Get to Know Watermelon Snow

Julia Macpherson2023-07-27T14:19:45-04:00

Throughout the polar regions and high-up on mountain tops, there have been reports of pink, orange, and red patches in the snow. This phenomenon is being referred to as “watermelon snow” or “blood snow”. Yet, summer fruits and blood stains are not the culprit behind these unconventional sightings. Rather, a microscopically closer look is needed to uncover what is causing these discolorations: the organism behind the so-called watermelon snow is a species of green snow algae called Chlamydomonas nivalis.   Although relatively little is known about snow algae, C. nivalis has received considerable attention as it is used as a model organism...

Marralik-Ungunniavik: Bridging Indigenous Knowledge and Research to Empower Nunavik Youth

Julia Macpherson2023-06-28T10:43:49-04:00

In 1986, an area of southern Ungava Bay (Nunavik, Québec) closed to beluga harvesting to allow the recovery of a unique population of belugas summering in the bay. Nearly 30 years after the closure to harvesting, Inuit Knowledge (IK) however suggests that the beluga population may not have been unique to this Ungava Bay area, but rather a population stemming from the Hudson Strait. With the distinct need to better understand the recovery status of these whales and their movements, James May, president of the Nunavik Hunting, Fishing and Trapping Association (NHFTA)/Regional Nunavimmi Umajulirijiit Katujiqatigininga (RNUK)/Anguvigaq, expressed the necessity for...

Arctic Biodiversity and Change Symposium

Julia Macpherson2023-06-21T14:33:50-04:00

On Thursday March 30th, members of the ArcticNet team attended the one-day research symposium on Arctic Biodiversity and Change hosted by the Canadian Museum of Nature (CMN) in Ottawa, ON. Dr. Amanda Savoie, the organizer of the event and the Director of The Centre for Arctic Knowledge and Exploration at the CMN says this theme was chosen to “highlight the importance of biodiversity in the Arctic, but also to highlight the fact that the changing climate is having an impact on biodiversity. We wanted to highlight the museum and ArcticNet’s expertise in biodiversity research, while also including talks from researchers...