Canada's Three Oceans (C3O)

Canada is surrounded by one ocean continuum, extending from the subarctic North Pacific through the Arctic Ocean and out into the subarctic North Atlantic via Baffin Bay and the Labrador Sea. An integrated view of the high-latitudes and climate requires a new perspective that links the Arctic and its adjacent oceans (Pacific and Atlantic) in an interdisciplinary manner (e.g. climate, physical habitat, ecology). The Canada Three Oceans project (C3O) involves the incremental addition (at modest cost) of federally-coordinated observational programs (physics, chemistry and biology) to existing Canadian icebreaker missions that, in effect, encircle the entire coastline of sub-arctic and arctic North America (Canada) twice yearly. Indeed, Canadas surrounding oceans urgently require monitoring to allow effective governance and to fulfil commitments to international programs. C3O allows Canada to economically address priorities of international Arctic programmes.