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This week, Expedition Manager Tom Lennartz is exploring the area around Kangiqsualujjuaq, a village 1,688 km (that’s over a thousand miles) north of Quebec. Located on Ungava Bay, the village is an access point for viewing all sorts of wildlife, including caribou, seal and beluga.

On this week’s trip, Tom is working with a film crew to capture footage of the polar bears in the surrounding wilderness as mothers and cubs emerge from their dens, shot against some of Canada’s most stunning scenery.

Now, keep in mind that the satellite image up top was taken in the summer. This time of year, the wilderness surrounding Kangiqsualujjuaq is cold, with long nights lit by the rippling green light of the aurora borealis. With the Torngat mountains creating a stunning backdrop, this is a breathtaking landscape, full of amazing wildlife.

I’m hoping Tom will be able to access the blog this weekend and give us some updates. And I wouldn’t mind a few photos, either!

One of my favorite polar bear photos, taken on a 2007 expedition by Louise Murray

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Next month, Arctic Kingdom will be heading to north Baffin Island and up Navy Board Inlet as part of an exploratory expedition centered around viewing and photographing polar bears as they return to the sea after a summer spent on land.

Following up on reports from Inuit hunters, scientist working in the area, and Parks Canada wildlife officers, we’ll be visiting areas with a history of significant polar bear sightings. With topside and pole cameras at the ready, we’ll be on the lookout for what we hope will be some great footage of these magnificent creatures.

This will be a small, zodiac based expediton, and a real opportunity for intrepid explorers looking for an up-close, hands-on experience of the arctic wilderness. Interested in joining us? Visit the trips page for more information!

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A satellite image generated by Noetix showing the location of the pack ice in Navy Board

Last week, I mentioned Arctic Kingdom’s collaboration with Noetix, a company that provides real-time maps of the Arctic’s ever-shifting floe edge. Expedition manager Thomas Lennartz was on the ice, following Noetix-generated maps and reporting back with conditions in the field. The purpose of this collaboration was to provide Noetix with feedback on the information their satellite images provide, allowing them to provide more nuanced information about conditions on the ice.

Today, I was able to get my hands on some images from that collaboration. What follows are Satellite images of Navy Board in late May provided by Noetix, along with some notes about conditions on and off the ice from Thomas.

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This morning, Graham sent me coordinates for the team members Thomas Lennartz and Michael Robertson’s current location. The two are working on the ice near Baffin Island with a Spanish filmaking crew and a private photographer, respectively.

This sort of piggybacking (two separate expeditions sharing one location in or around the same time frame) is one of the strategies Arctic Kingdom employs to minimize expedition costs while keeping the highest standards for safety and comfort in the field.

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