Grant: Canada Excellence Research Chairs

The observed changes in ice (sea ice, glacial ice, and permafrost) are increasing freshwater inputs into the Arctic Ocean and adjacent seas. These changes are ubiquitous throughout the system, affecting all levels of ecosystem services, Inuit traditional use of marine areas, and global pressure to increase development in the Arctic. Changes in the Arctic also affect processes at lower latitudes, including connections to extreme weather, floods, droughts, and climate variability via the polar vortex, sea level rise, and global ocean circulation through export of fresh water to the deep-water convection areas of the North Atlantic. The UM CERC program will generate transformative knowledge, allowing policy makers, communities, industry, and co-management groups to create informed sustainable development, adaptation, and mitigation strategies required to address both the unprecedented challenges and opportunities of the opening of Canada’s ‘third ocean’.