The Challenge of the Arctic

Summary

The remote waters of Canada’s Arctic host a variety of unique underwater archaeological resources including shipwrecks associated with the eras of polar exploration, industrial whaling, and the fur trade. Their general inaccessibility and highly conducive physical preservation conditions notwithstanding, these sites are now subject to increasing threat.Efforts to identify, document, and protect underwater archaeological sites in the Arctic must negotiate a number of imposing environmental, geographical, and political realities. This paper will provide an overview of Parks Canada’s experience to date in responding to these various challenges, the evolving nature of the partnerships that have been drawn upon to successfully survey and manage these resources, and the lessons that have been learned.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Underwater Archaeology the Canadian Way, Eh! Fifty Years of Park Canada’s Underwater Archaeology Service   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2014

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): SYM-31,07