A 160-year-old can of soup has yielded insight into the fate of Franklin’s 19th-century quest for Canada’s Northwest Passage:

High lead levels in both the soup and its container were detected by McMaster experts in experiments using X-ray fluorescence, a non-destructive method of analyzing objects that’s available at only two laboratories in Canada.

“The numbers showed us lead levels that were pretty much off the scale,” Fiona McNeill, a medical science and radiation expert, said in a statement after tests Tuesday on the can’s lid.

“It was an instantaneous test. We had already tested the soup found in the can and found high levels of lead, so we were certain we were going to find similar levels in the sealing solder.”

Lead poisoning has been cited as a major factor in the deaths of Franklin and his crewmen, who died while stranded in the Canadian Arctic. Bone tests on skeletons recovered from grave sites in the Arctic in the 1990s revealed dangerously high levels of lead, leading scientists to suspect that contaminated food lead to impaired judgment and poor health among Franklin and his crew.

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We recently updated our trips page, streamlining the layout and adding a few new expeditions to our existing list of offerings. Of all these new adventures, there’s one I find particularly exciting: the Dogsledding in North Baffin Island Adventure.

Sled dogs on a 2006 expedition to Qaanaaq, Greenland

According to the International Federation for Sleddog Sports, the dog sledding tradition may stretch back “almost as long as the relationship between dogs and humans” in areas with predictable yearly snowfalls. As a dog person, I love that idea: Traveling along traditional Inuit hunting routes, we’ll be experiencing the old Arctic, following paths that have bound man and dog together for thousands of years.

The trip is also a photographer’s dream: Baffin Island is located along one of the richest marine areas in the Arctic Ocean. Though our routes and the wildlife we encounter will depend variables such as snow and ice conditions, we’re likely to travel along steep-walled fjords, along inland lakes and possibly even out to the floe edge, the border between ice and sea where marine animals congregate.

A pair of sled dogs near Lancaster Sound

Are you as excited as I am? Check out the expedition’s trip page for more information, including rates and a sample itinerary.

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The north pole's nearest neighbor.

“Call it the ultimate northerner” writes the Observer Sunday.

The British paper tells that a tiny sea anemone has been named the world’s most northerly species after being discovered clinging to life directly below the frozen crust of the north pole.

The hardy creature was scooped from the Arctic seabed by Russian explorers during their 2007 submersible voyage, during which they planted Russia’s flag beneath the north pole to highlight its territorial claim to the oil-rich region.

The anemone is the first living thing to be formally identified in the waters directly beneath the pole, which have been hidden by a layer of permanent ice for more than 800,000 years.

“This is the only identified species from that region,” said Nadya Sanamyan, a biologist with the Pacific Institute of Geography in Kamchatka, part of the far-eastern branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

via The Ultimate Northerner.

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How did I let almost an entire week go by without acknowledging America’s #1 holiday?

Sharks might not be the first thing that comes to mind when you think about the arctic. But there are sharks north of 60, and like the other animals that make polar waters their home, they’re pretty darn amazing.

It's Up to Twenty Feet Long, with Green Glowing Eyes. Beat That, Hammerhead!

Back in 2002, Arctic Kingdom was the first expedition company to bring recreational divers face to face with the Greenland Shark. Among the largest sharks in the world, these slow-moving, uncanny-looking creatures are the only sharks to live in arctic waters year-round.

Unlike the sea mammals we encounter on our dives, the sharks are largely indifferent to divers’ presence, meaning divers can swim as close as they dare, allowing for unprecedented photo and viewing opportunities. As Graham Dickson, Arctic Kingdom’s founder and Chief Expedition Officer, wrote of his first encounter with the shark,

The shark barely seemed to notice my presence, not moving away from me defensively or towards me aggressively. As with other animal encounters, as the time continues, my comfort level with the animal’s behavior increased and I ventured closer. The crystal clear water offered hundreds of feet of visibility and the bright arctic sun shone through, wonderfully illuminating the shark.

Boy Meets Shark

Visit our gallery for more images and facts about these amazing creatures. And, as always, visit our Trips Page for more information about how you can witness the Greenland Shark firsthand!

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The Clipper Adventurer

Earlier this week, I took a look at one of our newest trip offerings, The Atlantic Arts Float. That trip is one of two new cruise-style expeditions aboard the Clipper Adventurer.

Designed for Arctic adventurers and enthusiasts looking for something more low-key than our usual floe-edge base camps, these cruises take full advantage of the connections, experience, and expertise that we’ve been bringing to our more extreme expeditions for over a decade, while allowing for a more slow-paced and luxurious experience.

The Heart of the Arctic Cruise celebrates and explores northern communities’ rich artistic and cultural legacy. From West Greenland’s magnificent Kangerlussuaq Fjord to tiny hamlets along the Hudson straight, our journey will take us to the heart of today’s Arctic, exploring the cultures, art, and history of this magnificent region.

The Arctic landscape is severe, a cold expanse of ice, sea and tundra at the edge of the habitable world. But for millennia, this harsh climate has supported a wide diversity of native cultures, fostering communities that have survived and even prospered.

Today, in spite of the social changes and environmental stresses of the last century, Arctic communities remain vital and resilient, guarding and maintaining the traditions that have sustained their cultures for four thousand years.

This trip and our Atlantic Arts Float Cruise are coming up soon, and the remaining spots are being offered at a special discounted rate! Visit the trips page today to find out more.

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The Cruise Ship Clipper Adventurer

If you subscribe to our newsletter, you’ve already heard about our newest expedition offerings. But just in case you’re still out of the loop, I thought I’d take some time this week to look at these new adventures a little more closely.

Image via the Walrus Foundation

First up, we have the Atlantic Arts Float, a cruise aboard the Clipper Adventurer. In collaboration with The Walrus Foundation, a charitable non-profit organization with a mandate to promote public discourse on matters vital to Canada, we’ll be exploring the riches of Atlantic Canada alongside artists, photographers, musicians and writers.

A photographer on an AK expedition captures images of the wilderness

Arctic Kingdom will be bringing our extensive Arctic wilderness experience to the expedition, leading zodiac-based excursions to the shore for tundra hikes, visits to sites of cultural and natural significance, opportunities for painting and photography, and other adventures along the way.

Visit our trips page for more information, including special, last-minute discounted rates!

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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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New research suggests that Vikings may have visited the Canadian Arctic. The Ottowa Citizen reports,

One of Canada’s top Arctic archeologists says the remnants of a stone-and-sod wall unearthed on southern Baffin Island may be traces of a shelter built more than 700 years ago by Norse seafarers, a stunning find that would be just the second location in the New World with evidence of a Viking-built structure.

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