Interrogating low Arctic seabirds: Indicators of changing prey ocean and climate conditions

Arctic marine animals and natural resources are of vital importance to Canadians. They are particularly essential for the quality of life, sustainability and survival of northern, indigenous and coastal communities. The physical and cultural health and well-being of these communities are rooted in their dependence on living renewable marine resources. Climate change has been ongoing in the Arctic for several decades and is causing and will continue to cause decreases in sea ice and shifts in marine resources that will affect traditional harvesting practices. These environmental transitions are presenting extreme challenges, though opportunities can also arise through proper planning for future adaptation using information on ocean-climate variability and change in marine ecosystems. The primary objective of our International Polar Year project is to use seabirds to detect climate-induced biological changes throughout the eastern Canadian Arctic extending from the High Arctic (Nunavut) via the Labrador Current through the Low Arctic to Labrador and Newfoundland.