Drastic changes are taking place in the Arctic. A recent article from the CBC confirms what we are already seeing taking place at Arctic Watch. Global warming is causing massive changes in the Arctic.

According to Christian Zdanowicz, a glaciologist at Natural Resources Canada, the sea ice that covers the arctic for the fall, winter and early spring, is melting at an unprecedented rate. The upward trending temperatures of the earth’s surface and the atmosphere is causing water to warm.

Over the past ten years at Arctic Watch, we’ve seen the ice that covers Cunningham Inlet melt earlier every year. The Northwest Passage (in front of Arctic Watch), had an average of 8 feet of ice during the winter (recorded during the 1980′s). The strait now stays ice free during the winter.

An enthusiastic guest goes for a polar bear dip in the Arctic Ocean!

This rapid warming is causing changes in the animal migration patterns:

- The beluga whales are arriving earlier to Arctic Watch, and leaving later.
- We are seeing more polar bears during the summer than ever before (perhaps they are migrating north?).
- More birds are arriving every summer. Birds that are supposed to nest nearly 1000km south are now nesting on Somerset Island!

The tundra is also changing; warmer weather is causing the permafrost to recede. Ancient whale bones, (tested at over 8000 years old) locked into the permafrost, underground, are now surfacing onto the tundra, ice free. We’re also noticing higher erosion levels on the shorelines.

The arctic is a magical place – untouched, untamed and unspoiled. Warming changes threaten the balance of the eco-system in the arctic. Increased human traffic, species facing the possibility of extinction and pollution levels rising are all likely possibilites.

We’re passionate about the Arctic. Arctic Watch is one of the few unspoiled and truly wild places left on the planet. That’s why we’re educating guests on the changes taking place. We’ve launched a youth education program, bringing youth to the arctic, giving them the chance to experience the arctic. The only way to preserve today’s natural wonders is by educating tomorrow’s leaders.

Not only are we opening Arctic Watch for our youth program, we want to help preserve the safari experience at Arctic Watch. Untouched tundra, unexplored canyons, polar bears, arctic foxes, muskoxen, snowy owls, countless migratory birds and nearly 2000 beluga whales – it’s only at Arctic Watch. Arctic Watch is opening its doors to a research program that will study the nearly 2000 beluga whales who congregate annually at our doorstep. Top beluga whale researchers, from Mystic Aquarium, will spend time at Arctic Watch studying the beluga whales to better understand them and the changes taking place. Combined with the youth program, we hope to not only bring awareness to our small corner of the arctic, but to the entire untouched arctic that makes Canada such a wild, unspoiled and beautiful place.

As we continue to explore every corner of the globe, it becomes increasingly important to reduce our impact on the environment.

A recent investigation by CBC News ( “Some green detergents contain petrochemicals”) into the use of “green” or “eco-friendly” cleaning solutions has revealed that manufacturers are still using petroleum based products within several brand name “eco-friendly” detergents. An eco-friendly or biologically safe cleaning product is one that uses only natural products within the solution such as coconut or palm kernel.

This July, it has been nearly one year since the Canadian Government has banned the use of phosphates in detergents. Unusually high levels of phosphates in rivers and streams can cause toxic blooms, that are harmful to the environment.

At Arctic Watch, we take a proactive stance in minimizing our impact on the environment. Together with our staff, Environment Canada and the department of Indian Northern Affairs, we have taken the following steps:

Cleaning solutions:
All our cleaning solutions are phosphate free, certified environmentally friendly products, derived from natural, renewable sources. Arctic Watch uses Swish “green pick” cleaning products. Derived from fully natural and renewable ingredients, the cleaning solutions include coconut and corn kernel byproducts. Guests are offered shampoos and soaps that are equally eco-friendly.

Grey Water Purification:
In conjunction with the use of eco-friendly cleaning solutions, all grey water produced at Arctic Watch is filtered and cleaned through our water treatment facility at Arctic Watch. The process involves several steps:

A) The grey water passes through two initial filters which remove the majority of all organic debris.

B) The water is then pumped into a water tight container, and any sediment not previously captured is collected at the bottom of the container.

C) The remaining water is then pumped onto a specially designed filter bed, which traps any remaining particles and allows the water to evaporate under the strong 24 hour arctic sun.

Recycling:
All plastic, glass and metal is shipped on the arriving planes (once a week), to Yellowknife, NWT, where it is processed and recycled.

Trail markers:
All routes used at Arctic Watch are well marked and defined. Guests are invited to drive along the defined routes, minimizing erosion and degradation of the landscape.

The tundra at Arctic Watch is a beautiful landscape that has remained virtually unchanged for the past several hundred years. We aim to protect the fragility of the Arctic and our small corner of the north through continual efforts on minimizing our impact on the environment. We invite all guests at Arctic Watch to make suggestions on how to make our operations “greener”.