Phytoremediation at the Eureka High Arctic Weather Station (HAWS)

Peninsula, Ellesmere Island at approximately 80° N. The facility occupies a federal Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada (CIRNAC) land reserve, #1021, spanning an area of 2.23 ha. Originally constructed primarily to conduct researc

The Eureka High Arctic Weather Station (HAWS) is situated in an isolated location on the north side of Slidre Fjord at the northwestern tip of Fosheim Peninsula, Ellesmere Island at approximately 80° N. The facility occupies a federal Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada (CIRNAC) land reserve, #1021, spanning an area of 2.23 ha. Originally constructed primarily to conduct research in climatology and meteorology, the facility is owned and operated by Meteorological Service of Canada (MSC) and has been in operation since April 7th, 1947. The HAWS is located within in the Nunavut Settlement Area, part of the 350,000 km2 land claim granted to the Nunavut Inuit in 1993 but excluded from devolution. Although remote, the Eureka HAWS is a hub of activity for ECCC, the Department of National Defence (DND), the Polar Continental Shelf Project (PCSP), and the Polar Environment Atmospheric Research Lab (PEARL), to name a few. There are some areas of soil impacted with PHCs at the HAWS that cannot be excavated due to proximity to on-site infrastructure (e.g., buildings, pipelines) or due to risks associated with embankment stability and erosion. These areas present an opportunity for applying an alternative, low-carbon, green remedial approach. Phytoremediation is significantly less energy-intensive, more economical and requires minimal operation and maintenance than most conventional remedial methods which rely heavily on the use of heavy machinery. Although a proven technology, phytoremediation has not yet been applied as a remedial approach in the high arctic, success with phytoremediation at these latitudes is promising: (1) There is an abundance of plant species in the High Arctic and the HAWS area; (2) despite a short growing season, plants are exposed to 24-hour daylight for five months of the year, and (3) phytoremediation—enhanced with Plant Growth Promoting Rhizobacteria (PGPR) seed treatments (PEPSystems®) to improve plant establishment and accel