GLACIER MONITORING FOR CLIMATE-CHANGE DETECTION IN NUNAVUT

Nunavut contains approximately 75% of Canada's total glacierized area. The high arctic ice caps have received the most consistent monitoring , whereas glaciers on Baffin Island have been monitored for shorter in tervals since the 1960s. Although mass balance data for selected Baffi n glaciers show no clear trend over the monitoring period, there appea rs to be reasonable agreement between summer temperature and annual ma ss balance. In contrast to global warming trends, the Baffin region ha s experienced a general cooling over the last 30 years, particularly i n winter. The cause of this cooling is not fully understood and its im pact on the local ice cover is uncertain. In order to address these is sues, mass balance observations should be resumed on a suitable glacie r as part of an integrated environmental monitoring program in the reg ion.