Impact of Hudson Bay on the energy balance in the Hudson Bay Lowlands and the potential for climatic modification

Three sites were instrumented to measure all components of the energy balance. The sites were located in the Churchill, Manitoba region and comprised a Sea Site on a sand spit 1 km seaward from the mainland, a Nearcoast Site 2 km inland from the coast and an Inland Site 65 km inland. Measurements were made continuously over a 90‐day period from 19 May to 16 August 1984. This period encompassed the bulk of the growing season. The measurements were stratified into onshore and offshore wind directions and were compared for 10‐day periods. The comparisons show very significant differences attributable to the cold summer conditions promoted by the sea ice in Hudson Bay. The ground heat flux and latent heat flux were much greater during offshore winds but the sensible heat flux was greatest for onshore winds. Air temperatures averaged 7°C warmer for offshore than for onshore winds. The reasons for these differences are detailed and the climatic modifications that would probably result from earlier sea‐ice melt are discussed. Some implications of climatic modification are also noted.