Vancouver Aquarium divers to study global warming near Cambridge Bay

Divers from the Vancouver Aquarium Marine Science Centre will be exploring the icy waters near Cambridge Bay next week to study the effects of global warming on the Arctic Ocean.

The team of scientists, in collaboration with Polar Knowledge Canada,will be studying how melting ice affects wildlife and sensitive ecosystems, with a focus on at-risk species.

"What we're hoping to accomplish is to gather some data,pictures, video, lists of animals and plants that we observe,"said JeremyHeywood, diving safety officer at the Vancouver Aquarium Marine Science Centre, "so that future visitors and scientists that come up can have something to compare their data to.

"We're hoping to create a catalog that can be carried forward to future research."

The summer sea ice is essential to the ecosystem they will be studying, according to Heywood, and is projected to melt within a generation,with the Arctic Ocean warming twice as fast as the rest of the planet.

"Species are accessing regions they couldn't before and changing the life cycles or habits of species that are already there," said Heywood.

The team of four divers all have many years of scientific diving experience in cold water under their belts, and are eager to survey sites that have never been explored before.

"The water at our depth is approximately -0.5 C, which is colder than the ice cubes in your freezer."

The Aquarium dive team will be in the Arctic from August 21 to 27, visiting a range of dive sites in the vicinity of Cambridge Bay. They'll also behosting community events, along with Polar Knowledge Canada.