Lougheed Island

Lougheed Island is one of the uninhabited islands of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago in the Qikiqtaaluk Region, Nunavut. It measures 1,312 km2 (507 sq mi) in size. It is relatively isolated compared to other Canadian Arctic islands, and is located in the Arctic Ocean, halfway between Ellef Ringnes Island to the northeast and Melville Island to the southwest. It is part of the Findlay Group.

Lougheed Island and King Christian Island. Satellite image created by the MODIS Rapid Response System, NASA/GSFC
Lougheed Island
Lougheed Island, Nunavut
Geography
LocationArctic Ocean
Coordinates77°24′N 105°15′W
ArchipelagoFindlay Group
Queen Elizabeth Islands
Canadian Arctic Archipelago
Area1,312 km2 (507 sq mi)
Length78 km (48.5 mi)
Width23 km (14.3 mi)
Administration
Canada
TerritoryNunavut
RegionQikiqtaaluk
Demographics
PopulationUninhabited

History

The first known sighting of the island was in 1916 by Vilhjalmur Stefansson, during his Canadian Arctic Expedition.[1]

The island is named for James Alexander Lougheed.

On April 14, 1993, Environment Canada revoked a permit issued to Panarctic Oils Ltd. to dispose of 400 tonnes of scrap metal in the ocean off Lougheed Island. The decision was taken in response to concerns expressed by residents of Grise Fiord, Resolute, Arctic Bay and Pond Inlet. Instead of disposing of the material at sea, a research project was initiated to evaluate the environmental impact of stockpiling scrap metal on Lougheed Island.

In 1994, Larry Newitt of the Geological Survey of Canada and Charles Barton of the Australian Geological Survey Organization established a temporary magnetic observatory on Lougheed Island, close to the predicted position of the North Magnetic Pole, in order to monitor short-term fluctuations of the Earth's magnetic field.[2]

References
  1. Stefansson, Vilhjalmur (1922). The Friendly Arctic: The Story of Five Years in Polar Regions. New York: Macmillan.
  2. Newitt, Larry. "Tracking the North Magnetic Pol". uni-muenchen.de. Archived from the original on 2008-02-15. Retrieved 2008-05-18.
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