RCMP officers in Resolute Bay, Nunavut report that two Dutch explorers; Marc Cornelissen and Philip de Roo are missing and presumed drowned. The experienced polar researchers and explorers were on a two-month study of the sea ice conditions in the Arctic for an organization called Cold Facts.
Marc Cornelissen and Philip de Roo went missing close to Bathurst Island the end of a two-month scientific study of sea ice conditions. Coldfacts.org image.
The pair were exploring and conducting sea ice research when a distress signal was set off near Bathurst Island and a chartered aircraft flew to the signal point. Equipment was spotted on the ice surface but no trace of the men who had been on skis. Subsequent searchers found a dog and sled next to a large hole in the ice and another sled in the water. Other personal expedition items were also in the water.
Throughout their trek, the scientists was regularly updating a website set up for the expedition. Tuesday’s post stated that due to extremely warm temperatures the ice was thin where they were heading.
A final voice recording posted online Tuesday by Cornelissen said: “Today was a good day.” describing the weather as surprisingly warm, “too warm actually,” saying that he ended up skiing in only his underwear and boots.
“We think we see thin ice in front of us, which is quite interesting,” Cornelissen said. “And we’re going to research some more of that if we can.”
The missing researchers disappeared near Bathurst Island, 200 kilometres north of Resolute, Nunavut, itself about 1,500 kilometres north of Iqaluit and nearly 2,000 kilometres north of Churchill, MB. CBC Image.
Due to the global warming, extensive research surrounding Arctic sea ice has been on the rise. The researchers may have fallen victim to the very phenomena and reason for which they had traveled to the Arctic. Global warming has affected reduced sea ice, weather patterns as well as concern for the iconic symbol of the north itself the polar bear!
It’s hard to believe that Canada’s newest territory is almost 16 years old. April 1, 1999 was the official date Nunavut separated from the Northwest Territories. Comprising a major portion of Northern Canada as well as most of the islands in the Arctic region, Nunavut is the fifth – largest country sub division in the world. Nunavut borders with Manitoba and the waters of the Hudson Bay are included in its borders.
The capital is Iqaluit, formerly Frobisher Bay on Baffin Island. Other major communities include the regional centers of Rankin Inlet and Cambridge Bay. In the far north, Nunavut also includes Ellesmere Island as well as the eastern and southern portions of Victoria Island in the west as well as Akimiski Island in James Bay in the far south. It is the only region of Canada that is not connected to the rest of North America by highway.
The youngest territory is the least populous though largest in overall area of all the provinces and territories of Canada. With a mostly Inuit population of nearly 32,000, Nunavut is a sparsely settled region about the size of Western Europe. Alert, the northernmost inhabited place in the world, is also a part of Nunavut.
The territory of Nunavut. Vabmanagement.com. image.
The territory includes all of the islands in Hudson Bay, James Bay and Ungava Bay. If Nunavut were a country, it would rank 15th in area. The population density is 0.015 persons per square kilometer, one of the lowest in the world. Greenland has approximately the same area and nearly twice the population. Nunavut’s highest point is Barbeau Peak (2,616 m (8,583 ft)) on Ellesmere Island.
Nunavut’s coat of arms. Image courtesy of assembly.nu.ca
Since the 1976 initial proposal by the 82 % Inuit population of Nunavut, the long journey to the current territorial status was delayed by disputes over land claims. So, after 23 years, the territory was born. It seems slightly odd that a native territory took that long to emerge as such. The name “Nunavut” is derived from the Inuit word for “our land”.
I took my son to a fishing derby yesterday organized by a charitable foundation called Joseph’s Journey for kids fighting terminal and life threatening diseases. I didn’t use a GPS to find Waterton Canyon..where it was held. I turned off my cell phone when we got there….well..after I took a call much to the scorn of my eight year- old. And, my son never once asked for his Samsung tablet to play Minecraft….which I did sneak into the backpack just in case he,”needed” it. He didn’t. We were in a little hard to find place in our neck of the woods..so to speak.
Once the fish started biting, everything slowed down and the next two hours felt like a day. Two beautiful rainbow trout and some near catches later…Jack was all smiles and the sparkled allure of our new virtual electronic age had disappeared for most of the day. In fact..the hour and a half ride home was amazing with no requests for the game player…just talk of fishing and Jack playing with the yo-yo he got at the event. Just like the good old days.
Jack working hard to bring in a rainbow trout. Photo Steve Selden
Jack and his rainbow trout. Photo Steve Selden
So…now the north and Arctic are slowly catching..or rather being caught in the high tech electronic revolution net that is bringing every aspect of the world closer to home and attempting to eliminate any mystery still hiding out there. Let’s face it, discovery of the unknown is deeply embedded in the human genome. The problem with this concept is the Arctic’s allure as with other remote lands on this planet is ….well…the idea of their remoteness. Take that away and the allure goes with it to a great extent.
When Churchill, Manitoba finally turned on the cell service tower a couple of years ago, it felt like a little piece of northern soul was removed from this frontier town. Now travelers and locals can check their stocks, the news, wildlife sightings …whatever they like at any time and that seems a lot like cheating in some crazy fundamental sense. We love these types of places exactly for what they are…remote and raw. Unpredictable. When we start to remove the mystery from the ends of the earth with all the modern conveniences are we not killing the spirit that drives us innately to explore these lands?
This video below illustrates the Google mapping of Iqualuit, the capital of Nunuvut..the heart of the Arctic. Seems a little like an alien invasion to me…imagine ourselves as aliens to our own planet….quite the science fiction thriller indeed!
