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There is a paucity of research on forensic psychiatry patients from Nunavut, including no published data concerning the prevalence and characterisation of patients in this territory. The lack of basic information hinders the evaluation of services and establishing best practices. The current paper aims to characterise forensic psychiatry patients from Nunavut and further the understanding of the challenges in organising forensic psychiatry healthcare in Nunavut. A retrospective chart review design was used to examine individuals from Nunavut who are engaged with the Ontario forensic psychiatry system. The sample included all Unfit to Stand Trial (26.7%) and Not Criminally Responsible (73.3%) patients (N = 15) under the jurisdiction of the Nunavut Review Board in a one-year period. The average distance between the patient's place of residence in Nunavut and the Ontario facilities was 2,517 km. Overall, 26.7% were living in Nunavut, 60.0% remained in Ontario, and 13.3% resided in Alberta. Results are presented for sociodemographics, forensic status, personal and familial history, psychiatric and criminal history, diagnoses, index offence characteristics, treatment, assessment tools, and aggression. The prevalence and many characteristics of forensic psychiatry patients from Nunavut differ from the rest of Canada and have important implications for the delivery of services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of International Journal of Circumpolar Health is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This paper presents a glacial geomorphological map of glacial lineations, ribbed terrain, moraines, meltwater channels (subglacial and ice-marginal/proglacial), eskers, glaciofluvial deposits, ice-contact outwash fans and deltas and abandoned shorelines on the bed of the former Laurentide Ice Sheet in northern Canada. Mapping was compiled from satellite imagery and digital elevation data and landforms were digitised directly into a Geographical Information System. The map reveals a complex glacial history characterised by multiple ice-flow events, including fast-flowing ice streams. Moraines record a series of pauses or re-advances during overall SE retreat towards the Keewatin Ice Divide. The distribution of subglacial meltwater landforms indicates that several distinctive scales and modes of drainage system operated beneath the retreating ice sheet. This includes a large (>100 km) integrated network of meltwater channels, eskers, ice-contact outwash fans and deltas and glaciofluvial deposits that originates at the northern edge of Aberdeen Lake. The map comprises zone 66 of the Canadian National Topographic System, which encompasses an area of 160,000 km2. It is presented at a scale of 1:500,000 and is designed to be printed at A0 size. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In impact assessment (IA) the value of different forms of knowledge is increasingly acknowledged, but implementation and practice challenges continue. In Nunavut, a territory in the Canadian Arctic, Indigenous knowledge plays a key role in understanding and defining environmental baselines and guiding the assessment process; however, even here there are needs and opportunities for improved treatment and use of Indigenous knowledge in assessment and decision-making. This paper outlines the central role of Inuit Qaujimaningit/Qaujimajatuqangit (IQ) (Inuit knowledge) in shaping and defining Nunavut's impact assessment process. The work highlights the potential of the Nunavut process to provide a model for the use of Indigenous knowledge in IA, and of co-management or Indigenous-led impact assessment. Focus groups were held with board members and staff of the Nunavut Impact Review Board – the co-management board responsible for impact assessment in the territory. The results highlight the unique qualities of the impact assessment process in Nunavut and demonstrate how IQ is a crucial component of project review, notably its role in decision-making and for ensuring that the process is meaningful to communities. The results and recommendations have value to a range of other jurisdictions that are also working towards using Indigenous knowledge in environmental decision-making or even seeking to advance Indigenous-led impact assessment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Eekeeluak Avalak, an 18-year-old Inuk wrestler who won the first-ever gold medal for Nunavut at the Canada Summer Games in 2022, dedicated his win to his late brother who died by suicide in 2015. Avalak openly attributed sport – specifically wrestling – to saving his own life. This story raises important questions about the role of sport and traditional games in Inuit suicide prevention strategies. Few studies have examined the role of sport or traditional games in Inuit suicide prevention strategies. In an attempt to reduce Inuit suicide rates, in addition to the National Inuit Prevention Strategy, three of the four land claim regions that constitute Inuit Nunangat have suicide prevention strategies. In this study, we used settler colonial theory, critical Inuit studies, and content analysis to examine if and how sport and Inuit traditional games are identified as prevention tools in these Inuit suicide prevention strategies. The results demonstrate that sport and traditional games have largely been overlooked as protective factors in current Inuit-wide and land-claim specific suicide prevention strategies. Moving forward, evidence-based and community-driven approaches could be funded, created, implemented, and evaluated as culturally-safe Inuit mental health intervention models to address the disproportionately high suicide rates among Inuit in Inuit Nunangat. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Across Canada, the COVID-19 pandemic placed considerable stress on territorial and provincial healthcare systems. For Nunavut, the need to continue to provide access to critical care to its citizens meant that medical travel to provincial points of care (Edmonton, Winnipeg and Ottawa) had to continue through the pandemic. This complexity created challenges related to the need to keep Nunavut residents safe while accessing care, and to manage the risk of outbreaks in Nunavut resultant from patients returning home. A number of strategies were adopted to mitigate risk, including the expansion of virtual care, self-isolation requirements before returning from Winnipeg, and a level of cross-jurisdictional coordination previously unprecedented. Structural limitations in Nunavut however limited opportunities to expand virtual care, and to allow providers from Manitoba to access the Nunavut's electronic medical records of patients requiring follow up. Thus, known and long-standing issues exacerbated vulnerabilities within the Nunavut healthcare system. We conclude that addressing cross-jurisdictional issues would be well served by the development of a more formal Nunavut-Manitoba agreement (with similar agreements with Ontario and Alberta), outlining mutual obligations and accountabilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mosses are a major component of the tundra flora in the Canadian Arctic, yet their use in arctic contaminant research is lacking. Biomonitoring of atmospheric heavy metal deposition using mosses has been extensively employed in Europe, providing a higher sampling density than precipitation monitoring. Temporal, spatial, and habitat gradients of concentrations and enrichment factors of As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Zn, and Pb (and its stable isotopes) in mosses from Ellesmere Island are examined. Anthropogenically influenced concentrations of As, Cr, Cu, Ni, and Zn in samples collected in 2007 were observed. Concentrations of heavy metals in hydric taxa were larger than those observed in xeric or mesic taxa, though non-significant. Generally, heavy metal concentrations decreased from 1983 to 2007 in a single high arctic locality, though non-significant. Pb-isotope ratios were radiogenic and characteristic of the High Arctic Islands. Trends in high arctic moss data corresponded with environmental proxies such as glacial ice cores, lake sediments, and atmospheric aerosols illustrating the usefulness of bryophytes as biomonitors. This paper outlines the utility of using mosses as biomonitors of heavy metal depositions in the Canadian High Arctic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To assess the effect of eConsultation in providing Orthopaedic Surgery specialist service to patients in Nunavut. A cross-sectional study of 161 Orthopaedic Surgery consultations received from primary care providers (PCPs) in Nunavut via the Champlain Building Access to Specialist service through eConsult (BASETM) service over the 2-year period from January 2017 to December 2018. Data captured were: reason for consultation, impact of advice on referral, perceived value to the PCPs and time spent. eConsult avoided unnecessary in-person consultation 62% of the time while catching 5% of the referrals that would have otherwise been missed. PCP referral behaviour was modified 48% of the time. 94% of eConsults were rated as valuable to PCPs in their practice and 100% of eConsults resulted in actionable advice. Further, eConsults took an average of 15.4 minutes of specialist time to complete, and the mean time from referral to response was 1.4 days. eConsultation spares unnecessary consultation to Orthopaedic Surgery, catches important referrals that would have otherwise been missed, decreases wait time, and may reduce cost in remote healthcare systems such as Nunavut. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While Inuit living in Nunavut have been advocating for decades for the return of birthing to their own communities, over two-third of births continue to occur outside of the territory. We conducted a literature review to answer the question, why has birthplace choice not been given back to Inuit yet. Based on our review we identified a number of factors impacting birthplace choice, including the organisation of the Nunavut medical system that is focused on primary health care and that cannot easily accommodate the potential clinical risks Western health care associates with birthing, often in isolation from socio-cultural risks; staffing vacancies and turn over in Nunavut, which creates challenges in continuity of care and in maintaining trust; and trends in Canada towards the medicalisation of birthing, which resulted in the displacement of traditional midwifery, and lately in the professionalisation of midwifery with training centres mostly located outside of Nunavut. We recognise that providing more options to birth in the north is complex. While birthing in the north as an option is a given objective, operationalising this objective in a consistent manner is likely going to be a challenge for years to come. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated how COVID-19 has affected the wellness of a group of Inuit youth leaders in Nunavut in the context of their involvement with an ongoing mental health research initiative, the Making I-SPARX Fly in Nunavut [I-SPARX] project. The study had three goals: (1) to understand how the pandemic has affected I-SPARX leaders’ perceived involvement in the I-SPARX Project; (2) to build knowledge around how the pandemic has impacted the daily life and wellbeing of youth in Nunavummiut communities; and (3) to acquire a culturally specific understanding of their coping mechanisms and resilience strategies through the lens of Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit (IQ). Nine Inuit youth were interviewed virtually about their participation in I-SPARX, their life during the pandemic, and their coping strategies. Their comments were analysed using inductive thematic analysis. Pandemic challenges, the utility of I-SPARX teachings and participation, and culturally and community-embedded pathways to resilience were discussed. The implications of COVID-19 on Inuit youth in remote communities are not fully understood. The current study illuminates their experiences of the pandemic to inform future research on ways in which Inuit youth might be supported in situations, such as a global pandemic, that restrict their traditional resilience-enhancing activities and create social isolation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Indigenous adolescents in Canada are among those shouldering the impacts of colonialism and racism. Peer approaches and art-and-land-based programming have demonstrated promise to support empowerment and well-being, yet little is known about their efficacy with Northern and Indigenous adolescents in Canada or of how this group conceptualises empowerment. Fostering Open eXpression among Youth (FOXY) and Strength, Masculinities, and Sexual Health (SMASH) conduct land-and-arts-based Peer Leader Retreats with adolescents from the Northwest Territories, Nunavut and the Yukon Territories. Retreats (2017–2019) included 286 participants (n=196 women [trans-inclusive], n=84 men [trans-inclusive], n=5 non-binary), aged 12–19, the majority of whom (n=235) were Indigenous. Participants completed surveys immediately before and following retreats and 6 months after. Focus group discussions (FGDs) (n=24) were conducted with participants (peer leaders and apprentices) (n=232) following the retreat, and youth staff members (peer facilitators) (aged 14–21, n=7 FGDs). Applying thematic analysis, we explored retreat experiences (FGDs), and Wilcoxon signed-rank tests to examine pre/post retreat changes in leadership, empowerment, and self-confidence (surveys). Quantitatively, there were statistically significant increases in leadership and empowerment in post-retreat scores compared to preretreat. Qualitatively, findings demonstrate how Peer Leader Retreats premised on land-and-art-based approaches can support empowerment, confidence, leadership, and social-connectedness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Engaging community partners to work as co-researchers and research assistants for research involving Inuit communities or regions helps to ensure the equitable recognition of community and researcher priorities, mutual trust and respect, participation by local participants, inclusion of local knowledge and local uptake of research findings. However, research knowledge still in development among community members has been described as a barrier to effective Arctic community research partnerships. This paper describes two 3-day, cross-cultural research training workshops held in the Nunavut communities of Arviat and Iqaluit during Spring 2017. The purpose was to encourage reciprocity as a basis for research training that incorporates both Western and Inuit approaches and that emphasises relationship building to benefit both Inuit and non-Inuit research communities. A review of participant responses to the workshops suggests value in using an integrated Western-Inuit framework of educational objectives to guide the training. Responses suggest the workshops helped improve understanding of research practices and ethics rooted in different traditions for participants interested in assisting with or conducting research in Canada's Arctic communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the issue of culturally responsive music curriculum content in the context of a music course that I taught on three occasions for Nunavut Arctic College's Teacher Education Program (NTEP). The 19 Inuit students who attended the course were working toward achieving certification for teaching in Nunavut schools. One of the assignments asked the student teachers to invent and peer teach a musical activity that adapted some of the concepts, materials, and skills I brought to the course to something traditional to Inuit culture. Three questions emerged from this assignment: What themes would their musical activities address? What values and traditions would be embedded in these themes? How would these themes relate to the themes expressed in the wider culture—in Inuit-produced carvings, printmaking, weaving, legends, and poetry? A thematic analysis of the student-designed activities revealed a connection to the “land” in ways that we do not see in Eurocentric music curricula, and the chosen themes were consistent with those that are present in other Inuit cultural products. One student's assignment is presented as an example of a musical activity that positions the Inuit relationship with the land at the core of the activity, while drawing on ideas from both Inuit and qallunaat (non-Inuit) traditions. I conclude that Inuit-created musical activities that are derived from Inuit experience have a role to play in decolonizing the curriculum for Inuit students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this review is to summarise past Inuit health and wellness studies in Manitoba and the Kivalliq region of Nunavut to provide a snapshot of the types of studies available and identify the gaps in knowledge. Research to date has largely been disease-based and often provides comparisons between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people. Distinct Inuit experiences are rarely written about from an Inuit perspective. However, Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, the national organisation of Inuit in Canada, and Pauktuutit Inuit Women of Canada have been leaders in strengths-based community research and publications that address priorities determined by the Inuit, including the 2018 Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami document National Inuit Strategy on Research (132). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present the results of helicopter- and field-based geological mapping of Elu Inlet and Melville Sound, Kitikmeot Region of Nunavut, Arctic Canada. The area includes a ∼150 km-wide belt of Proterozoic sedimentary rocks that unconformably overlie the Archean Slave Province of the Canadian Shield and are cross-cut by Neoproterozoic mafic rocks and covered by early Palaeozoic deposits. This work introduces an updated sedimentologic, stratigraphic, and structural framework for the area and is corroborated by geophysical analysis of natural radioactivity. Three Proterozoic sedimentary sequences have been identified, spanning in age from ∼1.9 to ∼1.2 Ga, and including fluvial–aeolian sandstone and shallow-marine carbonate rocks. Mass-spectrometric analyses identified above-baseline concentrations of uranium along the unconformities underlying the two oldest Proterozoic sequences. Proterozoic deposits display weak deformation, related to syn-orogenic foreland and intracratonic-sag stages of the Kilohigok and Elu basins, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Despite the best efforts of local healthcare workers and health officials, Nunavut, a large geographical region in Northern Canada, has struggled with outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases (VPD). We contend that the implementation of an immunisation information system (IIS) could strengthen prevention and response efforts to this and future outbreaks of vaccinepreventable diseases. Developing an IIS in Nunavut that builds on the existing CANImmunize infrastructure would reduce the cost and complexity of developing a new IIS, and allow Nunavut to benefit from the ongoing efforts to secure data on the CANImmunize platform. Such a system would enable the identification of individuals and subpopulations at highest risk of infection based on vaccine series completion and permit the exploration of the underlying causes of outbreaks in the territory through consideration of demographic and temporal factors. Confirmed high rates of vaccination in the context of an outbreak would indicate potential issues with vaccine efficacy while low rates of vaccination would suggest that efforts should be devoted to increasing vaccine coverage. This approach could also lay the foundation for infrastructure expansion to other remote and/or Indigenous communities where geographical and accessibility issues complicate health care utilisation and monitoring, both in Canada and internationally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a research paper on smoking among pregnant women in Nunavut, and their readiness to quit smoking.

Copyright of Hydrological Sciences Journal/Journal des Sciences Hydrologiques is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Wet sedge tundra communities in the High Arctic are valuable sources of forage for several resident and migratory herbivores; however, the effects of grazing on these systems have been rarely studied. We simulated grazing in two wet sedge meadows at a site on Ellesmere Island that has not been affected by grazing. Over two summers, we clipped plots at four different frequencies and removed litter to assess effects on aboveground net primary production, availability of soil nitrogen, shoot concentrations of carbon and nitrogen, and soil temperature and moisture regimes. Available soil nitrate and ammonium were highest in plots with intermediate clipping frequencies. Shoot nitrogen concentrations were also greater at intermediate clipping frequencies in two of the four species studied. Aboveground net primary production decreased after clipping, regardless of frequency. Litter removal resulted in slightly increased soil moisture, but had no effect on aboveground net primary production. Soil temperature was not affected by any of our treatments. These results suggest that nitrogen cycling is stimulated by intermediate frequencies of simulated grazing, but clipping decreased aboveground net primary production in ungrazed high arctic wet sedge tundra. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives. To trace the historical development of the Rankin Inlet Birthing Centre since its inception in 1993 in the context of plans to make it the nucleus of a system of community birthing centres throughout Nunavut. Study design. This is an analytical historical study using a combination of oral history interviews, government documents and existing literature. Methods. Oral history interviews with current and former employees of the Birthing Centre, founding organizers and women who gave birth there were combined with a review of the literature using MEDLINE, Anthropology PLUS, CINAHL and Historical Abstracts, as well as a search of the records of the Nunavut Government and the debates of the Nunavut Legislature and its predecessor, the NWT Legislature. Results. The Rankin Inlet Birthing Centre has been successful, but only marginally so. The majority of births for residents of this region still occur in southern hospitals, either in Churchill or Winnipeg. Although the long-term plan for the Centre is to train and employ Inuit midwives, thus far only two maternity care workers are employed at the Centre. All the midwives are from southern Canada and rotate through the Centre and the community on fixed terms. The Centre has been very successful at gaining and retaining support at the political level, with a strong official commitment to it from the Nunavut Legislature, and active support from the medical communities in the Kivalliq and in Manitoba through the Northern Health Unit at the University of Manitoba. Community support within Rankin Inlet is less apparent and has been halting. Plans to extend the model of the Centre to other communities are long-standing, but have been slow to come to fruition. Discussion. The Rankin Inlet Birthing Centre has remained an important, but peripheral, institution in Rankin Inlet. It is in many ways a southern institution located in the Arctic; for this reason, and due to the social networks present in Rankin Inlet itself, it has suffered from a lack of enthusi astic support from the community. However, the staff at the Birthing Centre are aware of its shortcomings and explicitly support more community-centred approaches in other communities. Conclusions. The staff and clients of the Rankin Inlet Birthing Centre have broadly recognized the challenges it faces. Future expansion is likely to adapt to local traditions and requirements, leading to new birthing centres that will be integrated into their communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Truelove Lowland on Devon Island, Nunavut (75°N), has long been investigated for its flora, fauna, and microbiota. Unlike ectomycorrhizae, endomycorrhizal interactions have been described as sparse or absent in this High Arctic environment. To probe this observation, samples of roots and associated soils (55 plants in total) from 10 genera in 9 families were collected during July 2006. Fungi growing within these roots were visualized using our high-sensitivity lactofuchsin epifluorescence method. Fungal colonization within plant roots (collectively, endorhizal fungi) was assessed with our quantitative microintersect method. Of the 3988 intersections assessed at 400 x total magnification, only 154 lacked fungi. Most colonization was by septate endophytes (average abundance 66%, range 13-100%), and fine endophytes (average abundance 48%, range 0-100%). Endorhizal morphology in Dryas and Saxifraga roots typically consisted of thin extraradical hyphae that formed a sheath and grew between and within root cortical cells, resembling ericoid or ectendomycorrhizae. Soil in which the Truelove plants had grown, which had been stored at -20 °C, was planted with wheat seeds. After 10 weeks, fungal colonization of these roots was 35-100%. Endorhizal fungi are typically present in roots of plants living on Devon Island tundra. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives. Societies that foster socially supportive networks produce healthier populations. Social support is a significant determinant of health among Canada's Inuit population; however, little is known about the characteristics that provide access to social support among Inuit. This exploratory analysis describes how 4 types of social support (namely, positive social interaction, emotional support, tangible support and affection and intimacy) differ in relation to various determinants of health. Study design. Micro-data from the Arctic Supplement of the 2001 Aboriginal Peoples Survey (n=26,290) was used. Methods. Cross-tabulations and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to examine levels (high/low) of the 4 types of social support among the full Inuit sample (n=26,290) as they relate to age, gender, geographic region, marital status, Aboriginal language use and participation in traditional harvesting activities. Results. Certain subsegments of the Inuit population were less likely to report high levels of social support, including men, the elderly (aged 55+) and the unmarried. Some Inuit-relevant determinants were also found to decrease the odds of reporting high levels of social support, including being unable to speak or understand an Aboriginal language, not participating in traditional harvesting activities and living in Nunavik. Conclusions. Research that frames Inuit health within the social determinants of health is in its relative infancy; however, evidence from the social epidemiological literature indicates that those with diminished access to social support also suffer poorer health outcomes. Future research should build on the findings of this study to examine how the relationship between various health outcomes (e.g., respiratory disease, suicide attempts, self-rated health) and social support may respond along a social gradient. Such analysis will build on the paucity of literature specific to Inuit health and social conditions and set priorities for policy and programming efforts that will improve the social determinants of Inuit health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the last millennium, climatic fluctuations occurred in the Arctic that presumably affected ecosystems and people. Paleoclimatologists recognize that the impacts of these fluctuations were not consistent across space or time; however, archaeologists often cite climatic fluctuations as an impetus for Thule migration and more recent regionalization across the Arctic. An interdisciplinary International Polar Year project is examining possible correlations between climate and cultural changes on Melville Peninsula. To better evaluate the role climate played in cultural change on Melville Peninsula and to place emerging data in context, we present here new syntheses of paleoclimatic and archaeological data from adjacent regions to determine how the data sets articulate. A comparison of high-resolution paleoclimatic records suggests dissimilarities in climatic histories across this transitional area, with Little Ice Age cooling possibly occurring 1-2 centuries earlier west of Melville Peninsula than to the east. Although paleoclimates in the Baffin region to the east may have been more variable, the maritime climate may have contributed to a resource-rich environment, resulting in continuous human occupation. The more stable, and possibly cooler, continental climate to the west of Melville Peninsula could explain the relatively fewer Thule sites. This area, however, was relatively densely used throughout the coldest part of the past millennium and the historic period, likely owing to technological specialization and access to European material culture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present extent of glacier ice on Bylot Island, Arctic Canada, is mapped using high-resolution Landsat 7 ETM+ satellite imagery. The island is 43% ice covered, with 4783 km² of ice. Most ice is centered on the northwest-southeast--trending Byam Martin Mountains, flowing outward as radial valley glaciers and piedmont lobes. The largest glacier is 49 km long and 6.5 km wide. The majority of glaciers terminate on land, but many have margins ending in lakes and two calve into the sea. The late summer snowline, mapped from satellite imagery, is highest along the southern and central parts of the island at about 1050 m, with lower values along the east-northeastern margin of the ice down to about 700 m. These snowline-elevation differences suggest a predominant moisture source from the northeast. Several valley glaciers and piedmont lobes have deformed medial moraines and ice-surface foliation suggesting past surge activity. Ten glaciers are interpreted to be of possible surgetype. The modern extent of glaciers is compared with that of two earlier time intervals. First, we have mapped glacier margins in several areas of Bylot Island from aerial photographs acquired in 1958 and 1961. Secondly, former positions of ice fronts are mapped from moraine systems deposited during the Neoglacial maximum and identified on satellite data. Glaciers have retreated from 0.9 to 1.8 km since the Neoglacial maximum about 120 years ago, with most retreat occurring between 1958/1961 and 2001. Approximately 253 km² or 5% of the 1958/1961 ice-covered area has been lost. Overall, marked glacier retreat has occurred, although a few glaciers, possibly of surge-type, show small readvances. This retreat is consistent with observed climate warming in the Canadian Arctic, especially since the 1960s. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the course of the last century, the 9000-km² "Ellesmere Ice Shelf" (82-83°N, 64-90°W) fragmented into six main ice shelves now totaling 1043 km². This ensemble of thick ice environments lies along the northern coast of Ellesmere Island in the Canadian High Arctic and provides a cryohabitat for microbial communities that occur in association with eolian and glacially entrained sediments on the ice surface. We undertook a comparative analysis of physical, chemical, and biological characteristics of five of the remnant ice shelves including geographic information system (GIS) mapping of ice types. Each of these remnants is a thick (<20 m) mass of ice with substantial sediment overburden that promotes the formation of oligotrophic meltwaters in the summer. Microbiota occurred in all sampled sediment, forming a continuum of abundance from sparse to loosely cohesive and pigmented microbial mats. Using digital images from over-flight transects we determined that 8% of the combined ice-shelf area was suitable microbial mat habitat, and contained an estimated 34 Gg of organic matter stocks for the entire system. A gradient of increasing chlorophyll a, organic content, and conductivity was found from west to east. This is likely related to the surface ice type (meteoric versus marine) and to the relative availability of sediment. Our results indicate that differences in phototrophic community structure (microalgae and cyanobacterial morphotypes) were associated with different ice and microbial mat types. In addition, the relative abundance of dominant taxa was significantly associated with environmental gradients of conductivity, soluble reactive phosphorus, and nitrate and ammonium concentrations. There were distinct differences between each ice shelf with regards to ice type and sediment availability but no differences in taxonomic richness or diversity, indicating little effect of habitat fragmentation on these community attributes. However, the ensemble of ice shelves that compose this unique cryoecosystem remains vulnerable to habitat attrition and complete loss with ongoing climate warming. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]