CFS Alert: Difference between revisions

Coordinates: 82°30′05″N 62°20′20″W / 82.50139°N 62.33889°W / 82.50139; -62.33889
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Removed information not relevant to CFS Alert (i.e. climate, geography, weather station, GAW Lab), now located in Alert, Nunavut
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|image_skyline = CFS Alert May 2016.jpg
|image_skyline = CFS Alert May 2016.jpg
|imagesize =
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|image_caption = South-facing view of the station, May 2016
|image_caption = View of the station from the south, May 2016
|image_flag =
|image_flag =
|flag_size =
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|subdivision_type2 = [[List of regions of Nunavut|Region]]
|subdivision_type2 = [[List of regions of Nunavut|Region]]
|subdivision_name2 = [[Qikiqtaaluk Region|Qikiqtaaluk]]
|subdivision_name2 = [[Qikiqtaaluk Region|Qikiqtaaluk]]
|established_title = Established
|established_date = 1950 (as Joint Arctic Weather Station)
|established_date = September 1, 1958
|population_as_of = 2016
|population_as_of = 2016
|population_footnotes =<ref name=StatCAN2016AL/>
|population_footnotes =<ref name=StatCAN2016AL/>
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Located in the [[Qikiqtaaluk Region]], Nunavut, it is the [[Northernmost settlements|northernmost]] permanently inhabited place in the world.<ref name=GovCan>{{cite web|url=http://www.grc.k12.nf.ca/climatecanada/alert.htm |title=Alert, Nunavut |publisher=[[Government of Canada]] |accessdate=August 9, 2008 |deadurl=bot: unknown |archiveurl=https://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.grc.k12.nf.ca%2Fclimatecanada%2Falert.htm&date=2008-08-09 |archivedate=August 9, 2008 |df=mdy }} </ref> It takes its name from [[HMS Alert (1856)|HMS ''Alert'']], which wintered {{convert|10|km|abbr=on}} east of the present station off what is now [[Cape Sheridan]], Nunavut in 1875–1876.<ref>[http://www.ccg-gcc.gc.ca/eng/CCG/USQUE_Alert A History of the Canadian Coast Guard and Marine Services] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090928085229/http://www.ccg-gcc.gc.ca/eng/CCG/USQUE_Alert |date=September 28, 2009 }}</ref> The entire population of [[Baffin, Unorganized]], the [[Statistics Canada]] name for Qikiqtaaluk, is located here. As of the [[Canada 2016 Census|2016 census]] the population was reported as 62, an increase of 1,140% over the [[Canada 2011 Census|2011 census]].<ref name=StatCAN2016AL>{{cite web |url=http://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2016/dp-pd/prof/details/page.cfm?Lang=E&Geo1=CSD&Code1=6204030&Geo2=CD&Code2=6204&Data=Count&SearchText=Baffin&SearchType=Begins&SearchPR=01&B1=All&GeoLevel=PR&GeoCode=6204&TABID=1 |title=2016 Community Profiles Csmbridg Bay|accessdate=2017-03-28}}</ref>
Located in the [[Qikiqtaaluk Region]], Nunavut, it is the [[Northernmost settlements|northernmost]] permanently inhabited place in the world.<ref name=GovCan>{{cite web|url=http://www.grc.k12.nf.ca/climatecanada/alert.htm |title=Alert, Nunavut |publisher=[[Government of Canada]] |accessdate=August 9, 2008 |deadurl=bot: unknown |archiveurl=https://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.grc.k12.nf.ca%2Fclimatecanada%2Falert.htm&date=2008-08-09 |archivedate=August 9, 2008 |df=mdy }} </ref> It takes its name from [[HMS Alert (1856)|HMS ''Alert'']], which wintered {{convert|10|km|abbr=on}} east of the present station off what is now [[Cape Sheridan]], Nunavut in 1875–1876.<ref>[http://www.ccg-gcc.gc.ca/eng/CCG/USQUE_Alert A History of the Canadian Coast Guard and Marine Services] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090928085229/http://www.ccg-gcc.gc.ca/eng/CCG/USQUE_Alert |date=September 28, 2009 }}</ref> The entire population of [[Baffin, Unorganized]], the [[Statistics Canada]] name for Qikiqtaaluk, is located here. As of the [[Canada 2016 Census|2016 census]] the population was reported as 62, an increase of 1,140% over the [[Canada 2011 Census|2011 census]].<ref name=StatCAN2016AL>{{cite web |url=http://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2016/dp-pd/prof/details/page.cfm?Lang=E&Geo1=CSD&Code1=6204030&Geo2=CD&Code2=6204&Data=Count&SearchText=Baffin&SearchType=Begins&SearchPR=01&B1=All&GeoLevel=PR&GeoCode=6204&TABID=1 |title=2016 Community Profiles Csmbridg Bay|accessdate=2017-03-28}}</ref>


==Weather station==
==History==
Alert (then part of the [[Northwest Territories]]) was first inhabited by employees of the Canadian [[Transport Canada|Department of Transport]] and the [[National Weather Service|United States Weather Bureau]] in 1950 when the Joint Arctic Weather Station (JAWS) was established. An airfield and small building were built to service various weather monitoring equipment.


===Alert Wireless Station===
This weather station remains in operation to this day; however, operations were subsequently handed over to employees of the Canadian [[Environment Canada|Department of the Environment]] via the [[Meteorological Service of Canada]].


Alert, then located in Canada's [[Northwest Territories]], was first settled April 9th, 1950, when the first staff for the Joint Arctic Weather Station arrived and began construction. Since the beginning of the JAWS project, the [[Canadian Armed Forces|Canadian military]] had been interested in the establishment at Alert for several reasons: the JAWS facility extended Canadian sovereignty over a large uninhabited area which Canada claimed as its sovereign territory, and furthermore, its proximity to the [[Soviet Union]] made it of strategic importance. In fact, Alert is closer to Moscow (c. {{convert|2,500|mi|abbr=on}}) than it is to [[Ottawa]] (c. {{convert|2,580|mi|abbr=on}}). Thus, the possibility of utilizing the site for the purpose of intercepting radio signals was deemed to warrant a military presence.
In April 1971 a party of federal and Northwest Territories (NWT) government officials were in Alert trying to reach the [[North Pole]]. The Alert Station had been the embarkation point for many North Pole expeditions that relied on weather information supplied by JAWS. The 1971 expedition was led by [[Commissioners of the Northwest Territories|NWT Commissioner]], [[Stuart Hodgson]], and included in his party were representatives of the Prime Minister's office, the Canadian Armed Forces, the federal [[Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada|Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development]] as well as a large media group including [[Pat Carney]] of Gemini Productions, Ed Ogle of ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' magazine, Val Wake of ''[[CBC News]]'' and a television crew from California. While waiting in Alert for a weather window to fly into the Pole, the party's television crew spent a lot of time filming at the weather station. The military was not happy about the film crew working on the station but the JAWS site was seen as being a sort of no-man's land. The Commissioner's party made two attempts to reach the Pole and failed. Some of the incidents surrounding this event are recounted in Val Wake's memoir ''My Voyage around Spray with Apologies to Captain Joshua Slocum''.<ref>''[http://valwaketheauthor.com/myvoyagearoundspray.php My Voyage Around Spray]'' Val Wake website</ref>


In 1956, the [[Royal Canadian Air Force]] (RCAF), which was expanding its presence throughout the high Arctic with the construction of the [[Distant Early Warning Line]] radar network, established a building uphill from the DOT's JAWS station to house "High Arctic Long Range Communications Research", or signals intelligence operations.
==Dr. Neil Trivett Global Atmosphere Watch Observatory==
{{main|Dr. Neil Trivett Global Atmosphere Watch Observatory}}


In 1957, Alert Wireless Station was conceived as an intercept facility to be jointly staffed by personnel from the [[Royal Canadian Navy]] (RCN) and the RCAF. Five additional buildings were constructed: a mess, three barracks/accommodations buildings, and a power house and vehicle maintenance building, in addition to the existing operations building, built in 1956. The operations building housed the radio intercept and cryptographic equipment. On September 1, 1958 control of the station was transferred from the Air Force to the Army and it officially began operations.
[[File:Gaw lab 20160601.jpg|thumb|left|upright=2|The observatory as it appeared in June 2016.]]


===Canadian Forces Station Alert===
Beginning in 1975, technicians employed by the Weather Station began collecting flask samples for a greenhouse gas monitoring program. In 1980, this grew to include the weekly collection of filter-based aerosol samples for the Canadian Arctic Aerosol Sampling Network (CAASN).<ref>{{cite web|title=Canadian Arctic Aerosol Chemistry Program (CAACP)|url=https://www.ec.gc.ca/natchem/default.asp?lang=en&n=573F3546-1|publisher=Environment and Climate Change Canada|accessdate=22 January 2017}}</ref>


The following decade saw a dramatic expansion of the station with a correspondingly greater number of personnel stationed there. The February 1, 1968 [[Unification of the Canadian Armed Forces|unification]] of the RCN, RCAF and [[Canadian Army]] to form the Canadian Armed Forces saw Alert Wireless Station change its name to Canadian Forces Station Alert (CFS Alert). Its personnel were no longer drawn from only the Air Force or Navy, but primarily from the Canadian Forces Communications Command.
By 1984, the number of ongoing monitoring programs and the amount of experimental research had outgrown the abilities of the Weather Station to maintain, and plans were made for the construction of a permanent observatory. This observatory, located {{convert|400|m|yd}} southwest of Lancaster Hall, otherwise known as the far transmitter building, was opened August 29, 1986. Originally known as the Alert Background Atmospheric Monitoring Network (BAPMoN) Observatory, it was subsequently renamed the Dr. Neil Trivett Global Atmosphere Watch Observatory in honour of the Environment Canada researcher who provided the impetus for its construction.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Whitnell|first1=Tim|title=Scientist honoured for work|url=http://www.thespec.com/news-story/2964713-scientist-honoured-for-work/|accessdate=8 February 2018|work=The Hamilton Spectator|date=20 August 2006|language=en-CA}}</ref>


At its peak, CFS Alert had upwards of 215 personnel posted at any one time. The station became a key asset in the global [[ECHELON]] network of the [[Five Eyes|US-UK-CAN-AUS-NZ intelligence sharing alliance]], with Alert being privy to many secret Soviet communications regarding land-based and sea-based [[Intercontinental ballistic missile|ICBM]] test launches and many operational military deployments
The observatory employs two technicians who reside at CFS Alert: an operator and an assistant operator (normally a university co-op student).


The first military women to serve in Alert arrived in 1980 as part of the Canadian Forces' Women In Non-Traditional Roles study. After its completion in 1983, women were fully authorized to serve in all roles.<ref>{{cite web|title=Canadian Forces Station Alert {{!}} 8 Wing {{!}} Royal Canadian Air Force|url=http://www.rcaf-arc.forces.gc.ca/en/8-wing/alert.page|language=en}}</ref> The first female commanding officer was Maj. Cathy Cowan, who took command in January 1996. The first female Station Warrant Officer (SWO), MWO Renee Hansen, was appointed in December 2017.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Brunet|first1=Julie|title=CFS Alert welcomes first female station warrant officer – The Maple Leaf|url=https://ml-fd.caf-fac.ca/en/2018/01/9879?WT.mc_id=20180206DTupdate_ml_eng&WT.mc_id=20180206DTupdate_ml_eng|website=The Maple Leaf|publisher=Government of Canada|accessdate=February 8, 2018|language=en}}</ref>
==Alert Wireless Station==
The Canadian military was interested in the establishment of JAWS at Alert for several reasons. The JAWS facility extended Canadian sovereignty over a large uninhabited area which Canada claimed as its sovereign territory.

During the [[Cold War]], Alert was strategically important because of its proximity to the [[Soviet Union]]; Alert was the closest point in North America to the northwestern area of the Soviet Union. In fact, Alert is closer to Moscow (c. {{convert|2,500|mi|abbr=on}}) than it is to [[Ottawa]] (c. {{convert|2,580|mi|abbr=on}}). Thus, the possibility of utilizing the site for the purpose of intercepting radio signals was deemed to warrant a military presence.

In 1956, the [[Royal Canadian Air Force]] (RCAF), which was expanding its presence throughout the high Arctic with the construction of the [[Distant Early Warning Line]] radar network, established a building uphill from the DOT's JAWS station to house "High Arctic Long Range Communications Research", or signals intelligence operations.

In 1957, the Alert Wireless Station was conceived as an intercept facility to be jointly staffed by personnel from the [[Royal Canadian Navy]] (RCN) and the RCAF. Five additional buildings were constructed: a mess, three barracks/accommodations buildings, and a power house and vehicle maintenance building, in addition to the existing operations building, built in 1956. The operations building housed the radio intercept and cryptographic equipment. Up to 24 men would be posted to Alert at any one time. Alert was considered (and remains to this day) a hardship assignment, with no spouses being permitted. Until 1980 only men were permitted to deploy to Alert.

The February 1, 1968 [[Unification of the Canadian Armed Forces|unification]] of the RCN, RCAF and [[Canadian Army]] to form the Canadian Forces saw the Alert Wireless Station change its name to Canadian Forces Station Alert (CFS Alert). Its personnel were no longer drawn from only the Air Force or Navy, but primarily from the Canadian Forces Communications Command.

At its peak, CFS Alert had upwards of 215 personnel posted at any one time. The station became a key asset in the global [[ECHELON]] network of the [[Five Eyes|US-UK-CAN-AUS-NZ intelligence sharing alliance]], with Alert being privy to many secret Soviet communications regarding land-based and sea-based [[Intercontinental ballistic missile|ICBM]] test launches and many operational military deployments.


Budget cuts to the [[Department of National Defence (Canada)|Department of National Defence]] and Canadian Forces in 1994, and modernization of communications equipment, saw CFS Alert downsized to approximately 74 personnel by 1997–1998 when most radio-intercept operations were remotely controlled by personnel at [[CFS Leitrim]]. Remaining personnel are responsible for airfield operations, construction/engineering, food service, and logistical/administrative support. Only six personnel are now responsible for actual operations, and control of the facility was passed to DND's Information Management Group following the disbanding of CF Communications Command with force restructuring and cutbacks in the mid-1990s. Several of these personnel are likely also attached to DND's [[Communications Security Establishment]].
Budget cuts to the [[Department of National Defence (Canada)|Department of National Defence]] and Canadian Forces in 1994, and modernization of communications equipment, saw CFS Alert downsized to approximately 74 personnel by 1997–1998 when most radio-intercept operations were remotely controlled by personnel at [[CFS Leitrim]]. Remaining personnel are responsible for airfield operations, construction/engineering, food service, and logistical/administrative support. Only six personnel are now responsible for actual operations, and control of the facility was passed to DND's Information Management Group following the disbanding of CF Communications Command with force restructuring and cutbacks in the mid-1990s. Several of these personnel are likely also attached to DND's [[Communications Security Establishment]].


With Canada's commitment to the global war on terrorism following the [[September 11 attacks|September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks]] in New York City and Washington, D.C., CFS Alert has received renewed and increased funding to expand its [[Signals intelligence|SIGINT]] capabilities. However, as of April 13, 2006 the [[Canadian Broadcasting Corporation]] was reporting that the heating costs for the station had risen, in consequence of which the military were proposing to cut back on support trade positions by using private contractors.<ref>[http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/costly-fuel-prompts-cuts-at-northern-military-station-1.607547 Costly fuel prompts cuts at northern military station]</ref>
With Canada's commitment to the global war on terrorism following the [[September 11 attacks|September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks]] in New York City and Washington, D.C., CFS Alert has received renewed and increased funding to expand its [[Signals intelligence|SIGINT]] capabilities. On April 1, 2009, the RCAF officially took responsibility for CFS Alert from Canadian Forces Information Operations Group (CFIOG).

Air Command officially took responsibility for CFS Alert from Canadian Forces Information Operations Group (CFIOG) April 1, 2009. There are currently approximately 55 military and civilian personnel permanently stationed in Alert, and the population can rise to over 100 in the summer months and during the semi-annual "Operation Boxtop" resupply missions.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rcaf-arc.forces.gc.ca/en/8-wing/alert.page|title=Canadian Forces Station Alert|publisher=Royal Canadian Air Forces|date=January 23, 2014|accessdate=November 22, 2014}}</ref>

==Aircraft crashes==
The military has constructed several roads in the area to permit patrolling, as well as for logistics purposes from shore locations near anchorages east of the station, as well as to the airfield. Since Alert has not been regularly accessible by [[icebreaker]]s due to heavy ice conditions in the [[Lincoln Sea]], resupply is provided by Royal Canadian Air Force transport aircraft which land at the adjacent [[Alert Airport]].

Alert gets no sunshine from the middle of October to end of February every year,<ref name="sun"/> and doesn't get light at all for much of that time. Its weather conditions and isolation provide a significant challenge to pilots. This has led to some well-known crashes:
* On July 31, 1950, around 1700 hours GMT, a RCAF [[Avro Lancaster|Lancaster]] 965 from [[405 Maritime Patrol Squadron|405 Squadron Greenwood]] crashed during the establishment of the JAWS weather station when the [[parachute]] for resupplies being [[airdrop]]ped became entangled on the tail of the aircraft. The nine crew members were killed. An attempt was made to recover their bodies; an RCAF [[Consolidated PBY Catalina|Canso]] [[flying boat]] was dispatched and landed in Dumbell Bay on August 7. The bodies of the Canadian crew were brought aboard in wooden coffins made from packing crates — the family of Colonel C.J. Hubbard of the United States Weather Bureau requested his remains be buried at Alert<ref>{{cite book|last=Pigott|first=Peter|date=2011|title=From Far and Wide: A Complete History of Canada’s Arctic Sovereignty|location=Toronto|publisher=Dundurn|page= |isbn=978-1-55488-987-7}}</ref> — but the combination of the extra weight and a tail wind resulted in an [[Rejected takeoff|aborted takeoff]]. The Canso struck ground at the narrow point of Dumbell Bay, damaging the tail section and rendering it useless. Following this, it was decided to bury the crew's remains west of the airstrip, and a military funeral was held the same day. The arrival of the [[United States Coast Guard]] icebreaker {{USCGC|Eastwind|WAGB-279|2}} allowed repairs to be made to the Canso.<ref name="gray">{{cite book|last=Gray|first=David R.|date=2004|title=Alert: Beyond the Inuit Lands|location=Ottawa|publisher=Borealis Press|pages=96–97|isbn=1-896133-01-0}}</ref> The wreckage of the Lancaster is still visible {{convert|500|m|abbr=on}} southwest of the CE building.
* On October 11, 1952, an American [[Military Air Transport Service]] [[Douglas C-54 Skymaster]] crashed on landing at Alert, while carrying a load of [[aviation fuel]]. The four crew members survived the crash; however, the aircraft was completely destroyed. The wreckage was pushed to the south side of the runway, where it remains today. Because of the high visibility of the wreckage due to its location at the runway, it is often mistaken for the RCAF Lancaster.<ref name="gray"/>
* On October 30, 1991, a [[Lockheed C-130 Hercules]], part of Operation Boxtop, crashed about {{convert|20|km|abbr=on}} from the airfield, killing 4 of the 18 passengers and crew on impact, while pilot John Couch died of exposure following the crash. Couch was conducting a visual approach and descended into a hill due to a mistake regarding the plane's true location.<ref>{{cite book|last=Lee|first=Robert Mason|date=1993|title=Death and Deliverance: The True Story of an Airplane Crash at the North Pole|location=Golden CO|publisher=Fulcrum Publishing|isbn=978-1555911409}}</ref> Subsequent rescue efforts by personnel from CFS Alert, [[United States Air Force|USAF]] personnel from [[Thule Air Base]] {{convert|700|km|abbr=on}} south, and [[435 Transport and Rescue Squadron]] from [[CFB Winnipeg]] and [[440 Transport Squadron|440 Transport and Rescue Squadron]], from [[CFB Edmonton|CFB Namao]] outside [[Edmonton]], both squadrons are part of 17 Wing Winnipeg, and [[424 Transport and Rescue Squadron|424 Squadron]] from [[CFB Trenton]], Ontario, [[413 Transport and Rescue Squadron]] from [[CFB Greenwood]], Nova Scotia were hampered by a blizzard and local terrain. The crash investigation recommended all C-130s be retrofitted with [[Ground proximity warning system|ground proximity detectors]]. The [[Search and rescue|crash and rescue]] efforts were the basis of the film ''[[Ordeal in the Arctic]]'' (1993).

==Climate==
Alert has a [[polar climate]] (''ET'') as it is cold most of the year and is snow-covered for about 10 months of the year. The warmest month, July, has an average temperature of just {{convert|3.4|C}}. Alert is very dry, the fourth driest in Nunavut, averaging only {{convert|158.3|mm|abbr=on}} of [[precipitation]] per year. Most of the precipitation is snow and occurs during the months of July, August and September. On average there is {{convert|17.4|mm|abbr=on}} of rain, the least of any place in Nunavut, which occurs between June and September. Alert sees very little snowfall during the rest of the year. September is usually the month with the heaviest snowfall. February is the coldest month of the year and the yearly mean of {{convert|−17.7|C}} is the second-coldest in Nunavut after [[Eureka, Nunavut|Eureka]]. Snowfall can occur during any month of the year.<ref name="ccn"/> Alert experiences [[polar night]] from the middle of October, with twilight lasting until the end of the month, until the end of February, but the Nautical Twilight lasting until November 19 to January 22, it does get 24 hours of dark with marginal astronomical twilight. with twilight starting about the middle of the month. From the first week of April until the first week of September Alert sees the [[midnight sun]].<ref name="sun">[http://www.nrc-cnrc.gc.ca/eng/services/sunrise/advanced.html Sunrise/Sunset/Sun Angle Calculator]. Use "Choose location by longitude and latitude". The default should be Sunrise/sunset, full year "(text version)". Enter 62° 19' west and 82° 30' north with Eastern Time.</ref>

{{Weather box
|location = [[Alert Airport]]
|metric first = Y
|single line = Y
|Jan maximum humidex= 0.0
|Feb maximum humidex= 0.0
|Mar maximum humidex= -2.4
|Apr maximum humidex= -1.1
|May maximum humidex= 6.6
|Jun maximum humidex= 18.1
|Jul maximum humidex= 19.4
|Aug maximum humidex= 23.8
|Sep maximum humidex= 8.4
|Oct maximum humidex= 3.9
|Nov maximum humidex= -1.1
|Dec maximum humidex= 1.4
|year maximum humidex= 23.8
|Jan record high C = 0.0
|Feb record high C = 1.1
|Mar record high C = -2.2
|Apr record high C = -0.2
|May record high C = 7.8
|Jun record high C = 18.2
|Jul record high C = 20.0
|Aug record high C = 19.5
|Sep record high C = 11.2
|Oct record high C = 4.4
|Nov record high C = 0.6
|Dec record high C = 3.2
|year record high C= 20.0
|Jan high C = -28.6
|Feb high C = -29.4
|Mar high C = -28.4
|Apr high C = -20.4
|May high C = -8.4
|Jun high C = 2.0
|Jul high C = 6.1
|Aug high C = 3.3
|Sep high C = -5.3
|Oct high C = -15.3
|Nov high C = -22.3
|Dec high C = -25.6
|year high C = -14.4
|Jan mean C= -32.2
|Feb mean C= -33.2
|Mar mean C= -32.4
|Apr mean C= -24.3
|May mean C= -11.5
|Jun mean C= -0.4
|Jul mean C= 3.4
|Aug mean C= 0.8
|Sep mean C= -8.4
|Oct mean C= -18.9
|Nov mean C= -26.0
|Dec mean C= -29.4
|year mean C= -17.7
|Jan low C = -35.8
|Feb low C = -37.0
|Mar low C = -36.3
|Apr low C = -28.1
|May low C = -14.5
|Jun low C = -2.7
|Jul low C = 0.7
|Aug low C = -1.8
|Sep low C = -11.5
|Oct low C = -22.4
|Nov low C = -29.6
|Dec low C = -33.1
|year low C = -21.0
|Jan record low C = -48.9
|Feb record low C = -50.0
|Mar record low C = -49.4
|Apr record low C = -45.6
|May record low C = -29.0
|Jun record low C = -13.9
|Jul record low C = -6.3
|Aug record low C = -15.0
|Sep record low C = -28.2
|Oct record low C = -39.4
|Nov record low C = -43.5
|Dec record low C = -46.1
|year record low C= -50.0
|Jan chill = -64.7
|Feb chill = -60.5
|Mar chill = -59.5
|Apr chill = -56.8
|May chill = -40.8
|Jun chill = -21.1
|Jul chill = -10.3
|Aug chill = -19.2
|Sep chill = -36.9
|Oct chill = -49.4
|Nov chill = -53.7
|Dec chill = -57.3
|year chill= -64.7
|Jan precipitation mm = 7.2
|Feb precipitation mm = 7.0
|Mar precipitation mm = 7.5
|Apr precipitation mm = 10.6
|May precipitation mm = 11.6
|Jun precipitation mm = 12.0
|Jul precipitation mm = 31.8
|Aug precipitation mm = 17.9
|Sep precipitation mm = 22.3
|Oct precipitation mm = 13.4
|Nov precipitation mm = 10.4
|Dec precipitation mm = 6.8
|year precipitation mm = 158.3
|Jan rain mm = 0.0
|Feb rain mm = 0.0
|Mar rain mm = 0.0
|Apr rain mm = 0.0
|May rain mm = 0.0
|Jun rain mm = 0.8
|Jul rain mm = 13.0
|Aug rain mm = 3.5
|Sep rain mm = 0.1
|Oct rain mm = 0.0
|Nov rain mm = 0.0
|Dec rain mm = 0.0
|year rain mm= 17.4
|Jan snow cm = 9.0
|Feb snow cm = 8.1
|Mar snow cm = 8.7
|Apr snow cm = 12.6
|May snow cm = 18.0
|Jun snow cm = 13.5
|Jul snow cm = 20.0
|Aug snow cm = 16.9
|Sep snow cm = 33.1
|Oct snow cm = 20.2
|Nov snow cm = 15.2
|Dec snow cm = 9.3
|year snow cm = 184.6
|Jan humidity= 66.8
|Feb humidity= 66.6
|Mar humidity= 66.9
|Apr humidity= 71.1
|May humidity= 81.5
|Jun humidity= 87.1
|Jul humidity= 85.1
|Aug humidity= 86.1
|Sep humidity= 84.6
|Oct humidity= 75.7
|Nov humidity= 70.3
|Dec humidity= 67.2
|year humidity= 75.8
|unit precipitation days = 0.2 mm
|Jan precipitation days = 9.0
|Feb precipitation days = 7.7
|Mar precipitation days = 7.3
|Apr precipitation days = 8.5
|May precipitation days = 7.5
|Jun precipitation days = 7.4
|Jul precipitation days = 10.9
|Aug precipitation days = 9.2
|Sep precipitation days = 10.1
|Oct precipitation days = 10.5
|Nov precipitation days = 8.7
|Dec precipitation days = 9.2
|year precipitation days = 106.1
|unit rain days = 0.2 mm
|Jan rain days = 0.0
|Feb rain days = 0.0
|Mar rain days = 0.0
|Apr rain days = 0.0
|May rain days = 0.1
|Jun rain days = 1.0
|Jul rain days = 6.9
|Aug rain days = 2.5
|Sep rain days = 0.2
|Oct rain days = 0.0
|Nov rain days = 0.0
|Dec rain days = 0.0
|year rain days= 10.6
|unit snow days = 0.2 cm
|Jan snow days = 9.1
|Feb snow days = 8.6
|Mar snow days = 8.3
|Apr snow days = 9.1
|May snow days = 9.4
|Jun snow days = 6.9
|Jul snow days = 6.3
|Aug snow days = 7.4
|Sep snow days = 11.3
|Oct snow days = 12.2
|Nov snow days = 9.7
|Dec snow days = 9.9
|year snow days= 108.0
|Jan sun = 0.0
|Feb sun = 0.0
|Mar sun = 110.4
|Apr sun = 323.6
|May sun = 428.6
|Jun sun = 333.0
|Jul sun = 321.6
|Aug sun = 269.1
|Sep sun = 111.4
|Oct sun = 3.9
|Nov sun = 0.0
|Dec sun = 0.0
|year sun = 1901.6
|Jan percentsun = n/a
|Feb percentsun = n/a
|Mar percentsun = 33.1
|Apr percentsun = 46.8
|May percentsun = 57.6
|Jun percentsun = 46.3
|Jul percentsun = 43.2
|Aug percentsun = 36.2
|Sep percentsun = 21.9
|Oct percentsun = 4.1
|Nov percentsun = n/a
|Dec percentsun = n/a
|year percentsun = 36.1
|source 1 = [[Environment Canada]] Canadian Climate Normals 1981–2010<ref name="ccn">{{cite web
|publisher=Environment Canada
|url=http://climate.weather.gc.ca/climate_normals/results_1981_2010_e.html?stnID=1731&lang=e&amp;StationName=Alert&amp;SearchType=BeginsWith&amp;stnNameSubmit=go&dCode=5&dispBack=1
|id=Climate ID: 2400300
|title=Canadian Climate Normals 1981–2010 Station Data
|work=Canadian Climate Normals 1981–2010
|accessdate=June 1, 2015}}</ref>
|date=February 11, 2015}}


===Civilian contractor===
==Sports==
In early April 2006 the [[Roland McLenahan|Roly McLenahan]] Torch that was used to light the flame at [[Whitehorse, Yukon|Whitehorse]], Yukon for the [[Canada Games|Canada Winter Games]] passed through Alert.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.newswire.ca/en/story/339251/vancouver-2010-olympic-torch-relay-coming-to-nunavut|title=Vancouver 2010 Olympic Torch Relay coming to Nunavut|publisher=CNW|date=November 21, 2008|accessdate=June 4, 2014}}</ref> While the Canada Games torch was supposed to pass over the North Pole, bad weather prevented a Canadian military [[de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter|Twin Otter]] from making the trip. The torch did not travel outside Alert that weekend (April 9–12).


As of April 13, 2006 the [[Canadian Broadcasting Corporation]] was reporting that the heating costs for the station had risen, in consequence of which the military were proposing to cut back on support trade positions by using private contractors.<ref name="CbcAlert20060413">{{cite news|url=http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2006/04/13/north-alert-military060413.html|title=Costly fuel prompts cuts at northern military station|publisher=[[Canadian Broadcasting Corporation]]|work=[[CBC News]]|date=April 13, 2006|accessdate=August 9, 2008}} [https://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cbc.ca%2Fstory%2Fcanada%2Fnational%2F2006%2F04%2F13%2Fnorth-alert-military060413.html&date=2008-08-09 article mirror]</ref> By 2008, maintenance operations on station (including food and housekeeping services, vehicle maintenance, powerplant operation, and heating, electrical, and plumbing) had been transferred to a civilian contractor. The contract was initially awarded to Canadian Base Operators (CBO), a subsidiary of Black & McDonald. In 2012, the contract was won by Nasittuq, a subsidiary of [[ATCO]].
On November 8, 2009, the [[2010 Winter Olympics torch relay]] arrived at Alert via airplane from [[Churchill, Manitoba|Churchill]], Manitoba, reaching its most northerly point on land.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2009/12/olympic_torch_relay_heads_to_v.html#photo32|title=Olympic Torch Relay heads to Vancouver|publisher=boston.com|work=The Big Picture|date=December 4, 2009|accessdate=November 22, 2014}}</ref> The next day it travelled to [[Iqaluit]].


==Facilities and infrastructure==
==Facilites==


* [[Alert Airport]]
* Cold Storage Depot
* Cold storage building
* Fire Station
* Construction Engineering building
* HAPS
* Fire station
* Living Quarters
* Headquarters and Personnel Services (HAPS) building: Churchill Hall
* Operations
* Living quarters: Chimo Hall, Ladner Hall, and Whitehorse Hall
* Power Plant
* Main gym and curling rink
* Water Treatment Plant
* Operations building: Polaris Hall
* Supply Depot
* Powerplants: Primary and backup
* Water treatment plant
* Supply building
* Vehicle maintenance building


==See also==
==See also==
Line 351: Line 105:
* [http://www.rcaf-arc.forces.gc.ca/en/8-wing/alert.page CFS Alert (Canadian Forces)]
* [http://www.rcaf-arc.forces.gc.ca/en/8-wing/alert.page CFS Alert (Canadian Forces)]
* [http://jproc.ca/rrp/alert.html CFS Alert], J. Proc history page
* [http://jproc.ca/rrp/alert.html CFS Alert], J. Proc history page
* [https://www.panoramio.com/photo/36295738 U.S. Weather Bureau C J Hubbard]
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TRdOmA0bWrU CFS Alert Operation Boxtop]
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TRdOmA0bWrU CFS Alert Operation Boxtop]
{{Canadian Forces Bases}}
{{Canadian Forces Bases}}

Revision as of 18:25, 9 February 2018

CFS Alert
Canadian Forces Station
View of the station from the south, May 2016
View of the station from the south, May 2016
Official seal of CFS Alert
Seal
Motto(s): 
Inuit Nunangata Ungata
(Beyond the Inuit Land)
CFS Alert is located in Nunavut
CFS Alert
CFS Alert
Coordinates: 82°30′05″N 62°20′20″W / 82.50139°N 62.33889°W / 82.50139; -62.33889
CountryCanada
TerritoryNunavut
RegionQikiqtaaluk
EstablishedSeptember 1, 1958
Elevation
[1]
30 m (100 ft)
Population
 (2016)[2]
 • Total62
Time zoneUTC−5 (EST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−4 (EDT)

Canadian Forces Station Alert, also CFS Alert, is a Canadian Armed Forces signals intelligence intercept facility located in Alert, Nunavut, Canada, on the northeastern tip of Ellesmere Island.

Located in the Qikiqtaaluk Region, Nunavut, it is the northernmost permanently inhabited place in the world.[3] It takes its name from HMS Alert, which wintered 10 km (6.2 mi) east of the present station off what is now Cape Sheridan, Nunavut in 1875–1876.[4] The entire population of Baffin, Unorganized, the Statistics Canada name for Qikiqtaaluk, is located here. As of the 2016 census the population was reported as 62, an increase of 1,140% over the 2011 census.[2]

History

Alert Wireless Station

Alert, then located in Canada's Northwest Territories, was first settled April 9th, 1950, when the first staff for the Joint Arctic Weather Station arrived and began construction. Since the beginning of the JAWS project, the Canadian military had been interested in the establishment at Alert for several reasons: the JAWS facility extended Canadian sovereignty over a large uninhabited area which Canada claimed as its sovereign territory, and furthermore, its proximity to the Soviet Union made it of strategic importance. In fact, Alert is closer to Moscow (c. 2,500 mi (4,000 km)) than it is to Ottawa (c. 2,580 mi (4,150 km)). Thus, the possibility of utilizing the site for the purpose of intercepting radio signals was deemed to warrant a military presence.

In 1956, the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF), which was expanding its presence throughout the high Arctic with the construction of the Distant Early Warning Line radar network, established a building uphill from the DOT's JAWS station to house "High Arctic Long Range Communications Research", or signals intelligence operations.

In 1957, Alert Wireless Station was conceived as an intercept facility to be jointly staffed by personnel from the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) and the RCAF. Five additional buildings were constructed: a mess, three barracks/accommodations buildings, and a power house and vehicle maintenance building, in addition to the existing operations building, built in 1956. The operations building housed the radio intercept and cryptographic equipment. On September 1, 1958 control of the station was transferred from the Air Force to the Army and it officially began operations.

Canadian Forces Station Alert

The following decade saw a dramatic expansion of the station with a correspondingly greater number of personnel stationed there. The February 1, 1968 unification of the RCN, RCAF and Canadian Army to form the Canadian Armed Forces saw Alert Wireless Station change its name to Canadian Forces Station Alert (CFS Alert). Its personnel were no longer drawn from only the Air Force or Navy, but primarily from the Canadian Forces Communications Command.

At its peak, CFS Alert had upwards of 215 personnel posted at any one time. The station became a key asset in the global ECHELON network of the US-UK-CAN-AUS-NZ intelligence sharing alliance, with Alert being privy to many secret Soviet communications regarding land-based and sea-based ICBM test launches and many operational military deployments

The first military women to serve in Alert arrived in 1980 as part of the Canadian Forces' Women In Non-Traditional Roles study. After its completion in 1983, women were fully authorized to serve in all roles.[5] The first female commanding officer was Maj. Cathy Cowan, who took command in January 1996. The first female Station Warrant Officer (SWO), MWO Renee Hansen, was appointed in December 2017.[6]

Budget cuts to the Department of National Defence and Canadian Forces in 1994, and modernization of communications equipment, saw CFS Alert downsized to approximately 74 personnel by 1997–1998 when most radio-intercept operations were remotely controlled by personnel at CFS Leitrim. Remaining personnel are responsible for airfield operations, construction/engineering, food service, and logistical/administrative support. Only six personnel are now responsible for actual operations, and control of the facility was passed to DND's Information Management Group following the disbanding of CF Communications Command with force restructuring and cutbacks in the mid-1990s. Several of these personnel are likely also attached to DND's Communications Security Establishment.

With Canada's commitment to the global war on terrorism following the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in New York City and Washington, D.C., CFS Alert has received renewed and increased funding to expand its SIGINT capabilities. On April 1, 2009, the RCAF officially took responsibility for CFS Alert from Canadian Forces Information Operations Group (CFIOG).

Civilian contractor

As of April 13, 2006 the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation was reporting that the heating costs for the station had risen, in consequence of which the military were proposing to cut back on support trade positions by using private contractors.[7] By 2008, maintenance operations on station (including food and housekeeping services, vehicle maintenance, powerplant operation, and heating, electrical, and plumbing) had been transferred to a civilian contractor. The contract was initially awarded to Canadian Base Operators (CBO), a subsidiary of Black & McDonald. In 2012, the contract was won by Nasittuq, a subsidiary of ATCO.

Facilities and infrastructure

  • Alert Airport
  • Cold storage building
  • Construction Engineering building
  • Fire station
  • Headquarters and Personnel Services (HAPS) building: Churchill Hall
  • Living quarters: Chimo Hall, Ladner Hall, and Whitehorse Hall
  • Main gym and curling rink
  • Operations building: Polaris Hall
  • Powerplants: Primary and backup
  • Water treatment plant
  • Supply building
  • Vehicle maintenance building

See also

References

  1. ^ Canada Flight Supplement. Effective 0901Z 16 July 2020 to 0901Z 10 September 2020.
  2. ^ a b "2016 Community Profiles Csmbridg Bay". Retrieved March 28, 2017.
  3. ^ "Alert, Nunavut". Government of Canada. Archived from the original on August 9, 2008. Retrieved August 9, 2008. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  4. ^ A History of the Canadian Coast Guard and Marine Services Archived September 28, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
  5. ^ "Canadian Forces Station Alert | 8 Wing | Royal Canadian Air Force".
  6. ^ Brunet, Julie. "CFS Alert welcomes first female station warrant officer – The Maple Leaf". The Maple Leaf. Government of Canada. Retrieved February 8, 2018.
  7. ^ "Costly fuel prompts cuts at northern military station". CBC News. Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. April 13, 2006. Retrieved August 9, 2008. article mirror

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to CFS Alert.
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