Volume 24-25, 1976-7 - The Arctic Circle - Home

VOL. )O(V \tro. 4 TITE ARCTIC CIRCIJIAR 86Peter MacKiruron (Polar Continental Shelf Project, Erer,rgy, Ir[ines andResotrcces Canada) retrnrts:Thre glaciology gro'rp at thre Polar Continental Slre1f ProjeetsrJccessfully drilled a borehole to Hrock in norttrern ElJ-esnerefsland this past spring.In support of the grror4>srs ongoing study of paleoclimate and icedynamics tlre Devon Island ice cap canp faciliQz was nprrcd tol{er de Glace Agassiz.The primary objective was to recover a ccrrplete ice core frcmthe srr:face to bedrock, in ttris instance 337 netres. Ttre corewill be r-rsed in various studies to ascertain physical propertiesof tlre ice, paleoelimatic conditions, and a chronology ofpaleoclirnatic events .In addition, nunerous other prcjects viere undertaken. Principalalrcng these were various sunreys, bth dcnn tlre borelrole adsurface trarrerses, designed to provide rates of nprrcnrent of ttreice in tlre borehole area. Detailed surface and bedrock reliefnnps were also rnade for ttre drilling a.uea.The eight-nenber party was in the field from late April- tolate Jr-me.Don E. IhAllisterretrnrts:(cr:rator of Fishes, National lvlr:seran of Natr:ra1 sciences)I acccrrpanied a cnrise of the Arctic Biological Station M.V.Sahzelinr:s tharrlcs to and with Dr. J.G. H':nter. Photographs \^Eretaken of fish captr:red alive and placed in an aqu;rriltrn. Thanlcsto unpreedented calm weattrer ard a dedicated creur we were ableto rnake hauls with an otter trawl dqnn to depthrs of 335 metreso\rer 1000 feet - in Franklin Bay east of Cape Battrurst. Iheseare the deepest trarrvl hauls made in tlre Western Arctic to date.Atrongst ottrer fishes crcllected \^Ere eelpouts (Lycodes sagittarir:.s) ,the first record for Canada (previor:sly onlyand the iGra Sea) i Lycodes senrinudr:s previcusly only lflchrn frcnrthe Eastern Arctic and Gffi tlre crosest kncnm record over100 lcn distant and egg cases of skate, genus hja, fron a speciesnot yet identified but providing ttre first recofr- for ttre VibsternArctic if not all of Canada. Itre deepest trawl, aclr-ieved b1rfastening rope on the end of ttre winclr cable, took 5 hor:rs toccnplete to louer the line, to nnke tlre trawl, to raise, towash the fine sedirrents frcm tJre code end of ttre trawl, ard tobring on decl