Terms of Reference

Biophysical and Ecological Overview of the North Water Polynya and Adjacent Areas

Regional Peer Review - Central and Arctic Region

January 22-24, 2020
Winnipeg, MB

Co-Chairs: Jason Stow and Tom Christensen

Context

The North Water Polynya (Pikialasorsuq) lies between Canada and Greenland and is formed by currents and wind conditions (see map). Pikialasorsuaq means “great upwelling”, and is the Kalaallisut (West Greenlandic) name for the North Water. This region has the largest per unit biological production of any waters in the Northern Hemisphere and the highest primary production in the Arctic Ocean. Considered to be one of the largest polynyas within the Arctic, an estimated more than 60 million birds inhabit the region, including the largest single species aggregation on earth of Dovekies/ Little Auks. The polynya is critical habitat for many marine mammal species such as Atlantic Walrus (Odobenus rosmarus), Beluga (Delphinapterus leucas), Narwhal (Monodon Monoceros), Bowhead (Balaena mysticetus), Ringed Seal (Pusa hispida), Bearded Seal (Erignathus barbatus) and Polar Bear (Ursus maritimus).

Due to its biological, social-economical, and cultural importance, this area has been evaluated as unique through several international processes. The North Water Polynya was identified as an Ecologically and Biologically Significant Area (EBSA) by Fisheries and Oceans Canada in 2011 (DFO 2011). In another process in 2011, made by Aarhus University and the Greenland Institute of Natural Resources, the area was ranked highest of all Greenlandic Marine Areas, by using the IMO Particular Sensitive Sea Areas Crtieria. In 2017, the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) and the UNESCO’s World Heritage Centre identified the North Water Polynya and Adjacent Areas as one of seven potential candidate areas in the Arctic for Outstanding Universal Value (OUV). Further, from 2016 to 2018, the Inuit Circumpolar Council (ICC) established the Pikialasorsuaq Commission to gather information from communities surrounding the North Water Polynya, and support Inuit in providing future recommendations for the region (e.g., Kyhn and Mosbech 2019).

The Canadian Science Advisory Secretariat (CSAS) will be hosting an international meeting to review the state of knowledge for the North Water Polynya. A current literature review of the North Water will be assembled from published scientific documents, reports and peer reviewed journals, as well as any documented Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit^{Footnote 1} (IQ) and hunter/user knowledge for the region. This information has been requested to help inform future collaborations related to the North Water, and will attempt to identify areas for which both scientific, Indigenous and hunter/ local knowledge may be lacking, and where more work is needed to understand this sensitive ecosystem. Further, Aarhus University and the Greenland Institute of Natural Resources have provided a background document summarizing published descriptions and spatial information on the most important biological areas in the North Water Polynya (Christensen et al. 2017). This meeting will be attended by international researchers and knowledge holders, and local subject matter experts.

Objectives

The intent of the meeting is to conduct a peer-review of an Ecosystem Overview Report on the North Water Polynya, which will be based on the most relevant available information and scientific research for the area. Background material in the form of scientific overview documents provided by proposed partners and contributors will be included, and will provide the basis for discussion and scientific advice on the specific objectives outlined below:

1. Describe and map, where possible, key ecological and biological features, representative coastal and marine ecosystems, and other key physical oceanographic and habitat features within the North Water Polynya and adjacent areas;
2. Identify key uncertainties and knowledge gaps within the North Water Polynya,
3. Identify activities and likely/known stressors that may affect the key ecological and biological features in the North Water Polynya.

Expected Publications

• Science Advisory Report
• Proceedings
• Research Document(s)

Expected Participation

Participants will be invited from a variety of organizations with expertise in relevant disciplines, in order to capture the full diversity of scientific schools of thought and opinion. Participants are expected to contribute their knowledge and expertise to the meeting independent of any organizational mandates or agendas.

• Government organizations (e.g., Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Parks Canada, relevant Ministries from the Government of Greenland)
• Local experts from Canadian and Greenlandic communities (e.g., Grise Fiord, Qaanaaq)
• Inuit Organizations, Hunters and Trappers Organizations (e.g., Inuit Circumpolar Council Canada, Kalaallit Nunaanni Aalisartut Piniartullu Kattufiat [KNAPK])
• Academic Institutions (e.g., University of Manitoba, Aarhus University, Greenland Institute of Natural Resources & Greenland Climate Research Centre)
• Non-Governmental Organizations (e.g., World Wildlife Fund, Oceans North)

References

Christensen, T., Mosbech, A., Johansen, K.LO., Boertmann, D., Clausen, D.S., Boye, T., and Ugarte, F. 2017. Nordvandet; Økologi, sårbarhed og mulig fremtidig forvaltning. Notat fra DCE 0 Nationalt Center fro Miljø og Energi og Grønlands Naturinstitut, Roskilde, DK. 53 p.

DFO. 2011. Identification of Ecologically and Biologically Significant Areas (EBSA) in the Canadian Arctic. DFO Can. Sci. Advis. Sec. Sci. Advis. Rep. 2011/055.

Kyhn, L.A., and Mosbech, A (eds). 2019. White Paper – North Water Polynya Conference Copenhagen 2017. Aarhus University, Copenhagen, DK. 154 p.