| Title | 2014 Canadian Expedition to the North Pole, Arctic Ocean, expedition report |
| Download | Downloads |
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| Licence | Please note the adoption of the Open Government Licence - Canada
supersedes any previous licences. |
| Author | Mosher, D C ;
Shimeld, J; Travaglini, P; Eert, J |
| Source | Geological Survey of Canada, Open File 8493, 2018, 123 pages, https://doi.org/10.4095/313021  Open Access |
| Links | Expedition Database - Base de données d'expédition
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| Image |  |
| Year | 2018 |
| Publisher | Natural Resources Canada |
| Document | open file |
| Lang. | English |
| Media | on-line; digital |
| File format | pdf |
| Province | Northern offshore region; Nunavut; Northwest Territories; Yukon; Eastern offshore region; Newfoundland and Labrador |
| NTS | 1; 77; 79; 87; 89; 97; 98; 99; 107; 117; 120; 340; 560 |
| Area | Arctic Ocean; Atlantic Ocean; Canadian Arctic Archipelago; Denmark Strait; Greenland Sea; Norwegian Sea; Canada; Denmark; Greenland |
| Lat/Long WENS | 110.0000 -130.0000 90.0000 68.0000 |
| Lat/Long WENS | -53.0000 5.0000 82.0000 47.0000 |
| Lat/Long WENS | -128.0000 -110.0000 72.0000 68.0000 |
| Subjects | marine geology; surficial geology/geomorphology; geophysics; tectonics; arctic expeditions; continental margins; continental shelf; continental slope; geophysical surveys; seismic surveys, marine;
seismic reflection surveys; seismic refraction surveys; acoustic surveys, marine; side-scan sonar; bathymetry; marine sediments; tectonic interpretations; sedimentary structures; sedimentary environments; oceanography; water analyses; hydrography;
submarine features; submarine ridges; submarine plateaus; channels; remote sensing; satellite imagery; sea ice; meteorology; temperature; Lomonosov Ridge; Amundsen Basin; United Nations Convention On The Law Of The Sea (Unclos); Canada Basin; Arctic
Basin |
| Illustrations | photographs; geoscientific sketch maps; schematic diagrams; tables; location maps; seismic profiles; geophysical profiles; geophysical images; satellite images; flow diagrams; profiles; graphs;
spectra; screen captures |
| Program | Delineating Canada's Continental Shelf Under UNCLOS |
| Released | 2018 11 19 |
| Abstract | (Summary)
The 2014 Canadian Polar Expedition objectives were to map the region of the Lomonosov Ridge and Amundsen Basin to meet criteria required by Article 76 of the UN Convention on the Law
of the Sea. The intent is to establish Canadian entitlement for an extended continental shelf, extending from the Canadian 200 mile exclusive economic zone within Amundsen Basin. Additional objectives included continued mapping in Canada Basin to
augment existing data and support Canada's arguments for an extended continental shelf in this region. The UNCLOS objectives require the capacity to acquire multichannel seismic reflection and refraction data along positions that serve to establish
sediment thicknesses (within Amundsen Basin and Canada Basin) and multibeam bathymetric and subbottom profiler data to establish foot of slope positions and the 2500 m contour (along the flank of Lomonosov Ridge and the Canadian Arctic Archipelago
margin). Secondary objectives included bathymetric sounding at specific locations to validate bathymetric data acquired by other means (e.g. satellite altimetry and submarines) in order to establish baseline information such as the 2500 m contour
position. Scientific objectives included gathering data to understand the tectonic relationship of Lomonosov Ridge to surrounding basins; part of the tectonic puzzle of the Arctic Basin. Additionally, data were acquired to support mapping the
surficial geology of the Arctic Ocean and specifically to better understand slope sedimentary processes on both Lomonosov Ridge and the Canadian Arctic Archipelago margin. Strategic ship track lines were established to complement existing data to
meet UNCLOS and scientific objectives. In addition to the geoscience program, samples and measurements were taken of Arctic Ocean water for chemical and physical oceanographic studies. The complete ship's track is shown in the figure below.
Ice
conditions in the region of Lomonosov Ridge were difficult. As a result, only one partial seismic line was acquired in Amundsen Basin and three foot of the continental slope points were surveyed in the region of the North Pole. Low fuel reserves
required us to abandon this region prematurely and transit to Canada Basin to continue survey work in support of the western Arctic component of the Canadian submission. In total, 746 line-km of high quality multichannel seismic reflection data were
acquired, in addition to seismic refraction data recorded from 13 Sonobuoy deployments. 8355 line-km of multibeam bathymetric and coincident subbottom profiler data were acquired. The physical/ chemical oceanographic portion of the program resulted
in 2 Rosette water sample stations, 2 CTD/SVP casts and 127 XCTD casts. |
| Summary | (Plain Language Summary, not published)
The 2014 Canadian Polar Expedition objectives were to map the seafloor geology to help meet criteria required by the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea
for Canada to establish its outer maritime limits in the Arctic Ocean. |
| GEOSCAN ID | 313021 |
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