Nunavut

Arctic Stratospheric Ozone Observatory / Eureka Weather Station (Eureka, NU)

Environment Canada’s Polar Environment Atmospheric Research Laboratory / Ridge Laboratory is located at Eureka, Nunavut (80N, 86W) in Canada’s High Arctic. This facility enables a wide range of collaborative atmospheric and climate science studies to build on the existing knowledge base for decision-making.

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The Dr. Neil Trivett Global Atmosphere Watch Observatory(Alert, NU)

The Dr. Neil Trivett Global Atmosphere Watch Observatory

The Alert World Meteorological Organization Global Atmosphere Watch Observatory is the most northerly site in the global network, located on the north-eastern tip of Ellesmere Island in Nunavut, and serves as an official Global Atmosphere Watch greenhouse gas inter-comparison site. Global Atmosphere Watch is both a research and a monitoring program with a long-term commitment (50-100 years) to the global community to provide atmospheric measurements for climate, air toxics, stratospheric ozone and air quality. The first CO2 sample was made in 1975. It has operational significance, being part of World Meteorological Organization’s Global Observing System and therefore a key element of the Global Climate Observing System.

Highlights of the facility include:

  • Alert is a sentinel site for characterizing the impact of northern hemisphere human impact on the Arctic atmosphere and ecosystems.
  • Alert is a key site for Arctic atmospheric process studies, which have led to improved understanding of Arctic haze, important chemical interactions of pollutants with snow surfaces (surface depletions of mercury and ozone), emerging air toxics (flame retardant chemicals), changing greenhouse gas global emissions and the magnitude of long range transport of pollutants from the Northern hemisphere (e.g., metals).
  • Environment Canada supports the Observatory for its own science programs and international collaborations, providing an extensive suite of state of the art atmospheric composition and radiation measurements to improve understanding of natural biogeochemical cycles and human impact on the Arctic environment.