4.5M$ for the operation of Canada’s research icebreaker CCGS Amundsen

Québec, April 29, 2019 – The Canada's research icebreaker CCGS Amundsen received 4.5M$ from the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI). The additional support will provide the many scientific users of the Amundsen with more ship time and with improved technical support for the deployment of the ship's extensive pool of equipment. 

«This additional support, announced today in Saskatoon by the Honourable Kirsty Duncan, Minister of Science and Sport, illustrates again the central role of the CFI in building and maintaining Canada's capacity for large-scale collaborative research», explained Louis Fortier, biology professor of Université Laval and CEO of Amundsen Science. Hosted by Université Laval, Amundsen Science is the corporation that manages the science program of the Amundsen for Canadian and international users of the Facility.

From Autonomous Underwater Vehicles to ultra-clean laboratories and a battery of SONARs, the Amundsen carries 72 sophisticated scientific systems to study all aspects of the Arctic Ocean. Deployed under extreme conditions, many of these instruments enjoy a very short life span. «The new grant will enable us to replace several systems that have reached their life expectancy, including the Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) used to explore the Arctic seafloor ecosystem, the Multi-beam SONAR to map the ocean floor, and the EK60 scientific echo-sounder to study plankton and fish», said Dr. Alexandre Forest, Executive Director of Amundsen Science.

«This is excellent news for the many scientific users of the CCGS Amundsen, including hordes of graduate students who gain access to the Arctic Ocean and Canada's subarctic seas because of the icebreaker and its equipment», said Professor of University of Calgary and lead of the Genome Canada GENICE project, Casey Hubert, who uses the icebreaker and its ROV to study oil biodegradation by Arctic marine microorganisms.

About the Amundsen
Mobilized for science in 2002 thanks to major grants from the CFI and other partners, the Canadian Coast Guard Ship Amundsen has been pivotal in revitalizing Canada's research effort in the study of the changing Arctic Ocean and the health of Canadian Inuit. Since 2003, the research icebreaker has accommodated over 112 Canadian and international teams in the deployment of no less than 44 major science programs in the North American Arctic, totalling nearly half a billion dollars in research investments. www.amundsen.ulaval.ca