Raw and post-processed precipitations were collected using a Thies Clima laser precipitation gauge. The instrument was mounted on the railing of the deck atop the bridge of the CCGS Amundsen. It should be noted that there was no good location to install the instrument, and wind eddies may have influenced the data.

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.

Genelal description: Ice cores, samples of nilas and snow samples, under-ice water and a sample of frost flowers were taken in the Amundsen Gulf (Canadian Arctic) onboard the CCGS Amundsen. Methology: We used corer to collect ice cores and frost flowers and we used ice cage to collect nilas. We collected descriptive variables for the snow and frost flowers, ice cores and nilas, and for under ice water. For all samples, we measured pH, salinity and conductivity. Back in our university-based laboratories, we studied elemental composition of samples and we carried out scanning electron microscopy.

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.

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 (as a surrogate for air), 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. First, we will collaborate with an Indigenous community to quantify and type plastic along their shoreline. Second, 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.

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.

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.

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).

Air, water and sediment samples were collected from on board the CCGS Amundsen and passive water samplers were deployed on the moorings in the summer of 2014 as a part of ArcticNet and 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).

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.