ON THIS PAGE: SCIENTIFIC INFRASTRUCTURE | CAMP INFRASTRUCTURE

SCIENTIFIC INFRASTRUCTURE

(slowly scroll over map to view features of Cape Bounty research)

SCIENTIFIC INFRASTRUCTURE

The Cape Bounty Arctic Watershed Observatory was established in June, 2003. Since that time, a network of weather, stream, soil and lake monitoring sites have been maintained to provide baseline information for process and experimental studies.

Three weather stations operate with annual, on-site download of data. A main station, located between the two watersheds, collects comprehensive temperature, humidity, precipitation, radiation and wind parameters at hourly intervals. Two satellite stations in the headwaters of the main streams record air temperature and precipitation at hourly intervals.

Two gauging stations are located on the main rivers and include discharge, water temperature, turbidity and electrical conductivity measurements at 10 minute intervals. Extensive manual samples for water chemistry and sediment load have been collected as well, and regular pump sampling was initiated in 2007. Regular water contaminant and ecological samples have also been collected at these stations. Stations are manually rated for discharge at regular intervals through the melt season.

Additional stream stations are located on tributaries and experimental watersheds. These stations measure discharge, water temperature, turbidity and electrical conductivity.

Soil moisture and temperature stations are located in smaller watersheds in different vegetation types. These stations record soil moisture in the 0-10 cm depth and temperature at 10, 20 and 50 cm depth. Measurements are taken at 2 hour intervals.

An eddy covariance carbon dioxide flux tower was established in June, 2008. Portable chamber measurements of CO2 and gas samples have been collected in a number of fixed locations since 2006.

Two small watersheds with gauging stations have a network of snow fences to experimentally augment snow cover. After initial testing in 2006-7, these fences were fully deployed for the 2007-8 winter. Each of these manipulated watersheds has a control, unaltered counterpart, for a total of four experimental watershed.

A growing collection of remote sensing imagery (Landsat, IKONOS, SAR) and related ground truthing has been acquired for biomass and vegetation mapping purposes.

Limnology stations on both lakes are seasonally instrumented with temperature loggers, moored CTDs and current meters. Sediment traps are located midway and at the bottom of the water column and are typically recovered at 3-day intervals or shorter during the melt season. Water samples are collected from the water column at regular intervals along with CTD casts on station. DOM samplers have been deployed and recovered since 2006. A large number of sediment cores have been collected with emphasis on the locations where limnological measurements have been collected.

Click here to view an IKONOS image of Cape Bounty.

CAMP INFRASTRUCTURE

The camp is temporary and capable of housing up to ten people. Located in a central location, the camp is generally snow-free on gravel/cobble substrate. A heated Weather Haven tent is available for general camp activities, along with individual sleeping tents and a heated water processing laboratory and related storage tents. Both vacuum and pressure filtration systems are available, with peristatic pump, compressor and hand pumps for these systems. A small freezer is available for Power is available for general uses from a 400 W wind turbine with a generator backup.

To minimize the impact on the landscape, most travel is on foot. During the late winter, snow machines are used to move heavy equipment. All-terrain vehicles are used sparingly to move supplies from the airstrip to camp.

The observatory is serviced by charter Twin Otter and helicopter aircraft from Resolute, Nunavut. The lakes are suitable for ski landings until early June and a summer airstrip is located on the north end of the West Lake. Flying time to Resolute is approximately 2.25 hours for a Twin Otter and approximately 3.5 hours with a helicopter. Aircraft fuel is available at caches on Melville Island and elsewhere.

Back to top of page