The seasonal asymmetry in coastal temperatures on Hudson Bay was explored and evaluated as a proxy to hindcast sea ice conditions prior to 1972. Various indices of air temperature difference (∆T) between Churchill, MB and Inukjuak, QC were tested for linear correlations with spatially averaged sea ice concentration (SIC) and ice-free season length (IFS). A multiple regression equation employing a 31-day average of peak ∆T and a 61-day average of temperature during freeze-up reproduced the IFS record with an average error of 8.1 days. This equation was employed to extend the IFS record by 28 years. The resulting 68-year time series revealed a significant increasing trend most pronounced from 1985 to 2011. Hindcast data helped eliminate low-frequency climate oscillations of periodicity <68 years as a source of this trend, lending further evidence to the growing consensus of a declining sea ice being the result of anthropogenic climate forcing.

No description available.

No description available.

<p> Chesterfield Inlet drains an area of 290,000 km^2, between Great Slave Lake and northern Hudson Bay, of predominantly continuous permafrost terrain. The 220-kilometre-long inlet may be used as an important navigation link to Baker Lake and potential pipeline sites. The inlet forms a complex network and is characterized by strong tidal forcing.</p> <p> A one-dimensional numerical model, using a weighted, implicit, finite difference scheme, was modified for application to the network. Sparse matrix techniques were incorporated into the model to speed Gaussian Elimination in the solution of the equations.</p> <p> Tidal constituents, derived from admittance calculations, were used to predict water levels at eight tide gauge locations. Tidal predictions at Sandpiper Island were used as the downstream boundary condition for the numerical model, while tidal predictions at the other gauge locations were used in the model calibration.</p> <p> The observed and model-computed water levels are in good agreement over the lower half of the inlet. Appreciable differences between the observed and computed values were encountered in the upper reaches. Although some of these discrepancies are attributable to errors in the upstream boundary condition and schematization of the model, there is evidence to suggest that time and range errors may exist in some of the recorded tidal data.</p> <p> The variation in the phase and amplitude of the tide throughout the inlet is determined through an examination of the tidal constituents and the model results. Power spectra of the observed and model-predicted water levels reveal that nonlinear interactions of the major tidal constituents take place in the upper portion of the inlet.</p> / Thesis / Master of Engineering (MEngr)

No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

This thesis explores the history of Mounted Police and Cree relations on two Saskatchewan Reserves: Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation in the north-east of the province, and Poundmaker Cree Nation in the central south-western portion of Saskatchewan.<p> Sources include oral interviews of elders from each reserve as well as a wide variety of primary and secondary sources, including the Royal Canadian Mounted Police records.<p> One of the main goals of this thesis is to present a Cree perspective on contact and interaction with the Mounted Police. Although police policies were supposedly the same towards all Indians, specific elements of the Mounted Police dealings were altered according to a variety of external influences. For example, different environmental features from one region to the other prohibited the adoption of agriculture in the north. Diverse patterns of Euro-Canadian settlement, concentrated in the north but widespread in the south, also influenced relations. In addition, differences in the two Cree groups forced the Mounted Police to realize that not all Indians were the same.<p> This thesis supplies a brief history of the two Cree groups to provide insight on the existing methods of Cree law enforcement long-established prior to the arrival of the Mounted Police, and the complexities encountered in adapting to the laws of the Canadian government. Consideration is given to the difficulties in creating a law enforcement group to police the newly acquired North West Territories, as well as the initial phases of Cree and police contact for each region.<p> Each region experienced its own history, which contributed to the relationship between the Cree and the Mounted Police. For example, in the Battleford region the 1885 Rebellion played a key role in denigrating the image of the Poundmaker Cree, whereas the Peter Ballantyne Cree experienced no such event which created such a negative image. Poverty, starvation, and disease among both Cree groups were unfortunate elements which resulted from police enforcement of certain detrimental government policies. All the same, the Cree perceived the police as "protectors", yet were fully aware that they were also forced to carry out the orders of the Canadian government. It is this delicate balance between duty and humanity that had the greatest impact on relations between the Cree and the Mounted Police in Saskatchewan.

This thesis explores the history of Mounted Police and Cree relations on two Saskatchewan Reserves: Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation in the north-east of the province, and Poundmaker Cree Nation in the central south-western portion of Saskatchewan.<p> Sources include oral interviews of elders from each reserve as well as a wide variety of primary and secondary sources, including the Royal Canadian Mounted Police records.<p> One of the main goals of this thesis is to present a Cree perspective on contact and interaction with the Mounted Police. Although police policies were supposedly the same towards all Indians, specific elements of the Mounted Police dealings were altered according to a variety of external influences. For example, different environmental features from one region to the other prohibited the adoption of agriculture in the north. Diverse patterns of Euro-Canadian settlement, concentrated in the north but widespread in the south, also influenced relations. In addition, differences in the two Cree groups forced the Mounted Police to realize that not all Indians were the same.<p> This thesis supplies a brief history of the two Cree groups to provide insight on the existing methods of Cree law enforcement long-established prior to the arrival of the Mounted Police, and the complexities encountered in adapting to the laws of the Canadian government. Consideration is given to the difficulties in creating a law enforcement group to police the newly acquired North West Territories, as well as the initial phases of Cree and police contact for each region.<p> Each region experienced its own history, which contributed to the relationship between the Cree and the Mounted Police. For example, in the Battleford region the 1885 Rebellion played a key role in denigrating the image of the Poundmaker Cree, whereas the Peter Ballantyne Cree experienced no such event which created such a negative image. Poverty, starvation, and disease among both Cree groups were unfortunate elements which resulted from police enforcement of certain detrimental government policies. All the same, the Cree perceived the police as "protectors", yet were fully aware that they were also forced to carry out the orders of the Canadian government. It is this delicate balance between duty and humanity that had the greatest impact on relations between the Cree and the Mounted Police in Saskatchewan.

Current trends toward warmer air temperatures and longer ice free seasons in Hudson Bay are expected to cause changes in Arctic marine ecosystem dynamics. Ringed seals (Phoca hispida) will likely experience changes in levels of predation, competition, and prey availability. The purpose of this thesis was to investigate seasonal, inter-annual, and spatial variation in Hudson Bay ringed seal feeding ecology. Fatty acid composition, δ15N, and δ13C varied significantly by season, suggesting seasonal changes in foraging habitat and diet. Spatial differences in ringed seal stable isotope ratios occurred between western and eastern Hudson Bay, and there was a strong relationship between spring air temperature and δ15N. Peak δ15N occurred within a range in spring air temperatures between approximately -5°C and -2°C. I propose that the high δ15N observed in ringed seals within this temperature range is indicative of relatively greater importance of capelin (Mallotus villosus) in the ringed seal diet.