Canadian International Polar Year Projects – Arctic Marine Mammals

Two major Canadian International Polar Year projects specifically address research on Arctic marine mammals: (1) Global Warming and Arctic Marine Mammals (GWAMM) studies seals, walrus, whales, and polar bears in the Hudson Bay subpolar marine ecosystem and (2) Circumpolar Flaw Lead (CFL) has a Team studying marine mammals (beluga, bowhead, polar bear, and ringed seals) in the eastern Beaufort Sea. Both projects are interested in understanding and predicting climate change effects on marine mammal distribution and abundance and providing baseline data to assess future change.

Participants will review research progress from 2007 field activities and make plans for the final Polar Year of 2008. Science projects proposing to use collected arctic marine mammal tissues from Inuit subsistence hunts will be considered.

Workshop Objective/Goal

To discuss how to organize Canadian IPY marine mammal research findings into a scientific product capable of providing an adaptive assessment of climate change effects on arctic and subarctic marine ecosystems.

Format of Workshop

Brief project description/presentations followed by discussion of completed field season and plans for 2008. Participants will discuss data sharing, ecosystem assessment, modeling, and plan how to write final IPY documents.

Cost of Workshop

None

Date & Venue

Wednesday afternoon 28 November; CTICC

Call for Presentations

Participants may present 10-15 minute presentations on their arctic marine mammal research related to CFL and GWAMM initiatives. Interested presenters are asked to notify chairs in advance and keep presentations to less than 12 ppt slides.

Steven Ferguson: e-mail: fergusonsh@dfo-mpo.gc.ca

Lisa Loseto: e-mail: losetol@dfo-mpo.gc.ca

Nick Lunn: nick.lunn@ec.gc.ca