South to Iqaluit

Early in the morning on August 7th, the CCGS Amundsen had reached the northernmost point it would get to on this leg, and turned around to begin the slow journey south to Iqaluit.

The end of the ROV dives did not mean the end of operations - there were a number of stops along the route down to Iqaluit into the fjords that line the northeastern coast of Baffin Island. Breathtakingly beautiful, these deep cuts out of the mountains were formed by prehistoric glaciers scouring the landscape as the ice flowed out to the sea. When the sun finally cleared away the clouds, the snow-capped peaks, glaciers, and waterfalls brought plenty of hands up to help with all the on-deck operations - and admire the view.

Gibbs Fjord (Photo by Alexandre Normandeau)

As with Southwind Fjord, the main interest in these fjords was in sediment sampling for underwater landslides - though at Gibb and Clark Fjord, the cores were also taken tounderstand the history of glacial lake outburst floods. Ringed in glaciers that are slowly receding due to global warming, the fjords are particularly at risk of these floods, when the ice holding back the glacial lakes melts and releases all the water held beyond. Once released, the impact of the sudden influx of water into the fjord can cause undersea avalanches called turbidity currents, and even tsunamis - so understanding when and where they have already occurred is crucial to predicting them in the future. At the same time, ground-truthing the bathymetry of the area is integral for a full understanding of how the underwater portion of the fjord has been or will be affected. Drop cameras - high-definition video cameras suspended in a metal cage - were lowered at various points of the fjord to confirm what the sonar had mapped, to take pictures and video footage that could then be compared back.

Glacier in Gibbs Fjord (Photo by Sophie Wolvin)

With the completion of these last few stops, the team now had the daunting task of taking inventory, packing, and cleaning out the labs that had been in use for twenty-eight days. Each leg has a different group of scientists using the labs, so all the gear needs to be taken out and packed away safely and securely, to leave the space ready for the next group. Samples - some preserved chemically - had to be labeled exhaustively and stored to last until the ship returns to Québec City in the fall, at which point they will be shipped all over Canada and beyond to the various scientists that contributed to the cruise to collect them.

For the Leg 2 team, it was time to say goodbye to the CCGS Amundsen and board the helicopter for the short hop from the ship - moored offshore, since the harbour of Iqaluit isn't made for vessels that size - to the airport in Iqaluit, where a chartered plane waited to make the long flight back to St. John's and Québec City.

Written by Sophie Wolvin