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The CCGS
Amundsen
Canada’s Research Icebreaker
by Louis Fortier, Martin Fortier, Keith Lévesque,
Katie Blasco, and the Canadian Coast Guard
MARTIN FORTIER/ARCTICNET
32 The Journal of Ocean Technology, Vol. 10, No. 4, 2015
Copyright Journal of Ocean Technology 2015
Copyright Journal of Ocean Technology 2015
The Journal of Ocean Technology, Vol. 10, No. 4, 2015 33
The Canadian Coast Guard Ship Amundsen
is Canada’s only icebreaker with a dedicated
scientific mandate. Built in 1979 at the
Burrard Dry Docks in British Columbia,
the ship was originally known as the CCGS
Sir John Franklin. In June 2002, a proposal
submitted by a consortium of Canadian
universities and federal agencies to transform
the decommissioned Sir John Franklin into a
state-of-the-art research vessel was accepted
by the International Joint Ventures Fund
of the Canada Foundation for Innovation
(CFI). Along with a contribution from
Fisheries and Oceans Canada-Coast Guard,
the CFI grant allowed for the retrofit of the
vessel, the completion of major structural
transformations to adapt it to its new scientific
mission, and the acquisition of a diverse pool
of scientific equipment.
The ship was rechristened in 2003 in honour
of the illustrious Arctic explorer Roald
Amundsen. Since then, the CCGS Amundsen
has been a major catalyst of the ongoing
renaissance of Arctic sciences in Canada.
Thanks to the dedication of its Coast Guard
crew, the participation of scientists from
around the world in its research program,
and the special French-Canadian joie-devivre atmosphere that prevails on board, the
Amundsen is now one of the most famous
research vessels in operation.
A Dual-Purpose Marine Platform
The 98.33-metre long medium icebreaker
is designed for maximum autonomy at sea,
carrying enough provisions and fuel to travel
15,000 nautical miles at cruising speed
and navigate up to 120 days at sea without
resupply. Thanks to its 13,200 kW diesel
electric propulsion and the adapted design of
its hull, the ship can forge through 1-metre
thick ice at 3 knots.
Based in Quebec City, the Amundsen is one
of the few Coast Guard ships to have a dual
purpose. From December to April, the ship
conducts its Coast Guard duties of icebreaking,
flood control, and escort operations in the Gulf
34 The Journal of Ocean Technology, Vol. 10, No. 4, 2015
of St. Lawrence and the St. Lawrence River
as well as in the Saguenay Fiord and the Great
Lakes. The Amundsen is part of a fleet of
icebreakers that maintain a continuous flow of
ice in the St. Lawrence Seaway during winter,
preventing the formation of ice jams and the
excessive accumulation of ice in flood prone
regions. The critical work of the Canadian
Coast Guard icebreaking fleet ensures that
shipping channels remain open and accessible
all year long, in support of economic activity
in eastern Canada.
From mid-May to mid-November, the
Coast Guard maintains the infrastructure
operational and available for up to 152 days
of dedicated science operations. This is the
season when sea-ice thickness is minimum
and access to the Canadian High Arctic
is easiest. It is also a period of particular
scientific interest, as it comprises the
vernal awakening of the Arctic ecosystem
and its maturation during the short Arctic
summer and fall. However, as scientists
are increasingly intrigued by the winter
ecology of Arctic organisms and the oceanatmosphere interactions that dictate the
growth and demise of sea-ice from late
fall to spring, special arrangements can be
negotiated with the Coast Guard to extend the
availability of the Amundsen to accommodate
circum-annual science programs in the Arctic.
A World-Class Research Vessel
Managed by a multi-university consortium
based at Université Laval, the Amundsen
science program has spearheaded 18 major
Canadian-led national and international
research efforts conducted by more than
100 teams since 2003. These include, the
Canadian Arctic Shelf Exchange Study
(CASES), the International Polar Year (IPY)
Circumpolar Flaw Lead (CFL) System
Study, two major Inuit Health Surveys, the
marine program of the Network of Centres of
Excellence ArcticNet, and extensive research
collaborations with the oil and gas and hydro
sectors in Hudson Bay, the Beaufort Sea, and
the Labrador Sea.
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DOUG BARBER/ARCTICNET
Figure 1: The Amundsen supported over 350 scientists from 27 different countries as part of the multidisciplinary International Polar Year
Circumpolar Flaw Lead (CFL) System Study led by the University of Manitoba to understand the role of the circumpolar flaw lead in the
context of a warming Arctic. Here scientists and fellow divers collect marine samples during the CFL mission.
The CCGS Amundsen is the first research
icebreaker in the world to have undertaken
two over-wintering expeditions in the Arctic.
Straight out of its major refit, the vessel left
for its first overwintering in 2003-2004 as
part of the CASES program, remaining in the
Arctic for an impressive 390 days without
calling port. Funded by the Natural Sciences
and Engineering Research Council of Canada,
CASES was an international Canadian-led
effort to understand the biogeochemical
and ecological consequences of sea ice
variability and change on the Mackenzie Shelf
in the eastern Beaufort Sea. For its second
overwintering in 2007-2008, the Amundsen
supported over 350 scientists from 27 different
countries as part of the multidisciplinary IPY-
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CFL System Study led by the the University
of Manitoba to understand the role of the
circumpolar flaw lead in the context of a
warming Arctic; Figure 1.
In addition to the ship and its navigational
capacities, the Amundsen is equipped with a
comprehensive pool of scientific instrumentation
and facilities valued at over $36M. The ship
and its equipment can accommodate the
needs of physical, chemical, and biological
oceanographers, paleo-oceanographers, marine
geologists and geophysicists, marine ecologists,
atmosphere and ocean colour specialists, and
epidemiologists. Overall, the Amundsen is
now outfitted with 65 state-of-the-art scientific
systems and 22 laboratories.
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A Floating Clinic for Health Research
The trans-sectoral ArcticNet research
program focuses not only on the health of
Arctic ecosystems but also on the health
of Northerners. Under the leadership of
ArcticNet scientists, the Amundsen was
twice transformed into a floating research
clinic to assess the physical and mental
health of Inuit. Using the Amundsen and
its laboratories, teams of epidemiologists,
nurses, researchers, interviewers and
interpreters visited 50 coastal communities in
the Inuvialuit Settlement Region, Nunavut,
Nunavik, and Nunatsiavut to evaluate the
health status and wellbeing of Inuit; Figure 2.
For the Nunavik Inuit Health Survey,
Qanuippitaa? in 2004 and the International
Polar Year Inuit Health Survey, Qanuippitali?
in 2007-2008, the Amundsen was outfitted with
a suite of medical and laboratory equipment
not readily available in the North. Community
residents were brought on board the ship by
barge where they were given questionnaires and
interviews and participated in a variety of tests
including breast cancer screening, blood testing
for selected health indicators, bone density
tests, anthropometric measurements, cardiac
tests, diabetes tests, and hearing evaluations.
In addition to numerous scientific publications,
the health surveys resulted in the publication
of several documents aimed at informing
communities, health practitioners, and
health authorities. These included regional
reports of survey results, a nutrition report, a
methodological report, and seventeen theme
papers covering topics from mental health,
violence, and gambling to respiratory health,
cardiovascular health, and tobacco use. A
follow-up survey of the Nunavik region using
the Amundsen is planned for 2017.
A State-of-the-Art Platform for Seabed
Mapping
The seas and waterways of the Canadian Arctic
Archipelago remain largely uncharted. With a
warming climate, new sea routes are opening
up and the assessment of seabed hazards for
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resource development is becoming increasingly
critical. While conducting its multidisciplinary
research mission, the Amundsen provides a
state-of-the-art platform for near-continuous
mapping of the Arctic seafloor in many of
Canada’s uncharted regions; Figure 3.
In addition to underway mapping while
transiting and travelling between sampling
stations, dedicated multibeam and sub-bottom
surveys have been conducted to assess seabed
geohazards, map seabed bathymetry, conduct
habitat mapping to aid provincial and federal
governments in the establishment of fisheries,
evaluate the past to present evolution of sea ice
regime for a better understanding of climatic
history, and improve safety of navigation in
high-traffic waterways.
Equipped with a hull-mounted Kongsberg
EM 302 multibeam echo sounder protected by
titanium–polymer ice windows, and a Knudsen
K320R 3.5 kHz sub-bottom profiler, the
Amundsen has been collecting bathymetric and
geological data in new sectors of the Arctic since
its maiden voyage in 2003. To complement data
collection with the EM 302, the Amundsen’s
launches can be equipped with a KongsbergSimrad EM 3002 300 kHz multibeam sonar for
high resolution surveys in shallow water. These
mapping efforts represent the most extensive
source of modern high-density bathymetric data
in the Canadian Archipelago.
Anticipating the Response of Arctic
Marine Ecosystems to Climate Change and
Development
From declining sea-ice cover to the
warming of the surface layer, from seawater
acidification to invasive species, from oil
exploration to hydroelectric development,
major and multiple alterations of the
Arctic Ocean ecosystem under the double
pressure of climate change and industrial
development are currently taking place. These
changes have brought to light a multitude
of questions including, when the Arctic
Ocean will be seasonally ice-free; whether
biological productivity will increase as more
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ISABELLE DUBOIS/ARCTICNET
The Amundsen was twice transformed into a floating research clinic to assess the physical and mental health of Inuit. Using the
Amundsen and its laboratories, teams of epidemiologists, nurses, researchers, interviewers, and interpreters visited 50 coastal
communities to evaluate the health status and wellbeing of northern residents. Photo shows the community of Kangiqsujuaq, Nunavik.
Figure 3: With a warming climate, new sea routes are opening up and the assessment
of seabed hazards for resource development is becoming increasingly critical. The
Amundsen provides a state-of-the-art platform for near-continuous mapping of the
Arctic seafloor in many of Canada’s unchartered regions.
ARIEL ESTULIN/ARCTICNET
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MARTIN FORTIER/ARCTICNET
Figure 4: The Amundsen’s extensive research capacity is uniquely suited to support
the multidisciplinary and international research programs that aim to answer complex
questions brought about by changes and development in the Arctic. Among its extensive
equipment pool are two CTD-Rosette systems (one shown here) equipped with a variety
of sensors to measure the physical and biogeochemical properties of the water column.
solar radiation reaches the ice-free waters;
whether subarctic and boreal species from
the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans will displace
hyper-specialized Arctic species such as the
Arctic cod, the ringed seal, and the polar
bear; whether new fisheries will develop in
the Arctic Ocean and if commercial fishing
should be banned from low-productivity
waters. Northern services relying on Arctic
marine ecosystems (e.g., food, tourism,
cultural benefits) may in turn be impacted by
these changes.
Complemented by satellite observations
and a rapidly-expanding pool of automated
instruments (autonomous underwater vehicles,
ocean gliders, intelligent floats, etc.), the
Amundsen’s extensive research capacity is
uniquely suited to support the multidisciplinary
and international research programs that aim
to answer these complex ecosystem questions;
Figure 4. Its equipment pool includes a fish
echo sounder and a fisheries sonar; two CTDRosette systems equipped with a variety of
sensors to measure nutrient and phytoplankton
stocks; a remotely operated vehicle with 1,500 m
diving capacity that is deployed through the
ship’s internal moon pool; multiple fullyequipped dry and wet laboratories including
a portable ultra-clean in-situ laboratory for
mercury speciation and contaminants studies; a
suite of automated plankton sampling nets and
benthic sampling equipment; and a large array
of oceanographic mooring instrumentation.
Collaborating with Industry for EvidenceBased Decision-Making
As part of the ArcticNet research program,
the Amundsen has supported successful
research partnerships with both the oil and
gas sector and the hydro sector over the last
10 years. These collaborations promote the
flow of information and best practices between
the private sector and academia, providing
industry and policy makers access to expert
knowledge for better decision making,
and enabling researchers to expand their
data collection efforts, training programs,
and technical expertise; Figure 5. Through
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ArcticNet, the data collected from the
Amundsen is accessible to all stakeholders,
including industry, regulators, northern
communities, federal departments, and the
public, for contribution to decisions on
proposed developments and regulations.
Research partnerships with Imperial Oil
Resources Ventures Limited, ExxonMobil,
and BP were conducted from the Amundsen
between 2009 and 2011 to collect
environmental data in and around exploration
licenses in the Canadian Beaufort Sea. This
massive data collection effort allowed for
detailed bathymetric mapping, geological
and geotechnical analyses of seafloor
sediments, seabed geohazard assessment,
and the collection of new oceanographic and
ecosystem data in the Beaufort Sea region.
Building on the success of the 2009-2011
collaborations, the Amundsen supported a
partnership between ArcticNet, Statoil Canada,
the Research and Development Corporation
of Newfoundland and Labrador, and Husky
Energy in April-May 2015. The two-week
program focused on the study of sea ice
dynamics and iceberg movement, seabed
mapping, and marine mammal detection
offshore Newfoundland and Labrador. The
expedition was an opportunity to collect data
using the Amundsen’s pool of state-of-the art
equipment, as well as to test new technologies
critical to understanding offshore and harsh
weather environments.
Led by the University of Manitoba, ArcticNet
teams have used the Amundsen to carry out
intense collaborative field studies in Hudson
Bay with Manitoba Hydro since 2004. Based in
several Canadian universities, these teams were
recently awarded a Collaborative Research and
Development (CRD) Grant from the Natural
Sciences and Engineering Research Council
of Canada for the BaySys project that will
determine the relative contributions of climate
change and hydroelectric regulation to the
variability and change of freshwater-marine
coupling in the Hudson Bay system. The CRD
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MARTIN FORTIER/ARCTICNET
Figure 5: The Amundsen has supported successful research partnerships with both the oil and gas and hydro sectors
over the last 10 years. The collaborations promote the flow of information and best practices between the private
sector and academia, providing industry and policy makers access to expert knowledge for better decision making,
and enabling researchers to expand their data collection efforts, training programs, and technical expertise. Shown
here is the deployment of an ArcticNet oceanographic mooring in the Beaufort Sea.
Figure 6: The Amundsen provides a unique training environment where students are exposed to the
complexities of large multinational and multidisciplinary endeavours not only in their area of expertise, but
also in all sectors of Arctic research. The Schools on Board program (shown here) is an outreach program
developed to bridge Arctic research with science education in high schools across Canada: it aims to increase
awareness of issues related to climate change in Canada and educate young Canadians about the challenges
and career opportunities related to Arctic research.
ARIEL ESTULIN/ARCTICNET
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totals $9 million in funding over four years
for this joint project with Manitoba Hydro,
Hydro-Québec, and the Ouranos Consortium.
Fieldwork will be conducted on board the
Amundsen in 2017.
Impacts and a Glimpse at the Future
Since 2003, the Amundsen has hosted over
1,400 participants as part of its annual
scientific expeditions including more than 170
researchers, 460 graduate and undergraduate
students and postdoctoral fellows, 90
secondary school students through the Schools
on Board outreach program, 570 professionals
and research staff, and 120 media and artists.
The Amundsen provides a unique training
environment where students are exposed to
the complexities of large multinational and
multidisciplinary endeavours not only in their
area of expertise, but also in all sectors of
Arctic research; Figure 6.
Research conducted from the Amundsen
has resulted in the publication of over 750
articles in peer-reviewed journals and 2,000
non-refereed articles. Its visibility in the
media and the numerous benefits the ship
brings to Canadian societies, north and south,
have made the Amundsen the symbol of the
recently renewed awareness of Canada to its
Arctic dimension. From adorning Canada’s
$50 banknotes, to making the front page of
major national and international newspapers
and magazines such as The Washington Post,
The Globe and Mail, The Gazette, and Time
Magazine, the immense media and public
coverage that the vessel has attracted in recent
years is a reflection of the immeasurable
success and accomplishments of the national
and international scientific programs supported
by this unique multipurpose Canadian Coast
Guard vessel over the last decade.
by large multidisciplinary teams to the
Canadian Arctic; consolidating international
collaborations; enabling Canada’s Network
of Centres of Excellence ArcticNet; offering
a unique environment for the training of the
next generation of Arctic Ocean specialists;
and supporting research partnerships with
the private sector.
The Amundsen underwent a major “midlife” refit in 2012 that included the complete
replacement of its propulsion and service
generators and is in excellent condition thanks
to the comprehensive maintenance program
implemented by the Canadian Coast Guard.
Its pool of scientific equipment is constantly
expanding with the acquisition of ever more
sophisticated research systems. Hence,
research teams throughout Canada and abroad
are looking forward to many more years of
collaboration with the Coast Guard in the
exploration of the changing Arctic Ocean. u
Louis Fortier, Martin Fortier, Keith Lévesque, and Katie Blasco work
with the ArcticNet Network of Centres of Excellence of Canada
and the Amundsen Science program, both based at Université
Laval in Quebec City, Canada. ArcticNet brings together scientists
and managers in the natural, human health, and social sciences
with its partners from Inuit organizations, northern communities,
federal and provincial agencies, and the private sector to study
the impacts of climate change and modernization in the coastal
Canadian Arctic. The Amundsen Science program manages the
scientific operations of the icebreaker and its pool of state-of-theart science equipment, providing cutting-edge research capacity
to Canadian scientists and their international collaborators in
Canada’s northern seas and coastal communities.
www.arcticnet.ulaval.ca / www.amundsen.ulaval.ca
The Canadian Coast Guard (CCG) owns and operates the federal
government’s civilian fleet – including the CCGS Amundsen – and
provides key maritime services to Canadians. The CCG helps
Fisheries and Oceans Canada meet its responsibility to ensure
safe and accessible waterways. It also plays a key role in ensuring
the sustainable use and development of Canada’s oceans and
waterways. www.ccg-gcc.gc.ca
True to its mandate, the Amundsen has
re-energized Canadian Arctic science by
providing unprecedented access to the
Arctic Ocean and its coastal communities to
Canadian researchers and their international
collaborators; introducing big science led
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