Canada GEOTRACES--Arctic Research Drama

Roger Francois, Philippe Tortell and 9 other EOAS researchers (including 4 graduate students) are currently on the Coast Guard Ship Amundsen involved in a GEOTRACES expedition to gather data on climate change and its impact on the physics, chemistry and biology of the Arctic Ocean. Persistent harsh conditions in Hudson Bay that resulted in the late formation of sea ice have caused the isolation of some northern communities where fuel and food supplies are getting low. The Amundsen had to be diverted to help.See this report in the Globe and Mail for more details. The EOAS group has also published an opinion piece in the Globe and Mail highlighting the difficulties being caused by the inadequate logistical support of our Arctic presence (see here). We hear that after a long delay, the Amundsen will soon be steaming back to the GEOTRACES station. We send best wishes to all the shipboard scientists for the remainder of their expedition.