Beluga Whale, Powell Inlet, Qikiqtaaluk Region, Nunavut, Canada

Polar Haiku
Sleek creamy bodies
Gliding below the surface
Beluga Magic

Taken on September 7, 2018 (uploaded 7/29/19)

September 7, 2018 - Evening of Day 12 of Quark's Northwest Passage Voyage

The evening's activities, sights, and sounds on FLICKR:
flic.kr/p/2gKQ4Vz

Powell Inlet, length 12 miles, lies off the southern coast of Devon Island in the eastern high Arctic. It is situated between Maxwell Bay and Croker Bay, north of Lancaster Sound and Barrow Strait.

www.oceana.ca/en/marine-life/marine-life-canada

BELUGA WHALE (Delphinapterus leucas)
Beluga whales are easy to spot, thanks to their white color, large size and bulging forehead. At birth these pale whales aren’t white at all – they’re slate grey, and it can take up to eight years to develop their distinct white colour. They are unique among whales because they have very flexible necks and can move their head in almost any direction, separately from their body. They are also known as “sea canaries” because they are a chatty species. They are able to create such a wide variety of sounds due to the tissue in their large, bulbous forehead, called a melon, which is used to create and amplify sounds in the marine environment. The noises belugas make are both to communicate with their pod as well as to navigate. Belugas use echolocation to navigate in the dark waters of the Arctic Ocean.

Beluga whales have rounded front, or pectoral, fins and they lack a dorsal fin, unlike most other whale and dolphin species. They have a very prominent, bulging forehead and a short, blunt snout. They grow to be three to four metres long, weighing anywhere from 250 to 1,000 kilograms. Male belugas are larger than females.

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Lancaster Sound, Qikiqtaaluk Region, Nunavut, Canada

September 7, 2018 - Morning of Day 12 of Quark's Northwest Passage Voyage.

The morning's activities, sights, and sounds on FLICKR:
flic.kr/p/2gJWCxX

HISTORY
Lancaster Sound was named in 1616 by explorer William Baffin for Sir James Lancaster, one of the three main financial supporters of his exploratory expeditions. The abortive expedition by the British explorer John Ross in 1818 ended when he saw what he believed were mountains blocking the end of Lancaster Sound. This turned out to be an optical illusion known as fata morgana. In 1819, William Edward Parry got through it and went as far west as Melville Island. The sound was thoroughly explored during an extensive aerial mapping program of Northern Canada by the Canadian Government, which took from the 1930s until the late 1950s to complete. Coincidentally, the type of aircraft that was used to complete the mapping program was the Avro Lancaster, a World War II heavy bomber which had been converted for mapping.

Excerpt from Voyage Journal:
"With the snow flying outside this morning we carefully stepped outside into the cold air. Overnight we encountered a band of impenetrable ice, which slowed us down to 3kt. Unable to pass through the ice, we edged nearer until we were essentially parked in. Scanning the horizon, the ice continued deep into Lancaster Sound, and we found ourselves truly in the footsteps of Franklin."

"Unable to proceed further, staff looked for alternative opportunities. The ice was thick and stable so the decision was made to offer a very special excursion – a chance to step onto the sea ice. In small groups we took zodiacs to the very edge of the ice where staff were waiting to help us out. A bar had been set up serving hot chocolate and baileys, and the Nunavut flag was on had for photo opportunities. The ice stretched out far and wide, and as we turned around it seemed we were on a field of snow on land. Out time there was short but the memories will last a long time."

David Allcorn, Logistics Coordinator:
"It was a low ice year in the arctic - a trend these days. However, this was not apparent in the parts we tried to access. The ice prevented us from entering Barrow Strait and we could not get to our final destination of Resolute Bay on Cornwalis Island - the ice was just too heavy to effectively get through. The ice was jammed in key locations, blocking Canada's mighty arctic labyrinth."

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Lancaster Sound, Nunavut, Canada

September 7, 2018 - Day 12 of Quark's Northwest Passage
Voyage.

HISTORY
Lancaster Sound was named in 1616 by explorer William Baffin for Sir James Lancaster, one of the three main financial supporters of his exploratory expeditions. The abortive expedition by the British explorer John Ross in 1818 ended when he saw what he believed were mountains blocking the end of Lancaster Sound. This turned out to be an optical illusion known as fata morgana. In 1819, William Edward Parry got through it and went as far west as Melville Island. The sound was thoroughly explored during an extensive aerial mapping program of Northern Canada by the Canadian Government, which took from the 1930s until the late 1950s to complete. Coincidentally, the type of aircraft that was used to complete the mapping program was the Avro Lancaster, a World War II heavy bomber which had been converted for mapping.

Excerpt from Voyage Journal:
"With the snow flying outside this morning we carefully stepped outside into the cold air. Overnight we encountered a band of impenetrable ice, which slowed us down to 3kt. Unable to pass through the ice, we edged nearer until we were essentially parked in. Scanning the horizon, the ice continued deep into Lancaster Sound, and we found ourselves truly in the footsteps of Franklin."

"Unable to proceed further, staff looked for alternative opportunities. The ice was thick and stable so the decision was made to offer a very special excursion – a chance to step onto the sea ice. In small groups we took zodiacs to the very edge of the ice where staff were waiting to help us out. A bar had been set up serving hot chocolate and baileys, and the Nunavut flag was on had for photo opportunities. The ice stretched out far and wide, and as we turned around it seemed we were on a field of snow on land. Out time there was short but the memories will last a long time."

David Allcorn, Logistics Coordinator:
"It was a low ice year in the arctic - a trend these days. However, this was not apparent in the parts we tried to access. The ice prevented us from entering Barrow Strait and we could not get to our final destination of Resolute Bay on Cornwalis Island - the ice was just too heavy to effectively get through. The ice was jammed in key locations, blocking Canada's mighty arctic labyrinth."

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Powell Inlet, Qikiqtaaluk Region, Nunavut, Canada

September 7, 2018 - Evening of Day 12 of Quark's Northwest Passage Voyage

The evening's activities, sights, and sounds on FLICKR:
flic.kr/p/2gKQ4Vz

Powell Inlet, length 12 miles, lies off the southern coast of Devon Island in the eastern high Arctic. It is situated between Maxwell Bay and Croker Bay, north of Lancaster Sound and Barrow Strait.

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Atlantic Walrus (Odobenus rosmarus rosmarus),Powell Inlet, Qikiqtaaluk Region, Nunavut, Canada

Taken on September 7, 2018 (uploaded 7/29/19)

September 7, 2018 - Evening of Day 12 of Quark's Northwest Passage Voyage

The evening's activities, sights, and sounds on FLICKR:
flic.kr/p/2gKQ4Vz

Powell Inlet, length 12 miles, lies off the southern coast of Devon Island in the eastern high Arctic. It is situated between Maxwell Bay and Croker Bay, north of Lancaster Sound and Barrow Strait.

www.oceana.ca/en/marine-life/marine-life-canada

ATLANTIC WALRUS (Odobenus rosmarus rosmarus)
The Atlantic walrus is one of the most iconic marine mammals of the Arctic, thanks to its large, ivory tusks. These tusks are actually elongated canine teeth. Both males and females have them, although the males’ tusks are much longer. Walruses are very large: adult males weigh between 1,000 to 2,000 kilograms. Because of their size, they are rather clumsy and slow-moving on land, but in the water they have smooth and graceful swimming abilities.

Walruses are most easily identified by their large front tusks, which are longer and wider on males than on females. They also have a moustache-like array of whiskers around their mouth, which is used for sensing prey hidden in the seafloor. Both their front and hind limbs have developed into flippers, with the front flippers able to support their body weight. They have thick skin that is a cinnamon-brown colour, which may appear more pink on a hot day or white-ish after a long dive. Walruses can grow to around three metres long and weigh from 800 kilograms for females to up to almost 2,000 kilograms for males.

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