Unfiltered aqueous total and methyl mercury concentrations were measured from water collection on board the NGCC/CCGS Amundsen at stations within the Beaufort Sea, Amundsen Gulf, and the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Profiles of 10-12 m depth resolution were collected from 15 stations using the ship rosette system. Total mercury samples were analyzed on board. Methylmercury samples were preserved and transported to Winnipeg for analysis. Interpretation of results will also rely on supporting data from ArcticNet collaborators to identify water masses and determine biological productivity that determine the relative importance of external sources and internal cycling.

Continuous air samples were collected on Legs 8 and 9 of the CCGS Amundsen cruise in 2008 using a high volume air sampler that drew air through a glass fibre filter followed by two polyurethane foam plugs. Water samples were collected by filter water through a glass fibre filter followed by a solid phase absorbent. Samples were extracted back at the laboratory followed by analysis using a gas chromatograph-mass spectrometer. Data generated included concentration of semi-volatile contaminants in air and water and chiral signature of chiral components.

Air, water, phytoplankton and zooplankton samples were collected on board the CCGS Amundsen in October 2011 as part of ArcticNet between Kugluktuk, NT and Quebec City, QC via Baffin Bay. The samples were analysed for legacy organochlorine pesticides (OCPs), current use pesticides (CUPs), per and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and organophosphate flame retardants and plasticizers (OPs). The purpose of collecting air and water samples in the Canadian Archipelago was i) to continue the time trends of OCPs and CUPs, ii) to confirm the presence of PFAS observed in recent years and iii) establish baseline concentrations of OPs. The phytoplankton and zooplankton samples investigation will allow quantification of the above compounds in the lower food web and observe how these compounds move from the abiotic to biotic environment. Analysis was done by gas chromatograph-mass spectrometer (GC-MSD) and liquid-chromatography mass spec mass spec (LC-MS/MS). Four OPs, tri-phenyl phosphate (TPP), tris-(2-chloro ethyl) phosphate (TCEP), tris-(2-chloro propyl) phosphate (TCPP) and tris-(1,2-dichloro propyl) phosphate (TDCPP) were identified in air samples for the first time in Canadian Arctic air and levels are very high compared to levels of total PBDEs and other brominated flame retardants at Alert (Xiao et al., 2012). Due to these findings, archive samples from Alert and previous ArcticNet cruises were also analysed for OPs, thus establishing baseline concentrations in Canadian Arctic air in which future trends can be compared.

Zooplankton samples were collected onboard the research Icebreaker CCGS Amundsen during Leg 1 in 2005 (4 stations) and Leg 1 in 2006 (8 stations) with a vertically towed net frame equipped with a set of 4 adjacent 1-m2 nets (mesh size 200 µm and 500 µm) from near the bottom to the surface and by trawling an oblique rectangular mid-water trawl (mesh size 1600 µm) or an oblique Tucker net (mesh size 2x500 µm) in the surface layer from 100 m depth to the surface. Samples were placed into 30 ml plastic vials and/or whirl-pak bags and were kept frozen at -20 degree Celsius. Representative sub-samples of individual zooplankton genera were placed in 4 ml glass vials for stable isotope analysis. Three keystone zooplankton genus were included in this study: Calanus spp. (mostly adult Calanus hyperboreus), Themisto spp. (mostly adult Themisto libellula) and Euchaeta spp. THg analysis was conducted at the Freshwater Institute with cold vapour atomic absorption spectroscopy (CVAAS). MMHg analysis was conducted at the University of Ottawa by Gas Chromatography Atomic Fluorescence Spectroscopy (GCAFS). Carbon and nitrogen isotopic analyses were performed at the University of Winnipeg Isotope Laboratory by continuous flow ion ratio mass spectrometry (CF-IRMS). Oceanographic data (Hg levels in water column, salinity, 18O) were collected by our team. Water samples were collected with 24 12-L Niskin bottles attached to a rosette sampler equipped with Seabird 911+ CTD (Sea-Bird Electronics, Inc.).

Zooplankton samples were collected onboard the research Icebreaker CCGS Amundsen during Leg 1 in 2005 (4 stations) and Leg 1 in 2006 (8 stations) with a vertically towed net frame equipped with a set of 4 adjacent 1-m2 nets (mesh size 200 µm and 500 µm) from near the bottom to the surface and by trawling an oblique rectangular mid-water trawl (mesh size 1600 µm) or an oblique Tucker net (mesh size 2x500 µm) in the surface layer from 100 m depth to the surface. Samples were placed into 30 ml plastic vials and/or whirl-pak bags and were kept frozen at -20 Degree Celcius. Representative sub-samples of individual zooplankton genera were placed in 4 ml glass vials for stable isotope analysis. Three keystone zooplankton genus were included in this study: Calanus spp. (mostly adult Calanus hyperboreus), Themisto spp. (mostly adult Themisto libellula) and Euchaeta spp. THg analysis was conducted at the Freshwater Institute with cold vapour atomic absorption spectroscopy (CVAAS). MMHg analysis was conducted at the University of Ottawa by Gas Chromatography Atomic Fluorescence Spectroscopy (GCAFS). Carbon and nitrogen isotopic analyses were performed at the University of Winnipeg Isotope Laboratory by continuous flow ion ratio mass spectrometry (CF-IRMS). Oceanographic data (Hg levels in water column, salinity, 18O) were collected by our team. Water samples were collected with 24 12-L Niskin bottles attached to a rosette sampler equipped with Seabird 911+ CTD (Sea-Bird)

Air and water samples were collected from on board the CCGS Amundsen in the fall of 2013 as a part of ArcticNet and the Northern Contaminants Program (NCP). These samples were collected to determine the occurrence and levels of legacy pesticides and new and emerging priority compounds under the Canadian Chemical Management Plan. Analysis was done by gas chromatograph-mass spectrometer (GC-MSD) and liquid-chromatography mass spec mass spec (LC-MS/MS).

Sample collections were made aboard the CCGS Amundsen during the ArcticNet field campaigns in August 2013 (Leg 1), July, August and October 2014 (Leg 1 & 3) and October 2015 (Leg 4). Sediment samples retrieved from box cores were sliced into 0.5 cm increments and frozen separately, while benthic invertebrates were collected using a benthic trawl. Individual species including Gorgoncephelus arcticus, Psilaster andromeda, Ophiopleura borealis and Ctenodiscus crispatus were identified, sorted, packed and stored at -30C and shipped to Winnipeg. At the University of Manitoba samples were freeze-dried and homogenized. Samples were then extracted and analyzed for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and n-alkanes using a LECO Pegasus gas chromatographer with a high resolution time of flight mass spectrometer (GC-HR TOFMS). Supplementary data was also generated, including stable isotope ratios of nitrogen and carbon, as well as lipid (inverts) and total organic carbon (sediment) to calculate biota-sediment accumulation factors (BSAFs). Statistical analysis is currently ongoing.

Continuous air samples were collected on Leg 1 of the CCGS Amundsen cuise in 2007 using a high volume air sampler that drew air through a glass fibre filter followed by two polyurethane foam plugs. Water samples were collected by filter water through a glass fibre filter followed by a solid phase absorbent. Samples were extracted back at the laboratory followed by analysis using a gas chromatograph-mass spectrometer. Data generated included concentration of semi-volatile contaminants in air and water and chiral signature of chiral components.

Continuous air samples were collected on Leg 1 of the CCGS Amundsen cruise in 2007 using a high volume air sampler that drew air through a glass fibre filter followed by two polyurethane foam plugs. Water samples were collected by filter water through a glass fibre filter followed by a solid phase absorbent. Samples were extracted back at the laboratory followed by analysis using a gas chromatograph-mass spectrometer. Data generated included concentration of semi-volatile contaminants in air and water and chiral signature of chiral components.

Microplastics pollution has been found across the globe, but with limited information from the polar regions. Although there is evidence of microplastics in the Arctic and Antarctic, little is understood about the sources, fate and extent of contamination. We collected samples and will quantify the amount and identify the types of microplastics in snow, ice, water, sediments and zooplankton sampled from the CCGS Amundsen in and around the Hudson Bay and/or the central and eastern Canadian Archipelago. In addition, we will answer questions about sources and fate using two types of information. We will examine patterns of microplastics contamination and compare them with land-use patterns and water and air circulation. Based on previous studies, and our preliminary findings, we believe that microplastics will be present in Arctic samples, but a detailed study will help us better understand how ubiquitous microplastics are, from where they are derived, and how they are preserved or degraded. Microplastics in the Arctic raise concerns about impacts to wildlife and local communities that rely on food from the sea. Results from this study will inform future experiments that answer questions related to such impacts.