34 research outputs found
Ways to Help and Ways to Hinder: Governance for Effective Adaptation to an Uncertain Climate
This paper compares two case studies in Alaska, one on commercial fishers of the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands region and the other on moose hunters of Interior Alaska, to identify how governance arrangements and management strategies enhance or limit peopleâs ability to respond effectively to changing climatic and environmental conditions. The two groups face similar challenges regarding the impacts of a changing climate on wild fish and game, but they tell very different stories regarding how and under what conditions these impacts challenge their harvest activities. In both regions, people describe dramatic changes in weather, land, and seascape conditions, and distributions of fish and game. A key finding is that the âcommand-and-controlâ model of governance in the Alaska Interior, as implemented through state and federal management tools such as registration hunts and short open seasons, limits effective local responses to environmental conditions, while the more decentralized model of governance created by the Limited Access Privilege systems of the Bering Sea allows fishers great flexibility to respond. We discuss ways to implement aspects of a decentralized decision-making model in the Interior that would benefit hunters by increasing their adaptability and success, while also improving conservation outcomes. Our findings also demonstrate the usefulness of the diagnostic framework employed here for facilitating comparative crossregional analyses of natural resource use and management.Ce document Ă©tablit une comparaison entre deux Ă©tudes de cas effectuĂ©es en Alaska, lâune portant sur les pĂȘcheurs commerciaux de la mer de BĂ©ring et de la rĂ©gion des AlĂ©outiennes et lâautre, sur les chasseurs dâorignaux de lâintĂ©rieur de lâAlaska. Cette comparaison avait pour but de dĂ©terminer comment les ententes de gouvernance et les stratĂ©gies de gestion rehaussent ou restreignent lâaptitude des gens Ă rĂ©agir de maniĂšre efficace au changement climatique et aux conditions environnementales. Dans le cas des deux groupes, les dĂ©fis sont semblables en ce qui a trait aux incidences du changement climatique sur le poisson sauvage et le gibier, mais il nâen reste pas moins que les deux groupes tĂ©moignent dâhistoires trĂšs diffĂ©rentes relativement Ă la façon dont les incidences influencent leurs activitĂ©s de chasse ou de pĂȘche, et les circonstances dans lesquelles les incidences prĂ©sentent des dĂ©fis Ă leurs activitĂ©s de chasse ou de pĂȘche. Dans les deux cas, les individus dĂ©crivent des changements dramatiques sur le plan des conditions mĂ©tĂ©orologiques, du paysage terrestre et du paysage marin, ainsi que sur le plan de la rĂ©partition du poisson et du gibier. Une des grandes observations ayant Ă©manĂ© de cette comparaison, câest que le modĂšle de gouvernance consistant à « commander et contrĂŽler » qui est en vigueur dans lâintĂ©rieur de lâAlaska, tel quâimposĂ© par les outils de gestion de lâĂtat et du gouvernement fĂ©dĂ©ral, et qui se traduit notamment par lâenregistrement des chasses et par des saisons de chasse courtes, se trouve Ă restreindre lâefficacitĂ© des rĂ©actions locales vis-Ă -vis des conditions environnementales, tandis que le mode de gouvernance plus dĂ©centralisĂ© crĂ©Ă© par les systĂšmes de privilĂšge Ă accĂšs limitĂ© de la mer de BĂ©ring donne aux pĂȘcheurs une plus grande souplesse pour rĂ©agir. Nous nous penchons sur diverses façons de mettre en oeuvre les aspects dâun modĂšle de prise de dĂ©cisions dĂ©centralisĂ© dans lâintĂ©rieur de maniĂšre Ă ce que les chasseurs en bĂ©nĂ©ficient en augmentant leur adaptabilitĂ© et leur succĂšs, tout en amĂ©liorant les rĂ©sultats de conservation. Nos constatations dĂ©montrent aussi lâutilitĂ© du cadre diagnostic employĂ© ici pour faciliter les analyses inter-rĂ©gionales en matiĂšre dâutilisation et de gestion des ressources naturelles
Biogeochemical Analysis of Ancient Pacific Cod Bone Suggests Hg Bioaccumulation was Linked to Paleo Sea Level Rise and Climate Change
Deglaciation at the end of the Pleistocene initiated major changes in ocean circulation and distribution. Within a brief geological time, large areas of land were inundated by sea-level rise and today global sea level is 120 m above its minimum stand during the last glacial maximum. This was the era of modern sea shelf formation; climate change caused coastal plain flooding and created broad continental shelves with innumerable consequences to marine and terrestrial ecosystems and human populations. In Alaska, the Bering Sea nearly doubled in size and stretches of coastline to the south were flooded, with regional variability in the timing and extent of submergence. Here we suggest how past climate change and coastal flooding are linked to mercury bioaccumulation that could have had profound impacts on past human populations and that, under conditions of continued climate warming, may have future impacts. Biogeochemical analysis of total mercury (tHg) and ÎŽ13C/ÎŽ15N ratios in the bone collagen of archeologically recovered Pacific Cod (Gadus macrocephalus) bone shows high levels of tHg during early/mid-Holocene. This pattern cannot be linked to anthropogenic activity or to food web trophic changes, but may result from natural phenomena such as increases in productivity, carbon supply and coastal flooding driven by glacial melting and sea-level rise. The coastal flooding could have led to increased methylation of Hg in newly submerged terrestrial land and vegetation. Methylmercury is bioaccumulated through aquatic food webs with attendant consequences for the health of fish and their consumers, including people. This is the first study of tHg levels in a marine species from the Gulf of Alaska to provide a time series spanning nearly the entire Holocene and we propose that past coastal flooding resulting from climate change had the potential to input significant quantities of Hg into marine food webs and subsequently to human consumers
A 5ËC Arctic in a 2°C World. Challenges and recommendations for immediate action from the July 21-22, 2016 Workshop: Briefing Paper for Arctic Science Ministerial, September 20, 2016
The Columbia Climate Center, in partnership with World Wildlife Fund, Woods Hole Research Center, and Arctic 21, held a workshop titled A 5ËC Arctic in a 2ËC World on July 20 and 21, 2016.
The workshop was co-sponsored by the International Arctic Research Center (University of Alaska Fairbanks), the Arctic Institute of North America (Canada), the MEOPAR Network (Marine Environmental Observation, Prediction, and Response), and the Future Ocean Excellence Cluster.
The goal of the workshop was to advance thinking on the science and policy implications of the
temperature change in the context of the 1.5 to <2ËC warming expected for the globe, as discussed during the 21st session of the Conference of the Parties of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change at Paris in 2015. For the Arctic, such an increase means an anticipated increase of roughly 3.5 to 5ËC. An international group of 41 experts shared perspectives on the regional and global impacts of an up to +5ËC Arctic, examined the feasibility of actively lowering Arctic temperatures, and considered realistic timescales associated with such interventions.
The group also discussed the science and the political and governance actions required for
alternative Arctic futures
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White Arctic vs. Blue Arctic: A case study of diverging stakeholder responses to environmental change
Recent trends and climate models suggest that the Arctic summer sea ice cover is likely to be lost before climate interventions can stabilize it. There are environmental, socioeconomic, and sociocultural arguments for, but also against, restoring and sustaining current conditions. Even if global warming can be reversed, some people will experience iceâfree summers before perennial sea ice begins to return. We ask: How will future generations feel about bringing sea ice back where they have not experienced it before? How will conflicted interests in iceâcovered vs. iceâfree conditions be resolved? What role will science play in these debates
Categorisation of the length of bowhead whales from British Arctic whaling records
British whalers were the first and last from Europe to hunt bowhead whales (Balaena mysticetus) commercially from the Arctic whaling grounds of the Greenland Sea (East Greenland-Svalbard-Barents stock) and Davis Strait (East Canada-West Greenland stock). Thus, British Arctic whaling records are unique, as they include both the beginning and the final story of the near extirpation of the species from these waters. By consolidating, cross-checking, and updating the work of numerous colleagues over the years, a database of over 11,000 individual records of British whaling voyages to these grounds between 1725 and 1913 has been established. Using conversion algorithms, it has been possible to derive statistically robust information on the length of the bowheads caught from the amount of oil they yielded. Translating oil yield to whale length is an important step as oil yield is one of the most common parameters documented within historical whaling records. Analysis suggests the length of whales caught at these two whaling grounds, Greenland Sea and Davis Strait, were different. A higher proportion within the East Greenland-Svalbard-Barents stock, taken from the Greenland Sea grounds, measured less than 12.5m (classed as juveniles), whilst the East Canada-West Greenland stock, taken from Davis Strait grounds, were skewed towards larger whales, 13 to 14 m long (classed as sexually mature). Furthermore, there was clear evidence that a shift in the distribution of whale length occurred when the whalers extended their hunting grounds to encompass additional regions within the Greenland Sea and Davis Strait in 1814 and 1817 respectively. Prior to expansion, we find that that the vast majority (85%) of the East Canada-West Greenland stock were of the length that are classified as sexually mature (>13.0 m), whereas only 39% of East Greenland-Svalbard-Barents stock taken were of this size. After the enlargement of the whaling grounds, the length distribution shifted with a reduction to 50% of the East Canada-West Greenland stock and an increase to 44% of the East Greenland-Svalbard-Barents stock being categorised as sexually mature. These results show the important information that may be derived from historical whaling records. Since the commercial hunt of the bowheads ceased in the European Arctic there have been substantial changes in both the oceanographic and sea ice regime in the region, thus understanding the past through whaling records can help to understand the implications of future climate-induced changes in bowhead whale populations and their habitat
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Muskox Health Ecology Symposium 2016: Gathering to Share Knowledge on Umingmak in a Time of Rapid Change
The Muskox, Ovibos moschatus, also known as
Umingmak âthe Bearded One,â is a taxonomically
unique, cold-adapted, ice-age survivor. Originally
native to Canada and Greenland, it has established a
circum-Arctic distribution via introduced populations.
As a key resident herbivore in northern ecosystems, the
muskox has importance that should not be underestimated.
Muskoxen play an important role in the cultural identity of
Arctic Indigenous peoples and provide a healthy source of
country food. More recently, recognition of the economic
potential of the species through tourism, sport hunting,
and the traditional sale of handicrafts has generated
renewed interest in muskoxen and their ecology. Recent
documentation of diseases, including several zoonoses,
regional mortality events, and population declines have
highlighted knowledge gaps in both our understanding
of the drivers of muskox population fluctuations and the
potential sensitivity of this species to a rapidly changing
climate (Kutz et al., 2013, 2015; Handeland et al., 2014;
Ytrehus et al., 2015; Tomaselli et al., 2016c; Afema et al.,
2017)
Papers, posters, and keynote presented at the 26th Polar Libraries Colloquy, hosted by the University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, Alaska, USA 10 â 15 July 2016
Published July 2023 by the University of Alaska Anchorage, UAA/APU Consortium Library, and
edited by Daria O. Carle. Copyright in individual papers is held by the contributors. A digital
copy of this publication can be found at https://polarlibraries.org/colloquy-proceedings/ and
in ScholarWorks, the University of Alaskaâs Institutional Repository,
https://scholarworks.alaska.edu/. A copy of the 2016 Colloquy program is also available at
https://polarlibraries.org/colloquy-proceedings/.
Further information on the Polar Libraries Colloquy, including details of membership and
upcoming conferences, is available at https://polarlibraries.orgHistory of Polar Information Science / Working in Antarctica: Mapping a Changing Experience through the British Antarctic Survey / GĂ©oindex+: A Geospatial Platform for Northern Historical and Research Data / Establishing Criteria for the Development of the âNorthern Collectionâ at UniversitĂ© Lavalâs Library: An Exploratory Approach / Introducing Two New Reserach Platforms: seaiceportal.de and expedition.awi.de (abstract only) / Establishing a Digital Library Service for the Inuvialuit Settlement Region / Changing Patterns of Polar Research / Mapping the Rescue of an Archive / Byrd 1933: Films from the Discovery Lecture Series / History of the Elmer E. Rasmuson Library and Its Rare Books Collection / A Roadmap to Navigate the Range of Polar Libraries, Databases, and Archives Now Available Online / Mapping Change with Finna in an Arctic Research Joint Library (paper not listed in program) / Mapping Chang in a Small Library Environment: From Reading Room to Communications Center (abstract only) / The Continued Evolution of the Cold Regions Bibliography Project: Current Status of the Antarctic Bibliography and the Antarctic Journal of the United States and its Predecessors / Connect the North: The Arctic Connect Project / Languages and Dialects in the Digital Library North (abstract only) / Bridging Arctic Indigenous Knowledge with the Digital World: Sharing Indigenous Ways of Knowing in Partnership with Arctic Communities (abstract only) / The Canadian Consortium for Arctic Data Interoperability (abstract and poster
Polar Data Forum IV â An Ocean of Opportunities
This paper reports on the Hackathon Sessions organised at the Polar Data Forum IV (PDF IV) (20â24 September 2021), during which 351 participants from 50 different countries discussed collaboratively about the latest developments in polar data management. The 4th edition of the PDF hosted lively discussions on (i) best practices for polar data management, (ii) data policy, (ii) documenting data flows into aggregators, (iv) data interoperability, (v) polar federated search, (vi) semantics and vocabularies, (vii) Virtual Research Environments (VREs), and (viii) new polar technologies. This paper provides an overview of the organisational aspects of PDF IV and summarises the polar data objectives and outcomes by describing the conclusions drawn from the Hackathon Sessions