A member of the Arctic Archipelago, Prince Patrick Island is the westernmost of the Queen Elizabeth Islands in the Northwest Territories of Canada, lying northwest of Melville Island. The area of Prince Patrick Island is ,}} making it the 55th largest island in the world and Canada's 14th largest island. It has historically been icebound all year, making it one of the least accessible parts of Canada. Located at the entrance of the M'Clure Strait, Prince Patrick Island is uninhabited. The first known sighting of the island by Europeans was in 1853 by the Irish born Royal Navy officer George Mecham, when it was explored by him and his fellow Irish explorer Leopold McClintock in the spring of that year during the Edward Belcher expedition. Much later, it was named for Prince Arthur William Patrick Albert, Duke of Connaught, who was Governor General of Canada from 1911 to 1916. The island rises to only about ,Prince Patrick Island High Point, Northwest Territories and the area is seismically active.
Weather Station A High Arctic Weather Station ("HAWS") and associated airstrip called Mould Bay were opened in 1948 as part of a joint Canada-United States military effort to support a weather station network. Regular weather observations began on May 14, 1948. It had a temporary staff of between 10 and 40 people. Staff size normally increased during summer months, when the station was resupplied from the south. During the period of the United States National Weather Service participation, the site was known as a Joint Arctic Weather Station ("JAWS"). Executive officers alternated between Canadians and their United States counterparts. United States participation ended in 1972. The station was closed in 1997, owing to budget cuts. It was replaced with an automated weather station at a new location on the airstrip, downhill from the central buildings and observatory. The last staffed weather observations were taken on March 31, 1997, ending the continuous weather record of 1948–1997. The buildings still stand, most have deteriorated to an unrepairable state. The station represented the only known long-term human settlement of the Island.
Climate Mould Bay has a Polar climate (ET) with cool, and cold winters. September is the snowiest month of the year, averaging of snowfall.
See also Royal eponyms in Canada
References
Further reading
Frebold, Hans. Fauna, Age and Correlation of the Jurassic Rocks of Prince Patrick Island. Ottawa: E. Cloutier, Queen's printer, 1957. Harrison, J. C., and T. A. Brent. Basins and fold belts of Prince Patrick Island and adjacent areas, Canadian Arctic Islands. [Ottawa]: Geological Survey of Canada, 2005. Miller, F. L. Peary Caribou and Muskoxen on Prince Patrick Island, Eglinton Island, and Emerald Isle, Northwest Territories, July 1986. [Edmonton]: Canadian Wildlife Service, 1987. Pissart, A. The Pingos of Prince Patrick Island (760N - 1200W). Ottawa: National Research Council of Canada, 1970. Tedrow, John C. F., P. F. Bruggemann, and Grant Fontain Walton. Soils of Prince Patrick Island. Research paper (Arctic Institute of North America), no. 44. Washington: Arctic Institute of North America, 1968.
External links
Prince Patrick Island, District of Franklin, Northwest Territories Coastal Studies in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago