Coats Island (62.583°N x 82.749°W) the largest uninhabited island in the northern hemisphere south of the Arctic circle, at about 5500 km2. The Inuktitut name Akpatordjuark refers to the murre colony near Cape Pembroke at the northern tip of the island.
Approximately 100 000 Brünnich’s guillemot nests there, with 60 glaucous gulls. The colony occurs on Inuit Owned Land administered by the Kivalliq Inuit Association. Two sub-colonies, separated by about 800 m, make up the Coats Island colony and most work occurs at the west sub-colony.
Environment & Climate Change Canada has run a camp annually at Coats Island since 1981, with population size, adult survival, chick banding, feeding observations and reproductive output monitored in most years.
Coats Island became a SEATRACK location in 2019 with GLS loggers being deployed on Brünnich’s guillemots and glaucous gulls. Herring gulls are planned to be equipped with GPS-GSM transmitters in the near future.
Seatrack partner
Grant Gilchrist
Environment and Climate Change Canada
Kyle Elliot
McGill University
Data availability
