Queen Elizabeth Islands

Queen Elizabeth Islands, northern Canada.

  Nunavut

  Northwest Territories

  Quebec

  Greenland

The Queen Elizabeth Islands (French: Îles de la Reine-Élisabeth; formerly Parry Islands or Parry Archipelago) are the northernmost cluster of islands in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, split between Nunavut and Northwest Territories in Northern Canada. The Queen Elizabeth Islands contain approximately 14% of the global glacier and ice cap area.^[1] (excluding the inland and shelf ice sheets of Greenland and Antarctica).

Geography

The islands, together 419,061 km² (161,800 sq mi)^[2] in area, were renamed as a group after Elizabeth II on her coronation as Queen of Canada in 1953. Most are uninhabited although the Natural Resources Canada’s Climate Change Geoscience Program Earth Sciences Sector (ESS), has monitors on the islands.^[3] In 1969 Panarctic Oils, now part of Suncor began operating exploration oil wells in the Sverdrup and Franklinian basins and planned on establishing its resource base in the Queen Elizabeth Islands. It ceased production in the 1970s. At the 2013 GeoConvention the Arctic Islands region were called Canada’s perpetual "last petroleum exploration frontier". Hogg and Enachescu argued that the development and implementation of advanced marine and land seismic technologies in Alaska, Northern Europe and Siberia could be modified for use in the Queen Elizabeth Islands.^[4]

First sighted by Europeans in 1616, the Queen Elizabeth Islands were not fully explored and charted until the British Northwest Passage expeditions and later Norwegian exploration of the 19th century.

These islands were known as the Parry Archipelago for over 130 years. They were first named after British Arctic explorer Sir William Parry, who sailed there in 1820, aboard the Hecla. Since the renaming of the archipelago in 1953, the term Parry Islands continued to be used for its southwestern part (less Ellesmere Island and Sverdrup Islands). The regional break down of the archipelago is therefore as follows:

• Ellesmere Island
• Sverdrup Islands
• Parry Islands

Ellesmere Island is the northernmost and by far the largest. The Sverdrup Islands are located west of Ellesmere Island and north of Norwegian Bay. The remaining islands further south and west, but north of Lancaster Sound, Viscount Melville Sound and McClure Strait have been carrying the name Parry Islands, which name until 1953 had also included the Sverdrup Islands and Ellesmere Island. South of Lancaster Sound, Viscount Melville Sound and McClure Strait are the remaining islands of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago.

Major islands

Many of the islands are among the largest in the world, the largest being Ellesmere Island. Other major islands include Amund Ringnes Island, Axel Heiberg Island, Bathurst Island, Borden Island, Cornwall Island, Cornwallis Island, Devon Island, Eglinton Island, Ellef Ringnes Island, Mackenzie King Island, Melville Island, and Prince Patrick Island.^[2]

Smaller islands

Other smaller but notable islands include; Beechey Island (74°43′N 091°51′W / 74.717°N 91.850°W), which held the graves of Petty Officer John Torrington, Royal Marine Private William Braine, and Able Seaman John Hartnell, three members of Sir John Franklin's crew,^[5][6] Hans Island (80°49′41″N 066°27′35″W / 80.82806°N 66.45972°W), a small, uninhabited barren knoll measuring 1.3 km² (0.50 sq mi) whose ownership is disputed by Canada and Denmark,^[7] the Cheyne Islands (76°18′22″N 097°31′12″W / 76.30611°N 97.52000°W), three small (0.73 km² (0.28 sq mi) together) islands that are Important Bird Area (#NU049) and a Key Migratory Bird Terrestrial Habitat site (NU site 5)^[8] and Skraeling Island (78°54′42″N 075°37′58″W / 78.91167°N 75.63278°W) an important archaeological site where Inuit (Dorset, Thule) and Norse artifacts have been found.^[9] They consist of Silurian and Carboniferous rocks covered with tundra.

Population

With a population of less than 400, the islands are nearly uninhabited. There are only three permanently inhabited places in the islands. The two municipalities are the hamlets of Resolute (population 229 as of the 2006 census^[10]), on Cornwallis Island, and Grise Fiord (population 141 as of the 2006 census),^[11] on Ellesmere Island. Alert with a population of 5 as of the 2006 census^[12] is an Environment Canada weather station, a Global Atmosphere Watch (GAW) atmosphere monitoring laboratory on Ellesmere Island, has several temporary inhabitants due to the co-located CFS Alert. Eureka, a small research base on Ellesmere Island, has a population of zero but at least 8 staff on a continuous rotational basis.

      Abandoned       Permanent Settlement       Seasonally Occupied

Name	Image	Type	Island	Population	Established	Coordinates	Notes
Alert		Weather Station, Military Station	Ellesmere	5	1950[Note 1]	82°30′N 62°20′W / 82.500°N 62.333°W	Most northernmost permanent settlement in the world Also called CFS Alert
Alexandra Fiord		Science Research Station	Ellesmere	0	1953	78°54′N 75°59′W / 78.900°N 75.983°W	Used as a Royal Canadian Mounted Police Police Station from 1953-1963. At the time, it was the northernmost police station in the world.
Camp Hazen		Warden Station	Ellesmere	0	1957	81°49′N 62°19′W / 81.817°N 62.317°W	Used as a research station from 1957-1958 for Operation Hazen Owned by Parks Canada and currently used as an access point to Quttinirpaaq National Park of Canada
Craig Harbour		Royal Canadian Mounted Police Detachment	Ellesmere	0		76°12′N 81°01′W / 76.200°N 81.017°W	Was established in 1922 to protect Canadian sovereignty of the island[13]
Dundas Harbour			Ellesmere	0		74°31′N 82°23′W / 74.517°N 82.383°W	established in 1924 to create a government presence to curb foreign whaling and other activity in the area[14]
Eureka		Research Station	Ellesmere	0	1947	79°59′N 82°23′W / 79.983°N 82.383°W	Was founded in 1947 as part of a requirement to set up a network of Arctic weather stations
Flashline Mars Arctic Research Station		Research Station	Devon	0	1999	75°25′N 89°49′W / 75.417°N 89.817°W	The structures were built in 2000
Fort Conger		Research Station	Ellesmere	0	1883	81°43′N 64°43′W / 81.717°N 64.717°W	Established in 1881 but abandoned several decades later
Grise Fiord		Hamlet	Ellesmere	130	1953	76°25′N 82°53′W / 76.417°N 82.883°W	Grise Fiord is the northernmost civilian settlement in Canada
Isachsen		Weather Station, Research Station	Ellef Ringnes	0	1948	78°46′N 103°29′W / 78.767°N 103.483°W	An Automated Surface Observing System was placed at the site in 1989, linked by satellite communications to Southern Canada
McGill Arctic Research Station		Research Station	Axel Heiberg	0	1959	79°20′N 91°58′W / 79.333°N 91.967°W	Owned by McGill University
Mould Bay		Weather Station, Airport	Prince Patrick	0	1948	76°14′N 119°19′W / 76.233°N 119.317°W	Former Environment Canada Weather Station Still Occasionally visited by members of the Canadian Forces
Resolute		Hamlet	Cornwallis	229	1947	74°41′N 94°49′W / 74.683°N 94.817°W	Most populous settlement in the Queen Elizabeth Islands The community is second most northernmost community in Canada, only behind Grise Fiord

Formerly manned stations were Mould Bay on Prince Patrick Island, Isachsen on Ellef Ringnes Island, and Fort Conger on Ellesmere Island.

Abandoned settlements are Dundas Harbour on Devon Island and Craig Harbour on Ellesmere Island.

Administration

Until 1999, the Queen Elizabeth Islands were part of the Baffin Region of the Northwest Territories.

With the creation of the Nunavut in 1999 all islands and fractions of islands of the archipelago east of the 110th meridian west became part of Qikiqtaaluk Region of the new territory, which was the major portion of the archipelago. The rest remained with the now-reduced Northwest Territories. Borden Island, Mackenzie King Island and Melville Island were divided between the two territories.

Prince Patrick Island, Eglinton Island and Emerald Island are the only notable islands that are now completely part of the Northwest Territories.

Below the level of the territory, there is the municipal level of administration. On that level, there are only two municipalities, Resolute and Grise Fiord, with an aggregate area of 450 km² (170 sq mi) (0.11 percent of the area of the Queen Elizabeth Islands), but with most of the population of the archipelago (370 out of 375). The remaining 99.89 percent are unincorporated area, with a census 2006 population of five, all in Alert.

Overview of the islands

According to the Atlas of Canada there are 34 larger and 2,092 smaller islands in the archipelago.^[2] With the exception of Ellesmere Island, they fall into two groups, the Sverdrup Islands and the Parry Islands:

Island	sub- group	Territory	Peak	Height m	Height ft	Area km²	Area sq mi	Rank Canada	Rank World	Coordinates
Alexander[15]	02Parry	NU	average elevation	60–180	200–590	484	187	66		75°52′N 102°37′W / 75.867°N 102.617°W
Amund Ringnes[16]	27Sverdrup	NU	ridge	265	869	5,255	2,029	25	111	77°53′N 095°30′W / 77.883°N 95.500°W
Axel Heiberg[17]	28Sverdrup	NU	Outlook Peak	2,210	7,250	43,178	16,671	7	32	79°26′N 090°46′W / 79.433°N 90.767°W
Baillie-Hamilton Island[18]	03Parry	NU		200	660	290	110	91		75°53′N 094°35′W / 75.883°N 94.583°W
Bathurst[19]	04Parry	NU	Stokes Mountain	412	1,352	16,042	6,194	13	54	75°46′N 099°47′W / 75.767°N 99.783°W
Borden[20]	05Parry	NU/NT		150	490	2,794	1,079	30	170	78°33′N 111°10′W / 78.550°N 111.167°W
Brock[21]	06Parry	NT		67	220	764	295	58	383	77°51′N 114°27′W / 77.850°N 114.450°W
Buckingham Island[22]	07Parry	NU	Mount Windsor	150	490	137	53	137		77°12′N 091°00′W / 77.200°N 91.000°W
Byam Martin[23]	08Parry	NU		153	502	1,150	440	42	294	75°12′N 104°17′W / 75.200°N 104.283°W
Cameron[24]	09Parry	NU	Mount Wilmot			1,059	409	46	312	77°48′N 101°51′W / 77.800°N 101.850°W
Coburg Island[25]	10Parry	NU		800	2,600	411	159	83		75°57′N 079°18′W / 75.950°N 79.300°W
Cornwall[26]	29Sverdrup	NU	McLeod Peak	400	1,300	2,358	910	31	184	77°37′N 094°52′W / 77.617°N 94.867°W
Cornwallis[27]	11Parry	NU		343	1,125	6,995	2,701	21	96	75°05′N 095°00′W / 75.083°N 95.000°W
Devon[28]	12Parry	NU	Devon Ice Cap	1,920	6,300	55,247	21,331	6	27	75°08′N 087°51′W / 75.133°N 87.850°W
Eglinton[29]	13Parry	NT		200	660	1,541	595	36	249	75°46′N 118°27′W / 75.767°N 118.450°W
Ellef Ringnes[30]	30Sverdrup	NU	Isachsen Dome	260	850	11,295	4,361	16	69	78°37′N 101°56′W / 78.617°N 101.933°W
Ellesmere[31]	01	NU	Barbeau Peak	2,616	8,583	196,236	75,767	3	10	80°10′N 079°05′W / 80.167°N 79.083°W
Emerald Isle[32]	14Parry	NT		150	490	549	212	63	466	76°48′N 114°07′W / 76.800°N 114.117°W
Graham[33]	31Sverdrup	NU		175	574	1,378	532	38	265	77°26′N 090°30′W / 77.433°N 90.500°W
Griffith Island[34]	15Parry	NU				189	73	110		74°35′N 095°30′W / 74.583°N 95.500°W
Helena Island[35]	16Parry	NU	average in southern hills	220	720	327	126	85		76°40′N 101°00′W / 76.667°N 101.000°W
Hoved Island[36]	17Parry	NU				158	61	125		77°32′N 085°09′W / 77.533°N 85.150°W
Île Vanier[37]	18Parry	NU		200	660	1,126	435	44	298	76°10′N 103°15′W / 76.167°N 103.250°W
King Christian[38]	32Sverdrup	NU	King Christian Mountain	165	541	645	249	60	420	77°45′N 102°00′W / 77.750°N 102.000°W
Little Cornwallis Island[39]	19Parry	NU				412	159	75		75°30′N 096°30′W / 75.500°N 96.500°W
Lougheed[40]	20Parry	NU		60–110	200–360	1,308	505	41	273	77°24′N 105°15′W / 77.400°N 105.250°W
Lowther Island[41]	21Parry	NU	raised beach	106.5	349	145	56	133		74°33′N 097°30′W / 74.550°N 97.500°W
Mackenzie King[42]	22Parry	NU/NT	Castel Butte	300	980	5,048	1,949	26	115	77°43′N 111°57′W / 77.717°N 111.950°W
Massey[43]	23Parry	NU		210	690	432	167	71		75°59′N 102°58′W / 75.983°N 102.967°W
Meighen[44]	33Sverdrup	NU		260	850	955	369	50	337	79°59′N 099°30′W / 79.983°N 99.500°W
Melville[45]	24Parry	NU/NT		776	2,546	42,149	16,274	8	33	75°30′N 111°30′W / 75.500°N 111.500°W
North Kent[46]	25Parry	NU		600	2,000	590	230	62	453	76°40′N 090°15′W / 76.667°N 90.250°W
Prince Patrick[47]	26Parry	NT		279	915	15,848	6,119	14	55	76°45′N 119°30′W / 76.750°N 119.500°W
Stor Island[48]	34Sverdrup	NU		500	1,600	313	121	87		78°59′N 085°50′W / 78.983°N 85.833°W
remaining 2,092 islands[2]		NU/NT				2,321	896		...	...
Queen Elizabeth[2]		NU/NT	Barbeau Peak	2,616	8,583	419,061	161,800	...	...	78°05′N 095°10′W / 78.083°N 95.167°WCoordinates: 78°05′N 095°10′W / 78.083°N 95.167°W

Glaciers and ice caps

The Queen Elizabeth Islands contain four glaciers that represent c.14% of all glaciers and ice caps in the world.^[1] According to a 2011 report, the largest of the four, the Devon Ice Cap measured 1,699 km² (656 sq mi)(northwest sector only); the Meighen Ice Cap measured 75 km² (29 sq mi); the Melville South Ice Cap measured 52 km² (20 sq mi) and the White Glacier, Axel Heiberg Island glacier was 39 km² (15 sq mi).^[1] The size of these glaciers has been measured since 1961 and their results published in such distinguished journals as the International Glaciological Society's Annals of Glaciology.^[1][49][50] Of the four ice caps that the federal government's NRCan’s Climate Change Geoscience Program Earth Sciences Sector (ESS), monitors onsite in the Canadian High Arctic, three are in the Queen Elizabeth Islands: Devon, Meighen and Melville.^[3] In a memo to Earth Sciences Sector (ESS) in Canada’s High Arctic indicates that shrinking of ice caps started in the late 1980s, and has accelerated rapidly since 2005,” says an October 2013 memo to NRCan’s deputy minister, who reports to federal Natural Resources Minister Joe Oliver.

Computer analysis of a glacier inventory of Axel Heiberg Island was undertaken in the 1960s.^[51] Later inventories of the World Glacier Monitoring Service under the direction of Fritz Müller, who worked on glacier inventories internationally, included the Axel Heiberg Island glacier.^[52]

See also

• List of islands of Canada
• List of Canadian islands by area
• List of Islands in the Queen Elizabeth Islands

References

1. Sharp, Martin; Burgess, David O.; Cogley, J. Graham; Ecclestone, Miles; Labine, Claude; Wolken, Gabriel J. (9 June 2011). "Extreme melt on Canada’s Arctic ice caps in the 21st century" (PDF). Geophysical Research Letters 38. Bibcode:2011GeoRL..3811501S. doi:10.1029/2011GL047381. Retrieved 20 February 2014.
2. Sea islands: Atlas of Canada; Natural Resources Canada Archived July 16, 2006, at the Wayback Machine.
3. Fekete, Jason (18 February 2014). "Canada’s Arctic ice caps melting rapidly since 2005, according to documents". Postmedia. Retrieved 22 February 2014.
4. Hogg, John R.; Enachescu, Michael E (2013), Reviving Exploration in the Arctic Islands: Opportunities and Challenges from an Operator’s Perspective, Calgary, Alberta
5. Researches for Sir John Franklin
6. Franklin timeline Archived April 8, 2012, at the Wayback Machine.
7. Greenland, Canada squabbling over pet rock
8. Cheyne Islands Archived March 19, 2012, at the Wayback Machine.
9. Vikings: the Arctic's first European visitors
10. 2006 Census - Resolute
11. 2006 Census - Grise Fiord
12. Statistics Canada
13. "Grise Fiord Community History". The Qikiqtani Truth Commission. Retrieved 27 April 2015.
14. "Dundas Harbour - August 17th, 2013". Polar Trec. Retrieved 27 April 2015.
15. Alexander Island at the Wayback Machine (archived December 23, 2010) at oceandots.com
16. Amund Ringnes Island at the Wayback Machine (archived December 23, 2010) at oceandots.com
17. Axel Heiberg Island at the Wayback Machine (archived December 23, 2010) at oceandots.com
18. Baillie-Hamilton Island at the Wayback Machine (archived December 23, 2010) at oceandots.com
19. Bathurst Island at Bivouac.com
20. Borden Island at the Wayback Machine (archived December 23, 2010) at oceandots.com
21. Brock Island at the Wayback Machine (archived December 23, 2010) at oceandots.com
22. Buckingham Island at the Atlas of Canada Archived October 1, 2012, at the Wayback Machine.
23. Byam Martin Island at the Wayback Machine (archived December 23, 2010) at oceandots.com
24. Cameron Island at the Wayback Machine (archived December 23, 2010) at oceandots.com
25. Coburg Island at the Wayback Machine (archived December 23, 2010) at oceandots.com
26. Cornwall Island at the Wayback Machine (archived December 23, 2010) at oceandots.com
27. Cornwallis Island at the Wayback Machine (archived December 23, 2010) at oceandots.com
28. Devon Island at the Wayback Machine (archived December 23, 2010) at oceandots.com
29. Eglinton Island at the Wayback Machine (archived December 23, 2010) at oceandots.com
30. Ellef Ringnes Island at the Wayback Machine (archived December 23, 2010) at oceandots.com
31. Ellesmere Island at the Wayback Machine (archived December 23, 2010) at oceandots.com
32. Emerald Isle at the Wayback Machine (archived December 23, 2010) at oceandots.com
33. Graham Island at the Wayback Machine (archived December 23, 2010) at oceandots.com
34. Griffith Island at the Atlas of Canada Archived October 1, 2012, at the Wayback Machine.
35. Helena Island at the Wayback Machine (archived December 23, 2010) at oceandots.com
36. Hoved Island at the Atlas of Canada Archived October 1, 2012, at the Wayback Machine.
37. Île Vanier at the Wayback Machine (archived December 23, 2010) at oceandots.com
38. King Christian Island at the Wayback Machine (archived December 23, 2010) at oceandots.com
39. Little Cornwallis Island at the Wayback Machine (archived December 23, 2010) at oceandots.com
40. Lougheed Island at the Wayback Machine (archived December 23, 2010) at oceandots.com
41. Lowther Island at the Atlas of Canada Archived October 1, 2012, at the Wayback Machine.
42. Mackenzie King Island at the Wayback Machine (archived December 23, 2010) at oceandots.com
43. Massey Island at the Wayback Machine (archived December 23, 2010) at oceandots.com
44. Meighen Island at arctic.uoguelph.ca
45. Melville Island at the Wayback Machine (archived December 23, 2010) at oceandots.com
46. North Kent Island at the Wayback Machine (archived December 23, 2010) at oceandots.com
47. Prince Patrick Island at peakbagger.com
48. Stor Island at the Wayback Machine (archived December 23, 2010) at oceandots.com
49. Cogley, J. G.; Adams, W. P.; Ecclestone, M. A.; Jung‐Rothenhausler, F.; Ommaney, C. S. L. (1996). "Mass balance of White Glacier, Axel Heiberg Island, NWT, Canada, 1960–91". Journal of Glaciology 42: 548–563.
50. Koerner, R. M. (2005). "Mass balance of glaciers in the Queen Elizabeth Islands, Nunavut, Canada". Annals of Glaciology 42: 417–423,. doi:10.3189/172756405781813122.
51. Ommanney, C. S.L.; Goodman, R. H.; Müller, Fritz (1969). "Computer Analysis of a Glacier Inventory of Axel Heiberg Island: Canadian Arctic Archipelago". Hydrological Sciences Journal 14: 19–28. doi:10.1080/02626666909493698.
52. Lang, Herbert (21 Dec 2009) [1981]. "Obituary Fritz Muller". Hydrological Sciences Bulletin (Zürich, Switzerland) 26 (3): 332–333. doi:10.1080/02626668109490893.

1. The weather station was established in 1950 and the military station was established in 1958

External links

• Bathurst Island at the Wayback Machine (archived December 23, 2010) at oceandots.com
• Cornwall Island at oceandots.com
• Meighen Island at the Wayback Machine (archived December 23, 2010) at oceandots.com
• Prince Patrick Island at the Wayback Machine (archived December 23, 2010) at oceandots.com
• "New and Precise Depiction of the Southern Part of America, Which Includes: Brazil, the Caribbean, the New Kingdom of Guiana, Castilia del Oro, Nicaragua, the Antilles, and Peru: And Beneath the Tropic of Capricorn, Chile, the Rio de la Plato, Patagonia & the Straits of Magellan" is a map from 1602 that shows the islands.