Achievement

An IGERT student and faculty research team integrated indigenous and western knowledge of sea ice to document its response to climate warming. They confirmed the conclusions of indigenous whale hunters that the ice was less stable and less safe for travel by using satellite imagery and radar to document patterns of ice thinning and movement. Partnering with Barrow whalers, a multi-year documentation of whaling trails, alongside a geophysical record of shore-fast ice conditions, provides insight into how Iñupiat hunters monitor the development of the shore-fast ice throughout winter and spring and how individual and community assessments of ice conditions and associated risks, traditions and knowledge, and personal preference determine trail placement. The researchers discuss how the documentation of human use of the ice environment contributes to integrated observations of Arctic change and adaptation.