Global climate change is a growing concern, especially in Arctic regions where increases in temperature from anthropogenic influences could be considerably higher than the global average. Climatic changes are not new to the Arctic or its peoples. Indigenous peoples of the far north have adapted to the austere climate; different groups have found their own unique ways to harvest food and provide clothing, tools, and shelter. At times the climate has warmed or cooled relatively suddenly and people have either adapted, moved, or died off. The paleo-archaeological record, indigenous peoples? oral history, and historical documents provide evidence of climatic changes for thousands of years. Today, people of the Arctic, whether they continue to live close to
the land or live in urban centers, must again confront rapid
changes in climate. Various records over the last 40 years confirm that the rate of global warming has been greatest over Eurasia and North America between 40°N and 70°N (IPCC 1996a). Arctic research substantiates these observations through direct and indirect indicators of climate change.
Sea ice, snow cover, glaciers, tundra, permafrost, boreal forests,
and peatlands are all responsive to subtle variations in
sunlight, surface temperature, ocean heat transport, air and
ocean chemistry, and aerosols in the atmosphere. Compared
with the rest of the globe, the Arctic climate is very sensitive
to change because of a complex series of interactions and
positive feedback processes among the region?s oceanic and
atmospheric circulation patterns, temperature regime, hydrologic
cycle, and sea ice formation (Barry et al. 1993a,
Kellogg 1983, Mysak 1995).
Notes
Book available in UAA/APU Consortium Library Alaskana Collection: TD190.5.A75 1998; and in ARLIS General Collection: TD190.5A46 1998