Managing scientific diving operations in a remote location: the Canadian high Arctic.
Global climate change is expected to alter the Arctic bioregion markedly in coming decades. As a result, monitoring of the expected and actual changes has assumed high scientific significance. Many marine science objectives are best supported with the use of scientific diving techniques. Some important keystone environments are located in extremely remote locations where land-based expeditions offer high flexibility and cost-effectiveness over ship-based operations. However, the extreme remoteness of some of these locations, coupled with complex and unreliable land, sea and air communications, means that there is rarely quick access (< 48 h) to any specialized diving medical intervention or recompression. In 2009, a land based expedition to the north end of Baffin Island was undertaken with the specific aim of establishing an inventory of the diversity of seaweeds and their pathogens that was broadly representative of a high Arctic marine environment. This account highlights some of the logistical considerations taken on that expedition; specifically it outlines the non-recompression treatment pathway that would have been adopted in the event of a diver suffering decompression illness.
['Sayer|Martin D J|MD|', 'Küpper|Frithjof C|FC|', 'van West|Pieter|P|', 'Wilson|Colin M|CM|', 'Brown|Hugh|H|', 'Azzopardi|Elaine|E|']
D001110:Arctic Regions D002170:Canada D003664:Decompression D003665:Decompression Sickness D004242:Diving D005101:Expeditions D006801:Humans D012624:Seaweed D014187:Transportation of Patients
Scientific diving remote locations decompression illness first aid injuries medical kits oxygen