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.

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.

Microplastics (MPs) contaminate the oceans from the poles to the equators and from the sea surface to the deep sea. In addition, MPs have been recorded in freshwater systems, including in lakes, rivers and streams globally. Not only an aquatic issue, MPs infiltrate terrestrial ecosystems in landfills, agricultural settings, along beaches, and even in the air. It therefore comes as no surprise that MPs have been identified as a global pollutant of concern that is capable of long-range transport and causing adverse effects in wildlife, but limited information is available for Canadian Arctic regions. Consequently, the NCP has identified assessing the presence and distribution of MPs in Arctic marine ecosystems a priority. The Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme (AMAP) has also added Marine Plastics and MPs to their list of Chemicals of Emerging Arctic Concern. We collected water, sediment and zooplankton for MPs in the summer of 2019 as a part of ArcticNet from on board the CCGS Amundsen. Additional water and sediment samples were collected from the R/V William Kennedy in western Hudson Bay and Chesterfield Inlet as a part of GENICE. Water samples were collected by bucketing surface water and filtered through a polycarbonate filter that captured the microplastics. Sediment samples were collected from push cores in a box corer, the top 0-5cm was collected. Zooplankton samples were collected from Tucker Nets using 250um mesh size and then speciated. All samples were distributed to collaborators at Universities of Toronto, McGill and Western Ontario for further processing and analysis. Analysis will be done by FTIR and/or Raman Spectroscopy.

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.

Microplastics (MPs) contaminate the oceans from the poles to the equators and from the sea surface to the deep sea. In addition, MPs have been recorded in freshwater systems, including in lakes, rivers and streams globally. Not only an aquatic issue, MPs infiltrate terrestrial ecosystems in landfills, agricultural settings, along beaches, and even in the air. It therefore comes as no surprise that MPs have been identified as a global pollutant of concern that is capable of long-range transport and causing adverse effects in wildlife, but limited information is available for Canadian Arctic regions. Consequently, the NCP has identified assessing the presence and distribution of MPs in Arctic marine ecosystems a priority. The Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme (AMAP) has also added Marine Plastics and MPs to their list of Chemicals of Emerging Arctic Concern. We planned on collecting water, sediment and zooplankton for MPs in the summer of 2020 as a part of ArcticNet from on board the CCGS Amundsen. Unfortunately, due to the COVID-19 pandemic sampling on board the CCGS Amundsen for our project was cancelled.

Air, water (grab and passive) and sediment samples were collected from on board the CCGS Amundsen in the summer of 2015 as a part of ArcticNet and the Northern Contaminants Program. 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.

Air, water (grab and passive) and zooplankton samples were collected from on board the CCGS Amundsen in the summer of 2016 as a part of ArcticNet and the Northern Contaminants Program. 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. Additionally, archived sediment and filtered water samples were screened for and found microplastics.

We collected air, water, sediment samples in the summer of 2019 from on board the CCGS Amundsen in the central and eastern Canadian Archipelago. We also collected air and water (grab and passive) from the CCGS Laurier in the Beaufort Sea and the R/V William Kennedy in the western Hudson Bay and Chesterfield Inlet. Air samples were continuously collected form the very front of the bow of the ship to reduce contamination from the smoke stack. The air sampler consisted of a filter to collect the particulate followed by a cartridge containing a sandwich of polyurethane foam and XAD resin to sorb the gas phase. Several types of water samples were collected: target compounds were concentrated from grab surface samples (200-L) by filtering through a column of XAD resin. Grab samples for flame retardants were collected in glass bottles and shipped back to the lab for processing. Grab samples for per-fluorinated compounds were collected at the surface and at two-three depths in plastic bottles and shipped back to the lab for processing. Sediment samples were collected from the box corer, the top 0-5cam was collected. Samples were frozen and shipped back to the lab for processing.