Title: Arctic kelp forests and seaweed biodiversity in Cambridge BayThis project studying Arctic kelp and seaweeds around Cambridge Bay is led by the Canadian Museum of Nature and Laval University, with support from Polar Knowledge Canada. We are seeking to better understand the animals and seaweeds that live in coastal waters of the Kitikmeot Sea around Cambridge Bay.Kelp are a type of large brown macroalgae that create underwater forests in cold temperate and Arctic waters. These kelp forests support biodiversity by creating habitat, food and shelter for other seaweeds as well as animals such as benthic invertebrates (small animals that live on the seafloor) and fish. Kelp and seaweeds are photosynthetic, and form part of the base of the marine food web.We are proposing to study these kelp forests by using both SCUBA diving and underwater video monitoring methods. While SCUBA diving, we will collect small amounts of seaweed and invertebrates and bring them back to the lab to study and identify them. We will conduct underwater video transects to map the location of kelp forests and understand their occurrence and extent in the area, as well as use baited cameras to understand what type of fish live inside and outside kelp forests.We are requesting permission to install small data loggers in kelp forest habitats to record salinity, temperature, light, nutrients, pigments, pH, and dissolved oxygen across seasons. They could be installed for short amounts of time (days) or longer (months). They are small in size (~5 x 5 cm) and would be installed by SCUBA divers.Our preliminary results from field campaigns in 2022-2024 found that even though kelp forests in the area around Cambridge Bay cover only a relatively small area, they support much more marine life than the surrounding bare seafloor. We found about nine separate kelp forests in the area around Cambridge Bay. These forests are located mostly in open waters of Dease Strait and Queen Maud Gulf, in areas with strong currents and colder water, and where ice breaks up earlier in spring.Species living in kelp forests include the kelp themselves, with four species in the area, as well as other smaller species of seaweed that grow under the kelp canopy. Small animals we observed include clams and mussels, worms (for example bristle worms), amphipods (small shrimp-like creatures that serve as food for many fish species), and green sea urchins. Larger animals include Greenland cod that we observed hiding in kelp during warmer years, and other fish such as sculpins and Arctic cod were more numerous in kelp areas. We also often observed bearded seals around kelp areas.Our analyses show that there are five times more benthic invertebrate species living in kelp habitats as compared to habitats lacking kelp. The sites with the most invertebrate and seaweed biodiversity in the area that we surveyed were located west of Cambridge Bay, in the Finlayson Islands. Even though kelp forests cover only a small area of the seafloor, they support much more marine life than the surrounding bare seafloor.We are requesting to continue this work in Cambridge Bay due to the importance of kelp and seaweeds to the nearshore marine ecosystem. These special habitats are common throughout the Arctic but are poorly studied and are sensitive to the impacts of climate change and warming ocean waters. Climate change may affect where kelp grows; more mixing and currents could help kelp expand, while more freshwater from melting ice could make it harder for kelp to grow. Kelp forests support so much life that changes in kelp will affect many other species. It will also be important to understand how potential changes in the distribution and abundance of seaweeds could potentially impact associated species like fish that are valued and consumed by northern communities.The geographic area covered by this project includes Cambridge Bay itself as well as the West Arm, and extends out to nearby areas of Dease Strait, including the Finlayson Islands, Cape Enterprise, and Wellington Bay, as well as Queen Maud Gulf, including as far east as Anderson Bay and as far south as Melbourne Island and the Minto Islands.The proposed project will take place in summer 2026, in August and September, but we also propose to continue long-term monitoring in this area over subsequent years, with the hope of understanding what changes may be occurring with increased vessel traffic and the additional impacts of climate change and ocean warming.We are keen to include local traditional knowledge of seaweed diversity in this study and to work with the community of Cambridge Bay during this research program. We hope this project will provide valuable information to the community on changes to the coastal zone in this region. By knowing where kelp forests are, Ikaluktuutiakmiut can monitor changes over time and make informed decisions about marine stewardship.