An investigation into marine environments in the eastern Canadian Arctic

• Main Author: Prater, Madeleine
• Format: Master Thesis
• Language: English
• Published: University of Waterloo 2023
• Subjects: Hudson Bay; food web; stable isotope; Arctic; Canada; Hudson; Frobisher Bay; Beluga; Beluga*; Climate change; inuit; Sea ice
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10012/20050

Arctic marine environments are especially vulnerable to climate change, but detailed scientific data for these ecosystems are lacking due to their remote location and the associated logistical challenges of conducting research. Arctic marine ecosystems support the culture, well- being, and nutritive needs of northern Indigenous communities, and there is an urgent need to advance knowledge that can inform effective conservation and adaptation measures. To prioritize and facilitate research in understudied Arctic marine environments, Fisheries and Oceans Canada has identified certain marine areas as ecologically and biologically significant areas (EBSAs). EBSAs are considered to be uniquely important for the Arctic environment in general, and for certain species that frequent them. In this thesis, I first focused on synthesizing recent research that is applicable to several EBSAs in the Hudson Bay Complex. Literature published between 2011 and 2021 indicates that changes in sea surface temperature and sea ice extent are impacting primary production patterns, which are causing bottom-up shifts that affect the entire food web. Projection models indicate that these bottom-up shifts will continue in future as warming increases and sea ice declines. The species of most concern, and most reported on, in the eastern Hudson Bay EBSAs was the COSEWIC-designated threatened eastern Hudson Bay beluga, which was the focus of 62% of papers published on biota. The review highlighted ongoing gaps in research, including studies of lower trophic level biota and whole ecosystems, and will be used during preparation of an upcoming Canadian Science Advisory Secretariat (CSAS) report. In response to the lack of research conducted on lower trophic level biota and whole food webs (reported on in chapter 2), I conducted a study on marine food web structure in Frobisher Bay, NU. Inuit who rely on the fish, mammal, and invertebrate resources of Frobisher Bay have demonstrated an interest in learning more about food webs at a variety of ...