View source for Place:Alert, Nunavut

{{Short description|Weather station and military facility in Nunavut, Canada}}
{{Infobox settlement
|name = Alert 
|other_name =
|native_name = <!-- for cities whose native name is not in English -->
|nickname =
|settlement_type = [[Engineering:Weather station|Weather station]] and [[Signals intelligence|signals intelligence]] base
|motto = ''Inuit Nunangata Ungata'' (Beyond the Inuit Land)
|image_skyline = CFS Alert May 2016.jpg
|image_caption = The main [[Engineering:CFS Alert|CFS Alert]] complex from the south, May 2016
|image_flag =
|image_seal =
|image_shield =
|pushpin_map = Canada Nunavut#Canada
|pushpin_label_position=bottom
|subdivision_type = Country
|subdivision_name = Canada
|subdivision_type1 = Territory
|subdivision_name1 = [[Earth:Nunavut|Nunavut]]
|subdivision_type2 = Region
|subdivision_name2 = Qikiqtaaluk
|subdivision_type3 =
|subdivision_name3 =
|government_footnotes =
|government_type =
|leader_title =
|leader_name =
|established_title = Established
|established_date = April 9, 1950
|unit_pref =Imperial<!--Enter: Imperial, if Imperial (metric) is desired-->
|area_footnotes =
|area_total_km2 =142.898<!-- ALL fields dealing with a measurements are subject to automatic unit conversion-->
|area_land_km2 =<!--See table @ Template:Infobox Settlement for details on automatic unit conversion-->
|population_as_of = 2021
|population_footnotes =<ref name=StatCAN2021AL/>
|population_note =
|population_total = 0
|population_density_km2 =
|timezone = [[Eastern Time Zone|EST]]
|utc_offset = −05:00
|timezone_DST = EDT
|utc_offset_DST = −04:00
|coordinates = {{coord|82|30|N|62|22|W|region:CA-NU|notes=<ref>{{Cite cgndb|OAAQK|Alert}}</ref>|display=inline,title}}
|elevation_footnotes = <ref>{{CFS}}</ref>
|elevation_m =
|elevation_ft = 100
|postal_code_type = <!-- enter ZIP code, Postcode, Post code, Postal code... -->
|postal_code =
|area_code =
|blank1_name = GNBC Code
|blank1_info = OAAQK<ref name="GNBC">{{cite web | title = Alert | publisher = Natural Resources Canada | date = October 6, 2016 | url = http://www4.rncan.gc.ca/search-place-names/unique/OAAQK}}</ref>
|website = https://www.canada.ca/en/air-force/corporate/alert.html
|footnotes =
}}

'''Alert''', in the Qikiqtaaluk Region of [[Earth:Nunavut|Nunavut]], Canada, is the [[Earth:List of northernmost settlements|northernmost continuously inhabited place]] in the world,<ref name=RCAF>{{cite web|url=https://www.canada.ca/en/air-force/corporate/alert.html |title=Canadian Forces Station Alert|publisher={{wipe|Royal Canadian Air Force}}|date=February 27, 2019|access-date=January 4, 2024}}</ref><ref name="alert1">{{cite news|url=https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/thestar/access/445998211.html?dids=445998211:445998211&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Aug+31%2C+2000&author=Reynolds%2C+Lindor&pub=Daily+Mercury&desc=Life+is+cold+and+hard+and+desolate+at+Alert%2C+Nunavut&pqatl=google |title=Life is cold and hard and desolate at Alert, Nunavut |author=Reynolds, Lindor |work=Guelph Mercury |date=August 31, 2000 |access-date=March 16, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121104005346/https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/thestar/access/445998211.html?dids=445998211%3A445998211&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS%3AFT&type=current&date=Aug+31%2C+2000&author=Reynolds%2C+Lindor&pub=Daily+Mercury&desc=Life+is+cold+and+hard+and+desolate+at+Alert%2C+Nunavut&pqatl=google |archive-date=November 4, 2012 |url-status=dead }} ("Twice a year, the military resupply Alert, the world's northernmost settlement.")</ref> on Ellesmere Island (Queen Elizabeth Islands) at latitude 82°30'05" north, {{cvt|817|km}} from the [[Earth:North Pole|North Pole]].<ref name=GovCan>{{cite web |url=http://www.grc.k12.nf.ca/climatecanada/alert.htm|title=Alert, Nunavut |publisher=Government of Canada |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080920114731/http://www.grc.k12.nf.ca/climatecanada/alert.htm |archive-date=September 20, 2008 |url-status=dead|access-date=August 9, 2008}}</ref> It takes its name from {{HMS|Alert|1856|6}}, which wintered {{cvt|10|km}} east of the present station, off what is now Cape Sheridan, in 1875–1876.

All Alert residents are temporary, typically serving three to six-month tours of duty there.<ref name=RCAF/><ref>{{cite web |last1=Dempsey |first1=Caitlin |title=The Northernmost Permanently Inhabited Spot on Earth |url=https://www.geographyrealm.com/the-northernmost-permanently-inhabited-spot-on-earth/ |website=Geography Realm |access-date=May 22, 2021}}</ref> They staff a military [[Signals intelligence|signals intelligence]] radio receiving facility at [[Engineering:CFS Alert|Canadian Forces Station Alert]] (CFS Alert), as well as a co-located [[Engineering:Weather station|weather station]], a [[Earth:Global Atmosphere Watch|Global Atmosphere Watch]] (GAW) [[Earth:Atmosphere of Earth|atmosphere]] monitoring observatory, the [[Earth:Dr. Neil Trivett Global Atmosphere Watch Observatory|Dr. Neil Trivett Global Atmosphere Watch Observatory]], both operated by  [[Organization:Environment and Climate Change Canada|Environment and Climate Change Canada]], and Alert Airport.

In the 2021 census, the permanent population was recorded as 0.<ref name=StatCAN2021AL>{{cite web|url=https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2021/dp-pd/prof/search-recherche/lst/results-resultats.cfm?Lang=E&GEOCODE=62# |title=Census Profile, 2021 Census of Population - Select from a list of geographies, Nunavut, Qikiqtaaluk, Unorganized (Unorganized) [map]|access-date=April 11, 2023|date=March 8, 2023}}, {{cite web|url=https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2021/dp-pd/prof/details/page.cfm?Lang=E&SearchText=Qikiqtaaluk%2C%20Unorganized&DGUIDlist=2021A00056204030&GENDERlist=1,2,3&STATISTIClist=1,4&HEADERlist=0 |title=Census Profile, 2021 Census of Population Profile table - Qikiqtaaluk, Unorganized, Unorganized (NO) Nunavut [Census subdivision]|access-date=April 11, 2023|date=February 1, 2023}}. The map shows Alert lies within the Qikiqtaaluk, Unorganized region. The second link shows a population of 0.</ref>

==History==
Alert is named after {{HMS|Alert|1856|6}}, a British ship that wintered about {{cvt|10|km}} away in 1875–76.<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 ship's captain, George Nares, and his crew were the first recorded Europeans to reach the northern end of Ellesmere Island. Over the following decades, several other expeditions passed through the area, most notably Robert Peary during his expedition to reach the [[Earth:North Pole|North Pole]] in 1909.

===Post-World War II (1945–1970)===
Shortly after the end of [[Social:World War II|World War II]], Charles J. Hubbard of the [[Earth:National Weather Service|United States Weather Bureau]] aroused interest in the United States and Canada for the establishment of a network of Arctic stations. His plan, in broad perspective, envisaged the establishment of two main stations, one in [[Place:Greenland|Greenland]] and the other on the archipelago, which could be reached by sea supply. These main stations would then serve as advance bases from which a number of smaller stations would be established by air. The immediate plans contemplated the establishment of weather stations only, but it was thought that a system of weather stations would also provide a nucleus of transportation, communications, and settlements, which would greatly aid programs of research in many other fields of science. It was recognized that ultimate action would depend on international cooperation, since the land masses involved were under Canadian and Danish control.

[[File: US diplomat Laura Lochman visits Alert, Nunavut, 2010-04 -a.jpg|thumb|left|A sign at CFS Alert commemorating Alert as the northernmost permanently inhabited settlement in the world. The area has been inhabited since 1950.]]

Following negotiations between the United States and Canadian governments, a group of five weather stations was established, known as the Joint Arctic Weather Stations (JAWS). On the Canadian side, the stations were to be operated by the Department of Transport (DOT). The locations for each station were surveyed in 1946, and a cache of supplies was dropped in Alert in 1948 by USS ''Edisto''. Alert was the last of the five to be settled when the first twelve personnel (eight permanent staff and four to assist with construction) arrived on April 9, 1950.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Johnson, Jr.|first1=J. Peter|s2cid=130962631|title=The Establishment of Alert, N.W.T., Canada|journal=Arctic|date=January 1, 1990|volume=43|issue=1|doi=10.14430/arctic1587|doi-access=free}}</ref> Construction began immediately, with the first priority being the creation of an ice runway on Alert Inlet before work began on the permanent all-season runway on Cape Belknap. Until its completion, supplies were parachuted in.

On July 30, 1950, nine crew members of a [[Engineering:Avro Lancaster|Lancaster]], operated by the {{wipe|Royal Canadian Air Force}} (RCAF), died  in a crash while making an airdrop of supplies to the station.

The last United States personnel were withdrawn on October 31, 1970,<ref>{{cite web|title=High Arctic Weather Stations|url=https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/high-arctic-weather-stations/|website=The Canadian Encyclopedia|access-date=February 9, 2018|language=en}}</ref> and the following year operation of the weather station was transferred to the newly created [[Organization:Environment and Climate Change Canada|Department of the Environment]], with the Department of Transport retaining control of airfield operations for several more years.

In April 1971, a party of federal and [[Earth:Northwest Territories|Northwest Territories]] (NWT) government officials arrived in Alert in an attempt to reach the [[Earth:North Pole|North Pole]]. Alert had been the embarkation point for many North Pole expeditions that relied on weather information supplied by the weather station there. The 1971 expedition was led by Stu Hodgson, former Commissioner of the Northwest Territories, and included in his party were representatives of the prime minister's office, the Canadian Armed Forces, the federal Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development, as well as a large media group including Pat Carney of Gemini Productions, Ed Ogle of ''{{wipe|Time (magazine)}}'' magazine, Val Wake of ''CBC News'', and a television crew from California. While waiting in Alert for a weather window to fly to the pole, the party's television crew spent a lot of time filming at the weather station. The military was unhappy about the film crew working on the station, but the weather station 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] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210901210101/https://valwaketheauthor.com/myvoyagearoundspray.php |date=September 1, 2021 }}'' Val Wake website</ref>

===Recent history (1971–present)===
[[File:BAPMoN opening ceremony.jpg|thumb|The opening of the Alert Background Air Pollution Monitoring Network in 1986.]]

In August 1975, Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau and his then three-year-old son, future prime minister Justin Trudeau, visited the station and nearby Ward Hunt Island.<ref>{{cite news|title=Discovery recalls Justin Trudeau's 1st visit to High Arctic — as a 3-year-old|url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/arctic-cairn-ward-hunt-island-trudeau-1.4055558|work=CBC News|language=en}}</ref> In August 1986, the Government of Canada opened [[Earth:Dr. Neil Trivett Global Atmosphere Watch Observatory|Alert Background Air Pollution Monitoring Network]].

By the 1990s, the original buildings of the original weather station had fallen into disrepair and were burned in the summer of 1996, leaving only the hydrogen shed and a wooden outhouse. The weather station and observatory offices were moved to Polaris Hall.

In early April 2006, the Roly McLenahan Torch that was used to light the flame at Whitehorse, [[Earth:Yukon|Yukon]], for the 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|access-date=June 4, 2014|archive-date=November 29, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141129041458/http://www.newswire.ca/en/story/339251/vancouver-2010-olympic-torch-relay-coming-to-nunavut|url-status=dead}}</ref> While the Canada Games torch was supposed to pass over the North Pole, bad weather prevented a Canadian military [[Engineering: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). In August 2006, Prime Minister, Stephen Harper, made a visit to Alert as part of his campaign to promote Canadian sovereignty in the north.

On November 8, 2009, the 2010 Winter Olympics torch relay arrived at Alert via airplane from 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|access-date=November 22, 2014}}</ref> The next day it travelled to Iqaluit.

On January 19 and 20, 2015, Governor General David Johnston flew into Alert on a [[Engineering:Boeing C-17 Globemaster III|C-17 Globemaster]] transport from CFB Trenton.<ref name="G&Malert1">{{cite news|url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/governor-general-johnston-discusses-alert-canadas-northern-anchor-point/article22615950/|title=Governor-General Johnston discusses Alert, Canada's northern 'anchor point'|date=January 23, 2015|author= Allemang, John |author2= Cowan, Tonia |work=The Globe and Mail}}</ref> He toured Alert, received an overview of its operations, met with civilian and military personnel and presided over a change-of-command.<ref name="GGalert1">{{cite web|url=http://gg.ca/document.aspx?id=15928&lan=eng|title=Governor General and Commander-in-Chief Visits Canadian Forces Station Alert|date=January 19, 2015|work=News Release on Governor-General web site}}</ref>

===Aircraft crashes===
Since Alert has not been regularly accessible by [[Engineering:Icebreaker|icebreaker]]s due to heavy ice conditions in the Lincoln Sea, resupply is provided by {{wipe|Royal Canadian Air Force}} transport aircraft which land at the adjacent Alert Airport. Difficult conditions at such a remote northern location have resulted in several incidents, two of which have involved fatalities:

[[File:KB965 Crash Site.jpg|thumb|The remains of the {{wipe|Royal Canadian Air Force}} Lancaster 965, which crashed in July 1950. Difficult Arctic conditions make landings in Alert hazardous.]]

* On July 31, 1950, around 17:00 GMT, an RCAF [[Engineering:Avro Lancaster|Lancaster]] 965 from 405 Squadron Greenwood crashed during the establishment of the JAWS weather station when a parachute for resupplies being airdropped became entangled on the tail of the aircraft. The nine crew members were killed. An attempt was made to recover their bodies; a RCAF [[Engineering:Consolidated PBY Catalina|Canso]] was dispatched and the [[Engineering:Flying boat|flying boat]] 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|isbn=978-1-55488-987-7}}</ref>—but the combination of the extra weight and a tail wind resulted in an 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||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|url=https://archive.org/details/alertbeyondinuit0000gray|url-access=registration|location=Ottawa|publisher=Borealis Press|pages=[https://archive.org/details/alertbeyondinuit0000gray/page/96 96–97]|isbn=1-896133-01-0}}</ref> The wreckage of the Lancaster is still visible {{cvt|500|m}} southwest of the CE building.

* On October 11, 1952, a [[Engineering:Douglas C-54 Skymaster|Douglas C-54 Skymaster]], flown by the United States Military Air Transport Service,  crashed on landing at Alert, while carrying a load of aviation fuel. The four crew members survived the crash; the aircraft was 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 [[Engineering:Lockheed C-130 Hercules|Lockheed C-130 Hercules]], part of Operation Boxtop, crashed about {{cvt|20|km}} from the airfield, killing four of the 18 passengers and crew on impact. 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|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/deathdeliverance00leer}}</ref> A blizzard and the local terrain hampered rescue efforts by personnel from CFS Alert; {{wipe|United States Air Force}} (USAF) personnel from Thule Air Base {{cvt|700|km}} south; 435 Transport and Rescue Squadron from CFB Winnipeg, and 440 Transport and Rescue Squadron, from CFB Namao outside Edmonton (both squadrons are part of 17 Wing Winnipeg); 424 Squadron from CFB Trenton, Ontario; and 413 Transport and Rescue Squadron from CFB Greenwood, Nova Scotia. The crash investigation recommended all C-130s be retrofitted with [[Engineering:Ground proximity warning system|ground proximity detectors]]. The crash and rescue efforts were the basis of the film ''Ordeal in the Arctic'' (1993).

==Canadian Forces Station Alert==
{{main|Engineering:CFS Alert}}
Since the beginning of the JAWS project, the Canadian Armed Forces 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 its proximity to the [[Place:Soviet Union|Soviet Union]] made it of strategic importance. Alert is closer to Moscow (c. {{cvt|2,500|mi|order=flip}}) than it is to [[Place:Ottawa|Ottawa]] (c. {{cvt|2,580|mi|order=flip}}). Thus, the possibility of utilizing the site for the purpose of intercepting radio signals was deemed to warrant a military presence.

In 1950, Alert Airport was established. It is the only airport serving the settlement and is presently part of [[Engineering:CFS Alert|CFS Alert]]. In 1956, the RCAF, which was expanding its presence throughout the [[Place:Northern Canada|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.

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.

[[File:Bv 206 cfsalert.jpg|left|thumb|A Bandvagn 206 with CFS Alert in the background, a military station operated by the Canadian Armed Forces]]

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 [[Engineering:AUSCANNZUKUS|AUSCANNZUKUS]] intelligence sharing alliance, also known as "Five Eyes", with Alert being privy to many secret Soviet communications regarding land-based and sea-based [[Engineering:Intercontinental ballistic missile|intercontinental ballistic missile]] (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.<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|access-date=November 6, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924090025/http://www.rcaf-arc.forces.gc.ca/en/8-wing/alert.page|archive-date=September 24, 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref> The first female commanding officer was Major 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|access-date=February 8, 2018|language=en|date=January 31, 2018|archive-date=February 9, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180209182232/https://ml-fd.caf-fac.ca/en/2018/01/9879?WT.mc_id=20180206DTupdate_ml_eng&WT.mc_id=20180206DTupdate_ml_eng|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Budget cuts to the Department of National Defence (DND) 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 [[Engineering:CFS Leitrim|CFS Leitrim]]. Remaining personnel are responsible for airfield operations, construction/engineering, food service, and logistical/administrative support. As of 2024, there are about 55 people stationed at CFS Alert, and they consist of military personal, ECCC and other civilian employees.<ref name=RCAF/>

Only six persons 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.

With Canada's commitment to the global war on terrorism following the [[Religion:September 11 attacks|September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks]] in New York City and Arlington County, Virginia, 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).

=== Civilian contractor ===
On April 13, 2006, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation reported that the heating costs for the station had risen, as a consequence of which the military proposed 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|access-date=August 9, 2008}} [https://web.archive.org/web/20060414125705/http://www.cbc.ca/story/canada/national/2006/04/13/north-alert-military060413.html article mirror]</ref> By 2008, maintenance operations on the 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.

===Dr. Neil Trivett Global Atmosphere Watch Observatory===
{{main|Earth:Dr. Neil Trivett Global Atmosphere Watch Observatory}}
[[File:Gaw lab 20160601.jpg|thumb|right|The Dr. Neil Trivett Global Atmosphere Watch Observatory, June 2016.]]

In 1975, technicians employed by the weather station began collecting flask samples for a [[Earth:Greenhouse gas monitoring|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|access-date=January 22, 2017}}</ref>

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, {{cvt|400|m}} southwest of Lancaster Hall (more commonly known as the far transmitter building), was opened August 29, 1986. Originally known as the Alert Background Air Pollution 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/|access-date=February 8, 2018|work=The Hamilton Spectator|date=August 20, 2006|language=en-CA|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171107120002/https://www.thespec.com/news-story/2964713-scientist-honoured-for-work/|archive-date=November 7, 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref> The observatory employs two technicians who reside at CFS Alert, an operator and an assistant operator (normally a university co-op student). It is managed by [[Organization:Environment and Climate Change Canada|Environment and Climate Change Canada]].

==Demographics==
{{Historical populations
|title = Historical populations
|type = Canada
|align = right
|width = 
|state = 
|shading = 
|percentages = 
|footnote =
|1991|246
|1996|270
|2001|5
|2006|5
|2011|0
|2016|0
}}

While Alert has no permanent residents, it has been continuously inhabited since April 1950. This population, while initially small, grew to upwards of 250 in the 1970s and 1980s, before being downsized in the 1990s when information gathering operations were relayed to CFS Leitrim near Ottawa for collation, reducing the on-site staff considerably. Its current population ranges from a winter minimum of 65 to a summer maximum of 110, plus a variety of short-term visitors, who can swell the total to 150 or more. Alert’s temporary population typically consist of both military personnel and civilians, both making up an almost one-to-one ratio in Alert.<ref name="youtube_iBvl50zUe">{{Citation |title=CFS ALERT: Operation Boxtop From The Top of the World |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iBvl50zUe_E|language=en|website=[[Company:YouTube|YouTube]]|date=2016-06-28|access-date=2022-07-14}}</ref>

==Geography==
[[File:Orthographic projection centred over Alert Nunavut.png|left|thumb|Orthographic projection centred over Alert, Nunavut.]]

Alert is {{cvt|12|km}} west of Cape Sheridan, the northeastern tip of Ellesmere Island, on the shore of the ice-covered Lincoln Sea. Alert lies just {{cvt|817|km}} from the [[Earth:North Pole|North Pole]]; the nearest Canadian city is Iqaluit, the capital of the territory of Nunavut, {{cvt|2092|km}} distant.

The settlement is surrounded by rugged hills and valleys. The shore is composed primarily of [[Chemistry:Slate|slate]] and [[Chemistry:Shale|shale]]. The sea is covered with [[Earth:Sea ice|sea ice]] for most of the year but the ice pack does move out in the summer, leaving open water. Evaporation rates are also very low, as average monthly temperatures are above freezing only in July and August.

Other places on Ellesmere Island are the weather station at [[Place:Eureka, Nunavut|Eureka]] ({{Cvt|480|km}}) and the Inuit community of Grise Fiord, {{Cvt|800|km}}, to the southwest and south, respectively. Siorapaluk ({{cvt|540|km}} to the south) is the nearest populated place in Greenland. Hans Island which from 2023 has a land border with [[Place:Greenland|Greenland]], a territory of {{wipe|Denmark}}, is located {{Cvt|197|km}} to the south.

==Climate==
[[File:Une partie de l'hémisphère nord de la Terre avec la banquise, nuage, étoile et localisation de la station météo en Alert.jpg|thumb|275px|Alert (indicated by small text label near centre of image) within the Arctic region. Composite image showing extent of ice at September 15, 2008.]]
[[File:US Ambassador visits Alert, Nunavut.jpg|left|thumb|United States Ambassador David Jacobson in front of Alert's welcome sign which features many fingerposts pointing to places worldwide. The sign was erected prior to division and has NWT for the Northwest Territories.]]

Alert has a [[Earth:Polar climate|polar climate]], technically a tundra climate ([[Earth:Köppen climate classification|ET]]) with characteristics of an [[Earth:Ice cap climate|ice cap climate]] (EF). There is complete snow cover for at least 10 months of the year on average and snow from one year persists into the next year in protected areas, but enough melts to prevent glaciation. The warmest month, July, has an average temperature of {{convert|3.4|C}}, with only July and August averaging above freezing, and those are also the months where well over 90 per cent of the rainfall occurs. Alert is also very dry, the fourth-driest locality in Nunavut, averaging only {{cvt|158.3|mm}} of [[Earth:Precipitation|precipitation]] per year. Most of this occurs during the months of July, August and September, mostly in the form of snow. On average Alert sees {{cvt|17.4|mm}} of rain, the least of any place in Nunavut, between June and September. Alert sees very little snowfall during the rest of the year. September is usually the month with the heaviest snowfall. The [[Physics:Relative humidity|relative humidity]] is so low that door handles are covered in [[Chemistry:Electrical tape|electrical tape]] to prevent [[Physics:Static electricity|static electricity]].<ref name="youtube_iBvl50zUe"/> February is the coldest month of the year with a mean temperature of {{convert|-33.2|C}}. The yearly mean, {{convert|-17.7|C}}, is the second-coldest in Nunavut after [[Place:Eureka, Nunavut|Eureka]]. Snowfall can occur during any month of the year, and the  frost-free [[Biology:Growing season|growing season]] in an average summer averages only five days.<ref name="ccnalert"/>

Being far north of the Arctic Circle, Alert experiences [[Earth:Polar night|polar night]] from October 14 to February 28, and [[Astronomy:Midnight sun|midnight sun]] from April 7 to September 4. There are two relatively short periods of twilight from about February 13 to March 22 and the second from September 19 to October 22. The [[Earth:Polar night#Civil polar night|civil polar night]] lasts from October 29 to February 11.<ref>[http://www.nrc-cnrc.gc.ca/eng/services/sunrise/advanced.html Sunrise/Sunset/Sun Angle Calculator]</ref>

[[Earth:Polar night#Nautical polar night|Nautical polar night]]—where 24 hours are in effect completely dark with only a marginal [[Earth:Twilight#Astronomical twilight|astronomical twilight]]—occurs from November 19 to January 22.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.timeanddate.com/sun/canada/alert|title=Time and Date.com - Alert, Nunavut, Canada|publisher=Time and Date.com|access-date=January 16, 2016}}</ref>


==See also==
* Station Nord, Greenland – the second-northernmost permanent settlement in the world
* Ny-Ålesund, [[Place:Svalbard|Svalbard]], the northernmost settlement/town in the world with a permanent population of civilians
* Puerto Williams, Chile; the southernmost settlement on Earth

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
{{refbegin}}
* {{cite journal |last1=Bottenheim |first1=Jan W. |last2=Boudries |first2=Hacene |last3=Brickell |first3=Peter C. |last4=Atlas |first4=Elliot |title=Alkenes in the Arctic boundary layer at Alert, Nunavut, Canada |journal=Atmospheric Environment |date=2002 |volume=36 |issue=15–16 |pages=2585–2594 |doi=10.1016/S1352-2310(02)00113-9|bibcode=2002AtmEn..36.2585B }}
* Diggle, Dennis A., and David G. Otto. ''Drilling of an Arctic Protected Cable Route, Alert, Ellesmere Island, N.W.T''. [Victoria, B.C.]: Defence Research Establishment Pacific, Research and Development Branch, Dept. of National Defence, 1994.
* Morrison, R. I. G., N. C. Davidson, and Theunis Piersma. ''Daily Energy Expenditure and Water Turnover of Shorebirds at Alert, Ellesmere Island, N.W.T''. Progress notes (Canadian Wildlife Service), no. 211. Ottawa: Canadian Wildlife Service, 1997. {{ISBN|0-662-25795-2}}
{{refend}}

==External links==
* [https://www.canada.ca/en/air-force/corporate/alert.html Royal Canadian Air Force page on CFS Alert]


[[Category:Arctic research]]

{{Sourceattribution|Alert, Nunavut|1}}