Expedition 2003

2003 Expedition Campsites
72 degrees 37 minutes 04.0 sec. N
75 degrees 39 minutes 22.2 sec. W
72 degrees 36 minutes 53.1 sec. N
75 degrees 37 minutes 56.4 sec. W

1. Objectives

The primary research goal is to define and describe the purpose and function of the erupted tusk of the narwhal. Studies in anatomy, histology, and cellular biology will be conducted to elucidate tusk function. Anatomical variations of narwhal and their teeth will be described from field and laboratory dissection and computerized scan analysis. Studies in histology will be directed to the understanding of tusk morphology and the associated spiral micro fibril patterns. Cellular structure and composition will be analyzed as they relate to function. Odontoblasts will be cultured to study the mechanism of dentin helix formation in the male tusk. Observations of cell growth from cryogenic samples may help explain how a thin, proportionately small jaw plate generates and supports such a large, long, and heavy tooth.

2. Preparations

Permits from several organizations and governing bodies within Canada and the United States were secured. These included, Marine Mammal Permits, CITES, Department of Fisheries and Oceans, Canada, Nunavut Research Institute, and courses through Harvard University for the transport and work with hazardous materials and biological waste. Because of the extensive tissue preparations proposed and completed in 2003, there was no precedent for background needed to handle and ship tissue materials used on field research and transported by the investigator. Companies in both Canada and the US assisted with the necessary preparation and paperwork for safe use and transfer of materials.

Though permits regulate the careful exchange of cetacean tissue, they can become unwieldy in their management. Roughly one quarter of our time was spent acquiring and meeting their specifications. Permits usually had yearly expiration dates, and specifications for tissue to be exported and imported. Inspections both within Canada and to enter the US were also needed and proved to be challenging as coordination between several agencies and individuals was difficult. Despite the hurdles of collection, transport and inspection, all of the intended tissue for study was successfully brought back to laboratories in the US.

3. Observations

Several findings were discovered on expedition that addressed questions formulated during an exhaustive search of the literature completed prior to departure. For example, during the dissection of harvested tooth soft tissue, new internal structures were identified. Detailed photographic records combined with ongoing laboratory tissue examination, including a micro CT scan, will describe these observations. Female teeth were also examined for anatomy and morphology and will be described more completely in the literature as laboratory information becomes available. Much attention has been given to the male tusk and less is available and understood about female teeth.

The interviews conducted with Inuit hunters and elders also documented interesting findings that reaffirmed findings and others that conflict and contrast with published accounts. For example, none of the elders interviewed had either seen or heard of a narwhal with a tusk on the right side despite published accounts documenting their existence. Published accounts of double tusked narwhal as being female were also refuted by Inuit accounts. Such findings proved the importance of communication with the indigenous cultures that live and quietly record observations of their natural surroundings.

4. Life of explorers: what we were doing and what was it like

There were long periods of uneventful silence suddenly disrupted by short frantic spurts of time when an overwhelming amount of science and tissue preparation had to be completed rapidly and under difficult conditions. Since the techniques and methods of such field research were being tested on expedition, there was no given format or protocol to follow that would prove useful. Perseverance and flexibility would be character attributes that would sustain us through the Expedition.

Long periods of uneventful occurrence tried the extent of our patience and at weaker moments would cast doubt on how our goals could be met against weather and ice conditions. Since there was 24 hours of daylight and always someone to guard the campsite from polar bears, time was on a continuum. Oddly, health conditions that affected both of us in our normal daily lives were not apparent during the Expedition. We both experienced dreams that brought alive unresolved issues and relationships that surfaced in the quiet of the arctic ice for no apparent reason. The extended confinement in the tent also allowed time to refocus attention on the interview process with the Inuit elders. A list of 40 questions was composed on Expedition that would be used later in the trip when we had the opportunity to continue interviewing elders after returning to Pond Inlet from the floe edge.