  We present the first measurements of the near-infrared (NIR), specifically
the J-band, sky background in the Canadian High Arctic. There has been
considerable recent interest in the development of an astronomical observatory
in Ellesmere Island; initial site testing has shown promise for a world-class
site. Encouragement for our study came from sky background measurements on the
high Antarctic glacial plateau in winter that showed markedly lower NIR
emission when compared to good mid-latitude astronomical sites due to reduced
emission from OH airglow lines. This is possibly a Polar effect and may also be
present in the High Arctic. To test this hypothesis, we carried out an
experiment which measured the the J-band sky brightness in the High Arctic
during winter. We constructed a zenith-pointing, J-band photometer, and
installed it at the Polar Environment Atmospheric Research Laboratory (PEARL)
near Eureka, Nunavut (latitude: 80 degrees N). We present the design of our
photometer and our results from our short PEARL observing campaign in February
2012. Taken over a period of four days, our measurements indicate that the
J-band sky brightness varies between 15.5-15.9 mag arcsec^2, with a measurement
uncertainty of 0.15 mag dominated entirely by systematic errors present in our
radiometric calibration. On our best night, we measured a fairly consistent sky
brightness of 15.8 +/- 0.15 mag arcsec^2. This is not corrected for atmospheric
extinction, which is typically <0.1 mag in the J-band on a good night. The
measured sky brightness is comparable to an excellent mid-latitude site, but is
not as dark as claimed by the Antarctic measurements. We discuss possible
explanations of why we do not see as dark skies as in the Antarctic. Future
winter-long sky brightness measurements are anticipated to obtain the necessary
statistics to make a proper comparison with the Antarctic measurements.
