L9- Arctic Climate Change

Guest lecture→ Garth Phoenix

Current + Future Warming-

• the Arctic is warming nearly 4x faster than the global average

  

• when modelling, there is always more warming at northern latitudes, than the rest of the world

  

• the Antarctic has no permanent population whilst lots of people live in the Arctic

Issues due to warming in the Arctic:

• arrival of new vector-bourn diseases

• loss of original food storage methods e.g. cold ground

• declining of sea ice

• thawing of permafrost

Arctic Sea Ice-

• expands in the winter, shrinks (not fully) in the summer

• is at its minimum in September- changes in this over time is a good indicator of how sea ice is changing:

  

  • is declining at 12.5% per decade

  • 17 lowest have occurred in the last 17 years, lowest on record is in 2012

Permafrost Thawing-

• permafrost:

  • permanently frozen ground

  • underlays 24% of land in the Northern hemisphere

  • stores 1300t of carbon as peat and methane (2x the carbon in the atmosphere)

  • ice is a structural component of the ground→ permafrost thaws- ice thaws- lose structure- ground collapses

• thermokarst→ general term for features created by permafrost thawing and sea ice loss:

  • immediate effect→ slumping of ground

  • retrogressive full slump→ thaws, headwall is exposed to warm air, thaws, next headwall is exposed, thaws…

  • active layer detachment slides- losing big chunk of land

  • ice-wedge polygons- heterogeneity in terrain

  • collapsed peatlands and thermokast lakes- ground collapses and fills with water

  • causes devastation on coastlines

    

Indigenous People-

• 40 groups in the Arctic, have different cultures/ways of life

  

• study focuses on Inuit Nunangat-

  • 4 Northern Canadian regions, modern societies with traditional ways of life

  • all have tight coupling of land and sea

  • have close relationships with the environment for centuries but is becoming increasingly hard to apply knowledge to current environment changes

    

Sea Ice Loss:

• sea ice is central to Inuit culture, food, livelihoods, is an extension of the land

• positives and negatives of ice loss:

  

  • economic opportunities- opening of north sea passage- /Inuit need economic control to be a positive

  • new species migrating north- but will compete with species there

  • more fractured ice for longer time, more open ocean, unpredictable sea patterns, timing of events not matching anymore

  → increasing dangerous sea ice conditions→ traditional travel routes are becoming dangerous/inaccessible

• road map (Western view)→ one road

  

• road map (Inuit view)→ travel using many methods, there are lots of routes on sea ice, access crucial areas, ocean and its resources (hunting/fishing)

  

Permafrost Thaws-

• erosion, communities sinking, houses collapsing, flooding of coastal communities

• are now building houses on stilts to keep permafrost underneath frozen but is a lot of effort

• are given guides on how to protect homes from collapsing

  

• traditional fishing ground→ Husky Lake from the Inuvik-Tuktoyakut Highway (new road):

  • was fished for generations with no damage

  • now can see the damage done to the ground by the ski-doos:

    • starting to flood

    • ski-doos compact ground, water accumulates, transfers heat more readily, permafrost thaws more, ground subsides more, plants die, no transpiration of the ground, water accumulates

  • more trails are being driven as other ones become impassable→ more damage

    

Social Injustice-

• Inuit are at the forefront of climate change impacts→ amplifies the social injustices between Inuit and Western societies e.g.

  

• population of Inuit has increased by 48% but publications from this area have increased by 200%→ there is an increase in interest

  

• BUT most of the publications are by Western societies→ have made Inuit self-determination in research strategies:

  • research benefits Inuit

  • Inuit have input in research design at the very start

  • research builds up Inuit expertise

    

  • 5 priority areas:

    • Inuit control and design from start

    • leaving the data behind too

    • working with Inuit scientists and those wanting to build skills

    • leaving a legacy where Inuit can conduct their own research

      

Summary:

• Climate change is happening faster in the Arctic than the rest of the world, resulting in sea ice loss and thawing of permafrost.

• Sea ice is critical infrastructure for Inuit, and is a central part of culture, community and livelihood. Its loss has major impacts for travel and access to ocean resources.

• Permafrost thaw can also damage tails on land, again impacting access to resources and culturally important sites.

• Houses and other infrastructure such as roads and jetties are also at risk from permafrost thaw, and additional erosion.

• Social and economic inequality in Inuit Nunangat is considerable.

• Research into solutions must be conducted in a way that ensures Inuit self determination in research.

• look at national geographic indigenous people of Canada