For a few days, scientists aboard the NGCC research vessel Amundsen lead an exceptional mission in the extreme-arctic. This isolated area brings together the island of themselves, the archipelago of the Queen-Élisabeth islands and the protected marine area of Tuvaijuittuq. This is a first in two decades of operations for the team of theAmundsenwhich had never been able to access this region covered with ice a large part of the year.
As part of their work, scientists collect a wide range of samples – ice cream, seawater and glacier, sediments, rocks and aquatic species – in addition to mapping the seabed in order to better document these ecosystems. These data will be used to establish a new scientific knowledge basis in this little visited region and vulnerable to climate change.
Here are some images captured at the heart of this unprecedented expedition:
Alexandre Normandeau, researcher in marine geoscience at the Canada Geological Commission at Natural Resources Canada, collects rocks in the Otto glacier.
— Audrey Limoges
NGCC Amundsen helicopter.” class=”h-full w-full object-cover hover:opacity-90 hover:transition-opacity”/>Measurement of the thickness of the Otto glacier with the NGCC helicopter Amundsen.
– Alexandre Normandeau
Lisa Matthes in discussion at the wheelhouse.” class=”h-full w-full object-cover hover:opacity-90 hover:transition-opacity”/>Mission chiefs David Babb and Lisa Matthes in discussion at the wheelhouse.
— Amundsen Science
A multidisciplinary team collects sea ice samples.
— Nicholas Decker
David Babb, mission co-chief during a day of operations on sea ice at 80e parallel.
— Amundsen Science
L’Amundsen will be back at the Port de Québec on October 22.
In June, Ulaval Nouvelles followed the preparations for the expedition to the Saguenay fjord. Read or reread this report.
