Approximately 500 belugas were found in recurrent leads along the edge of the fast-ice in eastern Jones and Lancaster sounds and, to a lesser extent, in Smith Sound. Only 12 narwhals were seen. It has been concluded that the North Water is not a major overwintering area for marine mammals.RÉSUMÉ. Les reconnaissances akriennes effectuées en mars et avril 1978 et en mars 1979 ont montre que quelques esptces de mammiftres marins peuvent passer l'hiver dans les aires isolees des eaux libres dans les "Eaux du Nord", au nord de la baie de Baffin. En mars 1979, environ 700 morses et 37 phoques barbus ont et6 observes, la plupart à la surface des eaux profondes (200-500 m.), prts de la partie sud-est de l'île Ellesmere. Ces deux esptces Ctaient moins frequentes en 1978. Environ 500 belougas furent découverts dans les fissures qui se forment periodiquement sur les bords de la banquise dans les parties orientales des dttroits Jones et Lancaster, et 6 un moindre degr& dans le bras de mer Smith. Seulement 12 narvals furent apercus. Ainsi, les "Eaux du Nord" ne sont pas une aire majeure d'hivernage pour les mammiftres marins.Traduit par Ian Badgley, Universitt du Quebec à Montreal.
ABSTRACT. Ivory gulls in western Baffin Bay and eastern Lancaster Sound were studied in 1976, 1978 and 1979 using aerial surveys. During September and October concentrations of hundreds of ivory gulls occurred along glacier fronts on southeast Ellesmere and northeast and southeast Devon islands, and where offal was available near the settlements of Grise Fiord and Pond Inlet. Dispersal ( = southward migration) from coastal to offshore areas proceeded as pan ice cover increased in offshore areas, usually in late September or early October in Lancaster Sound and in mid-October in B a n Bay east of Baffin Island. Lancaster Sound and northwest Baffin Bay may be a major autumn migration route for ivory gulls that breed in the central and eastern High Arctic and winter in southern Davis Strait and areas to the south.
The distribution and numbers of dovekies during spring migration were studied by aerial surveys of eastern Lancaster Sound (1976,1978,1979) and western Baffin Bay (1978,1979). Dovekies that nest in northwest Greenland migrated north through the study area during May. Extrapolations of recorded densities indicate that a peak of-14 million dovekies may have been present in eastern Lancaster Sound and northwest Baffin Bay in mid-May 1978; fewer were present in May 1979, although the migration was more protracted and total numbers migrating through these areas may have been similar. Dovekies preferred offshore pack ice habitats with moderate to heavy ice cover. Possible reasons for the highly variable distributions in the three years are discussed.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.