Canada's Three Oceans (C3O)

• Main Authors: Carmack, Eddy, Eert, Jane, McLaughlin, Fiona, Smith, John, Zimmermann, Sarah, Vagle, Svein, Williams, Vera, Perrie, William, Humfrey Melling
• Format: Dataset
• Language: English
• Published: Canadian Cryospheric Information Network 2012
• Subjects: Acoustic; Biogeochemistry; Biomass; Birds; CTD Conductivity, Temperature, Depth; Ice; Salinity; Sediments; Taxonomy; Temperature; International Polar Year-Canada's 3 Oceans; Arctic; Arctic Ocean; Baffin Bay; Canadian Arctic Archipelago; Canada; Pacific; Northwest Passage; Arctic Archipelago; Baffin; International Polar Year; Labrador Sea; North Atlantic; Northwest passage; Subarctic; Three Oceans project
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.5443/11408; https://www.polardata.ca/pdcsearch/?doi_id=11408

The Canada¿s Three Ocean¿s project is designed to take a snapshot of all three of the oceans surrounding Canada in 2007 and 2008. In doing this, we will evaluate the connections among the Arctic, Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, provide a baseline of biological, chemical and physical measurements of the ocean environment and leave a legacy that can be used as the basis for long term monitoring of our oceans. In 2008, following the success of the 2007 season, two Canadian Coast Guard icebreakers left their home ports on the Atlantic and Pacific coasts carrying scientists who observed the environment around them by measuring a wide range of properties, from the numbers and type of seabirds, to the plankton in the water, the nutrients in the seawater to the physical and chemical properties of seawater that tell the story of the water¿s current movement and past history. By the time they crossed paths in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, 14000km of ocean from Victoria to Halifax through the Northwest Passage had been observed in one season. Researchers from government and universities, students at all levels from high school and up, writers, photographers, and technicians both experienced and in training participated in this project. Once home from sea they have been analysing, processing and plotting their results which together with the results from 2007 give two single season snapshots of Canada¿s surrounding oceans. : Purpose: Canada is surrounded by one ocean continuum, extending from the subarctic North Pacific through the Arctic Ocean and out into the subarctic North Atlantic via Baffin Bay and the Labrador Sea. An integrated view of the high-latitudes and climate requires a new perspective that links the Arctic and its adjacent oceans (Pacific and Atlantic) in an interdisciplinary manner (e.g. climate, physical habitat, ecology). The Canada¿ Three Oceans project (C3O) involves the incremental addition (at modest cost) of federally-coordinated observational programs (physics, chemistry and biology) to existing Canadian icebreaker missions that, in effect, encircle the entire coastline of sub-arctic and arctic North America (Canada) twice yearly. Indeed, Canada¿s surrounding oceans urgently require monitoring to allow effective governance and to fulfil commitments to international programs. C3O allows Canada to economically address priorities of international Arctic programmes. : Summary: Canada¿s three oceans are dynamically interconnected by various water masses, so to understand one ocean, you have to understand all three. This project was designed to take a physical, chemical and biological snapshot of all three oceans to evaluate connections, features and processes within the Canadian ocean environment. By making measurements of a wide range of properties, from numbers and types of seabirds to plankton and nutrients in the water to chemical and physical processes of the oceans, these voyages provide a history and baseline from which to begin long-term monitoring of Canada¿s oceans.