Dwarf fireweed near Starvation Cove, Cambridge Bay, Nunavut. Mia Rachel photo.
Arctic cotton in Sylvia Grinnell Park in Iqaluit, Nunavut. Gwenyth McQuarrie photo.
Wolf pups in Alert Nunavut. Peter Gilhuly photo.
These three outstanding shots from Nunavut characterize the northern Arctic summer in Nunavut. Churchill has its fantastic beluga whale season though the further north one goes the more there is to discover across the tundra! Enjoy!
The Photo of the Week comes from Rankin Inlet, Nunavut taken by Dustin IInik. The magnificence of the northern caribou herd is striking when viewed across the wide open tundra of northern Canada. I personally, at some point, would like to try and film footage from within the migration itself by possibly rigging a fixed camera in a position where it wouldn’t get destroyed. Churchill summer and Arctic summer on the whole reveal incredible wildlife experiences that show themselves when you least expect them to. Enjoy!
Enjoy these fantastic short northern lights video clips that will remind us all of the season of lights in January and March. The Arctic summer season is almost upon us and soon beluga whales will take over the spotlight. Wildflowers, birds and whales will highlight our postings for the next few months and if the conditions are just right we may see some spectacular late evening northern lights as the summer wanes. Looking forward to an exciting summer beluga whale season with all types of treasures uncovered on the Hudson Bay water and the Churchill tundra.
The Global Seed Vault in Norway will undergo improvements. Getty Images photo.
Norway will make critical improvements to the Global Seed Vault located on Svalbard Island in the Arctic. Melting permafrost in an unusual Arctic summer caused water to enter the front section of the vault. No stored seeds were damaged though safeguards will be taken to prevent future incidents of risk.
The storage facility lies predominantly inside a mountain with consistent cool temperatures ideal for preserving seeds from around the world.
Ironically the protected storage facility stores seeds in case a country sustains a disaster of some sort that necessitates replanting of key vegetation and plants. Nobody anticipated that the facility would have its own near – disaster. Water from melting permafrost seeped into the entry tunnel though never made it further into the storage area.
Plans to waterproof the walls as well as install drainage ditches outside the vault entrance are underway to ensure the precious seeds are safe. Scientists describe the vault as the most important room in the world.
When the vault was constructed, the idea of permafrost melting this far north was unheard of. In a short period of time we have seen climate changes of an extreme measure. Last October temperatures rose from a normal of -10C to around 0 C…causing meltwater to appear.
Statsbygg, the agency that administers the vault, are committed to conduct research to monitor the permafrost on Svalbard and the surrounding Arctic.
The vault stores seeds from nearly 5,000 crop species from all over the planet. The dried and frozen specimens can be preserved for hundreds of years in the vault. Most countries on Earth have their own emergency supply of seeds though they also store back-ups at the Global Seed Vault.
Enjoy this classic Churchill Sunday Photos by Alex De Vries – Magnifico. The winter pack ice was blown back into the coast of Churchill on the Hudson Bay and the magnificent ice floes are perfect for capturing the essence of early Arctic summer in the north!
