In this study, near-surface stratigraphy was measured in snowpits and shallow ice cores across all snow facies of a High Arctic ice cap in order to examine variability at different spatial (metre to &gt; kilometre) and temporal (seasonal and inter-annual) resolutions.  Additionally, dye tracing was employed to investigate processes controlling meltwater percolation and refreezing.  <i>Pre-melt </i>snowpack densities were low at all spatial scales, whilst different inter-annual <i>post-melt </i>stratigraphies at &gt; 1 km scales showed high variability.  This is attributed to different extrinsic conditions generating dissimilar surface melt and percolation regimes.  Variability at small spatial scales is related to the intrinsic stratigraphic properties of the pre-melt snowpack. A snowpack model was applied to a single point at 1400 m.a.s.l. over the course of two summers, to assess its simulation of the observed dissimilar annular density evolution. The model performed poorly due to an inability to simulate ice layers in the near surface snowpack, which are the main property controlling variability.  Modelled thermal regimes and densification were also unrealistic and found to be highly sensitive to albedo.  The model may be improved by incorporating diurnal Albedo variations; known to be a strong control on surface melting at high latitudes. Overall, combined <i>in-situ</i> measurements and modelling results show that the relationship between near-surface densification and air temperature is not straightforward.  Extrapolation of generalised trends between the two, across large spatial and temporal scales, should be avoided since spatial and temporal variability can be high.  This should be considered when up-scaled modelling of surface mass balance and firm densification is utilised during interpretations of SRA-based estimates of elevation change across large ice masses over several years.

Note: / This dissertation examines the position of Inuit (Eskimo) kinship and· its associated behavioral concomitants as they effect the patterning of Inuit ecological relations. The study seeks to demonstrate the role such features, functioning as one component within the cultural ecological system, play in organizing and maintaining the observed pattern of man-land interactions. In so doing, it focuses on particular internal attributes, such as task group formation and decision-making networks, which contribute to the material substance of the local adaptation.Th~approach employed in the research may be termed that of systems-oriented cultural ecology. Within this approach, social-cultural features of the society are seen as forming a knowledge set which, along with data derived from the environment, contribute information necessary for the inplementation of specific strategies of resource exploitation. Social organization elements, therefore, provide a framework for the arrangement of environmental, as well as sociological, relations. Inuit subsistence activities, then, ar~ perceived not simply in terms of isolated actions;but as a process which encompasses a broad range of societal components. / La presente dissertation etudie la position de la parente des Inuit (Esquimaux) et des problemes accessoires de comportement qui affeetent 1a structuration des relations des Inuit. L'etude vise a demontrer Ie role que ces aspects, qui s'exercent eomme un element au sein du systeme eco1ogique culturel, jouent dans l'organisation et Ie maintien du schema des rapp0rts observe entre l'hom.ne et la terre. Ce faisan..:, elle se eoncentre sur les attributs internes particu1iers tels que la formation des groupes d'etudes et les reseaux de prise de decision qui contribuent aux relations d'ordre materiel de l'adaptation locale.L'approche utilisee pour 1a recherche peut etre qualifiee d'ec010gie culture11e axee sur les systemes. Selon cette approche, on considere que les aspects socio-culture1s de la societe forment un ensemble de connaissances qui, combinees aux donnees derivees de l'environnement, fournissent l' it-formation necessaire a 1.' implantatiotl de stratlgiE:.s propres a l'exploitation des ressources. Les elements de l'organisation sociale offrent done Ie cadre de la structuration des relations sur Ie plan de l'environnement ainsi que sur Ie plan sociologique. Les activites deployees par les Inuit pour assurer leur subsistance sont alors per~ues non pas simplement comme des actions isolees mais comme un processus qui enblobe une vaste gamme de composantes de 1a societe.

The cold saline springs at Gypsum Hill (GH) and Colour Peak (CP) in the Canadian high Arctic are rare examples of perennial flows in thick continuous permafrost. We surveyed the microbial diversity of the springs by analyzing clone libraries of the small subunit rRNA gene. Half of the bacterial clones from the GH library classified as Delta- and Gammaproteobacteria. Clones related to Proteobacteria (82%), Firmicutes (9%) and Bacteroidetes (6%) constituted 97% of the bacterial library from CP. At least 56 and 76% of the bacterial clones from GH and CP, respectively, were from putative sulfur-metabolizers, and clones related to the sulfur-oxidizing bacterium Thiomicrospira psychrophila dominated in both springs. Archaeal clones were affiliated with uncultured Crenarchaeota, methanogens and haloarchaea. The eukaryotic clones were related to known Fungi, Viridiplantae (green algae), Strametopila (e.g. diatoms), Cercozoa and Alveolata in the CP sediment. Eukaryotic rRNA genes could not be amplified from the GH sediments. Forty-nine phylotypes of heterotrophic and sulfur-oxidizing bacteria (Thiomicrospira, Halothiobacillus ) were isolated from the GH springs. The strains were predominantly psychrotrophic and halotolerant, and were most related to bacteria also isolated from permanently cold environments. Some heterotrophic strains possessed genes for photosynthesis and thiosulfate oxidation, possibly enabling them to better compete in these sulfur-rich ecosystems exposed to continuous light in the summer. Assays of leucine and CO2 incorporation showed a low heterotrophic activity in the GH spring water, but significant autotrophic activity in complete darkness (chemoautotrophy). Microbial sulfur metabolism was demonstrated in microcosms of the GH sediment. Sulfur oxidation and chemoautotrophy were also demonstrated in microbial filaments that thrive in the GH spring channels. Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) showed that the filaments were almost exclusively composed of rod-shaped Gammaproteobacteria that were further identified as Thiomicrospira. This work describes active microbial communities capable of sustainability in extreme environments that combine low temperature, moderate salinity, and prolonged periods of continuous light or darkness. Sulfur oxidation seems to be a major energetic process and chemolithoautotrophy appears to contribute significantly to primary production. Similar hydrosystems, formed by brines in the cold permafrost, are hypothesized to exist on Mars.

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Historically, the Inuit of Qamani’tuaq (Baker Lake) have expressed strong opposition to uranium mining in their territory, in part due to concerns that it would be detrimental to their harvesting practices. During these struggles, the Inuit of Qamani’tuaq had the support of various Inuit Organizations. The first decade of the 2000s saw the relevant Inuit Organizations change their policies from ones which opposed uranium mining to ones which support it. This thesis is an attempt to understand if Inuit at the community level have changed their opinions about uranium mining and, if so, why. During my time in Qamani’tuaq, it became apparent that the shift in policy has been followed by a gradual change in perspective among some members of the community. While opposition to uranium mining is by no means dead, the seemingly united stance the community previously held has become fragmented. This change is due to a number of factors, including an increased astuteness on the part of the mining industry, certain aspects of the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement and ongoing economic dependency upon the market economy.

Historically, the Inuit of Qamani’tuaq (Baker Lake) have expressed strong opposition to uranium mining in their territory, in part due to concerns that it would be detrimental to their harvesting practices. During these struggles, the Inuit of Qamani’tuaq had the support of various Inuit Organizations. The first decade of the 2000s saw the relevant Inuit Organizations change their policies from ones which opposed uranium mining to ones which support it. This thesis is an attempt to understand if Inuit at the community level have changed their opinions about uranium mining and, if so, why. During my time in Qamani’tuaq, it became apparent that the shift in policy has been followed by a gradual change in perspective among some members of the community. While opposition to uranium mining is by no means dead, the seemingly united stance the community previously held has become fragmented. This change is due to a number of factors, including an increased astuteness on the part of the mining industry, certain aspects of the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement and ongoing economic dependency upon the market economy.

No description available.

Research over the past several decades on the nature of Inuit hunting of narwhals has focused upon harvesting technologies and the traditional ecological knowledge of modern hunting of the species. However, as much as such work has contributed to our understanding of Inuit and narwhal interaction, less is known about contemporary Inuit hunting behaviour of narwhal. The research presented in this dissertation redresses this gap by providing a detailed behavioural description and analysis of the Inuit narwhal hunting in two critical environments utilized by the Inuit of Pond Inlet---those of the spring floe-edge and the summer open water. / This information and its analysis are presented through three manuscripts. The first manuscript forms the analytical basis of the behavioural description by presenting through the use of a decision flow chart, the parameters that affect narwhal hunting. The second and third manuscript explore different foraging strategies involved in several major decisions the Inuit typically face when pursuing narwhal at the floe-edge (Manuscript Two) and in the open water environment (Manuscript Three). The data pertinent to the major decision factors influencing actions in both environments were obtained through participant observation, supplemented by interviews with hunters and elders. / The main results of this research pertain to the different, but complementary, strategies employed by Mittimatalingmiut (Pond Inlet Inuit) hunters during the floe-edge and ice free seasons, as well as during the transition between the two. Before break-up, the most frequent method employed in floe-edge and outpost camp hunts is an ambush or a sit-and-wait strategy. Interestingly, during the transition between floe-edge and complete open water, Pond Inlet Inuit utilized both sit-and-wait and pursuit hunting strategies to maximize their hunting opportunities.