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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. Copyright Journal of Ocean Technology 2015 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- Copyright Journal of Ocean Technology 2015 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. The Journal of Ocean Technology, Vol. 10, No. 4, 2015 35 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 36 The Journal of Ocean Technology, Vol. 10, No. 4, 2015 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 Copyright Journal of Ocean Technology 2015 Copyright Journal of Ocean Technology 2015 The Journal of Ocean Technology, Vol. 10, No. 4, 2015 37 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 Copyright Journal of Ocean Technology 2015 38 The Journal of Ocean Technology, Vol. 10, No. 4, 2015 Copyright Journal of Ocean Technology 2015 The Journal of Ocean Technology, Vol. 10, No. 4, 2015 39 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 40 The Journal of Ocean Technology, Vol. 10, No. 4, 2015 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 Copyright Journal of Ocean Technology 2015 Copyright Journal of Ocean Technology 2015 The Journal of Ocean Technology, Vol. 10, No. 4, 2015 41 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 Copyright Journal of Ocean Technology 2015 42 The Journal of Ocean Technology, Vol. 10, No. 4, 2015 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 Copyright Journal of Ocean Technology 2015 The Journal of Ocean Technology, Vol. 10, No. 4, 2015 43