America

White whales, Delphinapterus leucas, in the North American arctic number at least 30,000 animals. Largest herds identified are about 10,000 animals in western Hudson Bay, at least as many in Lancaster Sound, and at least 5000 summering in the Beaufort Sea. Hunting in the Canadian arctic has decreased in the last decade from 1000 or more to about 500 annually and is clearly well below sustainable yields except in one locality, Cumberland Sound, where the local population of white whales has never recovered from historic depletion. The species is most vulnerable when concentrated in river estuaries in summer, probably for reproduction. The species’ range has shrunk in the St. Lawrence estuary, a change that can be associated with hydroelectric developments in the last decade. The effects of oil exploration, drilling, and island building in shallow water in the Mackenzie Delta are under study, and developments in oil and gas could have an influence on other populations in the Canadian arctic. Tourism related to this species is increasing, without undue disturbance to date.

Distribution, movements, and mortality of anadromous arctic char, Salvelinus alpinus L., in the Cumberland Sound area of Baffin Island

During 1972 the downstream movement of anadromous artic char, Salvelinus alpinus L., from two rivers flowing into Cumberland Sound, Baffin Island, began during the middle of May and was completed within 2 weeks. This movement took place during both the day and night. Upon reaching saltwater, many char older than 9 years (longer than 20 cm) began to migrate along the shore of the Sound at a rate of 0–6–0‐9 km/day with the result that the average maximum distance travelled from the natal river was 40–50 km. Char 6–9 years old, 10–20 cm in length, remained much closer to the rivers while those younger than 5 years never entered saltwater. During the period of saltwater residence, the fish frequently moved into the intertidal zone and freshwater. Maturing fish of both sexes were occasionally found in saltwater. The upstream migration to the lakes began during the second week of August and was completed within 5–6 weeks. Females tended to ascend the rivers before males, although fish of all different size and age migrated upstream simultaneously. Migration occurred during both the day and night. The maximum distance anadromous char moved from saltwater was 40 km. The char were found only in freshwater between May and September and were normally located near the bottom of lakes at a depth of 15–40 m. During this period, large scale movements were probably very limited. Average annual mortality was estimated at 16.0% per year with the highest rates (25–30%) occurring at ages 10 and 15–17 years. Many fish probably died of old age but physical deterioration during and after spawning was also an important cause of death.

University of Colorado 1974 Field Season in Eastern Baffin Island

The summer of 1974 saw one of the largest research parties the University of Colorado has been able to mount operating along the eastern coast of Baffin Island. The early and widespread break-up of sea ice greatly assisted in the completion of the field programme in which a total of sixteen persons were involved. In addition to members of the University staff, the following individuals from other institutions also participated. In the programme: a member of the Department of Micropalaeontology of the University of Aarhus, Denmark; a soil scientist from the University of Pennsylvania, U.S.A.; a Quaternary geologist from Brock University, Ontario, Canada; and a Quaternary geologist from Grand Valley State College, Michigan, U.S.A. ... Raised marine sediments and tills were investigated on Broughton Island and northwards along the coast to Quajon Fiord. Specific attention was focused on collecting samples for micro-faunal analysis and delimiting different marine episodes. In addition, a number of sites were revisited on Broughton Island and northwards along the coast to Kivitoo and Quajon Fiord. Large (1000-g and over) samples of marine shells were collected from sites previously given dates of over 30,000 years BP. ... One field party mapped the southern part of the Baffin Island National Park, giving particular attention to (a) the delimitation of glacial periods on the basis of surface weathering of boulders, and (b) determining the elevation of local marine limits and lower strandlines. The latter research was concentrated on the mapping of the southern shore of Cumberland Peninsula, from outer Kingnait Fiord westward to the head of Cumberland Sound. ... Soil scientists established a soil chronosequence, and investigated the range of soil types existing within the southern part of Cumberland Peninsula. They sent samples south from laboratory analysis. Plant collection: Specimens of vascular plants, mosses and lichens were collected from Broughton Island and from the head of Maktak Fiord, and sent to the University of Colorado Museum. By December 1974, a total of 86 vascular plants had been identified. Climatological studies in relation to fast ice: Work done during the summer of 1974 concludes the field-measurement phase of the University of Colorado's study of the surface energy budgets of fast ice at Broughton Island. A micrometeorological station was operated at a site approximately one kilometre south of Broughton settlement, from late May until local break-up in early July. The programme of observation consisted of the periodic taking of profiles of wind, temperature and relative humidity; the continuous measurement of temperature at two metres, and net radiation over both saturated and unsaturated surfaces; and transects of surface short-wave albedo. Salinity and temperature profiles in the ice and water were taken every 304 days. Comparative analysis of the data for 1972-74 is now in progress in relation to the observed ice regime. The 1974 data should provide better estimates of the turbulent flux components of the energy budget than it was possible to make in previous summers. Meteorological observations were continued near the base of the Broughton Island operations through mid-August. Results are now available of four summers and two winters of standard meteorological observations, and global solar and net radiation measurements as well. The Atmospheric Environment Service Cooperative Observer station, with its twice-daily measurements of maximum and minimum temperatures and of precipitation, is now into its fourth calendar year of operation. The summer of 1974 was unusually mild. The mean ablation seasonal temperature was 3.9°C at the Broughton DEW line weather station. In contrast, 1972 was the coldest (-1.2 C°). The early part of June 1974 was dominated by anticyclonic synoptic weather patterns which greatly accelerated the fast ice ablation rate to give the earliest break-up in five years. Satellite-observed conce ntrations of pack ice in Davis Strait in late May were less than at the same time in 1973. With the resurvey of the Boas Glacier (67 35 N, 65 16 W) in August 1974, the mass balance measurements were extended to five balance years. Accurate measurements were not possible, because most ablation poles melted out during the warm summer of 1974. However, it is estimated that the net specific balance for the 1973-74 budget year was approximately -0.5 m water equivalent (w.e.). ... Analysis of the past five budget years shows that (a) the Boas Glacier exhibited a two-year alternation of large mass gains and losses during the first four years, and (b) the estimated net specific mass balance for the five-year period was -0.16 m w.e., in spite of the total net mass gains of 0.38 m w.e. during the first four years. ...

Food of Shorthorn Sculpin, Myoxocephalus scorpius, in the Cumberland Sound Area of Baffin Island

One hundred shorthorn sculpins, Myoxocephalus scorpius, over 15 cm in length captured from June to October, 1972, in Cumberland Sound, Baffin Island, fed almost exclusively (90% by both numbers and dry weight) on the planktonic amphipods Pseudalibrotus glacialis and Parathemisto libellula. In contrast, 140 fish captured about the same times from nearby Pangnirtung Fjord fed heavily on the benthic gastropods Littorina saxatilis and Margarites umbilicalis (each 34% by numbers and 22% by weight) and the bivalve Modiolaria discors (16% by both). Drifting ice on Cumberland Sound probably reduced the level of illumination making the detection of benthic prey difficult and causing the sculpins in this area to feed entirely on the better illuminated, brightly colored plankton. At both localities, the most abundant species in the plankton and the epifauna were also the most frequently encountered in gut contents. On the other hand, coelenterates, planktonic gastropods, copepods, and infauna, all of which were abundant in the environment, were rarely eaten.

Food and growth of arctic char, Salvelinus alpinus (L.), in the Cumberland Sound area of Baffin Island

Arctic char, Salvelinus alpinus (L.), captured during the summer, 1972, in Cumberland Sound, Baffin Island, fed mainly on planktonic amphipods (Parathemisto libellula, Pseudalibrotus glacialis), copepods (Calanus hyperboreus), and fish (Boreogadus saida, Myoxocephalus sp.), but failed to utilize coelenterates, planktonic gastropods, and epi‐ and infauna. The considerable variation in the species composition of the diet of char of different lengths was due primarily to size selection. The average length of all individuals in stomach contents and of representatives of most food species increased with the length of fish. The minimum and maximum length of frequently ingested organisms increased four and 90 times, respectively, as char increased from 4 to 85 cm. Char less than 10 cm in length captured in rivers tributary to the Sound fed mainly on larval Chironomidae (Eukiefferiella bavaria) during the summer, whereas those longer than 10 cm fed predominantly on other char. During the winter the stomachs of the smaller individuals were always empty while the diet of the large char was restricted to other fish. Most species available to the char were consumed in proportion to their relative abundance in the rivers. The dry weight of stomach contents, when expressed on a unit weight basis, decreased with the wet weight of char in both fresh and salt water. Thus, fish 10 g in weight contained approximately 1.5 times more food in their stomachs than those weighing 1000 g. The stomach contents of char captured in salt water weighed approximately 11 times more than those of char of comparable size captured simultaneously in fresh water. The fish fed at random intervals during the day and ceased feeding at night. Arctic char, at all sampling areas, had reached a length of approximately 9.6 cm after four years. Upon migrating to salt water, their growth rate increased sharply with the result that after eight years they were 26.5 cm in length, reflecting food availability. The growth rate gradually decreased in fish older than nine years so that 20 year olds were approximately 70.0 cm in length.