Coats Island (Appatuurjuaq) is an important seabird colony in Nunavut. We propose to conduct research on nesting thick-billed murres and glaucous gulls during the summer (June 20 – August 15). Research activities will include trapping, banding, and observing migratory birds and involve 3-8 people. General ActivitiesThe site is located on Coats Island/Appatuurjuaq (62.94132N, -82.01722W). The camp is supplied by twin otter on tundra tires in June. The base camp consists of 4 small cabins. These structures rest on granite surrounded by vegetation. In general, the work and camping arrangements and resulting impact on the land are similar to our other years of work here and hence impact will again be low. Fuel (gasoline, propane) will be stored near the camp well above the ocean high water line on a cliff, in small, 25L gerry cans and 20lb tanks. These materials will be located on a flat location, with a small berm built around them in the event of a fuel spill. All sumps will be located 30m above the high water line, and will be back-filled, mounded, and contoured to match surrounding landscape prior to leaving the camp. Current MSDS will be kept in a central location (the cabin office area) so as to be accessible to all personnel. We keep an Emergency Spill Kit at the camp and have a Spill Contingency Plan in place which has been submitted with past permit applications. We will use gas to run 2 generators and the ATV, and 100lbs propane to fuel the stove. We will fly into and out of the site by Twin Otter. We will have a total of about 5 flights through the season to mobilizing the field site, resupply and change over crew members, and to demobilize the field site at the end of the season. We will use an ATV after each flight to haul gear from the plane to the cabin. Inuit research assistants may also use the ATV for hunting. Combustible garbage will be burned in a SmartAsh incinerator – the ash and all non-combustibles (e.g., cans, jars, etc.) will be flown out for proper disposal in Iqaluit. Grey water from washing dishes and clothes is poured into a sump and buried at the end of the field season. The camp has a composting toilet.Our operation will offer socio-economic benefits to the area. We will again be hiring two or three Inuit assistants to participate in our field work, hopefully through the IFRA program. All of our groceries and some equipment where practical will be purchased in Iqaluit.Seabird ResearchThe science team will arrive in mid-June and depart the second week of August. We will use the same science procedures employed for the past 45 years. Observations will be made of adult murres incubating from concealed locations (blinds) along the cliffs. Defined areas of the colony will be counted daily to determine population trends, again without disturbing the birds.Future Arctic seas will have longer ice-free periods. We will establish novel genomic and physiological techniques to examine the resilience of Arctic seabirds to a less-icy future. Specifically, we will examine whether particular genes or blood chemistries are associated with the ability of thick-billed murres to cope with environmental change. We will use GPS-depth-camera-accelerometers, stomach temperature tags and satellite tags to track murres at sea in response to changing ice cover. We will measure energy expenditure with doubly-labelled water. We will also determine whether unmanned aerial vehicles can be used to census murres in the Canadian Arctic. As a major cause of biologist mortality in Canada is air/boat accidents, we propose that unmanned aerial vehicles can be used to safely record murre numbers. We will fly vehicles past at varying distances and heights to determine what height and distance can be used to accurately census murre numbers without disturbing the birds. We will measure fish populations using an uncrewed surface vehicle (USV) with hydroacoustics. Finally, chemical pollution is an important component of environmental change in the Arctic. We will measure pollution levels in various tissues from glaucous gulls and murres.