The Norwegian Research Council, the Nansen Foundation, and the Canadian Museum of Nature are acknowledged for their financial support. The authors acknowledge with thanks the loan of black and white illustrations by Prof. Reidar Elven, Oslo, and help from Mollie MacCormac with preparing the images. We also thank Laurie Consaul for assistance in producing the maps; and Jacqueline Madill for assistance with image management. Polar Continental Shelf Project, the Nunavut Research Institute, the Aurora Research Institute, and the Churchill Northern Studies Centre are thanked for logistic support.