The middle Paleozoic tectonic history of the Laurentian Arctic margin is contentious. Terranes that have been interpreted to have Baltican and Siberian affinities are thought to have been transferred outboard of the Arctic margin of Laurentian into the Panthalassa Ocean. The timing and mechanism(s) of this translation are poorly understood. Refining models requires better constraints, which are provided by studying the Paleozoic geology of terranes thought to be displaced during this time period: 1) Alexander terrane, 2) Pearya terrane, and 3) the Arctic Alaska terrane. The Alexander terrane is divided into the Craig and Admiralty subterranes. The timing of the juxtaposition of the two subterranes has been the subject of recent debate. Devonian sedimentary rocks in the Craig and Admiralty subterranes have nearly identical detrital zircon signatures suggesting that the two subterranes have been linked since the Devonian. Stratigraphic differences between the subterranes are explained by interpreting the Admiralty subterrane as a deep water basin adjacent to the Craig subterrane. The Pennsylvanian to Permian strata of the Craig and Admiralty subterrane have detrital zircon that, while different from each other, are consistent with derivation from Wrangellia. This supports links between the Craig and Admiralty subterranes, and reinforces the idea that Wrangellia was built on Alexander basement. The Pearya shear zone is a large scale sinistral structure that could be involved in the displacement of outboard terranes; however, the timing of displacement on the Pearya shear zone is not well constrained. Titanite aligned parallel to the fabric of the Pearya shear zone yielded middle Paleozoic ages (ca. 380 Ma). Two stages of monazite growth are described based on age. The oldest monazite formed around 980 Ma, consistent with zircon crystallization ages of the protolith. An Upper Ordovician age (ca. 460) is reported for the second phase of monazite growth. The monazite and titanite ages suggest that displacement accommodated by the Pearya shear zone was episodic. The Upper Ordovician tectonic event is interpreted to represent the approach of the Pearya terrane to the Franklinian margin, while the titanite ages are thought to date continued sinistral displacement in the middle Paleozoic post-accretion that may be related to strike-slip migration of outboard terranes. The tectonic setting of the Arctic Alaska terrane in the Middle to Late Devonian is poorly constrained. Geochronology, geochemistry and field mapping of igneous rocks from the North Slope subterrane provide new clues into the tectonic history. The intrusions yielded 370-362 Ma zircon U-Pb ages that are younger than plutons that intrude the Hammond and Coldfoot subterranes of the Arctic Alaska terrane. Whole rock geochemistry of the northern Yukon intrusions suggest that they formed in an arc setting. Field mapping suggests that all intrusions are found to the northeast of the Porcupine shear zone. Coeval intrusions with similar geochemistry are located on Northern Axel Heiberg and Ellesmere Islands. Correlation between these intrusions is inconsistent with the widely held rift setting for the Arctic Alaska terrane intrusions and suggest that the overlying Endicott group was deposit in a foreland basin rather than a rift flank.

This thesis studies the scattering properties of different types of imperfections in large Arctic and Antarctic ice sheets. Such irregularities include cracks, pressure ridges and both open and refrozen leads. The scattering by a transition region between sea ice and a very thick ice shelf, for example as is found in the Ross Sea in Antarctica, is also treated. Methods of solution are based on applications of Green�s theorem to the appropriate situation, which leads to either a single integral equation or a pair of coupled integral equations to be solved at the boundary between the ice and the sea water. Those equations over a finite interval are solved using numerical quadrature, while those over semi-infinite ranges are solved using the Wiener-Hopf method. Results calculated using different techniques are able to be checked against each other, giving us great confidence in their accuracy. In particular, the scattering by three ice sheets of different thicknesses is confirmed analytically by mode-matching coupled with the residue calculus technique. The scattering by the single irregularities is investigated partly for its own sake, and partly with the aim of using it to treat the scattering when large numbers of features are included in a single ice sheet. The principal objective of doing this is to observe the change in the general amounts of reflection and transmission as the background ice thickness is changed. There is enough variation in our results for us to conclude that there is definite potential for using the change in an incident wave spectrum after passing through a given ice field to estimate the background ice thickness.

Deep troughs and ridges of the Arctic Basin are some of the least known features of the Earth's crust. Some of the ridges, eg. Chukchi and Nordwind, are connected directly to the continental shelves and are certainly submarine promontories of the latter. The character of the Lomonosov Ridge as a narrow slice of continental crust that separated from the Eurasian margin in the early Cenozoic (by opening of the Eurasian Basin), is not in doubt. Recent drilling (ACEX) and piston coring have confirmed this interpretation. However there are many other ridges and some of the troughs that are of uncertain origin. Seismic research in combination with potential field data over the East-Siberian margin, Podvodnikov and Makarov basins and the Mendeleev Ridge, presented here, provides a framework for understanding this enigmatic part of the Earth. The constrained models of the crust illustrate their structure. The crust beneath the East Siberian margin is up to 40 km thick; it thins to about 20 km towards to the Podvodnikov Basin. The models over the Arlis Gap, in the middle of the Podvodnikov Basin, and the Mendeleev Ridge have shown that the crust beneath both these features is anomalously thick (up to 28–32 km) and has a velocity structure that suggests the presence of highly attenuated continental crust. The crustal thickness over the Makarov Basin varies from 8 km to 15 km. Reflection profiles provide evidence of the character and thickness of the sedimentary cover (mostly Cenozoic and late Mesozoic), both on the ridges and beneath the troughs. Presented here is evidence that some of the ridges (eg. Marvin Spur) appear to be fragments of continental crust rifted off the Lomonosov Ridge (with a similar, unconformable Cenozoic cover); however, they gently plunge into and beneath troughs (eg. Makarov Basin). Reflection seismic data collected by the HOTRAX expedition in 2005 over the central part of the Lomonosov Ridge illustrate the sedimentary structure on the top of the Ridge and in an internal basin. The main sedimentary units can be interpreted by correlation with the ACEX results. The major fault separating the surrounding ridges from the internal basin appears to have a roll over anticline in the hanging wall, suggesting that the basin was created by a growth fault. The seismic lines provide evidence of gently folded basement beneath the Lomonosov Ridge with intra basement reflections are usually parallel to the upper surfaces; in combination with velocities (c. 4–5 km/s), these suggest the presence of old well-consolidated sediments.

The remote sub-Arctic/Arctic environment has due to human activities become a sink for organohalogen contaminants (OHCs). These OHC include traditional contaminants such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), DDTs and technical mixtures of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), all included in the Stockholm Convention list of persistent organic pollutants (POPs). Other OHCs, currently under evaluation to be included among the POPs i.e. short chain chlorinated paraffins (SCCPs) and hexabromocyclododecane (HBCDD) are also found in these environments as well as a whole range of other OHCs. The main objective of this thesis is to increase the knowledge about the presence of OHCs in a high trophic Arctic shark species, the Greenland shark (Somniosus microcephalus). The Greenland shark is an opportunistic feeder, occasionally feeding at the top of the Arctic marine food chain. Furthermore may this species have a life span in excess of 100 years and is probably among the oldest of any fish species. These traits make the shark prone to accumulate elevated concentrations of OHCs. This has shown to be true for the Greenland sharks studied and most of the targeted OHCs were determined in the species. The highest concentrations were observed for the DDTs, ranging up to 26 μg/g fat. Other OHCs reported that are of special interest are SCCPs and brominated flame retardants used as replacement products to PBDEs; pentabromoethylbenzene (PBEB) and 1,2-bis(2,4,6-tribromophenoxy)ethane (BTBPE). Also a range of OHCs whose origin is assumed to be natural, were shown to be present in Greenland sharks. This thesis is stressing the fact that even though the use of certain OHCs has been banned for decades they are still present at high concentrations in the deep waters of the Arctic. Therefore it is of major importance to continue to monitor the fate of traditional and emerging OHCs in the environment, and for this purpose the Greenland shark is an excellent species. / At the time of the doctoral defense, the following papers were unpublished and had a status as follows: Paper 3: Manuscript. Paper 4: Manuscript.

Boundaries between air masses, called frontal zones, have been associated with vegetation boundaries (Bryson, 1966; Hare and Ritchie, 1972). Using gridded climate reanalysis data, we analyze the air masses and frontal zones of North America. The position of the July Arctic front varies significantly through the period 1948-2007, with a mean position similar to that found by Bryson (1966). The variability of the front position can be associated with changes in the general circulation; when the AO and SOI are positive (negative), the position of the July Arctic front is further north (south). There is also more variability in the July Arctic front position in Eastern versus Western Canada. When the July Arctic front is north (south) of the mean position, the boreal forest and tundra vegetation is more (less) productive. There is some evidence that climate warming is only starting to shift the July Arctic front to the north. / This study was funded by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) and the Polar Climate Stability Network (PCSN) project funded by the Canadian Foundation for Climate and Atmospheric Sciences (CFCAS).

No description available.

A ground-based, zenith-sky, UV-visible triple grating spectrometer was installed at the Polar Environment Atmospheric Research Laboratory (PEARL) in the Canadian High Arctic during polar springtime from 2004 to 2007 as part of the Canadian Arctic ACE (Atmospheric Chemistry Experiment) Validation Campaigns. From the solar spectra, ozone, NO2, and BrO vertical column densities (VCDs) have been retrieved using the DOAS (Differential Optical Absorption Spectroscopy) technique. This spectrometer, the UT-GBS (University of Toronto Ground-Based Spectrometer), was also deployed as part of the fourth Middle Atmosphere Nitrogen TRend Assessment (MANTRA) campaign in Vanscoy, Saskatchewan in August and September 2004. A near-identical spectrometer, the PEARL-GBS, was permanently installed at PEARL in August 2006 as part of the refurbishment of the laboratory by CANDAC (Canadian Network for the Detection of Atmospheric Change). Since then, the instrument has been making continuous measurements, with the exception of during polar night. Vertical columns of ozone and NO2 can be retrieved year-round. During the 2007 sunrise campaign, differential slant column densities (DSCDs) of OClO and VCDs of BrO were also retrieved. Ozone and NO2 DSCDs and VCDs from the UT-GBS were compared to the DSCDs and VCDs from three other UV-visible, ground-based, grating spectrometers that also participated in the MANTRA and Eureka campaigns. Two methods developed by the UV-visible Working Group of the NDACC (Network for the Detection of Atmospheric Composition Change) were followed. During MANTRA, the instruments were found to partially meet the NDACC standards. The comparisons from Eureka were an improvement on the MANTRA comparisons, and also partially met the NDACC standards. In 2007, the columns from the UT-GBS and PEARL-GBS were compared, and were found to agree within the NDACC standards for both species. Ozone and NO2 VCDs from the ground-based instruments were also compared to integrated partial columns from the ACE-FTS (ACE-Fourier Transform Spectrometer) and ACE-MAESTRO (ACE-Measurements of Aerosol Extinction in the Stratosphere and Troposphere Retrieved by Occultation) on board the ACE satellite. ACE-FTS partial columns were found to agree with the ground-based total columns, while the ACE-MAESTRO partial columns were found to be smaller than expected for ozone and larger than expected for NO2.

Increased development in Canadas northern environments has increased the need for accurate methods to detect adverse impacts on tundra ecosystems. Ammonium nitrate is a common water pollutant associated with many industrial and municipal activities, including diamond mining, and is of special concern due to the toxicity of ammonia in aquatic systems. One solution to reduce exposure of sensitive aquatic systems to nitrogenous compounds is to atomize (atmospherically disperse in fine particles) contaminated water over the arctic tundra which will reduce N loading to surface water. However, the toxicity of ammonium nitrate to arctic soils is poorly understood. In this study I investigate the potential toxicity of ammonium nitrate solutions to arctic soil functions such as carbon mineralization, nitrification and plant growth, to determine concentrations that can be applied without causing significant inhibition to these processes. <p>Arctic ecosystems are based on a soil type termed a cryosol that has an underlying permafrost layer. Often these soils are subject to cryoturbation, a process which heaves and mixes the soil, bringing the mineral horizons to the surface. I hypothesized that phytotoxicity test results in arctic soils would be highly variable compared to other terrestrial ecosystems due to the cryoturbation process and subsequent range of soil characteristics. The variability associated with phytotoxicity tests was evaluated using Environment Canadas standardized plant toxicity test in three cryoturbated soils from Canadas arctic exposed to a reference toxicant, boric acid. The phytotoxicity of boric acid to northern wheatgrass (<i>Elymus lanceolatus </i>) in cryosols was much greater than commonly reported in other soils, with less than 150 ug boric acid g-1 soil needed to inhibit root and shoot growth by 20%. There was also large variability in the phytotoxicity test results, with coefficients of variation for 10 samples ranging from 160 to 79%. Due to this variability in cryoturbated arctic soils, more than 30 samples should be collected from each control and potentially impacted area to accurately assess contaminant effects, and ensure that false negatives of toxicant impacts in arctic soils are minimized. <p>To characterize the toxicity of ammonium nitrate I exposed a variety of arctic soils and a temperate soil to different concentrations of ammonium nitrate solution over a 90 day time period. Dose responses of carbon mineralization, nitrification and phytotoxicity test parameters were estimated for ammonium nitrate applications. In addition to direct toxicity, the effect of ammonium nitrate on ecosystem resistance was investigated by dosing nitrogen impacted soils with boric acid. Ammonium nitrate solutions had no effect on carbon mineralization activity, and affected nitrification rates in only one soil, a polar desert soil from Cornwallis Island. In contrast, ammonium nitrate applications (43 mmol N L-1 soil water) significantly impaired seedling emergence, root length and shoot length of northern wheatgrass. Concentrations of ammonium nitrate in soil water that inhibited plant parameters by 20% varied between 43 to 280 mmol N L-1 soil water, which corresponds with 2,100 to 15,801 mg L-1 in the application water. Arctic soils were more resistant to ammonium nitrate toxicity than the temperate soil under these study conditions. However, it is not clear if this represents a general trend for all polar soils, and because nitrogen is an essential macro-nutrient, nitrogenous toxicity should likely be considered a special case for soil toxicity. As soil concentrations could be maintained under inhibitory levels with continual application of low concentrations of ammonium nitrate over the growing season, atomization of wastewater contaminated with ammonium nitrate is a promising technology for mitigation of nitrogen pollution in polar environments. <p>Increased development in Canadas northern environments has increased the need for accurate methods to detect adverse impacts on tundra ecosystems. Ammonium nitrate is a common water pollutant associated with many industrial and municipal activities, including diamond mining, and is of special concern due to the toxicity of ammonia in aquatic systems. One solution to reduce exposure of sensitive aquatic systems to nitrogenous compounds is to atomize (atmospherically disperse in fine particles) contaminated water over the arctic tundra which will reduce N loading to surface water. However, the toxicity of ammonium nitrate to arctic soils is poorly understood. In this study I investigate the potential toxicity of ammonium nitrate solutions to arctic soil functions such as carbon mineralization, nitrification and plant growth, to determine concentrations that can be applied without causing significant inhibition to these processes. <p>Arctic ecosystems are based on a soil type termed a cryosol that has an underlying permafrost layer. Often these soils are subject to cryoturbation, a process which heaves and mixes the soil, bringing the mineral horizons to the surface. I hypothesized that phytotoxicity test results in arctic soils would be highly variable compared to other terrestrial ecosystems due to the cryoturbation process and subsequent range of soil characteristics. The variability associated with phytotoxicity tests was evaluated using Environment Canadas standardized plant toxicity test in three cryoturbated soils from Canadas arctic exposed to a reference toxicant, boric acid. The phytotoxicity of boric acid to northern wheatgrass (<i>Elymus lanceolatus </i>) in cryosols was much greater than commonly reported in other soils, with less than 150 ug boric acid g-1 soil needed to inhibit root and shoot growth by 20%. There was also large variability in the phytotoxicity test results, with coefficients of variation for 10 samples ranging from 160 to 79%. Due to this variability in cryoturbated arctic soils, more than 30 samples should be collected from each control and potentially impacted area to accurately assess contaminant effects, and ensure that false negatives of toxicant impacts in arctic soils are minimized. <p>To characterize the toxicity of ammonium nitrate I exposed a variety of arctic soils and a temperate soil to different concentrations of ammonium nitrate solution over a 90 day time period. Dose responses of carbon mineralization, nitrification and phytotoxicity test parameters were estimated for ammonium nitrate applications. In addition to direct toxicity, the effect of ammonium nitrate on ecosystem resistance was investigated by dosing nitrogen impacted soils with boric acid. Ammonium nitrate solutions had no effect on carbon mineralization activity, and affected nitrification rates in only one soil, a polar desert soil from Cornwallis Island. In contrast, ammonium nitrate applications (43 mmol N L-1 soil water) significantly impaired seedling emergence, root length and shoot length of northern wheatgrass. Concentrations of ammonium nitrate in soil water that inhibited plant parameters by 20% varied between 43 to 280 mmol N L-1 soil water, which corresponds with 2,100 to 15,801 mg L-1 in the application water. Arctic soils were more resistant to ammonium nitrate toxicity than the temperate soil under these study conditions. However, it is not clear if this represents a general trend for all polar soils, and because nitrogen is an essential macro-nutrient, nitrogenous toxicity should likely be considered a special case for soil toxicity. As soil concentrations could be maintained under inhibitory levels with continual application of low concentrations of ammonium nitrate over the growing season, atomization of wastewater contaminated with ammonium nitrate is a promising technology for mitigation of nitrogen pollution in polar environments.

Canadas Beaufort Sea-Mackenzie Delta Basin possesses significant energy resource potential. Decisions about energy development, however, are largely project-based and do not always provide an opportunity for more efficient and more effective regional and strategic approaches to development impact assessment and management. As such, there are constant messages about the need for a more regional and strategic form of environmental assessment, practiced above the project level and focused on broader planning-based assessment as a means to sustainability assurance. The problem, however, is that there is no formal system of regional or strategic assessment (R-SEA) in northern Canada, and considerations as to what R-SEA is and what it should deliver are far from consolidated. The role of R-SEA must be better understood and a means found to make it a meaningful component and accepted and worthwhile part of planning, regulation and development decision-making. The purpose of this thesis is to identify stakeholder understandings and expectations about R-SEA, and its potential roles and opportunities in Arctic energy planning and assessment. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews with knowledgeable stakeholders in Arctic oil and gas initiatives, including energy regulators, industry, and energy interest groups, as well as Inuvialuit governments and community boards. Four key themes are identified and discussed: the efficacy of the current approach to environmental assessment for offshore energy development; knowledge of R-SEA; RSEA benefits and risks; and opportunities and challenges to advancing R-SEA in the Inuvialuit Settlement Region (ISR). Only consultation and engagement was seen by most participants as working well within the current EA system in the study area. Many challenges were raised, however, which would indicate a need for a new or revised approach to EA in the study area. There was agreement on the need for a more regional and strategic approach to EA in the ISR, but there was no consensus amongst participants as to the nature and scope of R-SEA and what it is intended to deliver. Though there continues to be much confusion regarding the terminology used, it appears that participants are identifying the same deliverables and advantages, suggesting that they are looking for similar benefits. Challenges to moving such a process forward include leadership, coordination of interests, financial resources, legislated versus voluntary approaches, and human capacity in the ISR region. Future research is needed to address the perceived risks and challenges raised by participants for R SEA to be a worthwhile and effective process.

Tree-ring analyses have contributed significantly to investigations of climate change and climate cycles, including the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO), Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) and El Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO). Stable isotope climate proxies (?18O, ?D, and ?13C) have enhanced traditional ring-width data, although poor preservation of ancient wood has generally constrained reconstruction of stable isotope proxy records to the Holocene and Late Pleistocene. An opportunity to apply these stable isotope methods to older wood has been presented by recovery of remains of Mixed-Coniferous Boreal Vegetation, in Early Pliocene (4-5 Ma) deposits at Strathcona Fiord, Ellesmere Island, Canada (~79°N). An exceptionally well-preserved tree trunk, identified as Larix (larch) through wood anatomical characteristics, from this high Arctic site provided a 203-year tree-ring record, from which we present the first high-resolution, secular isotope record of Pliocene climate. ?18O, ?D, and ?13C isotope values indicate a variable climate with alternating intervals of cool/wet to warm/dry weather. These fluctuations in climate may be attributable to phase changes in climate cycles observed in the record. A growing season mean temperature of 14.4 °C was calculated from isotopic analysis of gastropod shells. Palaeoclimatic modeling of tree isotope values has revealed growing season temperatures of 11-15 °C, and estimated isotope values of precipitation of 18.3 (?18O) and 228 (?D). Both palaeotemperature estimates and source water calculations are comparable to those found in a modern Boreal Forest. Time-series wavelet analysis was applied to these data revealing prominent short (<10 years), intermediate (16-35 years) and long-term (~45-50 years) cyclicity. These are the highest resolution climate cycles recovered from the pre-Holocene terrestrial record, providing evidence for decadal scale cyclicity similar to the NAO and/or PDO 4-5 million years ago.