Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Changes in Canadian Arctic Ice Shelf Extent Since 1906

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Arctic Ice Shelves and Ice Islands

Part of the book series: Springer Polar Sciences ((SPPS))

Abstract

The ice shelves along the northern coast of Ellesmere Island have been in a state of decline since at least the early twentieth century. Available data derived from explorers’ journals, aerial photographs and satellite imagery have been compiled into a single geospatial database of ice shelf and glacier ice tongue extent over 13 observation periods between 1906 and 2015. During this time there was a loss of 8,061 km2 (94%) in ice shelf area. The vast majority of this loss occurred via episodic calving, in particular during the first six decades of the twentieth century. More recently, between 1998 and 2015, 515 km2 of shelf ice calved. Some ice shelves also thinned in situ, transitioning to thinner and weaker ice types that can no longer be considered ice shelf, although the timing of this shift is difficult to constrain with the methods used here. Some ice shelves composed partly of ice tongues (glacier or composite ice shelves) also disintegrated to the point where the ice tongues were isolated, representing a loss of ice shelf extent. Our digitization methods are typically repeatable to within 3%, and generally agree with past determinations of extent. The break-up of these massive features is an ongoing phenomenon, and it is hoped that the comprehensive dataset presented here will provide a basis for comparison of future changes in this region.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 149.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 199.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 199.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Aldrich, P. (1877). Western sledge party 1876. In Journals and proceedings of the Arctic Expedition, 1875–6, under the command of Captain Sir George Nares, R.N., K.C.B. In continuation of Parliamentary Papers C 1153 of 1875 and C 1560 of 1875 (pp. 522). London: Harrison and Sons.

    Google Scholar 

  • Antoniades, D. (2017). An overview of paleoenvironmental techniques for the reconstruction of past Arctic ice shelf dynamics. In L. Copland & D. Mueller (Eds.), Arctic ice shelves and ice islands (p. 207–226). Dordrecht: Springer. doi:10.1007/978-94-024-1101-0_8.

    Google Scholar 

  • Belkin, I., & Kessel, S. (2017). Russian drifting stations on Arctic ice islands. In L. Copland & D. Mueller (Eds.), Arctic ice shelves and ice islands (p. 367–393). Dordrecht: Springer. doi:10.1007/978-94-024-1101-0_14.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bushnell, V. C. (1956). Marvin’s ice shelf journey, 1906. Arctic, 9, 166–177. doi:10.14430/arctic3791.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Canadian Coast Guard, Canarctic Shipping. (1990). Canadian Arctic marine ice atlas – winter 1987/88 with perspectives from 1986/87 and 1988/89. Ottawa: Canadian Coast Guard.

    Google Scholar 

  • Copland, L., Mueller, D. R., & Weir, L. (2007). Rapid loss of the Ayles Ice Shelf, Ellesmere Island, Canada. Geophysical Research Letters, 34, L21501. doi:10.1029/2007GL031809.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Copland, L., Mortimer, C. A., White, A., et al. (2017). Factors contributing to recent Arctic ice shelf losses. In L. Copland & D. Mueller (Eds.), Arctic ice shelves and ice islands (p. 263–285). Dordrecht: Springer. doi:10.1007/978-94-024-1101-0_10.

    Google Scholar 

  • Crary, A. P. (1954). Seismic studies on Fletcher’s Ice Island, T-3. EOS, Transactions of the American Geophysical Union, 35, 293–300.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Crawford, A. J. (2013). Ice island deterioration in the Canadian Arctic: Rates, patterns and model evaluation. MSc thesis, Carleton University, Ottawa.

    Google Scholar 

  • De Abreu, R., Arkett, M., Cheng, A., Zagon, T., Mueller, D. R., Vachon, P., & Wolfe, J. (2011). RADARSAT-2 mode selection for maritime surveillance. Ottawa: Defence Research and Development Canada.

    Google Scholar 

  • Derksen, C., Smith, S. L., Sharp, M., et al. (2012). Variability and change in the Canadian cryosphere. Climatic Change, 115, 59–88. doi:10.1007/s10584-012-0470-0.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dowdeswell, J. A., & Jeffries, M. O. (2017). Arctic ice shelves: An introduction. In L. Copland & D. Mueller (Eds.), Arctic ice shelves and ice islands (p. 3–21). Dordrecht: Springer. doi:10.1007/978-94-024-1101-0_1.

    Google Scholar 

  • England, J. H., Evans, D. A., & Lakeman, T. R. (2017). Holocene history of Arctic ice shelves. In L. Copland & D. Mueller (Eds.), Arctic ice shelves and ice islands (p. 185–205). Dordrecht: Springer. doi:10.1007/978-94-024-1101-0_7.

    Google Scholar 

  • Flett, D. (2003). Operational use of SAR at the Canadian ice service: Present operations and a look into the future. In Proceedings of the 2nd Workshop on Coastal and Marine Applications of SAR, Norway, Svalbard

    Google Scholar 

  • Ghilani, C. D. (2000). Demystifying area uncertainty: More or less. Surveying and Land Information Systems, 60, 177–182.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hattersley-Smith, G. (1957). The rolls on the Ellesmere Ice Shelf. Arctic, 10, 32–44. doi:10.14430/arctic3753.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hattersley-Smith, G. (1963). The Ward Hunt Ice Shelf: Recent changes of the ice front. Journal of Glaciology, 4, 415–424.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hattersley-Smith, G. (1967). Note on ice shelves off the north coast of Ellesmere Island. Arctic Circular, 17, 13–14.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hobson, G. (1989). Ice island field station: New features of Canadian polar margin. EOS, Transactions American Geophysical Union, 70, 833, 835, 838–839.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hoffman, M. J., Fountain, A. G., & Achuff, J. M. (2007). 20th-century variations in area of cirque glaciers and glacierets, Rocky Mountain National Park, Rocky Mountains, Colorado, USA. Annals of Glaciology, 46, 349–354. doi:10.3189/172756407782871233.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jeffries, M. O. (1982). The Ward Hunt Ice Shelf, spring 1982. Arctic, 35, 542–544. doi:10.14430/arctic2363.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jeffries, M. O. (1984). Milne Glacier, northern Ellesmere Island, N.W.T., Canada: A surging glacier? Journal of Glaciology, 30, 251–253. doi:10.3198/1984JoG30-105-251-253.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jeffries, M. O. (1985). Physical, chemical and isotopic investigations of Ward Hunt Ice Shelf and Milne Ice Shelf, Ellesmere Island, NWT. PhD Dissertation, University of Calgary, Calgary.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jeffries, M. O. (1986a). Ice island calvings and ice shelf changes, Milne Ice Shelf and Ayles Ice Shelf, Ellesmere Island, N.W.T. Arctic, 39, 15–19. doi:10.14430/arctic2039.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jeffries, M. O. (1986b). Glaciers and the morphology and structure of the Milne Ice Shelf, Ellesmere Island, N.W.T., Canada. Arctic and Alpine Research, 18, 397–405. doi:10.2307/1551089.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jeffries, M. O. (1987). The growth, structure and disintegration of Arctic ice shelves. Polar Record, 23, 631–649. doi:10.1017/S0032247400008342.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jeffries, M. O. (1992a). Arctic ice shelves and ice islands: Origin, growth and disintegration, physical characteristics, structural-stratigraphic variability, and dynamics. Reviews of Geophysics, 30, 245–267. doi:10.1029/92RG00956.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jeffries, M. O. (1992b). The source and calving of ice island ARLIS-II. Polar Record, 28, 137–144. doi:10.1017/S0032247400013437.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jeffries, M. O. (2002). Ellesmere Island ice shelves and ice islands. In R. S. Williams & J. G. Ferrigno (Eds.), Satellite image atlas of glaciers of the world: North America (p. J147–J164). Washington, DC: United States Geological Survey.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jeffries, M. O. (2017). The ice shelves of northernmost Ellesmere Island, Nunavut, Canada. In L. Copland & D. Mueller (Eds.), Arctic ice shelves and ice islands (p. 23–54). Dordrecht: Springer. doi:10.1007/978-94-024-1101-0_2.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jeffries, M. O., & Sackinger, W. M. (1991). Detection of a calving event at the Milne Ice Shelf, N.W.T. and the contribution of offshore winds. In T. K. S. Murthy, J. G. Paren, W. M. Sackinger, & P. Wadhams (Eds.), Ice technology for Polar operations (p. 321–331). Southampton: Computation Mechanics Publications.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jeffries, M. O., & Serson, H. V. (1983). Recent changes at the front of Ward Hunt Ice Shelf, Ellesmere Island, N.W.T. Arctic, 36, 289–290. doi:10.14430/arctic2278.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jeffries, M. O., & Serson, H. (1986). Survey and mapping of recent ice shelf changes and landfast sea ice growth along the north coast of Ellesmere Island. Annals of Glaciology, 8, 96–99.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jeffries, M. O., & Shaw, M. A. (1993). The drift of ice islands from the Arctic Ocean into the channels of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago: The history of Hobson’s Choice Ice Island. Polar Record, 29, 305–312. doi:10.1017/S0032247400023950.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jungblut, A. D., Mueller, D., & Vincent, W. F. (2017). Arctic ice shelf ecosystems. In L. Copland & D. Mueller (Eds.), Arctic ice shelves and ice islands (p. 227–260). Dordrecht: Springer. doi:10.1007/978-94-024-1101-0_9.

    Google Scholar 

  • Koenig, L. S., Greenaway, K. R., Dunbar, M., & Hattersley-Smith, G. (1952). Arctic ice islands. Arctic, 5, 67–103. doi:10.14430/arctic3901.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lee, J.-S. (2009). Polarimetric radar imaging: From basics to applications. Boca Raton: CRC Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Lemmen, D. S., Evans, D. J. A., & England, J. (1988). Ice shelves of northern Ellesmere Island, N.W.T., Canadian landform examples. Canadian Geographic, 32, 363–367.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mortimer, C. (2011). Quantification of volume changes for the Milne Ice Shelf, Nunavut, 1950–2009. Ottawa: University of Ottawa, Department of Geography.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mortimer, C. A., Copland, L., & Mueller, D. R. (2012). Volume and area changes of the Milne Ice Shelf, Ellesmere Island, Nunavut, Canada, since 1950. Journal of Geophysical Research, 117, F04011. doi:10.1029/2011JF002074.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mueller, D. R., Vincent, W. F., & Jeffries, M. O. (2003). Break-up of the largest Arctic ice shelf and associated loss of an epishelf lake. Geophysical Research Letters, 30, 2031. doi:10.1029/2003GL017931.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mueller, D. R., Vincent, W. F., & Jeffries, M. O. (2006). Environmental gradients, fragmented habitats and microbiota of a northern ice shelf cryoecosystem, Ellesmere Island, Canada. Arctic, Antarctic, and Alpine Research, 38, 593–607. doi:10.1657/1523-04300.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mueller, D. R., Copland, L., Hamilton, A., & Stern, D. R. (2008). Examining Arctic ice shelves prior to 2008 breakup. EOS. Transactions of the American Geophysical Union, 89, 502–503.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mueller, D., Copland, L., & Jeffries, M. O. (2017). Northern Ellesmere Island ice shelf and ice tongue extent, v. 1.0 (1906–2015). Nordicana D28. doi:10.5885/45455XD-24C73A8A736446CC.

    Google Scholar 

  • Narod, B. B., Clarke, G. K. C., & Prager, B. T. (1988). Airborne UHF radar sounding of glaciers and ice shelves, northern Ellesmere Island, Arctic Canada. Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences, 25, 95–105. doi:10.1139/e88-010.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Onstott, R. G., & Shuchman, R. A. (2004). SAR measurements of sea ice. In C. R. Jackson & J. R. Apel (Eds.), Synthetic aperture radar marine user’s manual (p. 81–115). Washington, DC: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

    Google Scholar 

  • Paul, F., Barrand, N. E., Baumann, S., et al. (2013). On the accuracy of glacier outlines derived from remote-sensing data. Annals of Glaciology, 54, 171–182. doi:10.3189/2013AoG63A296.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Peary, R. E. (1907). Nearest the pole: A narrative of the Polar expedition of the Peary Arctic club in the S.S. Roosevelt, 1905–1906. London: Hutchinson.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pope, S., Copland, L., & Mueller, D. (2012). Loss of multiyear landfast sea ice from Yelverton Bay, Ellesmere Island, Nunavut, Canada. Arctic, Antarctic, and Alpine Research, 44, 210–221. doi:10.1657/1938-4246-44.2.210.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pope, S., Copland, L., & Alt, B. (2017). Recent changes in sea ice plugs along the northern Canadian Arctic Archipelago. In L. Copland & D. Mueller (Eds.), Arctic ice shelves and ice islands (p. 317–342). Dordrecht: Springer. doi:10.1007/978-94-024-1101-0_12.

    Google Scholar 

  • Prager, B. T. (1983). Digital signal processing of UHF radar system for airborne surveys of ice thicknesses. Vancouver, BC, Canada: University of British Columbia, Department of Geophysics and Astronomy.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ruffner, K. C. (Ed.). (1995). Corona: America’s first satellite program. Washington, DC: Center for the Study of Intelligence, Central Intelligence Agency.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sackinger, W. M., Serson, H. V., Jeffries, M. O., et al. (1985). Ice island generation and trajectories north of Ellesmere Island, Canada. In Proceedings of the 8th International Conference on Port and Ocean Engineering under Arctic Conditions, Narssarssuaq (p. 1009).

    Google Scholar 

  • Serson, H. V. (1983). Ice conditions off the north coast of Ellesmere Island, spring 1980. Victoria: Defence Research Establishment Pacific.

    Google Scholar 

  • Shokr, M., & Sinha, N. (2015). Sea ice: Physics and remote sensing. Washington, DC: American Geophysical Union.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Spedding, L. G. (1977). Ice island count, southern Beaufort Sea 1976. Calgary: Arctic Petroleum Operations Association.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sverdrup, O. N., Bay, E., Schei, P., Simmons, H. G., & Hearn, E. H. (1904). New land; four years in the Arctic regions. London: Longmans Green and Co.

    Google Scholar 

  • Veillette, J., Mueller, D. R., Antoniades, D., & Vincent, W. F. (2008). Arctic epishelf lakes as sentinel ecosystems: Past, present and future. Journal of Geophysical Research – Biogeosciences, 113, G04014. doi:10.1029/2008JG000730.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vincent, W. F., Gibson, J. A. E., & Jeffries, M. O. (2001). Ice shelf collapse, climate change, and habitat loss in the Canadian high Arctic. Polar Record, 37, 133–142. doi:10.1017/S0032247400026954.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vincent, W. F., Whyte, L. G., Lovejoy, C., Greer, C. W., Laurion, I., Suttle, C. A., Corbeil, J., & Mueller, D. R. (2009). Arctic microbial ecosystems and impacts of extreme warming during the International Polar Year. Polar Science, 3, 171–180. doi:10.1016/j.polar.2009.05.004.

  • Vincent, W. F., Fortier, D., LĂ©vesque, E., Boulanger-Lapointe, N., Tremblay, B., Sarrazin, D., Antoniades, D., & Mueller, D. R. (2011). Extreme ecosystems and geosystems in the Canadian high Arctic: Ward Hunt Island and vicinity. Ecoscience, 18, 236–261. doi:10.2980/18-3-3448.

  • White, A., & Copland, L. (2015). Decadal-scale variations in glacier area changes across the southern Patagonian Icefield since the 1970s. Arctic, Antarctic, and Alpine Research, 47, 147–167. doi:10.1657/AAAR0013-102.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • White, A., Copland, L., Mueller, D., & Van Wychen, W. (2015). Assessment of historical changes (1959–2012) and the causes of recent break-ups of the Petersen Ice Shelf, Nunavut, Canada. Annals of Glaciology, 56, 65–76. doi:10.3189/2015AoG69A687.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • WMO. (1970). Sea ice nomenclature: Terminology, codes, illustrated glossary and symbols. Geneva: World Meteorological Organization.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

Corona imagery was acquired through the US Geological Survey’s Earth Explorer (http://earthexplorer.usgs.gov) and SPOT imagery was obtained courtesy of SPOT Image Corporation. We are indebted to the Alaska Satellite Facility, University of Alaska Fairbanks for providing ERS-1 and RADARSAT-1 imagery from (1992 to 2006). Some supplemental RADARSAT-1 imagery (1998–2006) was accessed through the Polar Data Catalogue (http://www.polardata.org). RADARSAT-2 data from 2009 to 2015 were provided by MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates (MDA) under the RADARSAT-2 Government Data Allocation administered by the Canadian Ice Service (CIS) and the Canadian Space Agency’s Science and Operational Applications Research – Education (SOAR-E) program (project #5054 and #5106). RADARSAT-2 Data and Products are copyright MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates, Ltd., 2009–2015 – All Rights Reserved. Georeferencing of imagery was conducted in part by Laura Derksen and Mustafa Naziri. Spatial queries and image projections were performed by Sougal Bouh Ali. We are grateful for funding from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC), ArcticNet, the Canada Foundation for Innovation, Ontario Research Fund, Ontario Graduate Scholarships, Fonds de recherche du Québec – Nature et technologies (FRQNT) and the Northern Scientific Training Program, and for field support from the Polar Continental Shelf Program. A special thanks to our colleagues and students who have provided insights and valuable discussions over the years, including Adrienne White, Andrew Hamilton, Miriam Richer-McCallum, Sierra Pope and Colleen Mortimer. We also thank Alison Cook and Christian Haas for peer-reviewing this manuscript and providing useful suggestions for improvement.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Geography and Environmental Studies, Carleton University, Ottawa, ON, Canada

    Derek Mueller

  2. Department of Geography, Environment and Geomatics, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada

    Luke Copland

  3. Office of Naval Research, Arctic and Global Prediction Program, Arlington, VA, USA

    Martin O. Jeffries

Authors
  1. Derek Mueller
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Luke Copland
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Martin O. Jeffries
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Derek Mueller .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Geography, Environment and Geomatics, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

    Luke Copland

  2. Geography and Environmental Studies, Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

    Derek Mueller

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2017 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Mueller, D., Copland, L., Jeffries, M.O. (2017). Changes in Canadian Arctic Ice Shelf Extent Since 1906. In: Copland, L., Mueller, D. (eds) Arctic Ice Shelves and Ice Islands. Springer Polar Sciences. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-024-1101-0_5

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation