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Climate Change
Find links to websites, publications, and multimedia presentations covering the impacts of climate change on the health, activities, and well-being of people in the Arctic. This page provides links to climate-change observations from both the scientific-research and the traditional-knowledge points of view.
Upcoming Events
Climate Change News
Effects of Climate Change on Human Health
Northern Communities—Resilience and Adaptation
Witnesses to Change—Traditional Knowledge
Changing Ecosystems
Arctic Vegetation
Freshwater Systems
Marine Biodiversity
Shifting Species
Ice and Climate
Understanding Climate Change
Conferences
Organizations
Click on the
for more information about the link.
Upcoming Events
Arctic Tipping Points - January 23-29, 2011, Tromsø, Norway
This is Arctic Frontiers' 5th annual conference. Topics include sea ice and oceanographic perspectives; marine ecosystems and fisheries; socioeconomic and institutional perspectives; and people of the North.Understanding Circumpolar Ecosystems in a Changing World: Outcomes of the International Polar Year - November 3-6, 2010, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
To understand the current and future structure, diversity, and functioning of the circumpolar region, it is important to understand how climate and disturbance interact and the implications of these interactions for ecological, economic, and cultural sustainability of the circumpolar region. The conference will include sessions on these and related topics in terrestrial environments (not oceans).Climate Change News
Arctic & Antarctic News
National Science Foundation webpage with press releases about research projects and climate change in polar regions.Arctic Future: The Circumpolar International Internship Newsletter
Quarterly publication designed to deliver news, information, and feature stories about the Future of Children and Youth Initiative and the Circumpolar Internship Program supported by the Arctic Council. The November 2009 issue is devoted to climate change initiatives.Climate and Health E-News
This e-newsletter is distributed weekly via listserv by Michael Brubaker, director of the Center for Climate and Health, Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium. It's an up-to-date source of information on climate-related health issues in Alaska.Climate Change in Alaska
Website of the Governor's Subcabinet on Climate Change. The site is intended to "convey state plans for adaptation to warming as well as present realistic approaches to mitigating the root causes of climate change."Climate Change News
This news update, published weekly by Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI), recounts the top climate change-related stories of the week and includes a list of upcoming events.Countercurrents.org—climate change page
An alternative news site.Earth Equity News
Daily news service about climate change, energy, and policy.Ice stories: Dispatches from polar scientists
For the International Polar Year, polar scientists were given cameras and blogging tools and asked to document their field work. Follow along on their adventures and see what it's like to be a research scientist in the Arctic or Antarctica.SIKU News
This is the climate change section of SIKU News, which provides daily coverage of the top stories around the circumpolar world.United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)
Website of the secretariat of UNFCCC, targeted primarily at people working in government who have policy or technical responsibilities related to the Climate Change Convention but of interest to anyone wanting recent information.Effects of Climate Change on Human Health
Adapting to climate change: Public health
This paper addresses the projected health consequences of climate change, reviewing the projected adverse effects, the diverse strategies that might mitigate these effects, and the potential effectiveness of these strategies. It addresses temperature, aeroallergens and allergic diseases, air pollution, and infectious diseases. (PDF 872 KB)Adapting to climate change: What should the health sector be doing?
International Journal of Circumpolar Health (2009) 68(1):6-7. The heat wave that occurred in August 2003 in Europe was unprecedented. The huge impact on the health of Europeans caused health policy makers to seriously consider this environmental hazard, in many countries for the first time.Alaska Natives assessing the health of their environment
D. Garza. International Journal of Circumpolar Health (2001) 60(4):479-486. The changes in Alaska's ecosystems caused by pollution, contaminants and global climate change are negatively impacting Alaska Natives and rural residents who rely on natural resources for food, culture and community identity.Alaska the 'poster state' for climate concerns
E. Weise. USA Today (updated 5/31/06). Alaska is important in measuring the effect of global warming on the USA because what happens here soon will be felt in the Lower 48 states.Analyses of the effects of global change on human health and welfare and human systems
A report by the U.S. Climate Change Science Program and the Subcommittee on Global Change Research which outlines direct impacts of climate change on human health.An approach for assessing human health vulnerability and public health interventions to adapt to climate change
K.L. Ebi et al. Environmental Health Perspectives (2006) 114(12):1930-1934. The authors developed methods for country-level assessments to help policy makers make evidence-based decisions to increase resilience to current and future climates, and to provide information for national communications to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.Arctic human health initiative: A contribution to the International Polar Year
A.J. Parkinson. Circumpolar Health Supplements (2010) 6. Human health concerns and challenges of Arctic peoples include the health impacts of environmental contaminants, climate change, and rapidly changing social and economic conditions.Arctic Net - Food Security, Ice, Climate and Community Health: Climate change impacts on traditional food security in Canadian Inuit communities
Phase II of a study of the effects of climate change on the traditional food supplies of Canadian Inuits and the impacts on the health of the population.Climate and Health E-News
This e-newsletter is distributed weekly via listserv by Michael Brubaker, director of the Center for Climate and Health, Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium. It's an up-to-date source of information on climate-related health issues in Alaska.Climate change—The public health imperative
M.A. Pittman. Voices for a Healthy Future (2010). Newsletter published by the Public Health Institute. (PDF 439 KB)Climate change: The public health response
H. Frumkin et al. American Journal of Public Health (2008) 98(3):435-445. There is scientific consensus that the global climate is changing, with rising surface temperatures, melting ice and snow, rising sea levels, and increasing climate variability. These changes are expected to have substantial impacts on human health.Climate change: A time of need and opportunity for the health sector
A.J. McMichael et al. The Lancet. Published online November 25, 2009.This article calls attention to the importance of the public health sector in addressing challenges and opportunities presented by climate change.Climate change and the arctic diet
E. Engelhaupt. Environmental Health Perspectives (2009) 117(7):A292. Researchers in Canada now report the first evidence that changes in the timing of the annual sea ice breakup have contributed to a dietary shift for polar bears from western Hudson Bay in the Canadian sub-Arctic. This shift may be accelerating the bears' bioaccumulation of some classes of persistent contaminants, and people who consume these animals as part of a traditional subsistence diet could face greater exposure to contaminants that are passed up the food chain.Climate change and global health: Quantifying a growing ethical crisis
J.A. Patz et al. EcoHealth (2007) 4(4):397-405. Climate change, as an environmental hazard operating at the global scale, poses a unique and "involuntary" exposure to many societies, and therefore represents possibly the largest health inequity of our time.Climate change and health: A Native American perspective
B. Weinhold. Environmental Health Perspectives (2010) 118(2):A64-A65. There is ample evidence that the raw drive for survival—the ultimate environmental health perspective—is a common thread that often compels people to change their behavior. That is the case today for some Native Americans who are feeling the effects of dislocation and food shortages they attribute to climate change.Climate change and the health of children
This is the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's webpage explaining health challenges children may face with climate change.Climate change and health effects on older adults
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency offers a brief explanation of the health challenges older adults may face with climate change.Climate change and health impacts: Point Hope, Alaska
Center for Climate and Health, Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium. This report describes climate impacts observed in Point Hope, Alaska. It relies upon the observations, data and traditional ecological knowledge provided by local partners. Additionally, scientific data on environment, health and climate is provided where available. The purpose is to describe changes that are occurring so as to help in the development of adaptive strategies that encourage community health and resilience. Published October 2009 (6.83 MB PDF).Climate change and the health of the public
H. Frumkin et al., eds. American Journal of Preventive Medicine (2008) 35(5):401-538. This entire issue of AJPM is dedicated to climate change and health.Climate change and health research: Time for teamwork
S.H. Hrynkow. Environmental Health Perspectives (2008) 116(11):A470. As efforts toward mitigation of climate change gather momentum, there is an increased need to understand the linkages between climate change and human health and the potential health consequences of mitigation strategies. Although there is substantial knowledge of how climate change can affect human health, there is much the scientific community does not know or understand.Climate change and human health
P.R. Epstein, MD, MPH. New England Journal of Medicine (2005) 353(14):1433-1436. In the past three decades, widening social inequities and changes in biodiversity—which alter the balance among predators, competitors, and prey that help keep pests and pathogens in check—have apparently contributed to the resurgence of infectious diseases.Climate change and human health
This entire issue of International Journal of Circumpolar Health (2005) is dedicated to effects of climate change on human health.Climate change and human health: Risks and responses
Report published by the World Health Organization in collaboration with the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), 2003. The report seeks to provide quantitative estimates of the total health impacts of climate change. It lays out the steps necessary to further scientific investigation and to develop strategies and policies to help societies adapt to climate change (PDF 2.26 MB). Also available is a summary of the report (PDF 615 KB).Climate change and the impact on human health – An Alaska perspective
Dr. Jeff Demain, founder and director of the Allergy, Asthma and Immunology Center of Alaska, presented this talk at the 2009 Alaska WWAMI Mini Medical School on October 20, 2009. He discussed his research on the health effects of climate change in Alaska. This recording aired on KSKA Public Radio's "Addressing Alaskans" on November 19, 2009. (MP3—29.2 MB, 1:04:00)Climate change and impacts on human health in the Arctic: An international workshop on emerging threats and the response of Arctic communities to climate change
A.J. Parkinson, J. Berner. International Journal of Circumpolar Health (2009) 68(1):84-91. Summary of workshop held in Anchorage, Alaska, February 13-15, 2008.Climate change and infectious diseases
Chapter 14 of The Social Ecology of Infectious Diseases, K.H. Mayer, H.F. Pizer (eds.), Academic Press, 2008.Climate change and mental health: Uncertainty and vulnerability for Alaska Natives
Center for Climate and Health Bulletin No. 3, 2010. Climate change is currently affecting the health of Alaska Natives, through impacts of: extreme weather changes to the local environment, and alterations in plants and animal resources. The mental health effect of such impacts remains incompletely researched and understood. This bulletin provides an academic review of Alaska Native climate change mental health impact pathways, and potential responses to mental health effects. (PDF 838 KB)Climate Change and Public Health
Webpage produced by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).Climate change and public health
Statement by Julie L. Gerberding, MD, MPH, Director of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, before the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, United States Senate, October 23, 2007.Climate change and the Water Framework Directive: Cost effectiveness and policy design for water management in the Swedish Mälar region
I-M Gren. Climatic Change (2010) 100(3-4):463-484. This paper calculates the impacts of climatic change on cost effective nutrient management under the Water Framework Directive (WFD) for the eutrophic Mälar lake and Stockholm archipelago in southeastern Sweden.Climate change effects on traditional food cellars in Barrow, Alaska
Center for Climate and Health Bulletin No. 4, 2010. This paper reports on a special health concern identified during surveys performed in November of 2009 and January 2010: the thawing of traditional, underground food storage cellars. Thawing permafrost is reducing the quality and quantity of food resources for some families, and resulting in cellars that have the potential to collapse and cause injury. (PDF 510 KB)Climate change effects on traditional Inupiat food cellars
Center for Climate and Health Bulletin No. 1, 2009. Thawing of traditional food storage cellars due to warming soil temperature is reducing the quality and quantity of food available to residents of Point Hope. Climate change is a likely cause, and adaptive strategies are necessary to restore food security for Point Hope and other communities that depend on traditional storage cellars. (PDF 2.4 MB)Climate change, health, and vulnerability in Canadian northern aboriginal communities
C. Furgal, J. Seguin. Environmental Health Perspectives (2006) 114(12):1964-1970. This article reviews experiences from two projects that have taken a community-based dialogue approach to identifying and assessing the effects of, and vulnerability to, climate change and the impact on the health in two Inuit regions of the Canadian Arctic.Climate change in Point Hope, Alaska: Strategies for community health
Report prepared by ANTHC Center for Climate and Health, August 2010. This report identifies three issues of special public health concern in Point Hope: (1) the permafrost that cools traditional underground food storage cellars is thawing; (2) warming is contributing to changes in 7 Mile Lake, the community drinking water source; and (3) the community is increasingly vulnerable to flooding due to storm intensity, erosion, and late freeze-up. (PDF 10.3 MB)Conceptualizing food security for Aboriginal people in Canada
E.M. Power, PhD. Canadian Journal of Public Health (2008) 99(2):95-97. Food insecurity is an urgent public health issue for Aboriginal people in Canada because of high rates of poverty; the effects of global climate change and environmental pollution on traditional food systems; and high rates of diet-related diseases.The conditions of sustainable food security: An integrated conceptual framework
G. Duhaime, A. Godmaire. Pimatisiwin: A Journal of Aboriginal and Indigenous Community Health (2003) 1(2):87-127. This is an abridged version of the first chapter of Sustainable Food Security in the Arctic: State of Knowledge, Gérard Duhaime, ed., University of Alberta, CCI Press, 2002.Disease emergence from global climate and land use change
J.A. Patz et al. Medical Clinics of North America (2008) 92(6):1473-1491. Climate change and land use change can affect multiple infectious diseases of humans, acting either independently or synergistically. Clinicians must develop stronger ties, not only to public health officials and scientists but also to earth and environmental scientists and policy makers.Drinking water and potential threats to human health in Nunavik: Adaptation strategies under climate change conditions
D. Martin et al. Arctic (2007) 60(2):195-202. The main goal of this study, which took place in 2003 and 2004, was to evaluate drinking habits that may place Nunavik residents at an increased risk of gastroenteric diseases in the context of climate change.Driven to extremes: Health effects of climate change
J. Tibbets. Environmental Health Perspectives (2007) 115(4):A196-A203. This article discusses disease fallout from extreme weather caused by climate change.Environmental health indicators of climate change for the United States: Findings from the State Environmental Health Indicator Collaborative
P.B. English et al. Environmental Health Perspectives (2009) 117(11):1673-1681. To develop public health adaptation strategies and to project the impacts of climate change on human health, indicators of vulnerability and preparedness along with accurate surveillance data on climate-sensitive health outcomes are needed.Food and water security in a changing arctic climate
D.M. White et al. Environmental Research Letters (2007) 2(4):1-4. Lakes, rivers, and wetlands on the arctic landscape are normally not connected with groundwater in the same way that they are in temperate regions.Food insecurity among Inuit women in Igloolik, Nunavut: The role of climate change and multiple stressors
M. Beaumier et al. Abstract from the State of the Arctic 2010 conference. Food systems are negatively affected by economic, social, and cultural transformations and by climate change. Food insecurity can have serious implications for women's physical and mental health and social well-being, resulting in increased susceptibility to infection and chronic health afflictions. See the poster from the session.Food security in Igloolik, Nunavut: An exploratory study
J.D. Ford, L. Berrang-Ford Polar Record (2009) 45(03):225-236. This paper reports on an exploratory analysis examining the prevalence of food (in)security in the Inuit community of Igloolik, Nunavut, identifying high-risk groups, and characterizing conditions facilitating and constraining food security.Global climate change: Impacts in the United States—Human health chapter
Chapter from a report published by the U.S. Global Change Research Program, 2009. This chapter presents key findings about the human health effects of climate change in the United States. (PDF 982 KB)Global climate change and infectious diseases
E.K. Shuman, MD. New England Journal of Medicine (2010) 362(12):1061-1063. Climate change will have enormous implications for human health, especially for the burden of vectorborne and waterborne infectious diseases.Global environmental change: The threat to human health
S.S. Myers, MD, MPH, Worldwatch Institute, 2009. It is increasingly apparent that the breadth and depth of the changes we are wreaking on the environment are imperiling not only many of the other species with which we share the ecological stage, but the health and wellbeing of our own species as well.Global environmental change: What can health care providers and the environmental health community do about it now?
B.S. Schwartz et al. Environmental Health Perspectives (2006) 114(12):1807-1812. Global environmental changes constitute a profound challenge to human health, both as a direct threat and as a promoter of other risks.Global warming: A public health concern
B.M. Afzal, MS, RN. The Online Journal of Issues in Nursing (2007) 12(2). This article provides a brief overview of global warming and climate changes, discusses effects of climate change on health, considers the factors that contribute to climate changes, and reviews individual and collective efforts related to reducing global warming.Global warming and our health: Addressing the most serious health impacts of climate change
Fact sheet published by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), 2008. Science has shown that global warming will affect human health across the world. From diminished air quality and degradation of food and water supplies to increasing levels of allergens and catastrophic weather events, we will experience a number of worsening health threats during our lifetimes. (PDF 176 KB)Health and environmental effects
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency provides links to information resources on the human health and environmental effects of climate change.The health benefits of tackling climate change: An executive summary for The Lancet series
The Lancet studies, supported by a global partnership of funders, were undertaken by an international team of researchers with the aim of informing discussions at the 2009 Copenhagen conference of parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. Authored by an international group of public health, environmental, and other scientists, each focuses on one sector in which greenhouse-gas emissions need to be reduced. (PDF 4.39 MB)Health effects of climate change
Fact sheet published by National Institutes of Health in January 2009.Health effects of climate change
National Wildlife Federation hosted this forum on the health effects of climate change. The speakers were Jeffrey Demain, MD, who has researched the allergic and respiratory impacts of climate change; Michael Brubaker, MS, director of the Center for Climate and Health at the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium; and Joe McLaughlin, MD, chief epidemiologist for State of Alaska. The forum was recorded at University of Alaska Anchorage on March 16, 2010, and aired on KSKA Public Radio's "Addressing Alaskans" on March 25, 2010. (MP3—46.0 MB, 1:40:34) Also available here is Mr. Brubaker's slide presentation, Climate Change Effects on Community Health: Observations from Northwest Alaska. (PDF 3.01 MB)Health effects of global warming: Developing countries are the most vulnerable
P. Kasotia. UN Chronicle (2007) 44(2):48-49. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) states that the increase in global atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide is primarily due to fossil fuel use and, in a smaller but still significant level, to land-use change.The health impacts of climate change: Getting started on a new theme
K.L. Ebi et al. Prehospital and Disaster Medicine (2008) 23(Suppl 2):60-64. To effectively prepare for and cope with climate change impacts, public health must move from a focus on surveillance and response to a greater emphasis on prediction and prevention.Health problems heat up: Climate change and the public's health
Report prepared by Trust for America's Health (TFAH), October 2009. In this report, TFAH (1) examines the human health effects of climate change and the role public health authorities must play in preventing and preparing for further climate-related damage, (2) explores the needs of state and local health departments as they set out to conduct climate change needs assessments and develop strategic plans to prevent and prepare for climate change, and (3) recommends increased action from federal, state, and local government to protect the nation from the harmful effects of climate change. (PDF 882 KB)Human health
Chapter 15 (pages 863-906) of ACIA Scientific Report, Cambridge University Press, 2005. Health status in many arctic regions has changed significantly over the past decades, and the climate, weather, and environment have played, and will continue to play, a significant role in the health of residents in these regions. (PDF 1.77 MB)Human health and global climate change: A review of potential impacts in the United States
Report prepared for the Pew Center on Global Climate Change, December 2000. This is the sixth in a series of Pew Center reports evaluating the potential impacts of climate change on the U.S. environment and society. The report finds that, because the linkages between climate and human health are often complex and not well defined, it is difficult to predict exactly how climate change will impact human health in the United States. (PDF 409 KB)Human health in a changing climate: A Canadian assessment of vulnerabilities and adaptive capacity
Report by the Climate Change and Health Office, Health Canada, 2008. The goal of this publication is to raise awareness of the health risks posed by climate change among those charged with protecting health. It is hoped that the results will provide guidance to the public health and emergency management communities and support their efforts to adapt plans, policies, and programs in order to prevent or reduce risks to health. (PDF 9.08 MB)A human health perspective on climate change: A report outlining the research needs on the human health effects of climate change
Report by the Interagency Working Group on Climate Change and Health (IWGCCH), published by Environmental Health Perspectives and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, April 22, 2010. The purpose of this paper is to identify research critical for understanding the impact of climate change on human health so that we can both mitigate and adapt to the environmental effects of climate change in the healthiest and most efficient ways. (PDF 5.37 MB)Immunology, climate change and vector-borne diseases
J.A. Patz, W.K. Reisen. Trends in Immunology (2001) 22(4):171-172. Global climate change might expand the distribution of vector-borne pathogens in both time and space, thereby exposing host populations to longer transmission seasons, and immunologically naive populations to newly introduced pathogens.Is global warming harmful to health?
P.R. Epstein. Scientific American (2000) 283(2):50-57. Computer models predict that global warming will revise weather patterns and that the resulting droughts, heat waves, and floods will promote the emergence, resurgence, and spread of infectious diseases.Mark Smith on protecting people's water from climate change
EarthSky interview, April 5, 2010. EarthSky spoke with water expert Mark Smith, who heads the Water Programme for the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN).The melting ice cellar
P.L. Cochran, A.L. Geiler. American Journal of Public Health (2002) 92(9):1404-1409. As far back as the 1970s, Alaska Native communities reported changes we now know to be associated with global warming, such as changing weather patterns, thinning ice, diseased and deformed wildlife, and changes in the look and taste of such subsistence foods as fish and meat.Mercury, food webs, and marine mammals: Implications of diet and climate change for human health
S. Booth, D. Zeller. Environmental Health Perspectives (2005) 113(5):521-526. Under present conditions and climate change scenarios, methyl mercury has increased in the ecosystem, translating into increased human exposure over time. High and harmful levels of methyl mercury in the diet of Faroe Islanders are driven by whale meat consumption, and the increasing impact of climate change is likely to exacerbate this situation.The potential impact of climate on human exposure to contaminants in the Arctic
L.D. Kraemer. International Journal of Circumpolar Health (2005) 64(5):498-508. Global contaminant pathways include the atmosphere, ocean currents, and river outflow, all of which are affected by climate.Predicting effects of climate change, with Kristie Ebi
Podcast and transcript of a 2009 interview from The Researcher's Perspective, the podcast series from Environmental Health Perspectives. Dr. Kristie Ebi is a leading authority on the potential impacts of climate change on human health. She is an independent consultant and has served on numerous scientific panels, including the highly influential Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.Resilient communities: Food security, communication and health in a changing North
This webpage from North by 2020, an International Polar Year initiative, looks at how climatic shifts, increasing globalization, and sociopolitical changes affect, and are affected by, Northern peoples and interests.Risks to human health from a changing Arctic, Jay Van Oostdam BSc, DVM, MPH, Health Canada, HECSBr
Report at Arctic Health Week 2009 on the effects of climate change on the peoples of the arctic, their health and diet. (1,357 KB PDF)Sentinel symptoms of climate change: Indicators for related health effects
B. Weinhold. Environmental Health Perspectives (2009) 117(11):A504. A workgroup of the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists has identified a set of indicators that it says will allow national and local officials in the United States to better predict climate-change health effects and to take appropriate action as it becomes warranted.Source drinking water challenges: Changes to an Arctic tundra lake
Center for Climate and Health Bulletin No. 2, 2009. Blooms of organic material have in the past been observed in the source water lake in Point Hope, but conditions have been extreme over the past two years. If warm temperatures continue, organic blooms will become a reoccurring problem for Point Hope and other communities that depend on tundra lakes for their drinking water supply. (PDF 1.57 MB)Sustainable development, climate change and human health in the Arctic
A.J. Parkinson. International Journal of Circumpolar Health (2010) 69(1):99-105. Resident indigenous Arctic populations are uniquely vulnerable to climate change because of their close relationship with, and dependence on, the land, sea, and natural resources for their cultural, social, economic, and physical well-being. Climate change will affect the sustainable development of these communities through its impact on sanitation and water facilities, food supply, prevalence of infectious diseases, and transportation infrastructures.10 facts on climate change and health
World Health Organization's short fact file and photo gallery about predicted health effects of climate change.U.S. funding is insufficient to address the human health impacts of, and public health responses to, climate variability and change
K.L. Ebi et al. Environmental Health Perspectives (2009) 117(6):857-862. In this commentary, the authors summarize the health risks of climate change in the United States and examine the extent of federal funding devoted to understanding, avoiding, preparing for, and responding to the human health risks of climate change. In a subsequent issue of EHP, there is a letter from Glass et al. (2009) responding to this article.A view from above: Use of satellite imagery to enhance our understanding of potential impacts of climate change on human health in the Arctic
N.G. Maynard, G.A. Conway. Alaska Medicine (2007) 49(2 Suppl):38-43. Increased capabilities for monitoring, risk mapping, information sharing, communications, and surveillance of environmental parameters are powerful tools for addressing environment-related health problems.Vulnerability of aboriginal health systems in Canada to climate change
J.D. Ford et al. Global Environmental Change (2010). Despite limited research on climate change and aboriginal health, there is a well-established literature on aboriginal health outcomes, determinants, and trends in Canada, characteristics that will determine vulnerability to climate change. In this paper, the authors systematically review this literature, using a vulnerability framework to identify the broad-level factors constraining adaptive capacity and increasing sensitivity to climate change.World Health Assembly 2008: Climate change and health
A.J. McMichael et al. Lancet (2008) 371(9628):1895-1896. The health sector, in general, has been slow to perceive the enormous significance of global climate change as a threat to Earth's life-support systems, including the provision of water, food, clean air, and stable ecosystems—and, therefore, to human well-being, health, and survival.Northern Communities—Resilience and Adaptation
Adaptation, adaptive capacity and vulnerability
B. Smit, J. Wandel. Global Environmental Change (2006) 16(3):282-292. This paper reviews the concept of adaptation of human communities to global changes, especially climate change, in the context of adaptive capacity and vulnerability.Adaptation and sustainability in a small Arctic community: Results of an agent-based simulation model
M. Berman et al. Arctic (2004) 57(4):401-414. Agent-based computational models (ABMs) contribute to an integrated assessment of community sustainability by simulating how people interact with each other and adapt to changing economic and environmental conditions.Adapting to the impacts of climate change
National Academy of Sciences, 2010. This report, part of the America's Climate Choices suite of studies requested by Congress, discusses the impacts of climate change and how we as a nation can begin adapting to them in beneficial ways, exploring activities underway at state and local levels, adaptation options, and how the nation can become better prepared to make adaptation choices.Alaska Climate Impact Assessment Commission: Final report to the Alaska State Legislature, March 17, 2008
The Alaska Climate Impact Assessment Commission was charged with assessing effects of climate change on the citizens, resources, economy, and assets of the state of Alaska. To better identify and respond to potential climate warming impacts, the Commission took testimony on local efforts. The greater concern of many urban communities was related more to greenhouse gas issues, while with rural communities the prevailing concerns were more terrestrial--erosion, flooding, subsistence, and permafrost issues. (PDF 8.16 MB)Alaska Native villages: Limited progress has been made on relocating villages threatened by flooding and erosion
Report to Congressional Requesters by the United States Government Accountability Office, GAO-09-551, June 2009. GAO was asked to report on (1) the flooding and erosion threats that Alaska Native villages currently face, (2) the federal programs that are available to assist villages facing potential disasters, (3) the status of village relocation efforts, and (4) how federal assistance to relocating villages is prioritized. GAO interviewed and gathered documentation from federal and state agency officials as well as regional organizations and village representatives. (PDF 2.15 MB)Alaska Native villages: Most are affected by flooding and erosion, but few qualify for federal assistance
Report to Congressional Requesters by the United States Government Accountability Office, GAO-04-142, December 2003. Congress directed GAO to study Alaska Native villages affected by flooding and erosion and to (1) determine the extent to which these villages are affected, (2) identify federal and state flooding and erosion programs, (3) determine the current status of efforts to respond to flooding and erosion in nine villages, and (4) identify alternatives that Congress may wish to consider when providing assistance for flooding and erosion. (PDF 5.25 MB)Alaska the 'poster state' for climate concerns
E. Weise. USA Today (updated 5/31/06). Alaska is important in measuring the effect of global warming on the USA because what happens here soon will be felt in the Lower 48 states.Alaskan meltdown: On the frontlines of climate change
B. Sherwonit. National Parks (2004) 78(3):24-29. Spread across 32 ecoregions, Alaska's 54 million acres of national parklands are being affected by global warming in many ways, some of them obvious, others subtle. As wild landscapes change, plant communities, wildlife populations, and humans dependent on park resources must adapt or lose their niche in the ecosystem.Arctic climate: The heat is on
D.J. Tenenbaum. Environmental Health Perspectives (2005) 113(2):A91. The Arctic Climate Impact Assessment (ACIA) paints a sobering picture of the effect of present and expected global warming on Arctic peoples and ecosystems.An arctic disaster and its policy implications
R.D. Brunner et al. Arctic (2004) 57(4):336-346. The purpose of the research reported here is to help the community in Barrow, Alaska, clarify its vulnerability to extreme weather events, and devise better-informed policies for reducing that vulnerability and adapting to climate variability and change.Arctic Ocean synthesis: Analysis of climate change impacts in the Chukchi and Beaufort seas with strategies for future research
Report by the Institute of Marine Sciences, University of Alaska Fairbanks, December 2008. Beginning at Bering Strait, the Chukchi Sea is the gateway (or pulse-point) into the Arctic where variation in climate will have impacts on the complex interplay of water masses of Pacific origin with those of the central Arctic Ocean, its marginal seas, and the Atlantic Ocean.As the Arctic melts, an ancient culture faces ruin
C. Wohlforth. National Wildlife (2005) 43(3):48-55. Since the mid-1970s, the floating Arctic ice pack has lost an area the size of Texas and Arizona combined. With a shorter season of sea ice, fall storms batter Alaska's Arctic coast as never before, causing erosion that threatens communities.Assessing climate change impacts in the European north
M.A. Lange. Climatic Change (2008) 87(1-2):7-34. Stakeholders, when asked about their view on climate change, largely consider it but one factor determining their future. While not denying the existence of climate change and its possible impacts, stakeholders consider it as part of a larger, more interwoven net of drivers that they have to adjust to or adapt to in order to maintain their livelihood.Assessing climate change vulnerability in the arctic using geographic information services in spatial data infrastructures
L. Bernard, N. Ostländer. Climatic Change (2008) 87(1-2):263-281. This paper presents the application of SDI to climate change assessment by implementing a generic methodology for the quantification of vulnerability to climate change. The resulting integrated tool allows scientists, stakeholders, and decision makers to communicate, assess, and improve information about vulnerability to climate change.Assessing the consequences of climate change for Alaska and the Bering Sea region
Proceedings of a workshop at University of Alaska Fairbanks, 29-30 October 1998, published by Center for Global Change and Arctic System Research, UAF. The objectives of this interdisciplinary workshop were to assess the nature and magnitude of changes in the Alaska/Bering Sea region as a consequence of climate change; predict/assess the consequences of these changes on the physical, biological and socioeconomic systems in the region; determine the cumulative impacts of these changes on the region, including assessment of past impacts; and begin to investigate possible policy options to mitigate these cumulative impacts.Assessing the impacts of climate change on food security in the Canadian Arctic
Report prepared by GRID-Arendal for Indian and Northern Affairs Canada, March 2009. Food security, like climate change, is a multi-faceted issue. Bringing the two together to determine how climate change may impact food security is complex. (PDF 924 KB)Beyond mitigation: Planning for climate change adaptation
C.W. Schmidt. Environmental Health Perspectives (2009) 117(7):A307-A309. Adaptation refers to the measures humans can take to minimize damage from climate change—for instance, by protecting infrastructure and communities against flooding, erosion, and extreme weather. Adapting to climate change's anticipated health problems is a more recent concern.Building resilience and adaptation to manage Arctic change
F.S. Chapin III et al. Ambio (2006) 35(4):198-202. Unprecedented global changes caused by human actions challenge society's ability to sustain the desirable features of our planet. This requires proactive management of change to foster both resilience (sustaining those attributes that are important to society in the face of change) and adaptation (developing new socioecological configurations that function effectively under new conditions).Climate change 2007: Impacts, adaptation and vulnerability
Contribution of Working Group II to the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, 2007. This is one of three main volumes under the umbrella title Climate Change 2007.Climate change 2007: Mitigation of climate change
Contribution of Working Group III to the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, 2007. This is one of three main volumes under the umbrella title Climate Change 2007.Climate change and Arctic sustainable development: Scientific, social, cultural and educational challenges
Report and recommendations from an international expert meeting, Novotel Monte Carlo, Monaco, March 2009. The rapid rate of climatic change in the Arctic, coupled with the potential increased transmission of invasive species, greater industrialization, and rapid social change, makes understanding and conserving Arctic biodiversity an ever greater challenge. (PDF 210 KB)Climate change and sustainable development: Realizing the opportunity
J. Robinson et al. Ambio (2006) 35(1):2-8. This paper examines climate change through a sustainable development lens. To illustrate how this might change the approach to climate change issues, it reports on the findings of a panel of business, local government, and academic representatives in British Columbia, Canada, who were appointed to advise the provincial government on climate change policy.Climate change in the Arctic: Current and future vulnerability in two Inuit communities in Canada
J.D. Ford et al. Geographical Journal (2007) 174(1):45-62. Global climate models (GCMs) project continued increases in temperature and precipitation over the Canadian Arctic; alterations to the frequency, magnitude, and geographic distribution of climate-related events; reduced areal extent and thickness of the sea ice and permafrost; and shifts in the distribution, abundance, and migratory behavior of Arctic wildlife species. This paper characterizes vulnerability to climate change in two Inuit communities in the Canadian territory of Nunavut, focusing on the resource harvesting sector.Climate change in the context of multiple stressors and resilience
Chapter 17 (pages 945-988) of ACIA Scientific Report, Cambridge University Press, 2005. This chapter presents a framework for vulnerability analysis and uses this framework to illuminate examples in Sachs Harbour, Northwest Territories, Canada; coastal Greenland; and Finnmark, Norway. These examples focus on indigenous peoples and their experiences or potential experiences with climate change, organic and metallic pollution, and changing human and societal conditions. (PDF 1.54 MB)Climate change in northern Quebec: Adaptation strategies from community-based research
M. Tremblay et al. Arctic (2008) 61(1):27-34. Arctic communities are recently reporting warmer and shorter winters, which have implications for the ice season and, consequently, on the access to local territories and resources by members of these communities. These climatic shifts are resulting in increased risks for travel during the winter season associated with less stable and thinner ice.Climate change in Point Hope, Alaska: Strategies for community health
Report prepared by ANTHC Center for Climate and Health, August 2010. Point Hope is one of the most exposed communities in Alaska, vulnerable to the full force of coastal storms and the constant shaping of the land by the wind and the sea. Shore erosion and the risk of flooding has forced relocation in the past. Today with the added pressure of climate change, Point Hope continues its struggle with increased urgency against erosion and against other emerging challenges to the community, the culture, and to public health. (PDF 10.3 MB)Climate change in the 21st century
S.J. Cohen, M.W. Waddell. McGill-Queen's University Press, 2009. This book goes beyond climate modeling to investigate interdisciplinary attempts to measure and forecast the complex impacts of future climate change on communities, how we assess their vulnerability, and how we plan to adapt our society.Climate change is a daily reality for Inuit (Letter from Reykjavik)
S. Nickels. Alternatives Journal (2004) 30(5):7. Altered land and marine wildlife migratory patterns, the declining quality of traditional meats and pelts such as caribou and seal, and shifting permafrost levels all have an effect on community and infrastructure.Climate changes lives of whalers in Alaska
This story was written by Melissa Block of National Public Radio and aired on "All Things Considered" on September 17, 2007.Climate Frontlines
A global forum for indigenous peoples, small islands, and vulnerable communities.Climate impacts on northern Canada
T.D. Prowse et al. Ambio (2009) 38(5). This issue contains a series of articles about impacts of climate change on physical, natural, and human systems in Canada's North:
- Climate impacts on northern Canada: Introduction
- Climate impacts on northern Canada: Regional background
- Climatic conditions in northern Canada: Past and future
- Implications of climate change for northern Canada: The physical environment
- Implications of climate change for economic development in northern Canada: Energy, resource, and transportation sectors
- Implications of climate change for northern Canada: Freshwater, marine, and terrestrial ecosystems
Communities and infrastructure in a changing coastal environment
This webpage from North by 2020, an International Polar Year initiative, has as its key objective the development of a long-term response strategy by learning how to better inform Alaskans about the nature, extent, and technical aspects of coastal-zone erosion problems as well as learn from Alaskans about their social and ecological environmental concerns.Confronting climate change: Avoiding the unmanageable and managing the unavoidable
Report prepared by the Scientific Expert Group on Climate Change (SEG) for the 15th Session of the Commission on Sustainable Development, 2007. It is becoming more and more clear that the United Nations' Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), which are the world community's blueprint for moving towards a sustainable, just world during this decade and beyond, are becoming more difficult to achieve as a result of human-induced climate change. (PDF 15.36 MB)Context and climate change: An integrated assessment for Barrow, Alaska
A.H. Lynch, R.D. Brunner. Climatic Change (2007) 82(1-2):93-111. An intensive approach to Barrow, Alaska's adaptations to climate change and variability during recent decades suggests reconsideration of the interconnected roles of science, policy, and decision-making structures.Coping with global climate change: The role of adaptation in the United States
Report prepared for the Pew Center on Global Climate Change, June 2004. This report provides a review of the role of adaptation in addressing climate change, the options available for increasing our ability to adapt, and the extent to which adaptation can reduce the consequences of climate change to the U.S. economy and natural resources. (PDF 573 KB)Dangerous climate change and the importance of adaptation for the Arctic's Inuit population
J.D. Ford. Environmental Research Letters (2009) 4(2):1-9. The Arctic's climate is changing rapidly, to the extent that 'dangerous' climate change as defined by the United Nations Framework on Climate Change might already be occurring. These changes are having implications for the Arctic's Inuit population and are being exacerbated by the dependence of Inuit on biophysical resources for livelihoods and the low socioeconomic health status of many northern communities.Decision-making for at-risk communities in a changing climate
Report prepared by the Alaska Center for Climate Assessment and Policy (ACCAP), 2009. This report is intended to inform decisions about climate change and uncertainty, risk management, and relocation planning. It does not address social, psychological, or cultural issues involved in village relocation and does not serve as a one-size-fits-all plan for relocating at-risk communities. (PDF 941 KB) There is a slide presentation from a webinar about the report, presented by Daniel White of ACCAP on January 26, 2010 (1.48 MB), and a podcast of the webinar. (54.41 MB)Economic impacts of global warming: A study of the fishing industry in north Norway
A. Eide, K. Heen, Fisheries Research (2002) 56(3):261-274. Several studies have been carried out on the possible physical and biological effects of global warming in the Barents Sea area. Based on these studies, this paper discusses the effects global warming may have on the Barents Sea fisheries and the implications for the north Norwegian economy.Effects of climatic variability on three fishing economies in high-latitude regions: Implications for fisheries policies
J.R. McGoodwin. Marine Policy (2007) 31(1):40-55. Research exploring how climatic variability impacts fishing economies in high-latitude regions was conducted in south-central Iceland and southwest Alaska during 2001-2004. Important differences were found regarding the economic impacts of climatic variations in the commercial economies in Iceland and Alaska, versus in the native subsistence economies in Alaska.Estimating future costs for Alaska public infrastructure at risk from climate change
Report prepared by the Institute of Social and Economic Research (ISER), University of Alaska Anchorage, June 2007. Warmer temperatures and more precipitation will affect both natural and man-made systems in Alaska, with widespread social and economic consequences. One effect will be to damage public infrastructure and shorten its useful life, although not all areas or all types of infrastructure will be equally affected. (PDF 2.79 MB)Evidence and implications of recent climate change in northern Alaska and other Arctic regions
L.D. Hinzman et al. Climatic Change (2005) 72(3):251-298. This study supports ongoing efforts to strengthen the interdisciplinarity of arctic system science and improve the coupling of large-scale experimental manipulation with sustained time series observations by incorporating and integrating novel technologies, remote sensing and modeling.Forests and global climate change: Potential impacts on U.S. forest resources
Report prepared for the Pew Center on Global Climate Change, February 2003. This is the ninth in a series of Pew Center reports examining the potential impacts of climate change on our environment and health. A previous report in this series addressed the risks to terrestrial ecosystems posed by climate change. This report details the likely ecological and economic impacts of climate change over the next century on the U.S. forestry sector. (PDF 1.3 MB)A framework for assessing the vulnerability of communities in the Canadian Arctic to risks associated with climate change
J.D. Ford, B. Smit. Arctic (2004) 57(4):389-400. Notwithstanding the scholarship on climate change itself, there are few studies on the nature of Arctic communities' vulnerability to climate-change risks. The authors review existing literature on implications of climate change for Arctic communities, develop a conceptual model of vulnerability, and present an analytical approach to assessing climate hazards and coping strategies in Arctic communities.The future of arctic conservation
The Circle (2009), Issue 2. The Circle is published quarterly by the WWF International Arctic Programme. This edition of The Circle focuses on arctic conservation in times of rapid climate change. (PDF 2.89 MB)Global environmental change and human security
R.A. Matthew et al. (eds), MIT Press, 2009. This book examines the complex social, health, and economic consequences of environmental change across the globe.Global warming will decimate arctic peoples
S. Leahy. Inter Press Service, September 11, 2004. Climate change will soon make the Arctic regions of the world nearly unrecognizable, dramatically disrupting traditional Inuit and other northern native peoples' way of life. These dire predictions are just some of the findings by the Arctic Climate Impact Assessment (ACIA), an unprecedented four-year scientific investigation into the current and future impact of climate change in the region.Gunter Weller on global warming and Alaska
D. Cutler. Alaska Business Monthly (2001) 17(9):10. All sectors of the Alaska economy will be affected in one way or another. It seems likely that the Alaska fisheries could be the biggest loser if the present climate trends continue and the predicted global warming occurs.Helping vulnerable communities adapt to climate change
University of Alaska Anchorage podcast. Climate justice expert Maxine Burkett, associate professor at the University of Hawaii, Manoa, William S. Richardson School of Law, gave this talk hosted by the Resilience and Adaptive Management (RAM) Group and the Office of the Chancellor. This podcast was recorded on September 29, 2009. (MP3—107 MB, 116:55)High-latitude sustainability: Options for enhancing the resilience of northern countries to rapid social and environmental change: A message to policy makers
O. Ullsten et al. Ambio (2004) 33(6):343 The eight arctic and boreal nations are now experiencing unprecedented environmental and social changes. The following seven papers in this Ambio issue summarize results that explain why northern countries might be either unusually resilient or vulnerable to these changes. These papers result from a meeting sponsored by the Royal Swedish Academy of Agriculture and Forestry and the International Arctic Research Center to address high-latitude sustainability:
- Resilience and vulnerability of northern regions to social and environmental change (F.S. Chapin III et al.)
- The dynamics of ecosystems, biodiversity management and social institutions at high northern latitudes (T. Elmqvist et al.)
- Past, current and future fire frequency in the Canadian boreal forest: Implications for sustainable forest management (Y. Bergeron et al.)
- Global change and the boreal forest: Thresholds, shifting states or gradual change? (F.S Chapin III et al.)
- Institutional frameworks for sustainability? A comparative analysis of the forest sectors of Russia and the Baltic states (L. Carlsson, M. Lazdinis)
- Bringing feedback and resilience of high-latitude ecosystems into the corporate boardroom (G. Whiteman et al.)
- Geographic variations in anthropogenic drivers that influence the vulnerability and resilience of social-ecological systems (B.C. Forbes et al.)
How is global climate change affecting Alaska's marine ecosystems and resources?
Slide presentation by the Alaska Marine Conservation Council, 2008. Alaska's fisheries, which are commercially important (providing half of the US domestic catch), and traditional subsistence ways of life will be changing in complex and sometimes uncertain ways as the climate changes. (PDF 4.24 MB)How will climate change alter fishery governance: Insights from seven international case studies
A. McIlgorm et al. Marine Policy (2010) 34(1):170-177. The case studies reveal governance issues that indicate adaptation will involve more flexible fishery management regimes, schemes for capacity adjustment, catch limitation, and alternative fishing livelihoods for fishers. Where fishery governance systems have been less developed, fisheries are less able to adapt to climate change impacts.Human rights and climate change: The Inuit case study
The Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) is collecting case studies on the impacts of climate change on vulnerable communities. This is a 2007 case study of the Inuit of Canada, Alaska, Greenland, and Russia. (PDF 93 KB)Human rights and climate change case study: Yup'ik and Athabaskan people of the Yukon River, Alaska
The Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) is collecting case studies on the impacts of climate change on vulnerable communities. This is a 2007 case study of the Yup'ik and Athabaskan people of the Yukon River in Alaska. (PDF 187 KB)Hunting, herding, fishing, and gathering: Indigenous peoples and renewable resource use in the Arctic
Chapter 12 (pages 649-690) of ACIA Scientific Report, Cambridge University Press, 2005. Climatic variability and weather affect the abundance and availability of animals and thus the abilities and opportunities to harvest and process animals for food, clothing, and other purposes. Arctic communities experience forces that threaten to restrict harvesting activities and sever these relationships. (PDF 666 KB)Impacts of climate variability and change on fishery-based livelihoods
M-C Badjeck et al. Marine Policy (2010) 34(3):375-383. There is increasing concern over the consequences of global warming for the food security and livelihoods of the world's 36 million fisherfolk and the nearly 1.5 billion consumers who rely on fish for more than 20% of their dietary animal protein. With mounting evidence of the impacts of climate variability and change on aquatic ecosystems, the resulting impacts on fisheries livelihoods are likely to be significant, but remain a neglected area in climate adaptation policy.The impacts of global climate change in the Bering Sea region: An assessment conducted by the International Arctic Science Committee under its Bering Sea Impacts Study (BESIS)
Results of an international workshop that was part of the American Association for the Advancement of Science's Arctic Science Conference held in Girdwood, Alaska, 18-21 September 1996, published in 1997 by the Center for Global Change and Arctic System Research, UAF. Observed climate-related trends and changes over the past few decades make the Bering Sea Impacts Study (BESIS) in the Western Arctic/Bering Sea region of particular interest in assessing the regional impacts of change. (PDF 1.03 MB)Impacts of a warming arctic: Arctic climate impact assessment—Synthesis report
The ACIA Synthesis Report (2004) is a plain-language synthesis of the key findings of the Arctic Climate Impact Assessment, designed to make the scientific findings accessible to policymakers and the broader public.Implications of global change in Alaska and the Bering Sea region
Proceedings of a Workshop, University of Alaska Fairbanks, June 1997, published April 1998 by the Center for Global Change and Arctic System Research, UAF. This workshop was part of a series of U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP) regional climate change workshops being held in 1997 and 1998 as a first step in a U.S. national assessment of the consequences of climate change.The implications of Arctic sea ice decline on shipping
J. Ho. Marine Policy (2010) 34(3):713-715. Current rates of warming indicate an earlier realization of a 'blue' Arctic Ocean than predicted. Routes along the coast of Siberia will be navigable much earlier. Before the Arctic routes can reliably be used on a large scale for transit by shipping along its passages, more investments are required in infrastructure and the provision of marine services to ensure the safe and secure transit of shipping with minimal environmental impact.In focus: Global change and adaptation in local places
D. Nelson et al. American Anthropologist (2009) 111(3):271-274. Human adaptation is a field with a significant history in anthropology, yet anthropological contributions to the burgeoning field of climate change remain limited. This "In Focus" section presents studies of local adaptations to climate variation and change.Indigenous and traditional peoples and climate change
Issues paper prepared by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), 2008. Through this report, IUCN offers some elements that will facilitate integration of sociocultural considerations in programs and actions to address climate change impacts. (PDF 1.49 MB)Indigenous knowledge and scientific data to improve climate change adaptation strategies
Science Poles. December 25, 2008. The intimate understanding they have of the environment around them gives indigenous Arctic peoples special insight into the changes in ecosystems taking place as climate change gradually alters the face of the Arctic, and researchers can use this to their advantage in conducting studies.Indigenous peoples and climate change
Publication by the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research, Oxford, 2007. Indigenous and other local peoples are vital and active parts of many ecosystems and may help to enhance the resilience of these ecosystems. In addition, they interpret and react to climate change impacts in creative ways, drawing on traditional knowledge as well as new technologies to find solutions, which may help society at large to cope with the impending changes. (PDF 1.65 MB)Indigenous peoples and traditional knowledge related to biological diversity and responses to climate change in the Arctic region
Brochure published by Ministry of the Environment of Finland, 2009. While the results of scientific studies on the impacts of climate change on Arctic species and ecosystems are useful, they present only one snapshot of a vast and complex system. Indigenous and traditional knowledge from the Arctic region reveals another view of life and lifestyles under threat. (PDF 1.36 MB)Infrastructure: Buildings, support systems, and industrial facilities
Chapter 16 (pages 907-944) of ACIA Scientific Report, Cambridge University Press, 2005. This chapter discusses the potential impacts of climate change on arctic infrastructure. Particular concerns are associated with permafrost warming and degradation, coastal erosion, the stability and maintenance of transportation routes, and industrial development. Adaptation, mitigation, and monitoring techniques will be necessary to minimize the potentially serious detrimental impacts. (PDF 2.91 MB)Inuit economic adaptations for a changing global climate
T.B. Leduc. Ecological Economics (2006) 60(1):27-35. This paper proposes that market economic rationality limits the general Western approach towards climate change and indigenous knowledge.Inuit vulnerability and adaptive capacity to climate change in Ulukhaktok, Northwest Territories, Canada
T. Pearce et al. Polar Record (2010) 46(02):157-177. Climate change is already being experienced in the Arctic with implications for ecosystems and the communities that depend on them. This paper argues that an assessment of community vulnerability to climate change requires knowledge of past experience with climate conditions, responses to climatic variations, future climate change projections, and non-climate factors that influence people's susceptibility and adaptive capacity.The Last Days of Shishmaref
A multimedia documentation of the effect of climate change on the island of Shishmaref in Alaska, which will soon be moved as the ocean claims the island.Lightning and fires in the Northwest Territories and responses to future climate change
B. Kochtubajda et al. Arctic (2006) 59(2):211-221. The longer, warmer, and drier summer seasons projected to result from climate change are expected to increase the frequency and intensity of forest fires by the end of the 21st century. Their considerable consequences for forests and wildlife make these changes a concern for northern communities, forest managers, and wildlife biologists.Limiting the magnitude of future climate change
National Academy of Sciences, 2010. This report is part of a suite of studies entitled America's Climate Choices.Looking back to the future
W. Steffen. Ambio (2008) 37(sp14):507-513. The emergence of climate change as a central political issue around the world, along with growing concern for the environment more generally, has raised the challenge to achieve sustainability as a high order social goal. Yet over the 20 years since the publication of the landmark Brundtland Report on sustainable development, humanity has moved further away from sustainability in many important aspects, particularly at the global scale.Management and conservation of wildlife in a changing Arctic environment
Chapter 11 (pages 597-648) of ACIA Scientific Report, Cambridge University Press, 2005. The effects of climate change on wildlife populations, their productivity, and their distributions will increasingly threaten arctic wildlife at the species, population, and ecosystem levels. Systems for management and conservation of wildlife in the Arctic will face new challenges and must become adaptable to the changes taking place in the natural environment accelerated by climate change. (PDF 2.08 MB)Meeting the climate challenge: Core elements of an effective response to climate change
Report prepared by the United Nations Foundation and the Center for American Progress, 2009. Achievable gains in energy efficiency, renewable energy, forest conservation, and sustainable land use worldwide, along with additional investments in climate adaptation, would deliver a wide range of economic, security, and environmental benefits in developed and developing countries. (PDF 294 KB)Migration as an adaptation to climate change
R. McLeman, B. Smit. Climatic Change (2006) 76(1-2):31-53. This article presents a conceptual model to investigate population migration as a possible adaptive response to risks associated with climate change. The model reflects established theories of human migration behavior, and is based upon the concepts of vulnerability, exposure to risk, and adaptive capacity, as developed in the climate change research community.Modern erosion rates and loss of coastal features and sites, Beaufort Sea coastline, Alaska
B.M. Jones et al. Arctic (2008) 61(4):361-372. This study presents modern erosion rate measurements based upon vertical aerial photography captured in 1955, 1979, and 2002 for a 100 km segment of the Beaufort Sea coastline.Native Peoples - Native Homelands Climate Change Workshop: Final report
The Native Peoples – Native Homelands Climate Change Workshop was held on October 28 through November 01, 1998, as part of a series of workshops being held around the U.S. to improve the understanding of the potential consequences of climate variability and change for the nation. This workshop was specifically designed by Native peoples to examine the impacts of climate change and extreme weather variability on Native peoples and Native homelands from an indigenous cultural and spiritual perspective and to develop recommendations as well as identify potential response actions. (PDF 809 KB)The Northern Forum Report
S.L. Blakney. Arctic (2008) 61(Suppl 1):4-6. The Coastal Zone Canada (CZC) Association is an organization interested in promoting integrated coastal zone management goals in Canada and abroad. It holds an international conference every two years to promote these goals. The Northern Forum was provided as a special venue where Inuit leaders could formulate views and recommendations regarding CZC conference topics and priorities.On complex extremes: Flood hazards and combined high spring-time precipitation and temperature in Norway
R.E. Benestad, J.E. Haugen. Climatic Change (2007) 85(3-4):381-406. A combination of high temperature and heavy precipitation during spring can produce flooding when run-off due to snow-melt adds to river discharge from the rainfall. Such combined events are often referred to as 'complex extremes.'On thin ice in the Bering Sea
This NOVA video series explores the past and future of the fast-changing Bering Sea region, its culture and people, and the new polar science that is emerging from an expedition on board the Coast Guard cutter Healy.Peoples of the Arctic: Human response to Arctic change
The Circle (2010), Issue 2. The Circle is published quarterly by the WWF International Arctic Programme. This issue focuses on the people living in the Arctic; how their lives are influenced by the dramatic changes occurring in the region as temperatures reach record high levels, the sea ice is melting with an alarming speed, and countries and companies compete for access to the wealth of Arctic resources; how people of the North cope with and adapt to these changes; and the role of traditional knowledge in these processes today. (PDF 4.67 MB)Perception of change in freshwater in remote resource-dependent Arctic communities
L. Alessa et al. Global Environmental Change (2008) 18(1):153-164. This paper provides empirical evidence to support existing anecdotal studies regarding the mechanisms by which human communities become vulnerable to rapid changes in freshwater resources on the Seward Peninsula, Alaska. Authors discuss the role of collective knowledge, through the transmission of knowledge from elders to subsequent generations, in aiding the development of a community's ability to note and respond to changes in critical natural resources.Permafrost and changing climate: The Russian perspective
O. Anisimov, S. Reneva. Ambio (2006) 35(4):169-175. The permafrost regions occupy about 25% of the Northern Hemisphere's terrestrial surface, and more than 60% of that of Russia. Warming, thawing, and degradation of permafrost have been observed in many locations in recent decades and are likely to accelerate in the future as a result of climatic change.Permafrost and infrastructure in the Usa Basin (Northeast European Russia): Possible impacts of global warming
G. Mazhitova et al. Ambio (2004) 33(6):289-294. About 75% of the Usa Basin is underlain by permafrost terrain with various degrees of continuity (isolated patches to continuous permafrost). The region has a high level of urban and industrial development. Most of the permafrost-affected terrain will likely start to thaw within a few decades to a century. This forecast poses serious challenges to permafrost engineering and calls for long-term investments in adequate infrastructure.Preparing for a changing climate: The potential consequences of climate variability and change
A report of the Alaska Regional Assessment Group for the U.S. Global Change Research Program, published by the Center for Global Change and Arctic System Research, UAF, Dec. 1999. This group's assessment of the impacts of climate change in Alaska and the Bering Sea region started in 1995, with workshops taking place each year. The present report is a summary of the findings from all of these workshops.Preparing for climatic change: The water, salmon, and forests of the Pacific Northwest
P.W. Mote et al. Climatic Change (2003) 61(1-2):45-88. The impacts of year-to-year and decade-to-decade climatic variations on some of the Pacific Northwest's key natural resources can be quantified to estimate sensitivity to regional climatic changes expected as part of anthropogenic global climatic change.Public infrastructure and climate change
Slide presentation by M.J. Coffey, Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities, June 2008. Coastal communities and their infrastructure are vulnerable to accelerated coastal erosion due to storm activity and wave action eroding shorelines once protected by shore-fast sea ice. (PDF 3.37 MB)Questioning complacency: Climate change impacts, vulnerability, and adaptation in Norway
K. O'Brien et al. Ambio (2006) 35(2):50-56. In this article, we present and analyze findings from recent studies on climate change impacts, vulnerability, and adaptation in Norway, with the aim of identifying the wider social impacts of climate change.Recommendations report to the Governor's Subcabinet on Climate Change: Final report from the Immediate Action Workgroup, April 17, 2008
The Immediate Action Workgroup of the (Alaska) Governor's Executive Subcabinet on Climate Change was established to address known threats to communities caused by coastal erosion, thawing permafrost, flooding, and fires, threats that include loss of life, loss of infrastructure, loss of public and private property, and health epidemics. The objective was to create a unifying mechanism to assist the communities of Newtok, Shishmaref, Kivalina, Koyukuk, Unalakleet, and Shaktoolik. (PDF 1.04 MB)Reducing vulnerability to climate change in the Arctic: The case of Nunavut, Canada
J. Ford et al. Arctic (2007) 60(2):150-166. Research conducted with the communities of Arctic Bay and Igloolik in Nunavut identified key areas where policy can help Inuit reduce their vulnerability to climate change, focusing on the erosion of traditional Inuit knowledge and land-based skills, the weakening of social networks, and a reduction in harvesting flexibility.Report of the Indigenous Peoples' Global Summit on Climate Change
Final report of a conference held 20-24 April 2009, Anchorage, Alaska. The summit enabled indigenous peoples from all regions of the globe to exchange their knowledge and experience in adapting to the impacts of climate change, and to develop key messages and recommendations to be articulated to the world at the fifteenth Conference of Parties (COP-15) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Copenhagen, Denmark in December 2009. (PDF 4.28 MB)Representing dynamic uncertainty in climate policy deliberations
G.W. Yohe. Ambio (2006) 35(2):89-91. This article highlights three sources of concern about the way that uncertainty in our understanding of the climate system is portrayed to decision-makers. These concerns include a continued reliance on the cost-benefit paradigm to organize their thoughts, the implicit acceptance of the notion that uncertainty will decline over time, and the persistent omission of adaptation as a significant source of uncertainty.Resilient communities: Food security, communication and health in a changing North
This webpage from North by 2020, an International Polar Year initiative, looks at how climatic shifts, increasing globalization, and sociopolitical changes affect, and are affected by, Northern peoples and interests.Responding to climate change in northern communities: Impacts and adaptations
D. Riedlinger. Arctic (2001) 54(1):96-98. This project is a collaborative research effort documenting Inuvialuit knowledge of climate change and the contributions of this knowledge to climate change research. A secondary goal is to understand adaptive strategies used by the community to respond to climate change phenomena.Royal Colloquium 30 May 2005–1 June 2005: Arctic under Stress
D. Brändström. Ambio (2006) 35(4):212. These are the closing comments from the Carl XVI Gustaf Royal Colloquium 2005.Slipping into the sea: Last days of the arctic community Shishmaref
B. Alexander. World & I (2003) 18(12):172-181. Storms in the Chukchi have battered the coast of Sarichef Island for centuries, but Alaska's mean temperatures have increased by 5 degrees in summer and 10 degrees in winter over the past 30 years. This warming is thawing the permafrost that used to reinforce the ground on Sarichef's coastline.Social change, ecology and climate in 20th-century Greenland
L. Hamilton et al. Climatic Change (2000) 47(1-2):193-211. Developments in 20th-century Greenland resemble patterns of human-environment interactions in the medieval Norse settlements, suggesting some general propositions relevant to the human dimensions of climatic change.Stopping global warming—Signs of hope
Dr. Robert K. Musil, author of the book Hope for a Heated Planet, spoke to the Alaska World Affairs Council on November 13, 2009. This recording aired on KSKA Public Radio's "Addressing Alaskans" on December 10, 2009. Dr. Musil specializes in contemporary global security, sustainability, and health. (MP3—26.9 MB, 58:57)Timescapes of community resilience and vulnerability in the circumpolar north
M. Robards, L. Alessa. Arctic (2004) 57(4):415-427. Historical relationships between people and a changing Arctic environment (which constitute a social-ecological system, or SES) can offer insights for management that promote both social and ecological resilience.Toward an integrated coastal sea-ice observatory: System components and a case study at Barrow, Alaska
M.L. Druckenmiller et al. Cold Regions Science and Technology (2009) 56(2-3):61-72. The morphology, stability and duration of seasonal landfast sea ice in Alaska's coastal zone is changing alongside large-scale ice thinning and retreat. The extent and complexity of change at the local level requires an integrated observing approach to assess implications of such change for coastal ecosystems and communities that rely on or make use of the sea-ice cover.Translating climate change impacts at the community level
F. Duerden. Arctic (2004) 57(2):204-212. It is well recognized that climate change will have considerable impact on the physical landscapes of northern Canada. How these impacts will be transmitted to the level of human activity is not clear, but it needs to be understood by governments and other decision makers to help them identify and implement appropriate approaches to ameliorate the effects of climate change.Travelling and hunting in a changing Arctic: Assessing Inuit vulnerability to sea ice change in Igloolik, Nunavut
G.J. Laidler et al. Climatic Change (2009) 94:363-397 The observations of community members and instrumental records indicate changes in sea ice around the Inuit community of Igloolik, in the Canadian territory of Nunavut.Viking weather
T. Folger. National Geographic (2010) 217(6):48-67. In Greenland, apprehension about climate change is often overshadowed by great expectations. The Arctic meltdown has already started to open up access to oil, gas, and mineral resources that could give Greenland the financial and political independence its people crave.Vulnerability and resilience in the face of climate change: Current research and needs for population information
Report prepared by Battelle Memorial Institute for Population Action International, August 2009. With the exception of the livelihoods approach, there is limited research that integrates household configurations and patterns of resource use, sources of vulnerability, and the role public health (including reproductive health) can play in resilience to climate change. (PDF 277 KB)Vulnerability to climate change in the Arctic: A case study from Arctic Bay, Canada
J.D. Ford et al. Global Environmental Change (2006) 16(2):145-160. Inuit in Arctic Bay have demonstrated significant adaptability in the face of changing climate-related exposures. This adaptability is facilitated by traditional Inuit knowledge, strong social networks, flexibility in seasonal hunting cycles, some modern technologies, and economic support. Changing Inuit livelihoods, however, have undermined certain aspects of adaptive capacity and have resulted in emerging vulnerabilities in certain sections of the community.Vulnerability to climate change in Igloolik, Nunavut: What we can learn from the past and present
J.D. Ford et al. Polar Record (2006) 42(221):127-138. This paper argues that the starting point to understand how future climate change may affect communities is analysis of past and present experience of, and response to, climate variability and change.Vulnerable or resilient? A multi-scale assessment of climate impacts and vulnerability in Norway
K. O'Brien et al. Climatic Change (2004) 64(1-2):193-225. This paper explores the issue of climate vulnerability in Norway, an affluent country that is generally considered to be resilient to the impacts of climate change. In presenting a multi-scale assessment of climate change impacts and vulnerability in Norway, the authors show that the concept of vulnerability depends on the scale of analysis.What if and so what in northwest Canada: Could climate change make a difference to the future of the Mackenzie Basin?
S. Cohen. Arctic (1997) 50(4):293-307. Science and policy responses, mostly concerning emission reductions, have received considerable attention from governments, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), universities, and the private sector. The research effort, however, has not given equal attention to the "other dimension" of global warming—adaptation to the projected impacts of climate change scenarios.Working together to keep communities and cultures intact in the face of climate change
This is a slide presentation given at the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen on December 15, 2009, by Larry Hartig, Commissioner of the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation, and Chair of the Governor's Climate Change Subcabinet. (PDF 11.64 MB)Witnesses to Change—Traditional Knowledge
Advancing landscape change research through the incorporation of Iñupiaq knowledge
W. Eisner et al. Arctic (2009) 62(4):429-442. The authors interviewed Iñupiat elders, hunters, and other knowledge-holders in the villages of Barrow and Atqasuk on the western Arctic coastal plain of northern Alaska to gain further insight into the processes governing the ubiquitous lakes and the dynamics of landscape change in this region of continuous permafrost.Alaska Natives assessing the health of their environment
D. Garza. International Journal of Circumpolar Health (2001) 60(4):479-486. The changes in Alaska's ecosystems caused by pollution, contaminants and global climate change are negatively impacting Alaska Natives and rural residents who rely on natural resources for food, culture and community identity.Alaskan Native thoughts on climate change
A resident of the Native village of Savoonga on St. Lawrence Island, Alaska. It's his second time on board the HEALY where he was invited by Chief Scientist, Jackie Grebmeier, to observe and participate in some of the research that was being done during the cruise.Answers from the ice edge: The consequences of climate change on life in the Bering and Chukchi seas
Report prepared by the Arctic Network in collaboration with Greenpeace Alaska, June 1998. Climate change is a grave threat to northern ecosystems and thus to the subsistence way of life that is the heart of Yup'ik and Inupiat cultures. This report is about changes Alaska Native peoples of the northern Bering and Chukchi seas observe in their surroundings. (PDF 1.26 MB)Arctic: A Friend Acting Strangely
This website incorporates images and information from the Arctic: A Friend Acting Strangely exhibition developed by the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History. Includes the film Eye Witness to Change.Arctic Stories - People
Interviews with a wide range of Arctic dwellers, who share their thoughts and experiences about life in the Arctic, and how they look at and handle the big changes in their environment.At the gates of the sun
This 140-page book documents the life of Nizni-Kolyma and Neriungri uluses, two regions of Republic of Sakha-Yakutia, Siberia, as seen by the visiting Finnish members of the Snowchange Cooperative. The photos in the book were taken between 2004 and 2009 as part of the joint project "Traditional Knowledge of the Indigenous Peoples of the North of Sakha-Yakutia in the Context of Arctic Climate Change." These two regions maintain nomadic reindeer herding in the setting of rapid arctic climate change, resource development, and cultural change.Author Seth Kantner reads from Shopping for Porcupine
University of Alaska Anchorage podcast. The UAA/APU Books of the Year presented author Seth Kantner. His two books, Shopping for Porcupine and Ordinary Wolves, mark him as one of the most interesting and dynamic Alaskan writers. He discussed the Books of the Year theme "Responding to Climate Change in Alaska," illustrated by his own photos and commentary. This podcast was recorded on November 12, 2009. (MP3—33 MB, 71:42)Breaking the ice
D. Whipple. Nature Reports Climate Change, April 24, 2008. Scientists are becoming increasingly open to using local knowledge to understand how climate change could affect the world's most vulnerable, and often inaccessible, regions.Changes in weather persistence: Insight from Inuit knowledge
E. Weatherhead et al. Global Environmental Change (2010) 20(3):523-528. Since the 1990s, local residents from around the Arctic have reported changes in weather predictability. Examination of environmental measurements have not, until now, helped describe what the local inhabitants have been reporting, in part because prior studies did not focus directly on the persistence aspect of weather. Here, authors provide evidence of changes in persistence in weather over the past two decades for Baker Lake, Nunavut, Canada.Changes we have seen: Traditional knowledge proceedings from the 2008 SACNAS national conference
The 2008 Society for Advancing Chicanos and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS) national conference was one of the largest International Polar Year focused events in the world. Changes We Have Seen captures some of the most important dialogue on traditional knowledge and climate change from this historic conference.Changing Arctic: Indigenous perspectives
Chapter 3 of the Arctic Climate Impact Assessment, ACIA Secretariat and Cooperative Institute for Arctic Research, University of Alaska Fairbanks, 2005. This chapter reviews the concept of indigenous knowledge, summarizes those indigenous observations of environmental and climatic change that have been documented to date, and presents a series of case studies, largely from hunting and herding societies, examining the perspectives of specific communities or peoples. (PDF 1.37 MB)Changing sea ice brings arctic hunters together
E. Quinn. Eye on the Arctic (2010). The Siku-Inuit-Hila Project was started by Canadian scientist Shari Gearheard and funded by the National Science Foundation in the United States. The name of the project means "Sea Ice - People - Weather." The objective of the project is to document the changing relationship of Inuit to the sea ice.Climate and society: Lessons from the past 10,000 years
S.E. van der Leeuw. Ambio (2008) 37(sp14):476-482. One needs to look at the combined socio-environmental systems over the longer term that reflect the buildup and culmination of shifts in social and environmental risk spectra due to the human-environmental interactions in periods before the "crisis" occurs, which are a fact of life in any society's interaction with its environment, and should be seen as "social" challenges rather than "environmental" ones.Climate change and health impacts: Point Hope, Alaska
Center for Climate and Health, Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium. This report describes climate impacts observed in Point Hope, Alaska. It relies upon the observations, data and traditional ecological knowledge provided by local partners. Additionally, scientific data on environment, health and climate is provided where available. The purpose is to describe changes that are occurring so as to help in the development of adaptive strategies that encourage community health and resilience. Published October 2009 (6.83 MB PDF).Climate change and the Inuvialuit of Banks Island, NWT: Using traditional environmental knowledge to complement Western science
D. Riedlinger. Arctic (1999) 52(4):430-432. The extensive use and knowledge of the land found in Inuvialuit communities provide a distinctive source of environmental expertise--expertise that is guided by generations of experience. Environmental change associated with variations in weather and climate has not gone unnoticed by northerners who are experiencing such change firsthand.Climate change and Pacific Rim indigenous nations
Report published by Northwest Indian Applied Research Institute (NIARI), 2006. Native nations of the Arctic and Subarctic are already feeling catastrophic effects of warmer temperatures, in the melting of sea ice, permafrost, and glaciers, and increase in fires, insects, flooding, and drought patterns. (PDF 1.76 MB)Climate change and sea ice: Local observations from the Canadian western Arctic
T. Nichols et al. Arctic (2004) 57(1):68-79. In the small Inuvialuit community of Sachs Harbour, Northwest Territories, the authors interviewed all of the 16 community members and elders considered to be local experts on sea ice to ask about their observations.Climate change in the Arctic: An Inuit reality
D. Smith. UN Chronicle (2007) 44(2):40-41. The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) characterizes the circumpolar Arctic as the world's climate change "barometer." The 160,000 Inuit who live in northern Canada, Greenland, Alaska, and Chukotka in Russia have witnessed the changing of the natural environment as a result of global warming for almost 20 years.Climate Change Project Jukebox
This project is a collaboration between the Oral History Program and the Observing Locally, Connecting Globally (OLCG) teacher education project. Since one of OLCG's goals was to introduce teachers to the climate change observations of local experts, OLCG invited Caleb Pungowiyi of St. Lawrence Island to share his knowledge at a teacher workshop in Fairbanks. This initial presentation was recorded by the Oral History project and provided the inspiration for development of the Climate Change Jukebox Project.Climate modeling and Native knowledge
Native American communities in Alaska are providing important information that helps scientists downscale climate change models, giving us a clearer picture of how changes will impact specific locations. This marriage of traditional Native American knowledge and academic research is benefiting us all.Climate witness in the Arctic
In the Climate Witness projects sponsored by WWF, people can tell their stories about how they're experiencing the changes in climate and what it means to them.Community monitoring of environmental change: College-based limnological studies at Crazy Lake (Tasirluk), Nunavut
M.G. Dyck. Arctic (2007) 60(1):55-61. In light of the difficult logistics and high cost of polar research into climate change, involvement of local people can contribute immensely to important data collection. One can use the knowledge and skills of human resources that are already present—teachers, students, and community members.Contributions of traditional knowledge to understanding climate change in the Canadian Arctic
D. Riedlinger, F. Berkes. Polar Record (2001) 37(203):315-328. Environmental change associated with variations in weather and climate has not gone unnoticed by communities that are experiencing change firsthand. Based in part on a collaborative research project in Sachs Harbour, western Canadian Arctic, this paper discusses five areas in which traditional knowledge may complement scientific approaches to understanding climate change in the Canadian Arctic.Dangerous Ice
As part of University of Alaska Fairbanks' Project Jukebox, a 2004 NSF-funded workshop brought together local community members and scientists to share observations about changes in Interior Alaska river and lake ice conditions.The earth is faster now: Indigenous observations of arctic environmental change
I. Krupnik, D. Jolly (eds.), Arctic Research Consortium of the United States, 2002. This is a link to the table of contents, foreword, and introduction of a 384-page book that documents Native observations of current environmental change across the Arctic, from weather to sea ice to caribou to marine mammals to permafrost to plant communities. Local experts interpret shifts, transitions, and abnormal events in their familiar habitats.Environmental change - The elders speak
B. Nicholson, B. Scribe, Canadian Journal of Native Studies (2007) 27(2):393-424. This article presents the words of First Nations Elders as they look back over their lifetimes at the changes that have taken place in the environment.Eurasian reindeer pastoralism in a changing climate: Indigenous knowledge & NASA remote sensing
N.G. Maynard et al. NASA Technical Report, 2008. Eurasian reindeer herders have created the EALAT project, a comprehensive new initiative to study the impacts of climate change and to develop local adaptation strategies based upon their traditional knowledge of the land and its uses—in targeted partnership with the science and remote sensing community—involving extensive collaborations and coproduction of knowledge to minimize the impacts of the various changes.Eye on the Arctic: Views from Up North
Initiated and coordinated by Radio Canada International, this site brings together media from all circumpolar countries to better tell the stories of communities and people directly affected by climate change.Glaciers and climate change: Perspectives from oral tradition
J. Cruikshank. Arctic (2001) 54(4):377-393. Academic debates, whether in science or in history, too often evaluate local expertise as data or evidence, rather than as knowledge or theory that might contribute different perspectives to academic questions.Guidelines for improved cooperation between Arctic researchers and northern communities
There is a rich history of scientific research in the Alaskan arctic. Fieldwork can interrupt subsistence hunting or disturb species protected by the Marine Mammal Protection Act or Endangered Species Act. These Guidelines (2004) were drafted by the Arctic Sciences Section of the Office of Polar Programs at the National Science Foundation and the Barrow Arctic Science Consortium in order to help researchers attain the objectives adopted in 1984 by the Interagency Arctic Research Policy Committee and the Polar Research Board. (PDF 701 KB)Human geographies of sea ice: Freeze/thaw processes around Cape Dorset, Nunavut, Canada
G.J. Laidler, P. Elee. Polar Record (2008) 44(01):51-76. This paper provides insights into local-scale ice conditions and dynamics around Cape Dorset that are not captured in regional-scale studies of Hudson Bay and/or Hudson Strait. Results have the potential to inform future research efforts on local/regional sea ice monitoring, the relationship between Inuit knowledge, language, and the environment, and addressing community interests through targeted studies.Hunting, herding, fishing, and gathering: Indigenous peoples and renewable resource use in the Arctic
Chapter 12 (pages 649-690) of ACIA Scientific Report, Cambridge University Press, 2005. Climatic variability and weather affect the abundance and availability of animals and thus the abilities and opportunities to harvest and process animals for food, clothing, and other purposes. Arctic communities experience forces that threaten to restrict harvesting activities and sever these relationships. (PDF 666 KB)'The ice we want our children to know': SIKU Project in Alaska and Siberia, 2007-2008
I. Krupnik. Alaska Park Science (2009) 8(2):97-101. This paper presents an overview on the origins, structure, and current activities under the Sea Ice Knowledge and Use (SIKU) project, which is a part of the International Polar Year (IPY) 2007-2008 science program.Indigenous knowledge and scientific data to improve climate change adaptation strategies
Science Poles. December 25, 2008. The intimate understanding they have of the environment around them gives indigenous Arctic peoples special insight into the changes in ecosystems taking place as climate change gradually alters the face of the Arctic, and researchers can use this to their advantage in conducting studies.Indigenous knowledge in modern polar science
C. Brooks. Ice Stories. October 29, 2008. One IPY-sponsored project that is bringing indigenous knowledge into polar science is the Sea Ice Knowledge and Use (SIKU) project.Indigenous knowledge of a changing climate
D. Green, G. Raygorodetsky. Climatic Change (2010) 100(2):239-242. Much of the world's remaining diversity—biological, ecosystem, landscape, cultural, and linguistic—resides in indigenous territories. Indigenous peoples play a significant role in maintaining locally resilient social-ecological systems. Despite the recent adoption of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) in 2007, indigenous people remain largely excluded from the official UN climate negotiations.Indigenous knowledge vital to understanding climate change
A. Minard. National Geographic Newswatch, May 17, 2010. Shari Gearheard, an arctic resident and research scientist with the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES) at the University of Colorado at Boulder, teamed up with her colleague, CIRES senior research scientist Elizabeth Weatherhead. Together, they've put science to the Inuits' observations, documenting for the first time a subtler effect than global warming.Indigenous peoples and climate change
Publication by the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research, Oxford, 2007. Indigenous and other local peoples are vital and active parts of many ecosystems and may help to enhance the resilience of these ecosystems. In addition, they interpret and react to climate change impacts in creative ways, drawing on traditional knowledge as well as new technologies to find solutions, which may help society at large to cope with the impending changes. (PDF 1.65 MB)Indigenous peoples and traditional knowledge related to biological diversity and responses to climate change in the Arctic region
Brochure published by Ministry of the Environment of Finland, 2009. While the results of scientific studies on the impacts of climate change on Arctic species and ecosystems are useful, they present only one snapshot of a vast and complex system. Indigenous and traditional knowledge from the Arctic region reveals another view of life and lifestyles under threat. (PDF 1.36 MB)The interface between indigenous and local knowledges and Western science
This webpage from North by 2020, an International Polar Year initiative, stresses that indigenous peoples of the Arctic have been caretakers of the land for millennia and have acquired extensive deep knowledge regarding the environment in which they live, and that indigenous residents of the Arctic are at the forefront of debates about the impacts and responses to accelerating ecological changes.Inuit and scientific perspectives on the relationship between sea ice and climate change: The ideal complement?
G.J. Laidler. Climatic Change (2006) 78(2-4):407-444. This paper explores the relationship between sea ice and climate change from both scientific and Inuit perspectives. Based on an overview of diverse literature, the experiences, methods, and goals which differentiate local and scientific sea ice knowledge are examined.Inuit knowledge and climate change
This is a page from the Isuma website. IsumaTV is an independent, interactive Inuit and indigenous multimedia network. Zacharias Kunuk and Ian Mauro are documenting centuries of Inuit knowledge, passed down from elders and hunters, about climate change and its impacts on the environment and local communities. They are working on a feature-length Inuktitut-language film entitled "Qapirangajuk: To Spear Strangely," which will be released sometime in 2010.Inuit observations of environmental change and effects of change in Anaktalak Bay, Labrador
H. Davies. Thesis submitted to the School of Environmental Studies, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada, November 2007. As in many arctic regions, impacts of increasing environmental stressors such as climate change and industrialization (particularly mineral exploration and mine development) have led local Inuit in northern Labrador to notice changes in their environment. In addition, they have expressed concerns that research and monitoring programs aimed at understanding and tracking these changes are lacking in many areas and do not accurately reflect their knowledge and concerns. (PDF 3.51 MB)Inuit Observations on Climate Change
Given the dramatic changes that local people have observed, International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) and the Hunters and Trappers Committee of Sachs Harbour, Northwest Territories, initiated a year-long project to document the problem of Arctic climate change and communicate it to Canadian and international audiences. This webpage has links to project reports, photos, and a video. Find the final report here.Inuit Sea Ice Use and Occupancy Project (ISIUOP)
ISIUOP is a collaborative project investigating the importance, uses, and knowledge of sea ice from the perspective of northern communities and Inuit experts.'It's not that simple': A collaborative comparison of sea ice environments, their uses, observed changes, and adaptations in Barrow, Alaska, USA, and Clyde River, Nunavut, Canada
S. Gearheard et al. Ambio (2006) 35(4):203-211. Although generally in agreement or complementary to one another, scientific and indigenous knowledge of sea ice often reflect different perspectives and emphases. Reliable knowledge that can be applied under changing conditions is essential. Collaborative research and firsthand experience are critical to generating such new knowledge.'It's so different today': Climate change and indigenous lifeways in British Columbia, Canada
N.J. Turner, H. Clifton. Global Environmental Change (2009) 19(2):180-190. Many people have noted signs of greater environmental change and challenges to their resilience than they have faced in the past: species declines and new appearances; anomalies in weather patterns; and declining health of forests and grasslands. These observations and perspectives are important to include in discussions and considerations of global climate change.The Last Days of Shishmaref
A multimedia documentation of the effect of climate change on the island of Shishmaref in Alaska, which will soon be moved as the ocean claims the island.Linking Inuit knowledge and meteorological station observations to understand changing wind patterns at Clyde River, Nunavut
S. Gearheard et al. Climatic Change (2010) 100(2):267-294. Inuit in many parts of Nunavut are reporting changes in wind patterns in recent years. At Clyde River, a community on the eastern coast of Baffin Island, Inuit have observed that at least three key aspects of wind have changed over the last few decades: wind variability, wind speed, and wind direction.Local and Traditional Knowledge (LTK)
This is a webpage of the North Pacific Research Board. LTK offers much in the context of research in the North Pacific by adding more information and new perspectives for understanding marine ecosystems.Local observations of climate change and impacts on traditional food security in two northern Aboriginal communities
M. Guyot et al. International Journal of Circumpolar Health (2006) 65(5):403-415. The primary objective of this study was to record participant observations of changes in the local environment, harvesting situations, and traditional food species and to explore what impact these may have on traditional food.Mapping land cover change in a reindeer herding area of the Russian Arctic using Landsat TM and ETM+ imagery and indigenous knowledge
W.G. Rees et al. Remote Sensing of Environment (2003) 85(4):441-452. Traditionally, the tundra and the northern fringes of the boreal forest of northern Europe have been occupied by indigenous peoples whose main economic activity is reindeer herding. Groups of herders accompany their animals as they follow the annual changes in vegetation. As well as climate change, the ecology has been substantially affected by social changes that have had a marked effect on the relationship between reindeer, herder, and pasture.The melting ice cellar: What Native traditional knowledge is teaching us about global warming and environmental change
P.L. Cochran, A.L. Geiler. American Journal of Public Health (2002) 92(9):1404-1409. As far back as the 1970s, Alaska Native communities reported changes we now know to be associated with global warming, such as changing weather patterns, thinning ice, diseased and deformed wildlife, and changes in the look and taste of such subsistence foods as fish and meat.NASA seeks out aboriginal people's knowledge on climate change
C. Petten. Windspeaker (2000) 17(11):8-9. NASA began consultation with representatives from the American Native community in 1998. The consultation process is part of NASA's involvement in the U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP), a program tasked with looking at the impact of climate change in the United States.'No whale, no music': Iñupiaq drumming and global warming
C. Sakakibara. Polar Record (2009) 45(04):289-303. When the environment is less predictable, the homeland eroded, place-based songs gone, and human-whale integrity threatened, how specifically are these changes manifested in the Iñupiat-whale relationship? Providing detailed descriptions of 2005-2006 nalukataq (midsummer whale feasts), this article examines how contemporary Iñupiat respond to environmental changes in the emotional and cultural dimensions through their music making.Observations on shorefast ice dynamics in Arctic Alaska and the responses of the Iñupiat hunting community
G.C. George et al. Arctic (2004) 57(4):363-374. Nearshore ice conditions can change suddenly, endangering even the most experienced subsistence hunter.On thin ice in the Bering Sea
This NOVA video series explores the past and future of the fast-changing Bering Sea region, its culture and people, and the new polar science that is emerging from an expedition on board the Coast Guard cutter Healy.Pacific walruses, indigenous hunters, and climate change: Bridging scientific and indigenous knowledge
I. Krupnik, G.C. Ray. Deep-Sea Research II (2007). This paper presents and evaluates two perspectives on changing climate-walrus-human relationships in the Beringian region, from the viewpoints of marine biology and ecology, and from that of indigenous hunters. Bridging these types of knowledge is vital in order to grasp the complexity of the processes involved.Perception of change in freshwater in remote resource-dependent Arctic communities
L. Alessa et al. Global Environmental Change (2008) 18(1):153-164. This paper provides empirical evidence to support existing anecdotal studies regarding the mechanisms by which human communities become vulnerable to rapid changes in freshwater resources on the Seward Peninsula, Alaska. Authors discuss the role of collective knowledge, through the transmission of knowledge from elders to subsequent generations, in aiding the development of a community's ability to note and respond to changes in critical natural resources.Science meets traditional knowledge: Water and climate in the Sahtu (Great Bear Lake) Region, Northwest Territories, Canada
M-K Woo et al. Arctic (2007) 60(1):37-46. In July 2005, several scientists from the Mackenzie GEWEX (Global Energy and Water Cycle Experiment) Study, known as MAGS, met with aboriginal people in Deline on the shore of Great Bear Lake to exchange information on climate and water in the region.Scientific weather data meets traditional Inuit knowledge
T. Hansen. Mother Earth Journal (online). April 23, 2010. For the last 15 years the Inuit have reported that Arctic weather has been less stable and more unpredictable. Now, scientists are listening.Sea Ice Knowledge and Use (SIKU): Assessing Arctic environmental and social change
SIKU is one of several IPY 2007-2008 projects aimed at documenting indigenous observations of environmental changes in the polar areas, with its specific focus on sea ice and the use of ice-covered habitats by the residents of the Arctic. Incidentally, the project's acronym SIKU is also the most common word for sea ice (siku) in all Eskimo/Inuit languages, from Chukotka to Alaska, Canada, and Greenland.Stories of the raven: Snowchange 2005 conference report
Snowchange Cooperative, based in Finland, partnered with Alaska Native Science Commission and Inuit Circumpolar Conference-Alaska, among other organizations, to host a circumpolar conference in Anchorage, Alaska, devoted to finding answers and solutions to the challenge of rapidly advancing Arctic climate change. Participants exchanged opinions, observations, and stories about climate change in the Arctic. This report summarizes the Snowchange 2005 conference. (PDF 1.36 MB)Traditional Inuit knowledge combines with science to shape Arctic weather insights
A post from the Climate Change Blog, University of Colorado at Boulder, April 9, 2010.Traditional peoples and climate change
J. Salick, N. Ross. Global Environmental Change (2009) 19(2):137-139. Indigenous and other local peoples are vital and active parts of many ecosystems and may help to enhance the resilience of these ecosystems. In addition, they interpret and react to climate change impacts in creative ways, drawing on traditional knowledge as well as new technologies to find solutions, which may help society at large to cope with the impending changes.Tribes and Climate Change
Videos and other formats illustrate the importance of traditional knowledge in the study of climate change and its impacts.Using indigenous knowledge for studying climate change
D. Grossman. National Geographic Newswatch. December 17, 2009. The author posted this dispatch from Copenhagen following an interview with polar scientist Shari Gearheard.Using traditional knowledge to adapt to ecological change: Denésoliné monitoring of caribou movements
B. Parlee et al. Arctic (2005) 58(1):26-37. Many generations ago, Denésoliné hunters learned that by observing caribou at key water crossings during the fall migration they could obtain critical information about caribou health, population, and movement patterns.Video brings climate change into spotlight
C. Petten. Windspeaker (2001) 18(9):16. Evidence of the dramatic effect climate change is having in Canada's Arctic was presented to delegates of the Sixth Session of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Conference of the Parties (COP-6), held in the Hague, Netherlands, November 2000, in the form of a video produced by the Winnipeg-based International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) titled "Sila Alangotok: Inuit Observations on Climate Change."Water and ice-related phenomena in the coastal region of the Beaufort Sea: Some parallels between Native experience and Western science
E. Carmack and R. MacDonald. Arctic (2008) 61(3):265-280. Information gained through Native experience is combined here with scientific measurements to describe aspects of the wintertime oceanography of the Eskimo Lakes and Mackenzie River delta regions of the Canadian Beaufort Sea.The whale and the supercomputer: On the northern front of climate change
C. Wohlforth. North Point Press, 2004, 322 pages. Climate change is not an abstraction in the far north. It is a reality that has already altered daily life for Native people who still live largely off the land and sea. Likewise, its heavy Arctic footprint has lured scientists seeking to uncover its mysteries. Charles Wohlforth follows both groups as they navigate a radically shifting landscape.When the weather is uggianaqtuq: Inuit observations of environmental change
S. Fox, National Snow and Ice Data Center, 2003. In this interactive, multi-media CD-ROM, Inuit from two communities, Baker Lake (Qamani'tuaq) and Clyde River (Kangiktugaapik) in Nunavut, Canada, share their observations and perspectives on recent environmental changes.Changing Ecosystems
Arctic Vegetation
Alaska the 'poster state' for climate concerns
E. Weise. USA Today (updated 5/31/06). Alaska is important in measuring the effect of global warming on the USA because what happens here soon will be felt in the Lower 48 states.Arctic alpine vegetation change over 20 years
S.D. Wilson, C. Nilsson. Global Change Biology (2009) 15:1676-1684. Recent arctic warming experiments have recorded significant vegetation responses, typically an increase in shrub cover and a loss of species richness. The authors report similar changes in vegetation along an arctic mountainside in northern Sweden over 20 years.Arctic biodiversity trends 2010: Selected indicators of change
Report by CAFF International Secretariat, Akureyri, Iceland, May 2010. In 2008, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) passed a resolution expressing "extreme concern" over the impacts of climate change on Arctic indigenous peoples, other communities, and biodiversity. It highlighted the potentially significant consequences of changes in the Arctic. Arctic Biodiversity Trends 2010: Selected Indicators of Change provides evidence that some of those anticipated impacts on Arctic biodiversity are already occurring. (PDF 18.57 MB)Arctic climate change with a 2°C global warming: Timing, climate patterns and vegetation change
J.O. Kaplan, M. New. Climatic Change (2006) 79:213-241. A number of nations, organizations, and scientists have suggested that global mean temperature should not rise over 2°C above preindustrial levels. However, even a relatively moderate target of 2°C has serious implications for the Arctic, where temperatures are predicted to increase at least 1.5 to 2 times as fast as global temperatures. High-latitude vegetation plays a significant role in the lives of humans and animals, and in the global energy balance and carbon budget. These ecosystems are expected to be among the most strongly impacted by climate change over the next century.Arctic greening linked to retreating sea ice
Online article from University of Alaska Fairbanks' International Polar Year website.Arctic tundra and polar desert ecosystems
Chapter 7 (pages 243-352) of ACIA Scientific Report, Cambridge University Press, 2005. Forest is very likely to replace a significant proportion of the tundra, and this will have a great effect on the composition of species. Displacement of tundra by forest will lead to a decrease in albedo, which will increase the positive feedback to the climate system. (PDF 3.61 MB)Biodiversity, climate change, and ecosystem services
H. Mooney. Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability (2009) 1(1):46-54. Stresses imposed by climate change in the coming years will require extraordinary adaptation. We need to track the changing status of ecosystems, deepen our understanding of the biological underpinnings for ecosystem service delivery, and develop new tools and techniques for maintaining and restoring resilient biological and social systems.Changes in Arctic vegetation amplify high-latitude warming through the greenhouse effect
A.L. Swann et al. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (2010) 107(4):1295-1300. Land surface albedo change is considered to be the dominant mechanism by which trees directly modify climate at high latitudes, but the authors suggest an additional mechanism through transpiration of water vapor and feedbacks from the ocean and sea ice.The changing Arctic landscape
K.D. Tape. University of Alaska Press, 2010. Historic photographs are paired with modern photographs of the same location. Scientific data and personal accounts accompany the visuals to discuss the impact of climate change on Arctic landscapes.Climate change: Effects on the ecological basis for reindeer husbandry in Sweden
J. Moen. Ambio (2008) 37(4):304-311. This paper examines potential effects of predicted climate changes on the forage conditions during both summer and winter for semidomesticated reindeer in Sweden. Positive effects in summer ranges include higher plant productivity and a longer growing season, while negative effects include increased insect harassment.Climate change and caribou: Effects of summer weather on forage
E.A. Lenart et al. Canadian Journal of Zoology (2002) 80(4):664-678. Climate variation and subsequent effects on forage plants have the potential to influence the population dynamics of caribou through effects on their food supply.Climate change as a threat to biodiversity: An application of the DPSIR approach
I. Omann et al. Ecological Economics (2009) 69(1):24-31. Based on an analysis using the DPSIR framework, this paper discusses some of the important socioeconomic driving forces of climate change, with a focus on energy use and transportation. The paper also analyzes observed and potential changes of climate and the pressures they exert on biodiversity, the changes in biodiversity, the resulting impacts on ecosystem functions, and possible policy responses.A comparison of multi-spectral, multi-angular, and multi-temporal remote sensing datasets for fractional shrub canopy mapping in Arctic Alaska
D.J. Selkowitz. Remote Sensing of Environment (2010) 114(7):1338-1352. Shrub cover appears to be increasing across many areas of the Arctic tundra biome, and increasing shrub cover in the Arctic has the potential to significantly impact global carbon budgets and the global climate system.Current State & Trends Assessment: Polar Systems, Chapter 25: Polar Systems by the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment
Because of polar amplification of climate change, the ecological impacts of warming are evident earliest and most clearly at high latitudes. In a region of near-pristine wilderness, relationships between ecosystems, species, and environment are more clearly defined than in populated regions where human influences can mask these relationships. This chapter emphasizes the ecological processes that most directly influence human well-being within and outside polar regions. (PDF 994 KB)Detecting changes in arctic tundra plant communities in response to warming over decadal time scales
H.E. Epstein et al. Global Change Biology (2004) 10:1325-1334. Field data coupled with ArcVeg simulations of climate change scenarios indicate that some changes in plant community composition may be detectable within two decades following the onset of warming, and shrubs and mosses might be the key indicators of community change.Ecological dynamics across the Arctic associated with recent climate change
E. Post et al. Science (2009) 325(5946):1355-1358. Arctic ecosystems and the trophic relationships that structure them have been severely perturbed. These rapid changes may be a bellwether of changes to come at lower latitudes and have the potential to affect ecosystem services related to natural resources, food production, climate regulation, and cultural integrity.Ecological impacts of climate change
National Academy of Sciences, 2009. This booklet is based on the report Ecological Impacts of Climate Change (2008), by the Committee on Ecological Impacts of Climate Change. (PDF 8.14 MB)Ecoregion: Polar/subpolar
This fact sheet published by the U.S. Global Change Research Program identifies unique characteristics of the polar and subpolar regions that may be affected by climate change. (PDF 822 KB)Ecosystem feedbacks and cascade processes: Understanding their role in the responses of Arctic and alpine ecosystems to environmental change
P.A. Wookey et al. Global Change Biology (2009) 15:1153-1172. Global environmental change, related to climate change and the deposition of airborne N-containing contaminants, has already resulted in shifts in plant community composition among plant functional types in Arctic and temperate alpine regions.Ecosystems and global climate change: A review of potential impacts on U.S. terrestrial ecosystems and biodiversity
Report prepared for the Pew Center on Global Climate Change, December 2000. This is the fifth in a series of Pew Center reports examining the potential impacts of climate change on the U.S. environment. It details the very real possibility that warming over this century will jeopardize the integrity of many of the terrestrial ecosystems on which we depend. (PDF 728 KB)Effect of climate change on flux of N and C: Air-land-freshwater-marine links: Synthesis
A.O. Stuanes et al. Ambio (2008) 37(1):2-8. Projected climate change might increase the deposition of nitrogen by about 10% to seminatural ecosystems in southern Norway.Energy feedbacks of northern high-latitude ecosystems to the climate system due to reduced snow cover during 20th century warming
E.S. Euskirchen et al. Global Change Biology (2007) 13(11):2425-2438. The warming associated with changes in snow cover in northern high-latitude terrestrial regions represents an important energy feedback to the climate system. Here, the authors simulate snow cover–climate feedbacks (i.e., changes in snow cover on atmospheric heating) across the pan-arctic over two distinct warming periods during the 20th century, 1910-1940 and 1970-2000.Evidence and implications of recent climate change in northern Alaska and other Arctic regions
L.D. Hinzman et al. Climatic Change (2005) 72(3):251-298. This study supports ongoing efforts to strengthen the interdisciplinarity of arctic system science and improve the coupling of large-scale experimental manipulation with sustained time series observations by incorporating and integrating novel technologies, remote sensing and modeling.Forests, land management, and agriculture
Chapter 14 (pages 781-862) of ACIA Scientific Report, Cambridge University Press, 2005. While the most restrictive definitions limit the Arctic to treeless tundra, snow, and ice in the high latitudes, most definitions of the Arctic encompass some elements of the boreal forest. This chapter focuses on the northernmost portion of the boreal forest region. (PDF 3.39 MB)Frequent long-distance plant colonization in the changing Arctic
I.G. Alsos et al. Science (2007) 316(5831):1606-1609. By analyzing DNA fingerprinting (amplified fragment-length polymorphism) of nine plant species, the authors show that long-distance colonization of a remote arctic archipelago, Svalbard, has occurred repeatedly and from several source regions. Propagules are likely carried by wind and drifting sea ice.Future changes in vegetation and ecosystem function of the Barents Region
A. Wolf et al. Climatic Change (2008) 87(1-2):51-73. Surprisingly, shrublands will decrease in extent as they are replaced by forest at their southern margins and restricted to areas high up in the mountains and to areas in northern Russia. Open ground vegetation will largely disappear in the Scandinavian mountains. Also counter-intuitively, tundra will increase in abundance due to the occupation of previously unvegetated areas in the northern part of the Barents Region.The future of arctic conservation
The Circle (2009), Issue 2. The Circle is published quarterly by the WWF International Arctic Programme. This edition of The Circle focuses on arctic conservation in times of rapid climate change. (PDF 2.89 MB)Global declines of caribou and reindeer
L.S. Vors, M.S. Boyce. Global Change Biology (2009) 15:2626-2633. Caribou and reindeer herds are declining across their circumpolar range, coincident with increasing arctic temperatures and precipitation, and anthropogenic landscape change.Greening of the Arctic: An IPY Initiative
The Greening of the Arctic (GoA) IPY initiative is comprised of four projects, each contributing to documenting, mapping, and understanding the rapid and dramatic changes to terrestrial vegetation expected across the circumpolar Arctic as a result of a changing climate.Gunter Weller on global warming and Alaska
D. Cutler. Alaska Business Monthly (2001) 17(9):10. All sectors of the Alaska economy will be affected in one way or another. It seems likely that the Alaska fisheries could be the biggest loser if the present climate trends continue and the predicted global warming occurs.High-Arctic ecosystem dynamics in a changing climate: Ten years of monitoring and research at Zackenberg Research Station, Northeast Greenland
H. Meltofte et al., eds. Advances in Ecological Research No. 40 (2008). This book is based on data collected during the past 10 years by Zaceknberg Ecological Research Operations (ZERO) at Zackenberg Research Station in Northeast Greenland. The volume offers a comprehensive and authoritative analysis of how climate variability is influencing an Arctic ecosystem and how Arctic ecosystems have inherent feedback mechanisms interacting with climate variability or change.The impact of climate change on ecosystem carbon dynamics at the Scandinavian mountain birch forest–tundra heath ecotone
S. Sjögersten and P.A. Wookey. Ambio (2009) 38(1):2-10. Changes in temperature and moisture resulting from climate change are likely to strongly modify the ecosystem carbon sequestration capacity in high-latitude areas, both through vegetation shifts and via direct warming effects on photosynthesis and decomposition.Impacts of climate change on the seasonal distribution of migratory caribou
S. Sharma et al. Global Change Biology (2009) 15(10):2549-2562. Arctic ecosystems are especially vulnerable to global climate change as temperature and precipitation regimes are altered. An ecologically and socially highly important northern terrestrial species that may be impacted by climate change is the caribou, Rangifer tarandus.Implications of climate change for northern Canada: Freshwater, marine, and terrestrial ecosystems
T.D. Prowse et al. Ambio (2009) 38(5):282-289. As the climate continues to change, there will be consequences for biodiversity shifts and for the ranges and distribution of many species with resulting effects on availability, accessibility, and quality of resources upon which human populations rely. This will have implications for the protection and management of wildlife, fish, and fisheries resources; protected areas; and forests.Infra-red thermometry of alpine landscapes challenges climatic warming projections
D. Scherrer, C. Körner. Global Change Biology (2009). Rough mountain terrain offers climatic conditions (niches) to plants and animals poorly represented by conventional climate station data. However, the extent to which actual temperatures deviate from those of the freely circulating atmosphere had never been assessed at a landscape level.Leaf mineral nutrition of Arctic plants in response to warming and deeper snow in northern Alaska
J.M. Welker et al. Oikos (2005) 109(1):167-177. Accurate depiction and projections of how Arctic tundra plants and ecosystems will respond to global warming require measurements of leaf mineral nutrition under independent and combined climate change scenarios involving both winter and summer conditions.Lichen recovery following heavy grazing by reindeer delayed by climate warming
D.R. Klein, M. Shulski. Ambio (2009) 38(1):11-16. A warmer, drier climate and decreased fog in recent decades contributed to deterioration of conditions favoring lichen growth on St. Matthew Island in the Bering Sea.Long-term ecosystem level experiments at Toolik Lake, Alaska, and at Abisko, Northern Sweden: Generalizations and differences in ecosystem and plant type responses to global change
M.T. Van Wijk et al. Global Change Biology (2003) 10(1):105-123. This paper presents the results of a meta-analysis performed on the results of long-term ecosystem-level experiments near Toolik Lake, Alaska, and Abisko, Sweden.Managing climate change impacts to enhance the resilience and sustainability of Fennoscandian forests
F.S. Chapin III et al. Ambio (2007) 36(7):528-533. Projected warming in Sweden and other Fennoscandian countries will probably increase growth rates of forest trees near their northern limits, increase the probability of new pest outbreaks, and foster northerly migration of both native and exotic species.Mapping land cover change in a reindeer herding area of the Russian Arctic using Landsat TM and ETM+ imagery and indigenous knowledge
W.G. Rees et al. Remote Sensing of Environment (2003) 85(4):441-452. Traditionally, the tundra and the northern fringes of the boreal forest of northern Europe have been occupied by indigenous peoples whose main economic activity is reindeer herding. Groups of herders accompany their animals as they follow the annual changes in vegetation. As well as climate change, the ecology has been substantially affected by social changes that have had a marked effect on the relationship between reindeer, herder, and pasture.Modelling carbon balances of coastal arctic tundra under changing climate
R.F. Grant et al. Global Change Biology (2003) 9(1):16-36. Rising air temperatures are believed to be hastening heterotrophic respiration in arctic tundra ecosystems, which could lead to substantial losses of soil carbon.Observational evidence of recent change in the northern high-latitude environment
M.C. Serreze et al. Climatic Change (2000) 46(1-2):159-207. Studies from a variety of disciplines document recent change in the northern high-latitude environment. Prompted by predictions of an amplified response of the Arctic to enhanced greenhouse forcing, the authors present a synthesis of these observations.Permafrost degradation and ecological changes associated with a warming climate in central Alaska
M.T. Jorgenson et al. Climatic Change (2001) 48(4):551-579. Studies from 1994-1998 on the Tanana Flats in central Alaska reveal that permafrost degradation is widespread and rapid, causing large shifts in ecosystems from birch forests to fens and bogs.Potential alteration by climate change of the forest-fire regime in the boreal forest of central Yukon Territory
V.M. McCoy, C.R. Burn. Arctic (2005) 58(3):276-285. Statistical relations were obtained to describe the association between forest fires and climate for the Dawson and Mayo fire management districts, central Yukon Territory. Annual fire incidence, area burned, and seasonal fire severity rating were compared with summer observations of mean temperature, total precipitation, mean relative humidity, and mean wind speed.Potential impact of climate change and reindeer density on tundra indicator species in the Barents Sea region
C. Zöckler et al. Climatic Change (2008) 87(1-2):119-130. Climate change is expected to alter the distribution of habitats and thus the distribution of species connected with these habitats in the terrestrial Barents Sea region. It is hypothesized that wild species connected with the tundra and open-land biome may be particularly at risk as forest area expands.Potential impact of climate change on ecosystems of the Barents Sea region
H. Roderfeld et al. Climatic Change (2008) 87(1-2):283-303. The EU project BALANCE (Global Change Vulnerabilities in the Barents region: Linking Arctic Natural Resources, Climate Change and Economies) aims to assess vulnerability to climate change in the Barents Sea Region.Principles of conserving the Arctic's biodiversity
Chapter 10 (pages 539-596) of ACIA Scientific Report, Cambridge University Press, 2005. Climate change will result in changes in the productivity of ecosystems through photosynthesis and changes in the rates of decomposition. The balance between these two major processes will, to a large extent, determine the future nature of the arctic environment. (PDF 1.94 MB)Recent climate warming forces contrasting growth responses of white spruce at treeline in Alaska through temperature thresholds
M. Wilmking. Global Change Biology (2004) 10(10):1724-1736. Recent climate warming has intensified the negative growth response of a large proportion of trees at locally productive sites near treeline in Alaska. Trees on less favorable sites may be benefiting from earlier thaw and are now outperforming productive sites, reversing the historical growth relationship.Remote sensing of vegetation and land-cover change in Arctic tundra ecosystems
D.A. Stow et al. Remote Sensing of Environment (2004) 89(3):281-308.The objective of this paper is to synthesize results of research conducted over the past decade on the application of multi-temporal remote sensing for monitoring changes of Arctic tundra lands.Responses of high Arctic wet sedge tundra to climate warming since 1980
G.B. Hill, G.H.R. Henry. Global Change Biology (2010). Responses of tundra ecosystems to climate change have been examined primarily through short-term experimental manipulations, with few studies of long-term ambient change. This study investigates responses in above- and below-ground biomass of wet sedge tundra to the warming climate of the Canadian high Arctic over the past 25 years.Russian Arctic warming and 'greening' are closely tracked by tundra shrub willows
B.C. Forbes et al. Global Change Biology (2010) 16:1542-1554. Findings suggest a significant increase in shrub willow growth in the northwest Russian Arctic over the past six decades and are in line with field and remote sensing studies and qualitative observations by nomadic Nenets reindeer herders.Shrub line advance in alpine tundra of the Kluane region: Mechanisms of expansion and ecosystem impacts
I. Myers-Smith. Arctic (2007) 60(4):447-451. With a warming climate, northern ecosystems will face significant ecological changes such as permafrost thaw, increased forest fire frequency, and shifting ecosystem boundaries, including the spread of tall shrubs into tundra.Skip Walker on satellite observations of Arctic greening
EarthSky interview with Skip Walker, geobotanist at University of Alaska Fairbanks, March 5, 2009.Spatial heterogeneity of tundra vegetation response to recent temperature changes
G.J. Jia et al. Global Change Biology (2006) 12(1):42-55. The spatial heterogeneity of recent decadal dynamics in vegetation greenness and biomass in response to changes in summer warmth index (SWI) was investigated along spatial gradients on the Arctic Slope of Alaska.Spitsbergen landscape under 20th century climate change: Sørkapp Land
W. Ziaja. Ambio (2004) 33(6):295-299. The principal aim of this paper is to outline the reaction of a middle-sized region of the European Arctic landscape to climate change during the 20th century. Climatic change influences all elements of the Arctic landscape of Svalbard, but the most important for landscape transformation are changes resulting from deglaciation.20th century climate warming and tree-limit rise in the southern Scandes of Sweden
L. Kullman. Ambio (2001) 30(2):72-80. After a slight retardation during some cooler decades after 1940, a new active phase of tree-limit advance has occurred with a series of exceptionally mild winters and some warm summers during the 1990s.Variability of the seasonally integrated normalized difference vegetation index (SINDVI) across the North Slope of Alaska in the 1990s
D.A. Stow et al. International Journal of Remote Sensing (2003) 24(5):1111-1117. The interannual variability and trend of above-ground photosynthetic activity of Arctic tundra vegetation in the 1990s is examined for the North Slope region of Alaska, based on the seasonally integrated normalized difference vegetation index (SINDVI). Findings suggest an increasing trend of SINDVI in the 1990s for the entire North Slope.Winter climate change in alpine tundra: Plant responses to changes in snow depth and snowmelt timing
S. Wipf. Climatic Change (2009) 94(1-2):105-121. Changes in winter climate and snow cover characteristics should be taken into account when predicting climate change effects on alpine ecosystems.Freshwater Systems
Alaska the 'poster state' for climate concerns
E. Weise. USA Today (updated 5/31/06). Alaska is important in measuring the effect of global warming on the USA because what happens here soon will be felt in the Lower 48 states.Aquatic ecosystems and global climate change: Potential impacts on inland freshwater and coastal wetland ecosystems in the United States
Report prepared for the Pew Center on Global Climate Change, January 2002. This is the seventh in a series of Pew Center reports examining the potential impacts of climate change on the U.S. environment. It details the likely impacts of climate change over the next century on U.S. aquatic ecosystems. (PDF 363 KB)Arctic biodiversity trends 2010: Selected indicators of change
Report by CAFF International Secretariat, Akureyri, Iceland, May 2010. In 2008, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) passed a resolution expressing "extreme concern" over the impacts of climate change on Arctic indigenous peoples, other communities, and biodiversity. It highlighted the potentially significant consequences of changes in the Arctic. Arctic Biodiversity Trends 2010: Selected Indicators of Change provides evidence that some of those anticipated impacts on Arctic biodiversity are already occurring. (PDF 18.57 MB)Biodiversity, climate change, and ecosystem services
H. Mooney. Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability (2009) 1(1):46-54. Stresses imposed by climate change in the coming years will require extraordinary adaptation. We need to track the changing status of ecosystems, deepen our understanding of the biological underpinnings for ecosystem service delivery, and develop new tools and techniques for maintaining and restoring resilient biological and social systems.Climate change as a threat to biodiversity: An application of the DPSIR approach
I. Omann et al. Ecological Economics (2009) 69(1):24-31. Based on an analysis using the DPSIR framework, this paper discusses some of the important socioeconomic driving forces of climate change, with a focus on energy use and transportation. The paper also analyzes observed and potential changes of climate and the pressures they exert on biodiversity, the changes in biodiversity, the resulting impacts on ecosystem functions, and possible policy responses.Climate change effects on aquatic biota, ecosystem structure and function
F.J. Wrona et al. Ambio (2006) 35(7):359-369. Climate change will probably produce significant effects on the biodiversity of freshwater ecosystems throughout the Arctic and possibly initiate varying adaptive responses. The magnitude, extent, and duration of the impacts and responses will be system- and location-dependent, and difficult to separate from other environmental stressors.Climate change effects on hydroecology of Arctic freshwater ecosystems
T.D. Prowse et al. Ambio (2006) 35(7):347-358. In general, the arctic freshwater-terrestrial system will warm more rapidly than the global average, particularly during the autumn and winter season. The decline or loss of many cryospheric components and a shift from a nival to an increasingly pluvial system will produce numerous physical effects on freshwater ecosystems.Climate change effects on river flow to the Baltic Sea
L.P. Graham. Ambio (2004) 33(4):235-241. Climate change in the Baltic Sea Drainage Basin is expected to affect the hydrological water balance in the region and lead to changes in river flows to the sea. Such changes will potentially impact on many sectors of society ranging from basic water supply to large-scale environmental consequences.Climate change impact on water quality: Model results from southern Sweden
B. Arheimer. Ambio (2005) 34(7):559-566. Nitrogen (N) transport from land (mainly by rivers) is contributing to the eutrophication problems in the Baltic Sea. The amount of N transported is a result of point-source emissions, atmospheric deposition, N leaching from soil, and biochemical removal processes (retention) in the freshwater system. Except for point-source emissions, all these factors are strongly influenced by weather (e.g., temperature and precipitation) and would thus be affected by climate change.Climate impacts on Arctic freshwater ecosystems and fisheries: Background, rationale and approach of the Arctic Climate Impact Assessment (ACIA)
F.J. Wrona et al. Ambio (2006) 35(7):326-329. Changes in climate and ultraviolet radiation levels in the Arctic will have far-reaching impacts, affecting aquatic species at various trophic levels, the physical and chemical environment that makes up their habitat, and the processes that act on and within freshwater ecosystems.Crossing the final ecological threshold in high Arctic ponds
J.P. Smol, M.S.V. Douglas. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (2007) 104(30):12395-12397. Some high Arctic ponds, which paleolimnological data indicate have been permanent water bodies for millennia, are now completely drying during the polar summer. The authors link the disappearance of the ponds to increased evaporation/precipitation ratios, probably associated with climatic warming.Cryosphere and hydrology
Chapter 6 (pages 183-242) of ACIA Scientific Report, Cambridge University Press, 2005. Earlier breakup and later freeze-up have combined to lengthen the ice-free season of rivers and lakes by up to three weeks since the early 1900s throughout much of the Arctic. It is likely that low-frequency variations in the atmosphere and ocean have played at least some role in forcing the cryospheric and hydrological trends of the past few decades. (PDF 5.23 MB)Cumulative effects of climate warming and other human activities on freshwaters of Arctic and subarctic North America
D.W. Schindler, J.P. Smol. Ambio (2006) 35(4):160-168. High-latitude regions are especially sensitive to the effects of recent climatic warming, which have already resulted in marked regime shifts in the biological communities of many Arctic lakes and ponds.Current State & Trends Assessment: Polar Systems, Chapter 25: Polar Systems by the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment
Because of polar amplification of climate change, the ecological impacts of warming are evident earliest and most clearly at high latitudes. In a region of near-pristine wilderness, relationships between ecosystems, species, and environment are more clearly defined than in populated regions where human influences can mask these relationships. This chapter emphasizes the ecological processes that most directly influence human well-being within and outside polar regions. (PDF 994 KB)Ecological dynamics across the Arctic associated with recent climate change
E. Post et al. Science (2009) 325(5946):1355-1358. Arctic ecosystems and the trophic relationships that structure them have been severely perturbed. These rapid changes may be a bellwether of changes to come at lower latitudes and have the potential to affect ecosystem services related to natural resources, food production, climate regulation, and cultural integrity.Ecological impacts of climate change
National Academy of Sciences, 2009. This booklet is based on the report Ecological Impacts of Climate Change (2008), by the Committee on Ecological Impacts of Climate Change. (PDF 8.14 MB)Ecoregion: Polar/subpolar
This fact sheet published by the U.S. Global Change Research Program identifies unique characteristics of the polar and subpolar regions that may be affected by climate change. (PDF 822 KB)Effect of climate change on flux of N and C: Air-land-freshwater-marine links: Synthesis
A.O. Stuanes et al. Ambio (2008) 37(1):2-8. Projected climate change might increase the deposition of nitrogen by about 10% to seminatural ecosystems in southern Norway.Effects of climate change and UV radiation on fisheries for Arctic freshwater and anadromous species
J.D. Reist et al. Ambio (2006) 35(7):402-410. Fisheries for arctic freshwater and diadromous fish species contribute significantly to northern economies. Climate change, and to a lesser extent increased ultraviolet radiation, effects in freshwaters will have profound effects on fisheries from three perspectives: quantity of fish available, quality of fish available, and success of the fishers.Effects of ultraviolet radiation and contaminant-related stressors on Arctic freshwater ecosystems
F.J. Wrona et al. Ambio (2006) 35(7):388-401. Climate change is likely to act as a multiple stressor, leading to cumulative and/or synergistic impacts on aquatic systems. Projected increases in temperature and corresponding alterations in precipitation regimes will enhance contaminant influxes to aquatic systems, and independently increase the susceptibility of aquatic organisms to contaminant exposure and effects.Evidence and implications of recent climate change in northern Alaska and other Arctic regions
L.D. Hinzman et al. Climatic Change (2005) 72(3):251-298. This study supports ongoing efforts to strengthen the interdisciplinarity of arctic system science and improve the coupling of large-scale experimental manipulation with sustained time series observations by incorporating and integrating novel technologies, remote sensing and modeling.Food web changes in Arctic ecosystems related to climate warming
R. Quinlan et al. Global Change Biology (2005) 11(8):1381-1386. Predicted future warming in the Arctic may produce ecological changes that exceed the large shifts that have already occurred since the 19th century.Freshwater ecosystems and fisheries
Chapter 8 (pages 353-452) of ACIA Scientific Report, Cambridge University Press, 2005. This chapter covers hydrological and ecological features of the various freshwater ecosystems in the Arctic, historical changes in freshwater systems during the Holocene, and the effects of climate change on hydro-ecology and aquatic ecosystems. (PDF 3.82 MB)Freshwater systems: Understanding change in Alaska and the Arctic
This webpage from North by 2020, an International Polar Year initiative, discusses the stress to Alaska's hydrologic system from climate change, particularly from thawing of permafrost.The future of arctic conservation
The Circle (2009), Issue 2. The Circle is published quarterly by the WWF International Arctic Programme. This edition of The Circle focuses on arctic conservation in times of rapid climate change. (PDF 2.89 MB)General effects of climate change on Arctic fishes and fish populations
J.D. Reist et al. Ambio (2006) 35(7):370-380. Projected shifts in climate forcing variables such as temperature and precipitation are of great relevance to arctic freshwater ecosystems and biota. These will result in many direct and indirect effects upon the ecosystems and fish present therein.General features of the Arctic relevant to climate change in freshwater ecosystems
T.D. Prowse et al. Ambio (2006) 35(7):330-338. Arctic climate, many components of which exhibit strong variations along latitudinal gradients, directly affects a range of physical, chemical, and biological processes in freshwater aquatic systems.Global climate change and potential effects on Pacific salmonids in freshwater ecosystems of southeast Alaska
M.D. Bryant. Climatic Change (2009) 95:169-193. Rapid changes in climatic conditions may not extirpate anadromous salmonids in the region, but they will impose greater stress on many stocks that are adapted to present climatic conditions. Survival of sustainable populations will depend on the existing genetic diversity within and among stocks, conservative harvest management, and habitat conservation.Gunter Weller on global warming and Alaska
D. Cutler. Alaska Business Monthly (2001) 17(9):10. All sectors of the Alaska economy will be affected in one way or another. It seems likely that the Alaska fisheries could be the biggest loser if the present climate trends continue and the predicted global warming occurs.High-Arctic ecosystem dynamics in a changing climate: Ten years of monitoring and research at Zackenberg Research Station, Northeast Greenland
H. Meltofte et al., eds. Advances in Ecological Research No. 40 (2008). This book is based on data collected during the past 10 years by Zaceknberg Ecological Research Operations (ZERO) at Zackenberg Research Station in Northeast Greenland. The volume offers a comprehensive and authoritative analysis of how climate variability is influencing an Arctic ecosystem and how Arctic ecosystems have inherent feedback mechanisms interacting with climate variability or change.Hydrologic effects of climate change in the Yukon River Basin
L.E. Hay, G.J. McCabe. Climatic Change (2010) 100(3-4):509-523. Potential hydrologic effects of climate change were assessed for the YRB by imposing changes in precipitation and temperature derived from selected Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change (IPCC) climate simulations.Hydrological change – Climate change impact simulations for Sweden
J. Andréasson et al. Ambio (2004) 33(4):228-234. Climate change resulting from the enhanced greenhouse effect is expected to give rise to changes in hydrological systems. This study focuses on assessment of hydrological impacts of climate change over a wide range of Swedish basins.Hydrology, water availability and tundra ecosystem function in a changing climate: The need for a closer integration of ideas?
I.D. Hodkinson et al. Global Change Biology (1999) 5(3):359-369. The impacts of predicted long-term changes in climate have particularly important consequences for the functioning of tundra systems. This paper attempts to summarize existing information on the role of water within tundra ecosystems, to emphasize the fundamental links between the biotic and the physico/chemical environments and to suggest how a closer integration of ideas might be achieved.Implications of climate change for northern Canada: Freshwater, marine, and terrestrial ecosystems
T.D. Prowse et al. Ambio (2009) 38(5):282-289. As the climate continues to change, there will be consequences for biodiversity shifts and for the ranges and distribution of many species with resulting effects on availability, accessibility, and quality of resources upon which human populations rely. This will have implications for the protection and management of wildlife, fish, and fisheries resources; protected areas; and forests.Key findings, science gaps and policy recommendations
F.J. Wrona et al. Ambio (2006) 35(7):411-415. In general, changes in climate and UV in the Arctic will have far-reaching impacts, affecting aquatic species of varying trophic levels, the physical environment that makes up their habitat and the chemical properties of that environment, and the processes that act on and within freshwater ecosystems.Modeling the impact of climate change on runoff and annual water balance of an Arctic headwater basin
S. Pohl et al. Arctic (2007) 60(2):173-186. Climate change will be an important issue facing Arctic areas in the coming decades since climate models are projecting warmer and wetter conditions for many northern regions. From a hydrological perspective, critical issues include a shortened snow cover season, changes in winter snow cover properties, and changes in the timing and volume of snowmelt runoff.An overview of effects of climate change on selected Arctic freshwater and anadromous fishes
J.D. Reist et al. Ambio (2006) 35(7):381-387. Arctic freshwater and diadromous fish species will respond to the various effects of climate change in many ways. For wide-ranging species, many of which are key components of northern aquatic ecosystems and fisheries, there is a large range of possible responses.Perception of change in freshwater in remote resource-dependent Arctic communities
L. Alessa et al. Global Environmental Change (2008) 18(1):153-164. This paper provides empirical evidence to support existing anecdotal studies regarding the mechanisms by which human communities become vulnerable to rapid changes in freshwater resources on the Seward Peninsula, Alaska. Authors discuss the role of collective knowledge, through the transmission of knowledge from elders to subsequent generations, in aiding the development of a community's ability to note and respond to changes in critical natural resources.Principles of conserving the Arctic's biodiversity
Chapter 10 (pages 539-596) of ACIA Scientific Report, Cambridge University Press, 2005. Climate change will result in changes in the productivity of ecosystems through photosynthesis and changes in the rates of decomposition. The balance between these two major processes will, to a large extent, determine the future nature of the arctic environment. (PDF 1.94 MB)Projected impacts of climate change on salmon habitat restoration
J. Battin et al. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), 2007. Throughout the world, efforts are under way to restore watersheds, but restoration planning rarely accounts for future climate change.Recruitment of pelagic fish in an unstable climate: Studies in Sweden's four largest lakes
P. Nyberg et al. Ambio (2001) 30(8):559-564. It is crucial for fish fry in temperate regions to hatch early in the growth season to survive and achieve large size before winter. Autumn spawners will have difficulties in adapting to global warming.Satellite remote sensing classification of thaw lakes and drained thaw lake basins on the North Slope of Alaska
R.C. Frohn et al. Remote Sensing of Environment (2005) 97(1):116-126. Continued research in the analysis of thaw lakes and drained thaw lake basins (DTLBs) is crucial to our understanding of the global carbon cycle, atmospheric methane concentrations, heat flow, and climate change.Source drinking water challenges: Changes to an Arctic tundra lake
Center for Climate and Health Bulletin No. 2, 2009. Blooms of organic material have in the past been observed in the source water lake in Point Hope, but conditions have been extreme over the past two years. If warm temperatures continue, organic blooms will become a reoccurring problem for Point Hope and other communities that depend on tundra lakes for their drinking water supply. (PDF 1.57 MB)Spitsbergen landscape under 20th century climate change: Sørkapp Land
W. Ziaja. Ambio (2004) 33(6):295-299. The principal aim of this paper is to outline the reaction of a middle-sized region of the European Arctic landscape to climate change during the 20th century. Climatic change influences all elements of the Arctic landscape of Svalbard, but the most important for landscape transformation are changes resulting from deglaciation.Trajectory shifts in the arctic and subarctic freshwater cycle
B.J. Peterson et al. Science (2006) 313(5790):1061-1066. Manifold changes in the freshwater cycle of high-latitude lands and oceans have been reported in the past few years. Fresh water may now be accumulating in the Arctic Ocean and will likely be exported southward if and when the North Atlantic Oscillation enters into a new high phase.Vulnerability of alpine stream biodiversity to shrinking glaciers and snowpacks
L.E. Brown et al. Global Change Biology (2007) 13(5):958-966. Climate change poses a considerable threat to the biodiversity of high latitude and altitude ecosystems, with alpine regions across the world already showing responses to warming. However, despite probable hydrological change as alpine glaciers and snowpacks shrink, links between alpine stream biota and reduced meltwater input are virtually unknown.Warmer winters: Are planktonic algal populations in Sweden's largest lakes affected?
G.A. Weyhenmeyer. Ambio (2001) 30(8):565-571. Winters in Sweden have become warmer in the 1990s, and as a consequence the timing of ice break-up and the growth and decline of spring phytoplankton has shifted, starting earlier.Will northern fish populations be in hot water because of climate change?
S. Sharma et al. Global Change Biology (2007) 13:2052-2064. Predicted increases in water temperature in response to climate change will have large implications for aquatic ecosystems, such as altering thermal habitat and potential range expansion of fish species.Marine Biodiversity
Accelerated warming and emergent trends in fisheries biomass yields of the world's large marine ecosystems
K. Sherman et al. Pages 41-79 of UNEP Large Marine Ecosystems Report, United Nations Environment Programme, 2009. Results are presented of a global study of the impact of sea surface temperature (SST) changes over the past 25 years on the fisheries yields of 63 large marine ecosystems (LMEs) that annually produce 80% of the world's marine fisheries catches.The ACIA, climate change and fisheries
W.E. Schrank. Marine Policy (2007) 31(1):5-18. This paper is concerned with those aspects of the ACIA that reflect on Arctic climate change and the fisheries. Chapters of ACIA concerned with present and past Arctic climate change, climate modeling, and marine systems are discussed first, and the discussion of the fisheries chapter then follows.Amplified acidification of the Arctic Ocean
J.C. Orr et al. Earth and Environmental Science (2009). Climate change will be amplified in the Arctic, leading to reduced sea-ice cover, warming and freshening of surface waters, and changes in vertical stratification. The Arctic Ocean is also undergoing acidification as is the rest of the ocean.Arctic biodiversity trends 2010: Selected indicators of change
Report by CAFF International Secretariat, Akureyri, Iceland, May 2010. In 2008, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) passed a resolution expressing "extreme concern" over the impacts of climate change on Arctic indigenous peoples, other communities, and biodiversity. It highlighted the potentially significant consequences of changes in the Arctic. Arctic Biodiversity Trends 2010: Selected Indicators of Change provides evidence that some of those anticipated impacts on Arctic biodiversity are already occurring. (PDF 18.57 MB)Arctic climate change and its impacts on the ecology of the North Atlantic
C.H. Greene et al. Ecology (2008) 89(11):S24-S38. Since the 1970s, historically unprecedented changes have been observed in the Arctic as climate warming has increased precipitation, river discharge, and glacial as well as sea-ice melting. In addition, modal shifts in the atmosphere have altered Arctic Ocean circulation patterns and the export of freshwater into the North Atlantic.Arctic fisheries conservation and management: Initial steps of reform of the international legal framework
E.J. Molenaar. Submitted to Yearbook of Polar Law, March 2009. Changes in the arctic climate system extend to arctic marine ecosystems and are likely to create new or expanded fishing opportunities. This article assesses the adequacy of the current international legal and policy framework for Arctic fisheries conservation and management, both substantively and institutionally, in responding to the likely and potential impacts that such new or expanded fishing opportunities could have on target and nontarget species, the broader marine ecosystem, and the livelihoods of indigenous peoples.The Bering Sea—A dynamic food web perspective
K. Aydin, F. Mueter. Deep Sea Research II (2007) 54(23-26):2501-2525. While recent decades of ocean observation have highlighted possible links between climate and species fluctuations, mechanisms linking climate and population fluctuations are only beginning to be understood. This paper examines the food webs of Bering Sea ecosystems with particular reference to some key shifts in widely distributed, abundant fish populations and their links with climate variation.Biodiversity, climate change, and ecosystem services
H. Mooney. Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability (2009) 1(1):46-54. Stresses imposed by climate change in the coming years will require extraordinary adaptation. We need to track the changing status of ecosystems, deepen our understanding of the biological underpinnings for ecosystem service delivery, and develop new tools and techniques for maintaining and restoring resilient biological and social systems.Change in feeding ecology and trophic dynamics of Pacific salmon (Oncorhynchus spp.) in the central Gulf of Alaska in relation to climate events
M. Kaeriyama et al. Fisheries Oceanography (2004) 13(3):197-207. Future monitoring of the ocean feeding ecology of Pacific salmon could help us better understand inter- and intraspecific interactions that occur in this region, and how climate change affects those interactions.Climate change and the migratory pattern for Norwegian spring-spawning herring: Implications for management
E.H. Sissener, T. Bjørndal. Marine Policy (2005) 29(4):299-309. Norwegian spring-spawning herring (Clupea harengus) is a migratory fish stock, and the migratory pattern has changed several times. There seems to be a connection between altering climatic conditions and the size of fish, year-class strength, and the migratory pattern.Climate change as a threat to biodiversity: An application of the DPSIR approach
I. Omann et al. Ecological Economics (2009) 69(1):24-31. Based on an analysis using the DPSIR framework, this paper discusses some of the important socioeconomic driving forces of climate change, with a focus on energy use and transportation. The paper also analyzes observed and potential changes of climate and the pressures they exert on biodiversity, the changes in biodiversity, the resulting impacts on ecosystem functions, and possible policy responses.Climate projections for selected large marine ecosystems
M. Wang et al. Journal of Marine Systems (2010) 79(3-4):258-266. In preparation for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Fourth Assessment Report (AR4), modeling centers from around the world carried out sets of global climate simulations under various emission scenarios. For this paper, the authors evaluated the models' 20th-century hindcasts of selected variables relevant to several large marine ecosystems and examined 21st-century projections by a subset of these models under the A1B (middle range) emission scenario.Climate-related variability in abundance and reproduction of euphausiids in the northern Gulf of Alaska in 1998-2003
A.I. Pinchuk et al. Progress in Oceanography (2008) 77(2-3):203-216. Interannual variability in abundance of the dominant euphausiids ("krill") was studied in the northern Gulf of Alaska during the production season from 1998 to 2003.Coastal and marine ecosystems and global climate change: Potential effects on U.S. resources
Report prepared for the Pew Center on Global Climate Change, August 2002. This is the eighth in a series of Pew Center reports examining the potential impacts of climate change on the U.S. environment. It details the likely impacts of climate change over the next century on U.S. coastal and marine ecosystems, including estuaries, coral reefs, and the open ocean. (PDF 643 KB)Current State & Trends Assessment: Polar Systems, Chapter 25: Polar Systems by the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment
Because of polar amplification of climate change, the ecological impacts of warming are evident earliest and most clearly at high latitudes. In a region of near-pristine wilderness, relationships between ecosystems, species, and environment are more clearly defined than in populated regions where human influences can mask these relationships. This chapter emphasizes the ecological processes that most directly influence human well-being within and outside polar regions. (PDF 994 KB)Decreasing ice coverage will reduce the breeding success of Baltic grey seal (Halichoerus grypus) females
M. Jüssi et al. Ambio (2008) 37(2):80-85. Because indices of life-time net reproductive rate (pup survival) and pup quality (weaning weight and health) were more auspicious on ice as compared with land, diminishing ice fields will lower the fitness of Baltic grey seal females and substantially increase the risk for quasi-extinction.Diet changes of Pacific cod (Gadus macrocephalus) in Pavlof Bay associated with climate changes in the Gulf of Alaska between 1980 and 1995
M-S Yang. Fishery Bulletin (2004) 102(2):400-405. This study suggests that there were substantial differences between the diets of Pacific cod in Pavlof Bay between the early 1980s and 1995 and that this change was probably due to the climate shift from cold to warm in the Gulf of Alaska.Ecological dynamics across the Arctic associated with recent climate change
E. Post et al. Science (2009) 325(5946):1355-1358. Arctic ecosystems and the trophic relationships that structure them have been severely perturbed. These rapid changes may be a bellwether of changes to come at lower latitudes and have the potential to affect ecosystem services related to natural resources, food production, climate regulation, and cultural integrity.Ecological impacts of climate change
National Academy of Sciences, 2009. This booklet is based on the report Ecological Impacts of Climate Change (2008), by the Committee on Ecological Impacts of Climate Change. (PDF 8.14 MB)Ecoregion: Polar/subpolar
This fact sheet published by the U.S. Global Change Research Program identifies unique characteristics of the polar and subpolar regions that may be affected by climate change. (PDF 822 KB)Effects of climate change and UV radiation on fisheries for Arctic freshwater and anadromous species
J.D. Reist et al. Ambio (2006) 35(7):402-410. Fisheries for arctic freshwater and diadromous fish species contribute significantly to northern economies. Climate change, and to a lesser extent increased ultraviolet radiation, effects in freshwaters will have profound effects on fisheries from three perspectives: quantity of fish available, quality of fish available, and success of the fishers.Effects of climatic variability on three fishing economies in high-latitude regions: Implications for fisheries policies
J.R. McGoodwin. Marine Policy (2007) 31(1):40-55. Research exploring how climatic variability impacts fishing economies in high-latitude regions was conducted in south-central Iceland and southwest Alaska during 2001-2004. Important differences were found regarding the economic impacts of climatic variations in the commercial economies in Iceland and Alaska, versus in the native subsistence economies in Alaska.Fisheries and aquaculture
Chapter 13 (pages 691-780) of ACIA Scientific Report, Cambridge University Press, 2005. This chapter identifies the possible effects of climate change on selected fish stocks and fisheries in the Arctic. Arctic fisheries of selected species are described in the northeast Atlantic (i.e., the Barents and Norwegian seas), the waters around Iceland and Greenland, the waters off northeastern Canada, and the Bering Sea. (PDF 2.33 MB)Fisheries and climate
K.M. Brander. Pages 483-490 of Encyclopedia of Ocean Sciences, 2nd edition, J.H. Steele et al., eds., Academic Press, 2009. Poleward distribution shifts have occurred since the 1960s and can be attributed to the effects of anthropogenic climate change with a high degree of confidence. These changes may reduce the resilience of exploited stocks, although climate change may also increase productivity in some cases.Fluctuations in circumpolar seabird populations linked to climate oscillations
D.B. Irons et al. Global Change Biology (2008) 14:1455-1463. Negative population trends in seabirds presumably indicate the alteration of underlying food webs. Hence, similar widespread fluctuations in response to climate shifts are likely for other ecosystem components (marine mammals, fish, and invertebrates).Forecasting the consequences of climate-driven shifts in human behavior on cetaceans
S.E. Alter et al. Marine Policy (2010) 34(5):943-954. While climate change is expected to affect cetaceans primarily via loss of habitat and changes in prey availability, additional consequences may result from climate-driven shifts in human behaviors and economic activities. For example, increases in shipping, oil and gas exploration, and fishing due to the loss of Arctic sea ice are highly likely to exacerbate acoustic disturbance, ship strikes, bycatch, and prey depletion for Arctic cetaceans.Future climate of the North Pacific Ocean
J.E. Overland, M. Wang. Eos (2007) 88(16):178,182. Major changes in species distribution and abundance in North Pacific marine ecosystems are often correlated with climatic shifts in the twentieth century. Species affected in the past include halibut in the Gulf of Alaska, sardine near Japan, and various species along the Oregon/California coast.The future of arctic conservation
The Circle (2009), Issue 2. The Circle is published quarterly by the WWF International Arctic Programme. This edition of The Circle focuses on arctic conservation in times of rapid climate change. (PDF 2.89 MB)Global fish production and climate change
K.M. Brander. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (2007) 104(50):19709-10714. There are strong interactions between the effects of fishing and the effects of climate because fishing reduces the age, size, and geographic diversity of populations and the biodiversity of marine ecosystems, making both more sensitive to additional stresses such as climate change.Gunter Weller on global warming and Alaska
D. Cutler. Alaska Business Monthly (2001) 17(9):10. All sectors of the Alaska economy will be affected in one way or another. It seems likely that the Alaska fisheries could be the biggest loser if the present climate trends continue and the predicted global warming occurs.How is global climate change affecting Alaska's marine ecosystems and resources?
Slide presentation by the Alaska Marine Conservation Council, 2008. Alaska's fisheries, which are commercially important (providing half of the US domestic catch), and traditional subsistence ways of life will be changing in complex and sometimes uncertain ways as the climate changes. (PDF 4.24 MB)How will climate change alter fishery governance: Insights from seven international case studies
A. McIlgorm et al. Marine Policy (2010) 34(1):170-177. The case studies reveal governance issues that indicate adaptation will involve more flexible fishery management regimes, schemes for capacity adjustment, catch limitation, and alternative fishing livelihoods for fishers. Where fishery governance systems have been less developed, fisheries are less able to adapt to climate change impacts.ICESCAPE blog
The ICESCAPE mission, which stands for "Impacts of Climate on Ecosystems and Chemistry of the Arctic Pacific Environment," will investigate the impacts of climate change on the ecology and biogeochemistry of the Chukchi and Beaufort seas along Alaska's northern coast. The NASA mission embarked in June 2010 onboard the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Healy, the United States' newest and most technologically advanced polar icebreaker.Ice-shelf collapse, climate change, and habitat loss in the Canadian high Arctic
W.F. Vincent et al. Polar Record (2001) 37(201):133-142. Extensive meltwater lakes occur on the surface of the ice shelf and support a unique microbial food web. The major contraction of these ice-water habitats foreshadows a much broader loss of marine cryo-ecosystems that will accompany future warming in the high Arctic.Impact of climatic change on the biological production in the Barents Sea
I.H. Ellingsen et al. Climatic Change (2008) 87:155-175. The Barents Sea is a high-latitude ecosystem and is an important nursery and feeding area for commercial fish stocks such as cod, capelin, and herring. There is a large inter-annual variability both in physical and biological conditions in the Barents Sea. Understanding and predicting changes in the system requires insight into the coupled nature of the physical and biological interactions.Impact of climate variability on marine ecosystems
J. Alheit et al. (eds.) Journal of Marine Systems (2010) 79(3-4):227-436. This issue of Journal of Marine Systems offers several perspectives on the topic of marine ecosystems under climate change. Articles include:
- Introduction to the workshop on impact of climate variability on marine ecosystems: A comparative approach (J. Alheit et al.)
- Impact of climate variability on marine ecosystems: A comparative approach (J.W. Hurrell, C. Deser)
- North Atlantic climate variability: The role of the North Atlantic Oscillation (J.W. Hurrell, C. Deser)
- Climate change, teleconnection patterns, and regional processes forcing marine populations in the Pacific (F.B. Schwing et al.)
- Climate projections for selected large marine ecosystems (M. Wang et al.)
- Climate controls on marine ecosystems and fish populations (J.E. Overland et al.)
- Paleoecological studies on variability in marine fish populations: A long-term perspective on the impacts of climatic change on marine ecosystems (B.P. Finney et al.)
- Impacts of past climate variability on marine ecosystems: Lessons from sediment records (K-C Emeis et al.)
- Major pathways by which climate may force marine fish populations (G. Ottersen et al.)
- Linking climate to population variability in marine ecosystems characterized by non-simple dynamics: Conceptual templates and schematic constructs (A. Bakun)
- On the processes linking climate to ecosystem changes (K.F. Drinkwater et al.)
- Impacts of climate change on fisheries (K. Brander)
- How does fishing alter marine populations and ecosystems sensitivity to climate? (B. Planque et al.)
- Predicting the effects of climate change on marine communities and the consequences for fisheries (S. Jennings, K. Brander)
- Sensitivity of marine systems to climate and fishing: Concepts, issues and management responses (R.I. Perry et al.)
Impacts of climate change on commercial fish stocks in Norwegian waters
E.K. Stenevik, S. Sundby. Marine Policy (2007) 31(1):19-31. The Norwegian fishing areas extend over various marine ecosystems that will respond differently to climate change.Impacts of warming temperatures on Alaska's marine ecosystems
Fact sheet published in 2007 by the Alaska Marine Conservation Council. (PDF 597 KB)Implications of climate change for northern Canada: Freshwater, marine, and terrestrial ecosystems
T.D. Prowse et al. Ambio (2009) 38(5):282-289. As the climate continues to change, there will be consequences for biodiversity shifts and for the ranges and distribution of many species with resulting effects on availability, accessibility, and quality of resources upon which human populations rely. This will have implications for the protection and management of wildlife, fish, and fisheries resources; protected areas; and forests.An integrated study of economic effects of, and vulnerabilities to, global warming on the Barents Sea cod fisheries
A. Eide. Climatic Change (2008) 87(1-2):251-262. One factor of particular importance for the natural annual biological variations is the occasional inflow of young herring into the Barents Sea area. The herring inflow is difficult to predict and links to dynamical systems outside the Barents Sea area, complex recruitment mechanisms, and oceanographic conditions.Linkages between Alaskan sockeye salmon abundance, growth at sea, and climate, 1955-2002
G.T. Ruggerone et al. Deep Sea Research II (2007) 54 (23-26):2776-2793. The authors tested the hypothesis that increased growth of salmon during early marine life contributed to greater survival and abundance of salmon following the 1976/1977 climate regime shift and that this, in turn, led to density-dependent reductions in growth during late marine stages.Living marine resources: Evolution of living resources and resource-dependent systems in response to rapid external forcing
This webpage from North by 2020, an International Polar Year initiative, looks at ways to bring together the experiences and expertise of as many partners as possible toward a common understanding and vision for effective ways to address future challenges of cooperatively and effectively managing the changing living marine resources of the Bering and Chukchi seas.Major pathways by which climate may force marine fish populations
G. Ottersen et al. Journal of Marine Systems (2010) 79(3-4):343-360. Climate may affect marine fish populations through many different pathways, operating at a variety of temporal and spatial scales. Climate impacts may work their way bottom up through the food web or affect higher trophic levels more directly.Marine systems
Chapter 9 (pages 453-538) of ACIA Scientific Report, Cambridge University Press, 2005. Arctic marine systems are unique with their high proportion of continental shelves and shallow water, dramatic seasonality and overall low level of sunlight, extremely low water temperatures, presence of extensive areas of multi-year and seasonal sea-ice cover, and strong influence from freshwater coming from rivers and ice melt. Such factors represent harsh conditions for many types of marine life. (PDF 4.00 MB)Mercury, food webs, and marine mammals: Implications of diet and climate change for human health
S. Booth, D. Zeller. Environmental Health Perspectives (2005) 113(5):521-526. Under present conditions and climate change scenarios, methyl mercury has increased in the ecosystem, translating into increased human exposure over time. High and harmful levels of methyl mercury in the diet of Faroe Islanders are driven by whale meat consumption, and the increasing impact of climate change is likely to exacerbate this situation.Observations and predictions of Arctic climatic change: Potential effects on marine mammals
C.T. Tynan, D.P. DeMaster. Arctic (1997) 50(4):308-322. Changes in the extent and concentration of sea ice may alter the seasonal distributions, geographic ranges, patterns of migration, nutritional status, reproductive success, and ultimately the abundance and stock structure of some species.Ocean acidification sets off alarm bells
Increasingly acidic waters in the Pacific Ocean may be a factor in the steep decline of salmon runs in the lower 48 states and possibly Alaska. This is an Alaska Public Radio Network news story from July 8, 2008. (MP3—2.05 MB, 4:29)Oceanography of the Canadian Shelf of the Beaufort Sea: A setting for marine life
E.C. Carmack, R.W. MacDonald. Arctic (2002) 55(Supp 1):29-45. Conservation of marine biodiversity in the Beaufort Sea demands that we understand what individual organisms require of their physical and geochemical environments in order to survive. Specifically, how do the extraordinary spatial and seasonal variations in ice cover, temperature, light, freshwater, turbidity, and currents of the Beaufort Sea define unique places or times critical to marine life?On the processes linking climate to ecosystem changes
K.F. Drinkwater et al. Journal of Marine Systems (2010) 79(3-4):374-388. While documentation of climate effects on marine ecosystems has a long history, the underlying processes have often been elusive. In this paper, the authors review some of the ecosystem responses to climate variability and discuss the possible mechanisms through which climate acts.An overview of the ecosystems of the Barents and Norwegian seas and their response to climate variability
H. Loeng, K. Drinkwater. Deep Sea Research II (2007) 54(23-26):2478-2500. The physical oceanography of the Barents and Norwegian seas is dominated by the influx of warm, high-salinity Atlantic waters from the south and cold, low-salinity waters from the Arctic.Polar marine ecosystems: Major threats and future change
A. Clarke, C.M. Harris. Environmental Conservation (2003) 30(01):1-25. Although the two polar regions are similar in their extreme photoperiod, low temperatures, and in being heavily influenced by snow and ice, in almost all other respects they are very different. In both polar regions, the capacity of marine ecosystems to withstand the cumulative impact of a number of pressures, including climate change, pollution, and overexploitation, is of greatest concern.Potential impact of climate change on ecosystems of the Barents Sea region
H. Roderfeld et al. Climatic Change (2008) 87(1-2):283-303. The EU project BALANCE (Global Change Vulnerabilities in the Barents region: Linking Arctic Natural Resources, Climate Change and Economies) aims to assess vulnerability to climate change in the Barents Sea Region.Predicting the effects of climate change on marine communities and the consequences for fisheries
S. Jennings, K. Brander. Journal of Marine Systems (2010) 79(3-4):418-426. Almost all existing studies of the effects of climate have focused on species and the consequences of changes in their abundance for the fishing industry and consumer. However, single species responses are only one of many possible changes that can affect fisheries, and these may be changes to which humans can adapt, even if fishery scientists and the fishing and processing industries are unprepared for this at present.A preliminary assessment of threats to Arctic marine mammals and their conservation in the coming decades
H.P. Huntington. Marine Policy (2009) 33(1):77-82. Over the next several decades, arctic marine mammals will face threats from six areas of human influence: climate change, environmental contaminants, offshore oil and gas activities, shipping, hunting, and commercial fisheries. This paper reviews these factors, the nature and magnitude of the threats they pose, current scientific understanding and management of those threats, and the potential for effective conservation action.Principles of conserving the Arctic's biodiversity
Chapter 10 (pages 539-596) of ACIA Scientific Report, Cambridge University Press, 2005. Climate change will result in changes in the productivity of ecosystems through photosynthesis and changes in the rates of decomposition. The balance between these two major processes will, to a large extent, determine the future nature of the arctic environment. (PDF 1.94 MB)A review of apparent 20th century changes in the presence of mussels (Mytilus trossulus) and macroalgae in Arctic Alaska, and of historical and paleontological evidence used to relate mollusc distributions to climate change
H.M. Feder et al. Arctic (2003) 56(4):391-407. Live mussels attached to fresh laminarioid brown algae, all fastened to clusters of pebbles and small cobbles, were repeatedly cast ashore by autumn storms at Barrow, Alaska, in the 1990s.Sensitivity of marine systems to climate and fishing: Concepts, issues and management responses
R.I. Perry et al. Journal of Marine Systems (2010) 79(3-4):427-435. Modern fisheries research and management must understand and take account of the interactions between climate and fishing, rather than try to disentangle their effects and address each separately. These interactions are significant drivers of change in exploited marine systems and have ramifications for ecosystems and those who depend on the services they provide.Temperature effects on growth of juvenile Greenland halibut (Reinhardtius hippoglossoides Walbaum) in West Greenland waters
K. Sünksen et al. Journal of Sea Research (2010) 64(1-2):125-132. Future increase in temperature along the west coast of Greenland is likely to result in enhanced growth of juvenile Greenland halibut. Whether this leads to increased recruitment is uncertain as density-dependent mortality of the settled juvenile Greenland halibut appears to counteract the positive effects of enhanced growth.Timing of blooms, algal food quality and Calanus glacialis reproduction and growth in a changing Arctic
J.E. Søreide et al. Global Change Biology (2010). The Arctic bloom consists of two distinct categories of primary producers, ice algae growing within and on the underside of the sea ice, and phytoplankton growing in open waters. Long-chain omega-3 fatty acids, a subgroup of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) produced exclusively by these algae, are essential to all marine organisms for successful reproduction, growth, and development.Variability in the Bering Sea ecosystem
S.A. Macklin et al. Progress in Oceanography (2002) 55(1-2):1-4. This issue of Progress in Oceanography comprises research articles about climate-related changes in the Bering Sea, from chemistry dynamics to phytoplankton biomass to flatfish recruitment. This introductory article summarizes some of the studies.West Greenland's cod-to-shrimp transition: Local dimensions of climatic change
L.C. Hamilton et al. Arctic (2003) 56(3):271-282. This integrated case study examines linkages between atmospheric conditions (including the North Atlantic Oscillation), ocean circulation, ecosystem conditions, fishery activities, and the livelihoods and population changes of two West Greenland towns: Sisimiut, south of Disko Bay, and Paamiut, on the southwest coast.Shifting Species
Arctic biodiversity trends 2010: Selected indicators of change
Report by CAFF International Secretariat, Akureyri, Iceland, May 2010. In 2008, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) passed a resolution expressing "extreme concern" over the impacts of climate change on Arctic indigenous peoples, other communities, and biodiversity. It highlighted the potentially significant consequences of changes in the Arctic. Arctic Biodiversity Trends 2010: Selected Indicators of Change provides evidence that some of those anticipated impacts on Arctic biodiversity are already occurring. (PDF 18.57 MB)Arctic insects as indicators of environmental change
H.V. Danks. Arctic (1992) 45(2):159-166. The great diversity of terrestrial arthropods in the Arctic suggests that these organisms are especially useful to monitor environmental change there, where warming as a result of climatic change is expected to be especially pronounced and where current conditions are limiting for many organisms.Arctic tundra and polar desert ecosystems
Chapter 7 (pages 243-352) of ACIA Scientific Report, Cambridge University Press, 2005. The dominant response of current arctic species to climate change, as in the past, is very likely to be relocation rather than adaptation. Some groups such as mosses, lichens, and some herbivores and their predators are at risk in some areas, but productivity and number of species is very likely to increase. (PDF 3.61 MB)Biodiversity, climate change, and ecosystem services
H. Mooney. Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability (2009) 1(1):46-54. Stresses imposed by climate change in the coming years will require extraordinary adaptation. We need to track the changing status of ecosystems, deepen our understanding of the biological underpinnings for ecosystem service delivery, and develop new tools and techniques for maintaining and restoring resilient biological and social systems.Citizen observation of natural phenomena
Phenology is the timing of the annual cycles of plants and animals. Climate warming may be changing the timing of these cycles, and scientists need help tracking all the changes. A national network has been set up to collect observations from citizens across the country. This show aired on Alaska Public Radio Network's "Talk of Alaska" on July 21, 2009. Guests were Dr. Julio Betancourt of U.S. Geological Survey in Tucson, Arizona, and Jake Weltzin, executive director of National Phenology Network. (MP3—4.93 MB, 5:23)Climate change and cyclic predator-prey population dynamics in the high Arctic
O. Gilg et al. Global Change Biology (2009) 15:2634-2652. The authors conclude that the recent anomalous observations about lack of cyclic lemming dynamics in eastern Greenland may well be the first signs of a severe impact of climate change on the lemming-predator communities in Greenland and elsewhere in the high Arctic.Climate change as a threat to biodiversity: An application of the DPSIR approach
I. Omann et al. Ecological Economics (2009) 69(1):24-31. Based on an analysis using the DPSIR framework, this paper discusses some of the important socioeconomic driving forces of climate change, with a focus on energy use and transportation. The paper also analyzes observed and potential changes of climate and the pressures they exert on biodiversity, the changes in biodiversity, the resulting impacts on ecosystem functions, and possible policy responses.Climate impacts on polar bears
Online article published by the Polar Bear Specialist Group of the IUCN Species Survival Commission.Climatic effects on the breeding phenology and reproductive success of an Arctic-nesting goose species
M. Dickey et al. Global Change Biology (2008) 14:1973-1985. Climate warming is pronounced in the Arctic, and migratory birds are expected to be among the most affected species. The authors examine the effects of local and regional climatic variations on the breeding phenology and reproductive success of greater snow geese (Chen caerulescens atlantica), a migratory species nesting in the Canadian Arctic.Current State & Trends Assessment: Polar Systems, Chapter 25: Polar Systems by the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment
Because of polar amplification of climate change, the ecological impacts of warming are evident earliest and most clearly at high latitudes. In a region of near-pristine wilderness, relationships between ecosystems, species, and environment are more clearly defined than in populated regions where human influences can mask these relationships. This chapter emphasizes the ecological processes that most directly influence human well-being within and outside polar regions. (PDF 994 KB)Decreasing ice coverage will reduce the breeding success of Baltic grey seal (Halichoerus grypus) females
M. Jüssi et al. Ambio (2008) 37(2):80-85. Because indices of life-time net reproductive rate (pup survival) and pup quality (weaning weight and health) were more auspicious on ice as compared with land, diminishing ice fields will lower the fitness of Baltic grey seal females and substantially increase the risk for quasi-extinction.Dispersal and climate change: A case study of the Arctic tern Sterna paradisaea
A.P. Møller et al. Global Change Biology (2006) 12(10):2005-2013. Dispersal is an important evolutionary process that can affect admixture of populations and cause rapid responses to changing climatic conditions due to gene flow from populations at different altitudes or latitudes already experiencing these conditions.Ecological dynamics across the Arctic associated with recent climate change
E. Post et al. Science (2009) 325(5946):1355-1358. Arctic ecosystems and the trophic relationships that structure them have been severely perturbed. These rapid changes may be a bellwether of changes to come at lower latitudes and have the potential to affect ecosystem services related to natural resources, food production, climate regulation, and cultural integrity.Ecological impacts of climate change
National Academy of Sciences, 2009. This booklet is based on the report Ecological Impacts of Climate Change (2008), by the Committee on Ecological Impacts of Climate Change. (PDF 8.14 MB)Ecoregion: Polar/subpolar
This fact sheet published by the U.S. Global Change Research Program identifies unique characteristics of the polar and subpolar regions that may be affected by climate change. (PDF 822 KB)Evidence and implications of recent climate change in northern Alaska and other Arctic regions
L.D. Hinzman et al. Climatic Change (2005) 72(3):251-298. This study supports ongoing efforts to strengthen the interdisciplinarity of arctic system science and improve the coupling of large-scale experimental manipulation with sustained time series observations by incorporating and integrating novel technologies, remote sensing and modeling.Extinction risk from climate change
C.D. Thomas et al. Nature (2004) 427(6970):145-148. Climate change over the past approximately 30 years has produced numerous shifts in the distributions and abundances of species and has been implicated in one species-level extinction.Facing a future of change: Wild migratory caribou and reindeer
A. Gunn et al. Arctic (2009) 62(3):iii-vi. Climate trends interact with, and may alter, the typical cyclic behavior of caribou abundance.Fluctuations in circumpolar seabird populations linked to climate oscillations
D.B. Irons et al. Global Change Biology (2008) 14:1455-1463. Negative population trends in seabirds presumably indicate the alteration of underlying food webs. Hence, similar widespread fluctuations in response to climate shifts are likely for other ecosystem components (marine mammals, fish, and invertebrates).The future of arctic conservation
The Circle (2009), Issue 2. The Circle is published quarterly by the WWF International Arctic Programme. This edition of The Circle focuses on arctic conservation in times of rapid climate change. (PDF 2.89 MB)Global declines of caribou and reindeer
L.S. Vors, M.S. Boyce. Global Change Biology (2009) 15:2626-2633. Caribou and reindeer herds are declining across their circumpolar range, coincident with increasing arctic temperatures and precipitation, and anthropogenic landscape change.Gunter Weller on global warming and Alaska
D. Cutler. Alaska Business Monthly (2001) 17(9):10. All sectors of the Alaska economy will be affected in one way or another. It seems likely that the Alaska fisheries could be the biggest loser if the present climate trends continue and the predicted global warming occurs.Has prey availability for Arctic birds advanced with climate change? Hindcasting the abundance of tundra arthropods using weather and seasonal variation
I. Tulp, H. Schekkerman. Arctic (2008) 61(1):48-60. Large numbers of birds breed on the Arctic tundra, and many of these, such as shorebirds and passerines, feed on arthropods. Their chicks depend on a short insect population outburst characteristic of Arctic areas. To predict the consequences of climate change for reproduction in these birds, insight into arthropod phenology is essential.High-Arctic ecosystem dynamics in a changing climate: Ten years of monitoring and research at Zackenberg Research Station, Northeast Greenland
H. Meltofte et al., eds. Advances in Ecological Research No. 40 (2008). This book is based on data collected during the past 10 years by Zaceknberg Ecological Research Operations (ZERO) at Zackenberg Research Station in Northeast Greenland. The volume offers a comprehensive and authoritative analysis of how climate variability is influencing an Arctic ecosystem and how Arctic ecosystems have inherent feedback mechanisms interacting with climate variability or change.Historical analysis of sea ice conditions in M'Clintock Channel and the Gulf of Boothia, Nunavut: Implications for ringed seal and polar bear habitat
D.G. Barber, J. Iacozza. Arctic (2004) 57(1):1-14. Sea ice is an integral part of the marine ecosystem in the Arctic and important habitat for ringed seals and polar bears. To study changes in sea ice characteristics indicative of ringed seal habitat (and linked, through predator/prey relationships, to polar bear habitat), this study examined historical changes in sea ice concentration and type within M'Clintock Channel and the Gulf of Boothia, two regions of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, during 1980-2000.Impacts of climate change on the seasonal distribution of migratory caribou
S. Sharma et al. Global Change Biology (2009) 15:2549-2562. Arctic ecosystems are especially vulnerable to global climate change as temperature and precipitation regimes are altered. An ecologically and socially highly important northern terrestrial species that may be impacted by climate change is the caribou, Rangifer tarandus.Implications of climate change for northern Canada: Freshwater, marine, and terrestrial ecosystems
T.D. Prowse et al. Ambio (2009) 38(5):282-289. As the climate continues to change, there will be consequences for biodiversity shifts and for the ranges and distribution of many species with resulting effects on availability, accessibility, and quality of resources upon which human populations rely. This will have implications for the protection and management of wildlife, fish, and fisheries resources; protected areas; and forests.Implications of warm temperatures and an unusual rain event for the survival of ringed seals on the coast of southeastern Baffin Island
I. Stirling, T.G. Smith. Arctic (2004) 57(1):59-67. The premature removal of protection offered by subnivean birth lairs may expose young ringed seal pups to high levels of predation, which may negatively affect populations of ringed seals and the polar bears that depend on them for food.Is climate change affecting wolf populations in the high arctic?
D. Mech. Climatic Change (2004) 67(1):87-93. Global climate change may affect wolves in Canada's high arctic acting through three trophic levels (vegetation, herbivores, and wolves).Management and conservation of wildlife in a changing Arctic environment
Chapter 11 (pages 597-648) of ACIA Scientific Report, Cambridge University Press, 2005. The effects of climate change on wildlife populations, their productivity, and their distributions will increasingly threaten arctic wildlife at the species, population, and ecosystem levels. Systems for management and conservation of wildlife in the Arctic will face new challenges and must become adaptable to the changes taking place in the natural environment accelerated by climate change. (PDF 2.08 MB)Monitoring the spatio-temporal dynamics of geometrid moth outbreaks in birch forest using MODIS-NDVI data
J.U. Jepsen et al. Remote Sensing of Environment (2009) 113(9):1939-1947. Defoliation caused by repeated outbreaks of cyclic geometrid moths is the most prominent natural disturbance factor in the northern-boreal birch forest. Evidence suggests that recent changes in outbreak distribution and duration can be attributed to climate warming.On thin ice: The changing world of the polar bear
R. Ellis. Knopf, 2009, 416 pages. Polar bears are exceptionally well suited for hunting, especially when it comes to ringed seals, their favorite prey, which they can smell from over a mile away. But as the ice melts in the Arctic, the ability of polar bears to find the food they need to survive diminishes in spite of their incredible physical capacities. Listen to an interview with author Richard Ellis that aired on National Public Radio's "All Things Considered" November 22, 2009.Possible effects of climate warming on selected populations of polar bears (Ursus maritimus) in the Canadian Arctic
I. Stirling, C.L. Parkinson. Arctic (2006) 59(3):261-275. The authors hypothesize that, if the climate continues to warm as projected by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), then polar bears in all five populations discussed in this paper will be increasingly food-stressed, and their numbers are likely to decline eventually, probably significantly so. As these populations decline, problem interactions between bears and humans will likely continue, and possibly increase, as the bears seek alternative food sources.Possible impacts of climatic warming on polar bears
I. Stirling, A.E. Derocher. Arctic (1993) 46(3):240-245. If climatic warming occurs, the first impacts on polar bears (Ursus maritirnus) will be felt at the southern limits of their distribution, such as in James and Hudson bays, where the whole population is already forced to fast for approximately four months when the sea ice melts during the summer. Prolonging the ice-free period will increase nutritional stress on this population until they are no longer able to store enough fat to survive the ice-free period.Prediction of the distribution of Arctic-nesting pink-footed geese under a warmer climate scenario
R.A. Jensen et al. Global Change Biology (2008) 14:1-10. Contrary to recent suggestions regarding future distributions of Arctic wildlife, the authors predict that warming may lead to a further growth in population size of, at least some, Arctic breeding geese.Principles of conserving the Arctic's biodiversity
Chapter 10 (pages 539-596) of ACIA Scientific Report, Cambridge University Press, 2005. Climate change will result in changes in the productivity of ecosystems through photosynthesis and changes in the rates of decomposition. The balance between these two major processes will, to a large extent, determine the future nature of the arctic environment. (PDF 1.94 MB)Unusual predation attempts of polar bears on ringed seals in the southern Beaufort Sea: Possible significance of changing spring ice conditions
I. Stirling et al. Arctic (2008) 61(1):14-22. In April and May 2003 through 2006, unusually rough and rafted sea ice extended for several tens of kilometers offshore in the southeastern Beaufort Sea from about Atkinson Point to the Alaska border. Hunting success of polar bears (Ursus maritimus) seeking seals was low despite extensive searching for prey.Ice and Climate
Alaska melting into the sea
M. Kumar. Geotimes (2007). Northern Alaska is crumbling into the sea, according to newly released satellite images that show how rising global temperatures appear to be rapidly transforming the polar landscape.Alaska Park Science: Scientific studies on climate change in Alaska's national parks
Alaska Park Science (2007) 6(1). Alaska Park Science is published twice a year by Alaska Geographic for the National Park Service. This issue contains reports on interpreting the science of climate change, the effects of climate change on the glaciers of Denali National Park, climate change consequences for subsistence communities, the frozen past of Wrangell-St. Elias, and glacial rebound in Glacier Bay.Alaska the 'poster state' for climate concerns
E. Weise. USA Today (updated 5/31/06). Alaska is important in measuring the effect of global warming on the USA because what happens here soon will be felt in the Lower 48 states.Annual Arctic sea ice minimum from 1979 to 2008
This 35-second animation, produced by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Goddard Space Flight Center, shows Arctic sea ice from 1979 to 2008. (WMV 1.48 MB)Arctic amplification
N. Lubick. Geotimes (2006). The northern latitudes amplify shifts in temperature, ocean circulation, precipitation, and evaporation that occur elsewhere on the planet, making the region a kind of early warning system for global climate change.The Arctic amplification debate
M. Serreze, J.A. Francis. Climatic Change (2006) 76(3-4):241-264. Rises in surface air temperature (SAT) in response to increasing concentrations of greenhouse gases (GHGs) are expected to be amplified in northern high latitudes, with warming most pronounced over the Arctic Ocean owing to the loss of sea ice. Observations document recent warming, but an enhanced Arctic Ocean signal is not readily evident.The Arctic and climate change
Brochure published by Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.Arctic Change: A Near-Real-Time Arctic Change Indicator Website
The objective of this website is to present recent indicators that describe the present state of the Arctic climate and ecosystem in an accessible, understandable, and credible historical context.Arctic climate: Past and present
Chapter 2 (pages 21-60) of ACIA Scientific Report, Cambridge University Press, 2005. The sensitivities of snow and ice regimes to small temperature increases and of cold oceans to small changes in salinity are processes that could contribute to unusually large and rapid climate change in the Arctic. (PDF 3.24 MB)Arctic climate change: Observed and modeled temperature and sea-ice variability
O.M. Johannessen. Tellus: Series A (2004) 56(4):328-341. Changes apparent in the arctic climate system in recent years require evaluation in a century-scale perspective in order to assess the Arctic's response to increasing anthropogenic greenhouse-gas forcing. Here, a new set of century- and multidecadal-scale observational data is used in order to better determine and understand arctic climate variability.Arctic climate change as manifest in cyclone behavior
I. Simmonds et al. Journal of Climate (2008) 21(22):5777-5796. The Arctic region has exhibited dramatic changes in recent times. Many of these are intimately tied up with synoptic activity, but little research has been undertaken on how the characteristics of Arctic cyclones have changed.Arctic climate feedbacks: Global implications
Report by WWF International Arctic Programme, Second Edition, November 2009. In addition to the regional consequences of arctic climate change are its global impacts. Acting as the Northern Hemisphere's refrigerator, a frozen Arctic plays a central role in regulating Earth's climate system. A number of critical arctic climate feedbacks affect the global climate system, and many of these are now being altered in a rapidly warming Arctic. (PDF 10.83 MB)The Arctic in an earth system context: From brake to accelerator of change
W. Steffen. Ambio (2006) 35(4):153-159. Human activities over the past few centuries have profoundly changed the functioning of the earth system as a whole. These changes are particularly evident in the high latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere and can lead to two important feedback processes: the ice-albedo feedback and the terrestrial carbon cycle-climate feedback. These processes play an exceptionally important role in earth system functioning, particularly because they may switch this century from damping the effects of anthropogenic climate change to accelerating them.Arctic life, on thin ice
K. Krajick. Science (2001) 291(5503):424-425. Field observations from the Beaufort Sea to Hudson Bay are suggesting that the food web in the Arctic Ocean is ailing, causing many species to flounder as a result of the warming environment. Sea ice in the Arctic, on which arctic animals hunt, rest, and reproduce, now covers 15% less area than it did in 1978. If this trend continues, in 50 years the sea ice could disappear entirely during summers, possibly wiping out ice algae and most other organisms farther up the food chain.Arctic melt unnerves the experts
A.C. Revkin. New York Times, October 2, 2007. A host of Arctic scientists say it is too soon to know if the global greenhouse effect has already tipped the system to a condition in which sea ice in summers will be routinely limited to a few clotted passageways in northern Canada. But at the university in Fairbanks, Dr. Hajo Eicken and other experts are having a hard time conceiving a situation that could reverse the trends.The Arctic Ocean: So much we still don't know
K. Moran, J. Backman. Geotimes (2007). Earth's albedo (the percent of solar radiation reflected back into the atmosphere) can be a major climate feedback component. Because the ice-covered poles have the highest albedo of any other locale on the planet, major changes in this ice can "tip" the planet to a cooler or hotter place. Today, we are witnesses to such a shift—the Arctic's permanent sea ice is rapidly melting.Arctic paleoclimate synthesis thematic papers
J.J. Fitzpatrick et al. Quaternary Science Reviews (2010) 29(15-16):1674-1678. This issue of QSR contains five papers that were originally written as the technical chapters for the U.S. Climate Change Science Program's Synthesis and Assessment Product (SAP) 1.2, Past Climate Variability and Change in the Arctic and at High Latitudes. The thematic papers here reintroduce the technical language of climate change and update the original SAP content with more recent information derived from literature published after the report was finalized for publication in 2008.Arctic Report Card
An international team of research scientists has created this peer-reviewed website which tracks multiple changes in the arctic environment. The Report Card is organized by NOAA and will be updated annually.Arctic sea ice decline: Faster than forecast
J. Stroeve et al. Geophysical Research Letters (2007) 34. From 1953 to 2006, Arctic sea ice extent at the end of the melt season in September has declined sharply. All models participating in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Fourth Assessment Report (IPCC AR4) show declining Arctic ice cover over this period.Arctic Sea Ice News & Analysis
Online newsletter from the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC). Sea ice data are updated daily, with a one-day lag.Arctic sea ice retreat in 2007 follows thinning trend
R.W. Lindsay et al. Journal of Climate (2009) 22(1):165-176. The minimum of Arctic sea ice extent in the summer of 2007 was unprecedented in the historical record. However, 2007 ice mass loss is largely consistent with a steady decrease in ice thickness that began in 1987. Since then, the simulated mean September ice thickness within the Arctic Ocean has declined from 3.7 to 2.6 meters at a rate of -0.57 meters decade.Arctic seas: Currents of change, an international symposium
D.J. St. Aubin. Arctic (2000) 53(4):iii-vii. A symposium was held in October 1998 in Mystic, Connecticut, convened by the Sea Research Foundation and Mystic Aquarium, to bring attention to the issues, both scientific and sociopolitical, that bear on the status and future of the Arctic Ocean and adjacent waters.Backyard of the rich North: The climate change–related vicious circle of the Arctic zone
O. Varis. Ambio (2006) 35(4):176-181. Melting of glaciers will accelerate sea-level rise. The reduced snow and ice surface area will cut down the amount of radiation reflected out to space and speed up the warming process. These are some of the threats that climate change projections have for the Arctic zone.Bering Climate
Webpage sponsored by NOAA's Fisheries-Oceanography Coordinated Investigations (FOCI) Program.Big arctic perils seen in warming, survey finds
A.C. Revkin. New York Times, October 30, 2004. A comprehensive four-year study of warming in the Arctic was commissioned by the Arctic Council. While Arctic warming has been going on for decades and has been studied before, this is the first thorough assessment of the causes and consequences of the trend.The big melt
This is a series of articles published in the New York Times in October 2005 describing the effects of warming on the environment and on the four million people who live in the Arctic, and scientists' assessments of the inevitability of Arctic melting. Included are three videos: The Arctic Ice Cap where Andrew C. Revkin looks at the melting of the Arctic ice cap, Sampling the Ice where Revkin describes an expedition to drill samples in the Arctic, and Arctic Fisheries where Simon Romero looks at how changes in the Arctic may affect the Norwegian fishing industry.The big melt: Notes from the front lines of climate change
E. Grossman. Earth Island Journal (2008) 23(2):34-38. For almost a month, the author's home was the CCGS Amundsen, a Canadian Coast Guard icebreaker and scientific research vessel that was the first to spend the winter moving through sea ice north of the Arctic Circle. This expedition, which involved more than 200 scientists from 15 different countries, was the largest International Polar Year project underway.The central role of diminishing sea ice in recent Arctic temperature amplification
J.A. Screen, I. Simmonds. Nature (2010) 464(7293):1334-1337. This study concludes that diminishing sea ice has had a leading role in recent Arctic temperature amplification. The findings reinforce suggestions that strong positive ice-temperature feedbacks have emerged in the Arctic, increasing the chances of further rapid warming and sea ice loss, which will probably affect polar ecosystems, ice-sheet mass balance, and human activities in the Arctic.A century of climate change for Fairbanks, Alaska
G. Wendler, M. Shulski. Arctic (2009) 62(3):295-300. The climate of Fairbanks was analyzed for a century ending in 2006. The temperature has increased by 1.4°C, almost twice the global increase, which is expected as a result of the polar amplification in temperature change.Challenges of climate change: An Arctic perspective
R.W. Corell. Ambio (2006) 35(4):148-152. Climate change is being experienced particularly intensely in the Arctic. Arctic average temperature has risen at almost twice the rate as that of the rest of the world in the past few decades. Widespread melting of glaciers and sea ice and rising permafrost temperatures present additional evidence of strong Arctic warming. These changes in the Arctic provide an early indication of the environmental and societal significance of global consequences.Changes in the Arctic: Consequences for the world
M. Bettwy. This online essay was published January 24, 2005, by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. Significant changes in the Arctic environment, especially those over the past decade, can lead to dramatic swings in weather and climate patterns across the rest of the globe, with potentially far-reaching consequences for ecosystems and human populations.Changes in the climate of the Alaskan North Slope and the ice concentration of the adjacent Beaufort Sea
G. Wendler, M. Shulski, B. Moore. Theoretical and Applied Climatology (2010) 99:67-74. The sea ice extent of the Arctic Ocean has decreased strongly in recent years, and in September 2007 a new record in the amount of open water was recorded in the Western Arctic.A changing climate
S.J. Hassol, R.W. Corell. SGI Quarterly, April 2009. The Arctic is warming faster than lower latitudes largely because as Arctic snow and ice melt, the darker land and ocean surfaces that are revealed absorb more of the sun's energy, creating a self-reinforcing cycle of warming.The changing climate of the Arctic
D.G. Barber et al. Arctic (2008) 61(Suppl 1):7-26. Evidence is now accumulating that the Arctic is warming, and responses are being observed across physical, biological, and social systems.Climate change and the cryosphere: Snow, water, ice and permafrost in the Arctic (SWIPA)
This pamphlet (2009) provides a brief overview of some of the topics being reviewed and assessed in the Arctic Council Project "Climate Change and the Cryosphere: Snow, Water, Ice and Permafrost in the Arctic (SWIPA)." (PDF 772 KB)Climate change impact on atmospheric nitrogen deposition in northwestern Europe: A model study
L. Hole, M. Engardt. Ambio (2008) 37(1):9-17. A high-resolution chemical transport model, driven by meteorology representing current and future climate, was used to investigate the effects of possible future changes in climate on nitrogen deposition in northwestern Europe.Climate change impacts on the Beaufort shelf landfast ice
J. Dumas et al. Cold Regions Science and Technology (2005) 42(1):41-51. Authors emphasize the urgent need for marine-based observations of solid precipitation for understanding change in the thickness of landfast sea ice.Climate change in Eurasian Arctic shelf seas: Centennial ice cover observations
I.E. Frolov et al., Springer, 2009. The major goals of this 166-page book are to describe the state and variability of the Arctic sea ice cover, to demonstrate methods for sea ice studies, and to describe and test hypotheses that will allow us to understand and predict future Arctic sea ice conditions. The authors synthesize data collected and experience gained by Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute (AARI) scientists during their more than 85 years of Arctic exploration.Climate change scenarios for the Hudson Bay region: An intermodel comparison
A.S. Gagnon, W.A. Gough. Climatic Change (2005) 69(2-3):269-297. This study compares the response of Hudson Bay to a transient warming scenario provided by six-coupled atmosphere-ocean models. The analysis focuses on surface temperature, precipitation, sea-ice coverage, and permafrost distribution.The climate of Alaska
M. Shulski, G. Wendler. Alaska Climate Research Center, 2007. This 216-page book provides an updated climatology of Alaska, illustrating the diverse range and unique climate features of the 49th state. It contains a narrative discussion along with full-color photos, maps, tables and charts for various climatological parameters. The concepts are clearly presented and easily understood by nonspecialists.Cryosphere and hydrology
Chapter 6 (pages 183-242) of ACIA Scientific Report, Cambridge University Press, 2005. Earlier breakup and later freeze-up have combined to lengthen the ice-free season of rivers and lakes by up to three weeks since the early 1900s throughout much of the Arctic. It is likely that low-frequency variations in the atmosphere and ocean have played at least some role in forcing the cryospheric and hydrological trends of the past few decades. (PDF 5.23 MB)Current understanding of Antarctic climate change
Online fact sheet published by the Pew Center on Global Climate Change, October 2007. At a time of dramatic warming and rapid sea ice decline in the Arctic, Antarctica has cooled slightly and sea ice has increased around it. Recent scientific progress in understanding how two distinct processes affect Antarctic climate reconciles these seemingly contradictory trends at the Earth's poles.Cyclic variation and solar forcing of Holocene climate in the Alaskan subarctic
F.S. Hu et al. Science (2003) 301(5641):1890-1893. During the Holocene, small variations in solar irradiance induced pronounced cyclic changes in northern high-latitude environments.The early twentieth-century warming in the Arctic—A possible mechanism
Max Planck Institute for Meteorology, Report No. 345, 2003. Four possible mechanisms, individually or in combination, contributed to the early 20th-century Arctic warming: anthropogenic effects, increased solar irradiation, reduced volcanic activity, and internal variability of the climate system. It seems unlikely that anthropogenic forcing on its own could have caused the warming. (PDF 2.06 MB)Extreme Ice Survey (EIS)
EIS uses time-lapse photography, conventional photography, and video to document the rapid changes now occurring on the earth's glacial ice. The EIS team has installed 27 time-lapse cameras at 15 sites in Greenland, Iceland, Alaska, and the Rocky Mountains. EIS supplements this ongoing record with annual repeat photography in Iceland, the Alps, and Bolivia.Fourth quarter in the Arctic
M. Sever. Geotimes (2008). The Pacific Ocean is carrying more heat through Arctic seas into the Arctic Ocean, potentially peeling back the ice at the surface as warmer waters lap at the edges of the ice.Future climate change: Modeling and scenarios
Chapter 4 (pages 99-150) of ACIA Scientific Report, Cambridge University Press, 2005. Atmosphere-ocean general circulation models are widely acknowledged to be the primary tool for projecting future climate. As understanding of the earth's climate system increases and computers become more sophisticated, the scope of processes and feedbacks simulated by AOGCMs is steadily increasing. In addition to representing the general circulation of the atmosphere and the ocean, AOGCMs include interactive components representing the land surface and cryosphere. (PDF 4.89 MB)Future projections of landfast ice thickness and duration in the Canadian Arctic
J.A. Dumas et al. Journal of Climate (2006) 19(20):5175-5189. Projections of future landfast ice thickness and duration were generated for nine sites in the Canadian Arctic and one site on the Labrador coast with a simple downscaling technique that used a one-dimensional sea ice model driven by observationally based forcing and superimposed projected future climate change from the Canadian Centre for Climate Modelling and Analysis global climate model (CGCM2).Global warming and the Greenland ice sheet
P. Chylek et al. Climatic Change (2004) 63(1-2):201-221. The Greenland coastal temperatures have followed the early 20th century global warming trend. Since 1940, however, the Greenland coastal stations data have undergone predominantly a cooling trend.The Greenland Ice Sheet in a Changing Climate (GRIS)
Links to moving images, photographs, and publications about the Greenland ice sheet. Includes the GRIS summary report and full report.Historical analysis of sea ice conditions in M'Clintock Channel and the Gulf of Boothia, Nunavut: Implications for ringed seal and polar bear habitat
D.G. Barber, J. Iacozza. Arctic (2004) 57(1):1-14. Sea ice is an integral part of the marine ecosystem in the Arctic and important habitat for ringed seals and polar bears. To study changes in sea ice characteristics indicative of ringed seal habitat (and linked, through predator/prey relationships, to polar bear habitat), this study examined historical changes in sea ice concentration and type within M'Clintock Channel and the Gulf of Boothia, two regions of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, during 1980-2000.How fast is landfast sea ice? A study of the attachment and detachment of nearshore ice at Barrow, Alaska
A. Mahoney et al. Cold Regions Science and Technology (2007) 47(3):233-255. During the two winters between 2003 and 2005, land-based marine radar observed the nearshore ice motion during the development and decay of landfast ice near Barrow, Alaska.Ice sheets, global warming, and article 2 of the UNFCCC
M. Oppenheimer, R.B. Alley. Climatic Change (2005) 68(3):257-267. A number of recent findings have refocused attention about ice sheet demise on Greenland.The increase in the length of the ice-free season in the Arctic
J. Rodrigues. Cold Regions Science and Technology (2009) 59(1):78-101. Daily sea ice concentrations obtained from satellite passive microwave imagery are used to calculate the length of the ice-free season and the inverse sea ice index in each point of the Arctic for each year between 1979 and 2008.Integrated analysis of physical and biological pan-arctic change
J.E. Overland et al. Climatic Change (2004) 63(3):291-322. This study investigates the recent large changes that have occurred in the Arctic over the period of 1965-1995 through examination of 86 regionally dispersed time series representing seven data types: climate indices, atmosphere, ocean, terrestrial, sea ice, fisheries, and other biological data.Interview: Jennifer Hutchings
Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists (2009) 65(1):4-12. Jennifer Hutchings, a physicist at the International Arctic Research Center at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks, studies the mechanics of sea ice. The 2007 Sea Ice Experiment: Dynamic Nature of the Arctic (SEDNA) project, which Hutchings led, measured the movements and dynamics of the Beaufort ice pack. In an effort to better illuminate the effects of global warming, the Bulletin spoke with Hutchings about the state of Arctic ice pack research.Large-scale atmospheric circulation changes are associated with the recent loss of Arctic sea ice
J.E. Overland, M. Wang. Tellus A (2009) 62(1):1-9. Recent loss of summer sea ice in the Arctic is directly connected to shifts in northern wind patterns in the following autumn, which has the potential of altering the heat budget at the cold end of the global heat engine.Melt zone
M. Jenkins. National Geographic (2010) 217(6):34-47. Photographic journal of shifting meltwater of the Greenland ice sheet.Melting snow and ice: A call for action
Former Vice President Al Gore and Norwegian Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Støre presented this global report on melting ice at a side event of the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen (COP 15) December 14, 2009. (PDF 15.2 MB)Modelling geomorphic response to climatic change
N.J. Couture, W.H. Pollard. Climatic Change (2007) 85(3-4):407-431. This paper develops a three-step thaw model to assess the impact of predicted warming on an ice-rich polar desert landscape in the Canadian high Arctic.NASA data show Arctic saw fastest August sea ice retreat on record
For a four-week period in August 2008, sea ice melted faster during that period than ever before. This page has a link to a video clip produced by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. The video gives a general overview of recent arctic sea ice decline.New sea ice report to chronicle arctic conditions
A new weekly sea ice report is aimed at forecasting changing spring ice conditions for walrus and seal hunters in communities along the northern Bering and southern Chukchi seas. This news story aired on Alaska Public Radio Network's "Alaska News Nightly" on April 27, 2010. (MP3—4.17 MB, 4:33)Nonlinear threshold behavior during the loss of Arctic sea ice
I. Eisenman, J.S. Wettlaufer. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (2009) 106(1):28-32. In light of the rapid recent retreat of Arctic sea ice, a number of studies have discussed the possibility of a critical threshold (or "tipping point") beyond which the ice-albedo feedback causes the ice cover to melt away in an irreversible process. Here, the authors examine the central physical processes associated with the transition from ice-covered to ice-free Arctic Ocean conditions.Numerical investigations of future ice conditions in the Baltic Sea
J. Haapala et al. Ambio (2001) 30(4):237-244. Global climate change is expected to have an effect on the physical and ecological characteristics of the Baltic Sea. Estimates of future climate on the regional scale can be obtained by using either statistical or dynamical downscaling methods of global AOGCM scenario results.Observations and predictions of Arctic climatic change: Potential effects on marine mammals
C.T. Tynan, D.P. DeMaster. Arctic (1997) 50(4):308-322. Changes in the extent and concentration of sea ice may alter the seasonal distributions, geographic ranges, patterns of migration, nutritional status, reproductive success, and ultimately the abundance and stock structure of some species.Observing and understanding Arctic climate change: Monitoring the mass balance, motion, and thickness of sea ice
Website of the Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory (CRREL). The Arctic sea ice cover plays a key role in global climate change studies, both as an indicator and as an amplifier of climate change. The sea ice cover is undergoing significant climate-induced changes, affecting both its extent and thickness. Observations of ice growth and melt improves our understanding of the ongoing changes and enhance our ability to predict future changes.On thin ice in the Bering Sea
This NOVA video series explores the past and future of the fast-changing Bering Sea region, its culture and people, and the new polar science that is emerging from an expedition on board the Coast Guard cutter Healy.Ozone and ultraviolet radiation
Chapter 5 (pages 151-182) of ACIA Scientific Report, Cambridge University Press, 2005. Because of the low solar elevation in the Arctic, the region is subject to an increased proportion of diffuse UV radiation, from scattering in the atmosphere as well as from reflectance off snow and ice. A reduction in snow and ice cover on the surface of rivers, lakes, or oceans is likely to increase the exposure of many organisms to damaging UV radiation. (PDF 1.19 MB)Past climate variability and change in the Arctic and at high latitudes
A report by the U.S. Climate Change Science Program (CCSP) and the Subcommittee on Global Change Research, January 2009. This is part of a series of 21 Synthesis and Assessment Products (SAPs) aimed at providing current assessments of climate change science to inform public debate, policy, and operational decisions. (PDF 17.62 MB)The rapid decline of the sea ice in the Russian Arctic
Cold Regions Science and Technology (2008) 54(2):124-142. A study of the sea ice concentrations obtained by passive microwave satellite imagery during the 1979-2007 period reveals remarkable changes in the sea ice cover of the Russian Arctic.Recent climate change in the Arctic and its impact on contaminant pathways and interpretation of temporal trend data
R.W. MacDonald et al. Science of the Total Environment (2005) 342(1-3):5-86. The Arctic has undergone dramatic change during the past decade. The observed changes include atmospheric sea-level pressure, wind fields, sea-ice drift, ice cover, length of melt season, change in precipitation patterns, change in hydrology, and change in ocean currents and watermass distribution. It is likely that these primary changes have altered the carbon cycle and biological systems.Recent environmental changes in the Arctic: A review
J. Morison et al. Arctic (2000) 53(4):359-371. Numerous recent observations indicate that the Arctic is undergoing a significant change. In the last decade, the hydrography of the Arctic Ocean has shifted, and the atmospheric circulation has undergone a change from the lower stratosphere to the surface.The response of Arctic sea ice to global change
P. Lemke et al. Climatic Change (2000) 46(3):277-287. This paper discusses present sea ice modeling as well as the sensitivity of the sea ice cover to changes in the atmospheric boundary conditions.Role of Arctic sea ice in global atmospheric circulation: A review
D. Budikova. Global and Planetary Change (2009) 68:149-163. The principal purpose of this review is to synthesize the published efforts that document the potential impact of Arctic sea ice on remote climates.The Rossby Centre Regional Atmospheric Climate Model Part II: Application to the Arctic climate
C.G. Jones et al. Ambio (2004) 33(4):211-220. The Rossby Centre regional climate model (RCA2) has been integrated over the Arctic Ocean as part of the international ARCMIP project.Satellite-observed changes in the Arctic
J.C. Comiso, C.L. Parkinson. Physics Today (2004) 57(8):38-44. LANDSAT and ASTER data have confirmed a variety of changes in Arctic glaciers—with some growing, some decreasing, some oscillating, and some remaining fairly steady—although the net trend has been towards reduced glacial coverage. In Alaska alone, polar-orbiting satellites are monitoring 15,000 glaciers, most of which appear to be retreating.The science behind the shrinking Arctic ice cap
Online fact sheet published by the Pew Center on Global Climate Change, September 2007. The Arctic ice cap declined to a record minimum size in summer 2007. Studies indicate this accelerated shrinkage of Arctic sea ice may be in response to a strong warming trend and that the climate reacts more strongly to a given amount of global warming than generally believed.Scientists see rapid ice loss in the Arctic Ocean
An ice-free arctic may be closer than originally thought. The National Snow and Ice Data Center says it could be a record year for ice loss. This story aired on Alaska Public Radio Network's "Alaska News Nightly" on May 21, 2010.A sea ice free summer Arctic within 30 years?
M. Wang, J.E. Overland. Geophysical Research Letters (2009). September 2008 followed 2007 as the second sequential year with an extreme summer Arctic sea ice extent minimum.Sea Ice Group at the Geophysical Institute
This site provides real-time data, including sea-ice videos and photo frames taken every five minutes from webcams in Barrow and in Wales, Alaska, sea-ice radar images updated every 10 minutes, and measurements of snow and ice thickness, local sea level, and water-ice-snow-air temperatures taken every 15 minutes. There are links to archived data.Sea ice surface features in Arctic summer 2008: Aerial observations
P. Lu. Remote Sensing of Environment (2010) 114(4):693-699. Numerical models and satellite remote sensing are crucial to understanding Arctic sea ice patterns. However, few or no model simulations can produce trends comparable to actual observations. There is a strong need for a better understanding of many important physical processes involved in changes of Arctic sea ice, such as the role that the ice-albedo feedback mechanism plays in coping with the loss of Arctic sea ice.Sea-ice-thickness variability in the Chukchi Sea, spring and summer 2002-2004
K. Shirasawa et al. Deep Sea Research II (2009) 56(17):1182-1200. Measurements of sea-ice thickness were obtained from drill holes, an ice-based electromagnetic induction instrument (IEM), and a ship-borne electromagnetic induction instrument (SEM) during the early-melt season in the southern Chukchi Sea in 2002 and 2004, and in late summer 2003 at the time of minimum ice extent in the northern Chukchi Sea.Sensitivity of arctic summer sea ice coverage to global warming forcing: Towards reducing uncertainty in arctic climate change projections
X. Zhang. Tellus: Series A (2010) 62(3):220-227. Substantial uncertainties have emerged in Arctic climate change projections by the fourth Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change assessment report climate models. In particular, the models as a group considerably underestimate the recent accelerating sea ice reduction.Shrinking ice, rising seas
Sea level rise is an indicator that our planet is warming. Much of the world's population lives on or near the coast, and rising seas are something worth watching. This video is one episode of NASA's series called "Tides of Change." (4:30)Sources of spread in simulations of Arctic sea ice loss over the twenty-first century
J. Boé et al. Climatic Change (2010) 99(3-4):637-645. This study shows that intermodel variations in the anthropogenically forced evolution of September sea ice extent (SSIE) in the Arctic stem mainly from two factors: the baseline climatological sea ice thickness (SIT) distribution, and the local climate feedback parameter.The Swedish Regional Climate Modelling Programme, SWECLIM: A review
M. Rummukainen et al. Ambio (2004) 33(4):176-182. SWECLIM was a 6.5-year national research network for regional climate modeling, regional climate change projections, and hydrological impact assessment. Most of the program activities focused on the regional climate system of Northern Europe.Toward an integrated coastal sea-ice observatory: System components and a case study at Barrow, Alaska
M.L. Druckenmiller et al. Cold Regions Science and Technology (2009) 56(2-3):61-72. The morphology, stability and duration of seasonal landfast sea ice in Alaska's coastal zone is changing alongside large-scale ice thinning and retreat. The extent and complexity of change at the local level requires an integrated observing approach to assess implications of such change for coastal ecosystems and communities that rely on or make use of the sea-ice cover.Trends in the dates of ice freeze-up and breakup over Hudson Bay, Canada
A.S. Gagnon, W.A. Gough. Arctic (2005) 58(4):370-382. To identify secular trends in the cryogenic cycle, this study examined variability in the timing of sea-ice formation and retreat during the period 1971-2003.Trouble in polar paradise
J. Smith et al. Science (2002) 297(5586). This special issue of Science examines how the polar regions have fared in recent decades and how they may be transformed in a future, warmer world. At the center of global-change research is how the dynamic behavior of the atmosphere and the oceans contributes to the weather patterns that have affected much of the world since the late 20th century.Twentieth-century variations in temperature and precipitation in the Nordic Arctic
E.J. Førland et al. Polar Record (2002) 38(206):203-210. In a joint Nordic effort, a high-quality climate data set for the Nordic Arctic is established. The data set consists of monthly values from 20 stations in Greenland, Iceland, the Faeroes, and the Norwegian Arctic. Ten climate elements are included, and most of the series covers the period 1890-2000.A world without ice
H. Pollack, Penguin, 2009. Geophysicist Henry Pollack paints a compelling portrait of the delicate geological balance between ice and climate, and why its rapid disappearance portends serious consequences in our not-so-distant future.Understanding Climate Change
Abrupt climate change
Webpage produced by Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.Advancing the science of climate change
National Academy of Sciences, 2010. This report, part of the America's Climate Choices suite of studies requested by Congress, examines the status of the nation's climate change research efforts and recommends steps to improve and expand current understanding.The Anthropocene: Are humans now overwhelming the great forces of nature?
W. Steffen et al. Ambio (2007) 36(8):614-621. Global warming and many other human-driven changes to the environment are raising concerns about the future of Earth's environment and its ability to provide the services required to maintain viable human civilizations. The consequences of this unintended experiment of humankind on its own life support system are hotly debated, but worst-case scenarios paint a gloomy picture for the future of contemporary societies.Arctic climate impact assessment—Scientific report
The ACIA Scientific Report (2005) is the first comprehensive, integrated assessment of climate change and ultraviolet (UV) radiation across the entire Arctic region. The intended audience is the international scientific community, including researchers and directors of research programs.The causes of global climate change
Pew Center on Global Climate Change, Science Brief No. 1, August 2008. Science has made great strides recently in determining which potential causes are responsible for the climate change that occurred during the twentieth century, providing strong evidence that greenhouse gases released to the atmosphere by human activities are the main cause of contemporary global warming. (PDF 2.16 MB)Climate change: Highlights of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) 2007 report
This brochure, published by Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, provides a summary of key impacts of increasing global temperatures identified by the 2007 IPCC report. (PDF 566 KB)Climate change: Science and impacts
Fact sheet published by Center for Sustainable Systems, September 2009. Climate change is altering temperature, precipitation, and sea levels, and will adversely impact human and natural systems including waster resources, human health, human settlements, ecosystems, and biodiversity.Climate change 101: Understanding and responding to global climate change
To inform the climate change dialogue, the Pew Center on Global Climate Change and the Pew Center on the States have developed this series of brief reports, which provide a reliable and understandable introduction to climate change. They cover climate science and impacts, technological solutions, business solutions, international action, recent action in the U.S. states, and action taken by local governments.Climate change 2007: The physical science basis
Contribution of Working Group I to the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, 2007. This is one of three main volumes under the umbrella title Climate Change 2007.Climate change 2007: Synthesis report
An Assessment of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, 2007. This synthesis report is based on the assessment carried out by the three working groups of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). It discusses observed changes in climate, their effects, their causes, and projections of future climate changes and their impacts.Climate literacy: The essential principles of climate sciences
This guide, published in 2009 by the U.S. Climate Change Science Program, presents important information for individuals and communities to understand Earth's climate, impacts of climate change, and approaches for adapting and mitigating change. (PDF 14.67 MB)Communicating on climate change: An essential resource for journalists, scientists, and educators
B. Ward. Metcalf Institute for Marine & Environmental Reporting, 2008. Metcalf Institute intends for this book to be used as a resource by all parties who are trying to more accurately and clearly relate the science of climate change and the myriad impacts of this global phenomenon. (PDF 7.07 MB)Congressional research reports on global climate change
The Congressional Research Service (CRS), part of the Library of Congress, prepares reports for the U.S. Congress. This is National Council for Science and the Environment's portal to downloadable CRS reports related to climate change.Essays on the Arctic
This is the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's "Arctic theme page," where experts in Arctic science answer questions.Facts on Arctic climate change: A summary of the Arctic Climate Impact Assessment
Pamphlet produced by GreenFacts and International Polar Foundation. (PDF 705 KB)Frequently asked questions about global warming and climate change: Back to basics
Illustrated guide to basic information about climate change published by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. (PDF 1.6 MB)Global pollution and its effect on the climate of the Arctic
G. Weller. Science of the Total Environment (1995) 160-161:19-24.Climate models indicate an amplification of greenhouse warming in the Arctic, but there are still many uncertainties about the magnitude and timing of the expected change.Global warming
Webpage produced by Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.The influence of human activity in the Arctic on climate and climate impacts
H.P. Huntington et al. Climatic Change (2007) 82(1-2):77-92. Human activities in the Arctic are often mentioned as recipients of climate-change impacts. Although human activities in the Arctic are generally assumed to be modest, this analysis suggests that those activities may have larger influences on the arctic system than previously thought.Integrated analysis of physical and biological pan-arctic change
J.E. Overland et al. Climatic Change (2004) 63(3):291-322. This study investigates the recent large changes that have occurred in the Arctic over the period of 1965-1995 through examination of 86 regionally dispersed time series representing seven data types: climate indices, atmosphere, ocean, terrestrial, sea ice, fisheries, and other biological data.Integrated regional changes in Arctic climate feedbacks: Implications for the global climate system
A.D. McGuire et al. Annual Review of Environment and Resources (2006) 31:61-91. The Arctic influences the global climate system through both positive and negative feedbacks that involve physical, ecological, and human systems of the Arctic.Polar research
Webpage produced by Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.Polar science
E. Pennisi et al., eds. Science (2007) 315(5818):1513-1540. This special issue of Science contains a series of articles from the International Polar Year (IPY) research initiative, with an exploration of polar processes and their influence on many of our planet's ecological and biogeochemical cycles.Preparing for climatic change: The water, salmon, and forests of the Pacific Northwest
P.W. Mote et al. Climatic Change (2003) 61(1-2):45-88. The impacts of year-to-year and decade-to-decade climatic variations on some of the Pacific Northwest's key natural resources can be quantified to estimate sensitivity to regional climatic changes expected as part of anthropogenic global climatic change.A probabilistic view on recent and near future climate change in Sweden
J. Räisänen, H. Alexandersson. Tellus: Series A (2003) 55:113-125. The decade 1991-2000 was warm and wet in Sweden, with 10-station mean temperature 0.8°C above and 20-station mean precipitation 6% above the mean for 1961-1990. The authors study the question if such changes should be seen as a symptom of anthropogenic climate change or if they might be of purely natural origin.Recent changes in the climate: Natural or forced by human activity?
W. Karlén. Ambio (2008) 37(sp14):483-488. A distinction between trends and variability in climate is only possible if long-term records can be studied. Greenland ice core data yield well-dated information about climate over an extended period that, seen together with other data series, indicates that large, probably global scale changes have occurred at numerous times in the past. The warming during the past 100 years is not likely to be unique.The recent warming of permafrost in Alaska
T.E. Osterkamp. Global and Planetary Change (2005) 49(3-4):187-202. Permafrost observatories with boreholes were established along a north-south transect of Alaska in undisturbed permafrost terrain. This paper provides analysis and interpretation of annual temperature measurements in the boreholes and daily temperature measurements of the air, ground, and permafrost surfaces.Runaway heat? A darkening Arctic may accelerate warming trends there
S. Perkins. Science News (2005) 168(20):312,314,317. Among the effects that scientists have recorded in the Arctic are earlier snowmelt in the spring, the spread of shrubs into tundra areas once hospitable only for grasses, and the dwindling of sea ice coverage in the summer.The science of climate change: Global and U.S. perspectives
Report prepared for the Pew Center on Global Climate Change, May 2003. This report seeks to explain how climate is influenced by anthropogenic factors. As part of the Pew Center's series examining the potential impacts of higher atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases on the United States, this paper addresses what is known and not known about the science of climate change. (PDF 9.01 MB)Science Tracer Bullets Online—Global Warming & Climate Change
Research finding aids from Library of Congress, Science Reference Services.Scientific assessment of the effects of global change on the United States
Report of the Committee on Environment and Natural Resources National Science and Technology Council, May 2008. This assessment analyzes the effects of global change on natural and human environments, agriculture, water resources, social systems, energy production and use, transportation, and human health. (PDF 2.73 MB) Also available is a fact sheet summarizing the findings of the assessment. (PDF 872 KB)A synthesis of potential climate change impacts on the U.S.
Report prepared for the Pew Center on Global Climate Change, April 2004. This report is the eleventh in a series examining the potential impacts of climate change on the U.S. environment. It provides a synthesis of prior Pew Center reports regarding climate change impacts across a number of sectors and regions. (PDF 756 KB)Terra Nova: Scientific panel on climate change
University of Alaska Anchorage podcast. In conjunction with the fall 2009 production of "Terra Nova," the UAA Department of Theatre & Dance hosted a symposium on climate change in the Arctic. Panelists included UAA faculty Dr. Lillian Alessa, Dr. Birgit Hagedorn, and Dr. Jeff Welker. The discussion was moderated by Dr. Kerry Feldman. This podcast was recorded on Sunday, October 18, 2009. (MP3—75 MB, 81:59)Understanding and responding to climate change
National Academy of Sciences, 2008. This brochure highlights findings and recommendations from National Academies' reports on climate change.What's up with the weather?
Transcript of the NOVA program that aired on PBS on April 15, 2000.Conferences
Arctic Change 2008 - December 9-12, 2008, Quebec City
Building on the success of its annual scientific meeting, the ArcticNet Network of Centres of Excellence and its national and international partners hosted this conference for the international Arctic research community. This 356-page document contains the conference program and abstracts.Arctic Tipping Points - January 23-29, 2011, Tromsø, Norway
This is Arctic Frontiers' 5th annual conference. Topics include sea ice and oceanographic perspectives; marine ecosystems and fisheries; socioeconomic and institutional perspectives; and people of the North.CL2.1: Climate of the Polar Regions, European Geosciences Union General Assembly 2010 - May 2-7, 2010, Vienna, Austria
This session provides a forum for discussion of the latest results on the ways in which polar climate is changing under the stress of increasing greenhouse gas concentrations, and on model simulations of future change.Climate and the Oceans: Impacts and Mitigation Challenges for Fishing and Shipping - November 5, 2008, Brussels, Belgium
This conference hosted by Seas at Risk drew attention to the marine impacts of climate change and the mitigation challenges facing the fishing and shipping industries. Presentations included Impact of Climate Change on Fisheries by research scientist Keith Brander.Climate Change: Science & Solutions - January 16-18, 2008, Washington, D.C.
Reports, videos, slide presentations, and recommendations from the 8th National Conference on Science, Policy and the Environment, sponsored by National Council for Science and the Environment. The book The Climate Solutions Consensus presents the findings and recommendations of the more than 1,300 scientists, educators, students, environmentalists, policymakers, business people, and other citizens who attended the conference.COP15 Copenhagen 2009 - December 7-18, 2009, Copenhagen, Denmark
Host country website for the UN Climate Change Conference 2009 (COP15). The website features news articles, blog posts, videos, pictures, and other materials from the conference.Human Security in an Era of Global Change - June 22-24, 2009, University of Oslo, Norway
Synthesis conference of the Global Environmental Change and Human Security (GECHS) Project, in which perspectives from the social sciences and the humanities are seen as critical to understanding the causes and consequences of biophysical changes. This is a link to videos of conference plenary speeches and discussions.International Symposium on Sea Ice in the Physical and Biogeochemical System - May 31-June 4, 2010, Tromsø, Norway
Symposium sponsored by the International Glaciological Society and co-sponsored by Norwegian Polar Institute Centre for Ice, Climate & Ecosystems (ICE); and University of Tromsø. Topics include physical, biological, chemical, and socio-economic research on sea ice.Managing Resources for a Changing Arctic - October 19-21, 2009, Anchorage, Alaska
More than 180 delegates from eight nations convened at the International Arctic Fisheries Symposium. With scientists, policy makers, and stakeholders in attendance, the symposium provided a forum to discuss the impact of climate change on fish stocks and the new accessibility to the central Arctic with ice retreat.State of the Arctic 2010 - March 16-19, 2010, Miami, Florida
The main goal of the State of the Arctic Conference, "At the Forefront of Global Change," was to provide an open international forum for discussion of future research directions aimed toward a better understanding of the arctic system and its trajectory. Topics ranged from basic understanding of the Arctic and system-wide change to developing response strategies to adapt and mitigate change. This site has links to videos and abstracts from the conference.Understanding Circumpolar Ecosystems in a Changing World: Outcomes of the International Polar Year - November 3-6, 2010, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
To understand the current and future structure, diversity, and functioning of the circumpolar region, it is important to understand how climate and disturbance interact and the implications of these interactions for ecological, economic, and cultural sustainability of the circumpolar region. The conference will include sessions on these and related topics in terrestrial environments (not oceans).Organizations
Alaska Center for Climate Assessment & Policy (ACCAP)
The mission of the Alaska Center for Climate Assessment and Policy is to assess the socioeconomic and biophysical impacts of climate variability in Alaska, make this information available to local and regional decision-makers, and improve the ability of Alaskans to adapt to a changing climate. The site has links to archived webinars.Alaska Climate Research Center
The Alaska Climate Research Center is a research and service organization at the Geophysical Institute, University of Alaska Fairbanks, focusing on Alaska and polar regions climatology. The website posts archived climatological data for Alaska.Alaska Marine Conservation Council (AMCC)
AMCC works with scientists, subsistence harvesters, fishermen, and natural resource managers to understand the effects of warming oceans and ocean acidification.Alaska Native Science Commission
The Alaska Native Science Commission (ANSC) was established in 1994 to bring together research and science in partnership with the Native community. It serves as a clearinghouse for proposed research, an information base for ongoing and past research, and an archive for significant research involving the Native community.Alaska Science Center
This is the U.S. Geological Survey's webpage about the landscape, natural resources, and natural hazards for Alaska and the nation.American Public Health Association (APHA)—Environment Section
APHA is concerned with the public health implications of climate change—from changes in vector-borne diseases to impacts on drinking water supply to extreme weather events.ANTHC - Center for Climate and Health
The Center for Climate and Health (CCH) helps the Alaska Tribal Health System adapt to climate change, and other new or emerging impacts on community health. CCH combines ANTHC's engineering, environmental health and community health expertise to provide local and regional partners with a broad range of health resources.Arctic Climate Impact Assessment (ACIA)
An international project of the Arctic Council and the International Arctic Science Committee (IASC) to evaluate and synthesize knowledge on climate variability, climate change, and increased ultraviolet radiation and their consequences.Arctic Council
The Ottawa Declaration of 1996 formally established the Arctic Council as a high-level intergovernmental forum to provide a means for promoting cooperation, coordination, and interaction among the Arctic states, with the involvement of the Arctic indigenous communities and other Arctic inhabitants on common Arctic issues, in particular issues of sustainable development and environmental protection in the Arctic.Arctic Frontiers
Arctic Frontiers is organized as an independent network and a leading meeting place for pan-arctic issues.Arctic Institute of North America
The institute's mandate is to advance the study of the North American and circumpolar Arctic through the natural and social sciences, the arts and humanities, and to acquire, preserve, and disseminate information on physical, environmental, and social conditions in the North.Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme (AMAP)
The primary function of AMAP is to advise the governments of the eight Arctic countries (Canada, Denmark/Greenland, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Russia, Sweden and the United States) on matters relating to threats to the Arctic region from pollution, and associated issues.Arctic Net
ArcticNet is a Network of Centres of Excellence of Canada that brings together scientists and managers in the natural, human health and social sciences with their partners from Inuit organizations, northern communities, federal and provincial agencies and the private sector to study the impacts of climate change in the coastal Canadian Arctic.Arctic Research Consortium of the United States (ARCUS)
ARCUS facilitates discussion of important arctic research initiatives, produces science reports with research community recommendations for arctic science priorities, and distributes information resources to the arctic research community.BarentsPortal
The BarentsPortal is a combined website consisting of two main elements: presentation of the Joint Norwegian-Russian environmental status report and the Map service.Barrow Arctic Science Consortium (BASC)
BASC provides logistical support for Arctic research and facilitates the exchange between scientific researchers and the people of the North Slope. This site provides summaries of current Arctic research and includes a link to Chukotka Science Support Group (CSSG).Canada's Action on Climate Change
This is a Government of Canada website that reviews policies, programs, scientific research, and interdepartmental work being done to fight climate change in Canada.Canadian Polar Commission
The Canadian Polar Commission has responsibility for: monitoring, promoting, and disseminating knowledge of the polar regions; contributing to public awareness of the importance of polar science to Canada; enhancing Canada's international profile as a circumpolar nation; and recommending polar science policy direction to government.Center for Climate Change Law
The Center for Climate Change Law (CCCL) at Columbia Law School develops legal techniques to fight climate change, trains law students and lawyers in their use, and develops databases on climate law and regulation.Center for Global Change and Arctic System Research
The focal point at the University of Alaska Fairbanks for developing, coordinating and implementing interdisciplinary research and education related to the role of the Arctic and sub-Arctic in the Earth system, and to stimulate and facilitate global change research in this region.Center for International Climate and Environmental Research – Oslo (CICERO)
Conducts research and provide reports, information and expert advice about issues related to global climate change and international climate policy with the aim of acquiring knowledge that can help mitigate the climate problem and enhance international climate cooperation.Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL)
CIEL's Climate Change Program focuses on impacts to people and ecosystems of the Arctic and subarctic. The Program works to protect the earth's climate system through promotion of human rights, forest conservation, and biodiversity protection.Center for Ocean Sciences Education Excellence (COSEE)
Working closely with ocean scientists, educators, and coastal community members, COSEE Alaska seeks to enhance ocean and climate change literacy in formal and informal audiences and the public.Centre for Ice, Climate & Ecosystems (ICE)
ICE was officially opened in March 2009 by Norway's Ministry of the Environment. The research focus of ICE is ice, climate, and ecosystems.Climate Change on Medline Plus
Informative materials from The National Library of Medicine.Climate Change Research Center
The Climate Change Research Center is a University of New Hampshire institute that studies the chemical and dynamical environment of the Earth's atmosphere using sophisticated observational and modeling tools. Research is focused on understanding the fundamental properties of the atmosphere and how they have been affected by human activities and will continue to be so in the future.Climate Change Resource Center (CCRC)
This is the U.S. Forest Service's reference website for resource managers and decision makers who need information and tools to address climate change in planning and project implementation.Climate Crisis Coalition
The Climate Crisis Coalition was founded in 2004 to create awareness and a sense of urgency about the climate crisis and to broaden the constituency of the climate action movement. Their mission is also to approach climate change from the holistic perspective that links issues of environmental, social and economic equity.Coastal Climate Adaptation
This site is hosted by NOAA Coastal Services Center and is used by state and local officials nationwide to see what their colleagues are doing in terms of adaptation. The site also includes basic climate change information useful for outreach efforts.Climate Impacts Group (CIG)
CIG is an internationally recognized interdisciplinary research group studying the impacts of natural climate variability and global climate change on local communities in the western U.S. region, with most work focused on the Pacific Northwest.Cooperative Institute for Alaska Research (CIFAR)
Founded in 2008, the Cooperative Institute for Alaska Research (CIFAR) conducts ecosystem and environmental research related to Alaska and its associated Arctic regions, including the Gulf of Alaska, Bering Sea, Chukchi/Beaufort Seas, and Arctic Ocean.Encyclopedia of Earth (EoE)—climate change page
Encyclopedia of Earth is an electronic reference about the Earth, its natural environments, and their interaction with society.European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC)—climate change page
Established in 2005, ECDC is an EU agency aimed at strengthening Europe's defenses against infectious diseases. It is seated in Stockholm, Sweden.Health Canada
Health Canada is collaborating with researchers and decision-makers across the country and around the world to increase knowledge about how a changing climate can affect human health.Interagency Climate Change Adaptation Task Force
In 2009, the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ), the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) initiated the Interagency Climate Change Adaptation Task Force, which includes representatives from more than 20 federal agencies. The Task Force has been called upon to develop federal recommendations for adapting to climate change impacts both domestically and internationally.Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change was established by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) to provide the world with a clear scientific view on the current state of climate change and its potential environmental and socioeconomic consequences.International Arctic Science Committee (IASC)
The International Arctic Science Committee is a nongovernmental organization that aims to encourage, facilitate, and promote multidisciplinary research to foster a greater scientific understanding of the arctic region and its role in the Earth system.International Polar Foundation—SciencePoles page
The SciencePoles website provides an overview of polar science and research findings as well as recent and forthcoming developments across a range of scientific disciplines.International Study of Arctic Change (ISAC)
The International Study of Arctic Change (ISAC) is an open-ended international research program designed to understand the future state of the Arctic System under anthropogenic stress. The driving force behind ISAC is the need to build understanding, improve capacity for predicting Arctic System changes, and develop necessary mitigation and adaptation strategies to minimize the adverse effects of such changes.International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)—climate change page
IUCN stresses that conserving and managing nature can also help people adapt to the impacts of climate change.Many Strong Voices
A collaborative program with the goal of promoting the well-being, security and sustainability of coastal communities in the Arctic and Small Island Developing States (SIDS) in the face of climate change, by bringing these regions together to take action on mitigation and adaptation.National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)—Global Climate Change
NASA provides data on solar output, sea level rise, atmospheric and ocean temperature, ozone depletion, air pollution, and changes in sea ice and ice sheets.National Council for Science and the Environment
NCSE is expanding, maintaining, and updating its database of reports, making them available and searchable for the public. The Congressional Research Service (CRS), part of Library of Congress, prepares reports for the U.S. Congress. This is NCSE's link to downloadable CRS reports related to climate change.National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS)—Climate Change & Human Health
Our understanding of the links between climate change and adverse human health impacts is increasing, but many knowledge gaps remain. The NIEHS is engaged in multiple activities with other federal agencies, international research and policy organizations, academia, and nongovernmental organization stakeholders to identify and address these knowledge gaps. See Framing the NIEHS Agenda on Climate Change.National Wildlife Federation—global warming page
Links to blogs and news articles.Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC)—global warming page
NRDC is a not-for-profit environmental action group.NOAA Climate Service
In October 2010, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration will form a new federal office devoted solely to climate, called the NOAA Climate Service. EarthSky spoke with its interim director, Thomas Karl, on April 12, 2010.Northern Climate ExChange
Clearinghouse of climate change information for northern Canada.Northern Forum—climate change page
The Northern Forum is a non-profit, international organization composed of sub-national or regional governments from eight northern countries.Norwegian Polar Institute—climate page
The Norwegian Polar Institute is investigating climate changes and the consequences they have for the unique polar environment.Ocean and Climate Change Institute (OCCI)
OCCI is an institute within Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI). The institute supports: interdisciplinary approaches to climate research; application of innovative technology to ocean climate observations; and graduate and postdoctoral fellowships in climate research.Pew Center on Global Climate Change
The Pew Center on Global Climate Change brings together business leaders, policy makers, scientists, and other experts to work together to protect the climate while sustaining economic growth.Polar Information Commons (PIC)
The polar regions are changing rapidly, with dramatic global effect. Established in 2010, PIC serves as an open, virtual repository for vital scientific data and information with the goal of fostering innovation, improved scientific understanding, and shared participation in research, education, planning, and management in the polar regions.Public Health Law & Policy (PHLP)—climate change page
PHLP has made an ambitious commitment to provide the public health community with the practical tools, policy strategies, and legal resources they need to effectively participate in climate change planning activities taking place at the state, regional, and local levels.The Resilience and Adaptive Management (RAM) Group
The RAM Group is dedicated to developing social adaptation strategies in the face of rapid global change by weaving multi-disciplinary research and diverse ways of knowing into a cohesive and integrated framework for resilience in high latitudes.Scenarios Network for Alaska Planning (SNAP)
Alaska is undergoing rapid changes in climate, human population, and demands on natural resources. Future planning that accounts for these changes can reduce costs and liabilities. SNAP is a collaborative network of the University of Alaska, state, federal, and local agencies, and NGOs. The primary products of the network are (1) datasets and maps projecting future conditions for selected variables, and (2) rules and models that develop these projections, based on historical conditions and trends.Science.gov—climate change page
Science.gov is a gateway to government science information and research results. This is a page of links to federal resources addressing the topic of climate change.Sea Level Trends
Global data for mean sea level trends available through NOAA's Tides & Currents online newsletter.SEARCH: Study of Environmental Arctic Change
The core aim of SEARCH is to understand the recent and ongoing complex of interrelated pan-arctic changes. These changes are affecting ecosystems, living resources, and the human population, and are impacting local and global economic activities. The website includes "Sea Ice Outlook," a report issued regularly during the sea ice season.Snowchange.org: Northern indigenous views on climate change and ecology
Snowchange is a not-for-profit independent cooperative organization with headquarters in Finland. The international community network of Snowchange spans all eight Arctic states. Snowchange works with the various Northern areas and peoples on ecological topics, especially climatic and weather changes, from the scientific and traditional knowledge point of view.Sustaining Arctic Observing Networks (SAON)
The SAON vision is that users should have access to free, open, and high-quality data that will realize pan-Arctic and global value-added services and provide societal benefits. SAON is a resource for a broad community that includes governments and operational agencies, scientific researchers, indigenous peoples and northern residents, other stakeholders, and the general public.Tribes and Climate Change
The site provides information and resources tailored to helping Native people gain a better understanding of climate change and its impacts on their communities. Here you'll find basic climate-change information; profiles of tribes in diverse regions of the U.S., including Alaska, who are coping with climate change impacts; audio files of elders discussing the issue from traditional perspectives; and resources and contacts you can use to develop climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies.UAA Institute of Social and Economic Research (ISER)—climate change page
ISER enhances the well-being of Alaskans and others through nonpartisan research that helps people understand social and economic systems and supports informed public and private decision-making focusing on critical economic and social issues in Alaska, the Arctic, and similar regions.United States Conference of Mayors Climate Protection Center
The U.S. Conference of Mayors Climate Protection Center was launched in 2007 in recognition of an increasingly urgent need to provide mayors with the guidance and assistance they need to lead their cities' efforts to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions that are linked to climate change.University of Alaska IPY Office
The 4th International Polar Year (IPY), beginning in March 2007, is a campaign of intense, internationally coordinated research to gain new knowledge about Earth's polar regions, how those regions are changing, and how such changes are impacting the health of our biosphere. The UA IPY Office was established to promote UA research, education, and outreach activities and to ensure that the benefits of IPY extend to everyone in Alaska.U.S. Environmental Protection Agency—climate change page
Links to information resources about climate change.U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
This website provides information and resources on the impacts of climate change on Fish and Wildlife Service trust resources and lands in Alaska and the challenges these impacts pose to management of these resources.U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP)
The U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP) coordinates and integrates federal research on changes in the global environment and their implications for society. The resources page of this website has free images, graphs, and photographs that can be used for educational or personal use.World Climate Report
This blog takes the view that "climate change is a largely overblown issue and that the best expectation is modest change over the next 100 years."World Health Organization (WHO)—Climate change and human health
WHO provides evidence and supports capacity building and implementation projects to strengthen the health system response to climate change.WWF—Climate Change in the Arctic
This is WWF's webpage covering climate change in the Arctic. It includes links to reports, videos, news feeds, and blogs.