On the Intermittent Formation of an Ice Bridge (Nunniq) across Roes Welcome Sound, Northwestern Hudson Bay, and Its Use to Local Inuit Hunters

Bibliographic Data

ID16864979
AuthorsDavid G Babb (0000-0002-7427-8094, University of Manitoba, corresponding author), Sergei Kirillov (0000-0002-9636-7952, University of Manitoba), Zou Zou A Kuzyk (0000-0002-6891-6125, University of Manitoba), Troy Netser (Government of Nunavut), Jasmine Liesch (University of Manitoba), C Michelle Kamula (0000-0001-7005-4045, University of Manitoba), Tom Zagon (0000-0002-3418-3023, Canadiana.org), David G Barber (0000-0001-9466-3291, University of Manitoba), Jens K Ehn (0000-0002-8885-7441, University of Manitoba)
Year2022
Publication date2022-03-15
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueARCTIC (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0004-0843 • E-ISSN: 1923-1245
PublisherThe Arctic Institute of North America (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.14430/arctic74957
OpenAlexW4281554236
LanguageEN
Citations received1
References cited14

Ice bridges are unique features that form when sea ice consolidates and remains immobilized within channels. They form in many locations throughout the Arctic and are typically noted for the polynyas that form on their lee side. However, ice bridges also provide a temporary platform that may be used by both humans and wildlife to cross otherwise impassable channels. For generations, Inuit in Coral Harbour, Nunavut, have used an ice bridge to cross Roes Welcome Sound and expand their hunting territory, though they report that the bridge only forms approximately every four years. Of interest both to Inuit and the scientific community is why the bridge forms so intermittently, by what mechanisms, and whether the frequency will change with ongoing warming and sea ice loss. Using satellite imagery, we determined that the bridge formed during 14 of the past 50 years (1971 – 2020). Generally, the bridge forms between January and March, during a cold period that coincides with neap tide, and after surface winds have rotated from the prevailing northerly (along-channel) winds to west-northwesterly (across-channel) winds. This rotation compresses the existing ice pack against Southampton Island, where it remains stationary because of the calm along-channel winds and low tidal range, and coalesces under cold air temperatures. Breakup occurs between mid-June and early July after the onset of melt. Overall, the bridge forms when a specific set of conditions occur simultaneously; however, a warming climate, specifically a reduction in very cold days, and shorter ice season may affect the frequency of bridge formation, thereby limiting Inuit travel

Arctic · Arctic ice pack · Bay · Biological dispersal · Climatology · Geography · Land bridge · Physical geography · Population · Sea ice · Sound (geography) · Arctic and Antarctic ice dynamics · Climate change and permafrost · Geology · Methane Hydrates and Related Phenomena · Oceanography

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