scholarly journals Yup’ik perspectives on climate change: “The world is following its people”

2011 ◽  
Vol 34 (1) ◽  
pp. 55-70 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ann Fienup-Riordan
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Sea Ice ◽  
Cultural History ◽  
Human Impacts ◽  
Community Members ◽  
Weather Patterns ◽  
The World ◽  
Ice Conditions ◽  
Younger Generation ◽  
Do So

Abstract The Nelson Island Natural and Cultural History Project originated in the desire of community members in the Yup’ik villages of Chefornak, Nightmute, Toksook Bay, Tununak, and Newtok to document and share their history with their younger generation. To do so, they invited non-Native scientists to join them in village gatherings as well as on a three-week circumnavigation of Nelson Island (Alaska), during which elders reflected on changes in weather patterns, animal migrations, sea-ice conditions, and related harvesting activities. To date, a defining feature of our conversations has been the integrated way in which information is shared and elders’ reticence to distinguish between human impacts on the environment and the “natural” effects of climate change.

scholarly journals Sea Ice Loss Suppresses Some Effects of Climate Change

Eos ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 99 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah Witman
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Sea Ice ◽  
Weather Patterns ◽  
Polar Amplification

Polar amplification could counteract weather patterns shifting toward the poles.

The Impact of Climate Change in the Modern Enterprise

2011 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 26-35 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anastasios Danos ◽  
Konstantina Boulouta
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Critical Infrastructure ◽  
Extreme Weather Events ◽  
Sea Levels ◽  
Weather Patterns ◽  
Changing Climate ◽  
Modern Enterprise ◽  
The World ◽  
Rising Sea Levels ◽  
The Impact

This article analyses the profound and rapid climate changes that have taken place worldwide in the past two decades and their effects on modern enterprise. Reducing greenhouse gas emissions and developing strategies to adapt to and counterbalance future impacts of climate change sustainably are among the most pressing needs of the world today. Global temperatures are predicted to continue rising, bringing changes in weather patterns, rising sea levels, and increased frequency and intensity of extreme weather events. Such climatic events can have a major impact on households, businesses, critical infrastructure and vulnerable sections of society, as well as having a major economic impact. Therefore, society must prepare to cope with living in a changing climate. The effects of a changing climate have considerable impacts on modern enterprises. In some parts of the world, these impacts are increasingly becoming evident.

Sea ice metadata for Billefjorden and Grnfjorden, Svalbard

2014 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 129-139 ◽  
Author(s):  
Boris V. Ivanov ◽  
Pavel N. Sviashchennikov ◽  
Danila M. Zhuravskiy ◽  
Alexey K. Pavlov ◽  
Eirik J. Frland ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Sea Ice ◽  
State Archive ◽  
Sea Ice Extent ◽  
Sea Transport ◽  
Local Climate ◽  
Antarctic Research Institute ◽  
Instrumental Observations ◽  
Ice Conditions ◽  
Antarctic Research

Description of sea ice conditions in the fjords of Svalbard is crucial for sea transport as well as studies of local climate and climate change. Old observations from the Russian Hydrometeorological stations in the mining settlements Barentsburg (Grnfjorden) and Pyramiden (Billefjorden) have now been digitized. These visual and instrumental observations are archived in the State Archive of Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute (AARI) and Murmansk Branch of the Russian Hydrometeorological Service. In this paper, we bring an overview of the sea ice metadata with few examples of yearly changes in sea ice extent.

Voices of the Sea Ice: engaging an Arctic community to communicate impacts of climate change

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Lipson ◽  
Kim Reasor ◽  
Kååre Sikuaq Erickson
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Sea Ice ◽  
Ice Cover ◽  
Arctic Sea Ice ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Digital Version ◽  
Sea Ice Decline ◽  
Arctic Sea ◽  
The World ◽  
Impacts Of Climate Change

<p>The predominantly Inupiat people of Utqiaġvik, Alaska are among those who will be most impacted by<br>climate change and the loss of Arctic sea ice in the near future. Subsistence hunting of marine mammals<br>associated with sea ice is central to the Inupiat way of life. Furthermore, their coastal homes and<br>infrastructure are increasingly subject to damage from increased wave action on ice-free Beaufort and<br>Chukchi Seas. While the people of this region are among the most directly vulnerable to climate change,<br>the subject is not often discussed in the elementary school curriculum. Meanwhile, in many other parts<br>of the world, the impacts of climate change are viewed as abstract and remote. We worked with fifth<br>grade children in Utqiaġvik both to educate them, but also to engage them in helping us communicate<br>to rest of the world, in an emotionally resonant way, the direct impacts of climate change on families in<br>this Arctic region.<br>The team consisted of a scientist (Lipson), an artist (Reasor) and an outreach specialist (Erickson) of<br>Inupiat heritage from a village in Alaska. We worked with four 5th grade classes of about 25 students<br>each at Fred Ipalook Elementary in Utqiaġvik, AK. The scientist gave a short lecture about sea ice and<br>climate change in the Arctic, with emphasis on local impacts to hunting and infrastructure (with<br>interjections from the local outreach specialist). We then showed the students a large poster of<br>historical and projected sea ice decline, and asked the students to help us fill in the white space beneath<br>the lines. The artist led the children in making small art pieces that represent things that are important<br>to their lives in Utqiaġvik (they were encouraged to paint animals, but they were free to do whatever<br>they wanted). We returned to the class later that week and had each student briefly introduce<br>themselves and their painting, and place it to the large graph of sea ice decline, which included the dire<br>predictions of the RCP8.5 scenario. At the end we added the more hopeful RCP2.6 scenario to end on a<br>positive note. The artist then painted in the more hopeful green line by hand.<br>The result was a poster showing historical and projected Arctic sea ice cover, with 100 beautiful<br>paintings by children of things that are dear to them about their home being squeezed into a smaller<br>region as the sea ice cover diminishes. We scanned all the artwork to make a digital version of the<br>poster, and left the original with the school. These materials are being converted into an interactive<br>webpage where viewers can click on the individual painting for detail, and get selected recordings of the<br>children’s statements about their artwork. This project can serve as a nucleus for communicating to<br>other classes and adults about the real impacts of climate change in people’s lives.</p>

scholarly journals “We Hardly Have Any Moose Around Here Anymore”: Climate Change and the Barriers to Food Security in the Dehcho Region, Northwest Territories

ARCTIC ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 73 (3) ◽  
pp. 368-385
Author(s):  
Paulina Ross ◽  
Courtney W. Mason
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Food Security ◽  
Northwest Territories ◽  
Local Food ◽  
Indigenous Communities ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Community Members ◽  
Weather Patterns ◽  
Food Procurement ◽  
Political Economic

Rural Indigenous communities across northern Canada are experiencing high rates of food insecurity as a result of complex constraints to accessing quality market foods and engaging in local food procurement. Climate change is impacting the ability of northern Indigenous communities to acquire, access, and utilize food that is culturally relevant and sustainable. This research examines the interconnected sociocultural, political, economic, and environmental challenges related to food security in the community of Fort Providence situated in the Dehcho Region of the Northwest Territories. The objective of this research was to consult with community members to understand the impacts of climate change on local food procurement and to explore the myriad challenges related to food security. We utilized Indigenous methodologies to guide all aspects of the research. Evidence was collected using semi-structured interviews with Dene and Métis Elders, knowledgeable land-users, and other community members. Our research demonstrates that changing hydrological systems and ecosystems, unpredictable weather patterns, the presence of non-local harvesters, the loss of traditional knowledge, and the high costs of living in a rural northern community impact local food security. The results of this research can inform policies that reflect the needs of residents, address the distinct barriers to procuring local food, and provide a basis for understanding the complexities of food security in the Dehcho and other subarctic regions.

scholarly journals Effects of climate change on polar microbes

2009 ◽  
Vol 30 (2) ◽  
pp. 72 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rick Cavicchioli ◽  
Federico M Lauro
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Global Warming ◽  
Sea Ice ◽  
Great Barrier Reef ◽  
Reef Coral ◽  
Life Forms ◽  
Barrier Reef ◽  
Life On Earth ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Do So

It is a glaring fact that climate, and in particular global warming and associated climate change, is having a major impact on life on Earth, and will continue to do so into the forseeable future. The photographs of starving polar bears swimming between broken slabs of melting sea ice in search of food, and Great Barrier Reef coral destroyed by bleaching and cyclonic winds (e.g. Cyclone Hamish down the Great Barrier Reef in 2009), provide graphic and worrying images that clearly document the consequences of human activity. However, what is far less easy to see (quite literally), is complex to interpret, and has worrying consequences for all other life forms on the planet, is the impact climate change is having on microorganisms.

Climate scenarios of the Gulf of Bothnia using a high-resolution regional ocean model (NEMO-SCOBI)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sam Fredriksson ◽  
Simo Siiriä ◽  
Annu Oikkonen ◽  
Petra Roiha ◽  
Jani Särkkä ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Sea Ice ◽  
Local Maximum ◽  
Future Climate Change ◽  
Biogeochemical Model ◽  
Annual Maximum ◽  
Ice Volume ◽  
Gulf Of Bothnia ◽  
Flow Speeds ◽  
Ice Conditions

<p>How will the Gulf of Bothnia be impacted by future climate change? A changing climate will, in addition to warming, reduce the ice-season, change the salinity, sea level, and wave and current conditions. This will in turn have implications for eco systems, habitats, biodiversity, as well as human activities such as fishing, aquaculture, and wind parks. The SmartSea project aims to estimate the climate change impacts in this area. This study, which is part of the project SmartSea, assesses the changing physical and biogeochemical properties up to year 2059 using numerical experiments with forcing from two different Representative Concentration Pathways (RCP 4.5 and RCP 8.5) and four different global climate models. Here NEMO3.6 with LIM3 sea ice model is coupled to the biogeochemical model SCOBI. The model comprises the Gulf of Bothnia with a horizontal resolution of approximately one nautical mile.</p><p>The preliminary results comparing periods 1975-2005 and 2030-2059 and the pathway RCP4.5 and RCP8.5 show significant changes in sea ice conditions including a decrease of the ice season length, annual maximum ice volume, and extent of ice cover. In addition, the annual maximum ice volume is seen to arise earlier in the season. The temperature increases consistently, although the actual increase between the different simulations varies considerably. A general trend of decreasing salinity can also be seen. This is, however, less systematic than for ice conditions and temperature. The simulations indicate that the changes in both temperature and salinity are not spread evenly, but some areas will be affected more than others. The flow speed trends have been studied by comparing simulations for the period 1980-2005 and the pathway RCP4.5 and RCP8.5 for 2040-2059. The simulations indicate a rise in both local maximum flow speeds, as in average flow speeds, both in surface currents and depth averaged currents (barotropic currents).</p>

scholarly journals Shifting Strategies between Generations in Sami Reindeer Husbandry: the Challenges of Maintaining Traditions while Adapting to a Changing Context

Human Ecology ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 48 (4) ◽  
pp. 481-490
Author(s):  
Weronika Axelsson-Linkowski ◽  
Anna-Maria Fjellström ◽  
Camilla Sandström ◽  
Anna Westin ◽  
Lars Östlund ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Land Degradation ◽  
Environmental Conditions ◽  
Reindeer Herding ◽  
Reindeer Husbandry ◽  
Weather Patterns ◽  
Transmission Of Knowledge ◽  
The World ◽  
Herding Strategies

Abstract Many traditional pastoralist systems are greatly impacted by cumulative encroachments of other land users and by climate change. Understanding land degradation and the adaptive capacity of people who are dependent on the rangelands is an urgent priority for many areas in the world. In this research we explore how changing environmental conditions affect herding strategies on winter pastures and the role of indigenous and local traditional knowledge (ILK) in Sami reindeer husbandry. Our results indicate that traditional Sami reindeer herding strategies are still practiced, but that rapidly changing environmental circumstances are forcing herders into uncharted territories where these traditional strategies and the transmission of knowledge between generations may be of limited use. For example, rotational grazing is no longer possible as all pastures are being used, and changes in climate result in unpredictable weather patterns unknown to earlier generations.

Effects of Weather Conditions on Tourism Spending: Implications for Future Trends under Climate Change

2017 ◽  
Vol 57 (8) ◽  
pp. 1042-1053 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emily Wilkins ◽  
Sandra de Urioste-Stone ◽  
Aaron Weiskittel ◽  
Todd Gabe
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Weather Conditions ◽  
Parametric Model ◽  
Local Communities ◽  
Boosted Regression Trees ◽  
Future Trends ◽  
Weather Variables ◽  
Weather Patterns ◽  
Warming Climate ◽  
The World

Tourism is an important industry to many regions around the world and has the potential to substantially impact local communities. Climate change is expected to influence tourism since weather patterns help determine where and when people travel. In this analysis, the effect of weather conditions on tourism-related spending at three geographically distinct locations in Maine, United States, was evaluated. A nonparametric method (boosted regression trees) was used to first identify the relative influence of twenty-two weather variables as predictors of tourism spending. Following this, a parametric model was constructed to statistically evaluate tourism spending across different measures and predict potential spending changes due to a warming climate. Results indicated that warmer temperatures increased tourism spending in the summer and fall, but had more varying results in the winter. Findings suggest tourism businesses in Maine and other relatively colder destinations could capitalize on potential gains in warmer months.

scholarly journals Can ice breeding seals adapt to habitat loss in a time of climate change?

2014 ◽  
Vol 71 (7) ◽  
pp. 1977-1986 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. B. Stenson ◽  
M. O. Hammill
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Sea Ice ◽  
Habitat Loss ◽  
Arctic Species ◽  
The Past ◽  
Pagophilus Groenlandicus ◽  
Ice Conditions ◽  
Ice Edge ◽  
Ecosystem Changes ◽  
Pup Mortality

Climate change associated declines in sea ice will have serious impact on species that rely on ice for reproduction and/or feeding. Little is known about the impacts on ice-dependent, sub-Arctic species or on how these species may adapt, although the ecosystem changes are likely to be most rapid along the ice edge. Harp seals (Pagophilus groenlandicus) require stable ice for pupping, nursing and the first weeks after weaning when the young develop the capacity to swim and feed. Although ice conditions in the Northwest Atlantic have varied over the past 40 years, in 2010 and 2011, the total extent of ice suitable for whelping harp seals was at, or near, the lowest ever recorded. These years of exceptionally poor ice provided us with an opportunity to improve our understanding about how ice breeding seals may respond to the conditions expected in the future. Harp seals responded to poor ice conditions differently, depending on the presence or absence of ice at the beginning of the pupping period. If no ice was present, females moved away from their traditional whelping areas to find suitable ice. If small amounts of ice were present, females gave birth even if the ice was too thin to sustain the pups, resulting in high pup mortality. There was no evidence to indicate that harp seals pupped on land even in areas where ice was absent. Young seals that drifted to shore had high levels of abandonment and mortality. If the predicted warming trends continue, ice-breeding harp seals will encounter more years with poor ice conditions and may eventually adapt by moving north. Until then, they will continue to have increased levels of mortality that could result in the disappearance of the most southern breeding component in the Gulf of St Lawrence.

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