Lougheed Island

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Lougheed Island, Nunavut
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Lougheed Island, Nunavut

Lougheed Island is one of the Canadian arctic islands in Nunavut, Canada. Located at 77°26'N 105°06'W, it measures 1,308 square kilometers in size. It relatively isolated compared to other Canadian arctic islands, and is located halfway between Ellef Ringnes Island to the northeast and Melville Island to the southwest. Lougheed Island was discovered in 1916 by Vilhjalmur Stefansson as part of the Canadian Arctic Expedition.

On April 14, 1993, Environment Canada revoked a permit issued to Panarctic Oils Ltd. to dispose of 400 tonnes of scrap metal in the ocean off Lougheed Island. The decision was taken in response to concerns expressed by residents of Grise Fiord, Resolute, Arctic Bay and Pond Inlet. Instead of disposing of the material at sea, a research project was initiated to evaluate the environmental impact of stockpiling scrap metal on Lougheed Island.

In 1994, Larry Newitt of the Geological Survey of Canada and Charles Barton of the Australian Geological Survey Organization established a temporary magnetic observatory on Lougheed Island, close to the predicted position of the North Magnetic Pole, in order to monitor short-term fluctuations of the Earth's magnetic field.

Coordinates: 77°24′N 105°15′W

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