Gita J. Laidler

Mapping Inuit Sea Ice Knowledge, Use, and Change in Nunavut, Canada (Cape Dorset, Igloolik, Pangnirtung)

This chapter reviews the efforts under SIKU-ISIUOP to expand upon previous research that characterized the importance of sea ice processes, use, and change around the Baffin Island communities of Cape Dorset, Igloolik, and Pangnirtung, Nunavut. In these three communities, local ice conditions are intertwined with daily activities and provide a means of traveling and hunting, as well as sustaining marine wildlife and aspects of Inuit culture. In order for people to effectively travel and hunt on the sea ice, they have to become knowledgeable about the complexity and dynamism of the oceanic environment. Through these understandings and long-term experience and observation, local experts (such as Inuit elders and active hunters) are acutely aware of the local and regional manifestations of climate change, as indicated by long-term changes and increased unpredictability of sea ice. Specifically, Inuit have observed changes in floe edge position, weather, the timing of freeze-up and breakup, ice thickness, and the presence of multi-year ice. This chapter reviews specific indicators used to evaluate sea ice changes, offers a regional comparison of sea ice changes in the three communities, and provides an overview of some of the local implications of sea ice changes.

Climate Variability and Climatic Change: Potential Implications for Hudson Bay Coastal Communities

Hudson Bay (HB) is one of the largest inland seas in the world, and is located within the subarctic and arctic regions of Canada. Regional climates in the HB bioregion are influenced by yearly cycles of ice-covered and ice-free seasons, tending to contribute to high interannual variability. Cree and Inuit communities established along the HB coasts have adapted and responded to these seasonal fluctuations for generations. Their experiences have facilitated the development and refinement of intimate relationships with marine/terrestrial wildlife and ecosystems. This paper reviews the past and current land use and resource harvesting practices of coastal communities. Having identified the importance of certain renewable resources to distinct subregions of HB, local and scientific observations of a changing environment are presented. This interdisciplinary overview of experienced and observed changes is used to facilitate a conceptual evaluation of the potential effects of climate variability and/or climatic change on HB coastal communities.

Creating an Online Cybercartographic Atlas of Inuit Sea Ice Knowledge and Use

A team of community and university researchers, Inuit experts, Inuit organizations, and software developers are developing a Cybercartographic Atlas of Inuit Sea Ice Knowledge and Use. In keeping with a cybercartographic approach, the Atlas combines maps with text and multimedia representations including images, sound, video, and visualizations. Ultimately, members of the communities involved in the Inuit Sea Ice Use and Occupancy Project are interested in evaluating the utility of such approaches for their educational potential as classroom tools, as well as to ensure more dynamic forms of knowledge documentation that can be easily updated and accessed over time. At the user interface level, the Atlas presents documented Inuit knowledge in new and innovative ways. The ability to support innovative representations is underpinned by a flexible data model that is populated with knowledge documented through a participatory mapping process. The Atlas presents a variety of topics including “Our Partner Communities,” “Our Contributors,” and Inuit knowledge of “Ice Conditions” and “Uses.” Future iterations of the Atlas will see a restructured and greatly expanded table of contents and potentially the addition of user-contributed content functionality.

SIKU: International Polar Year Project #166 (An Overview)

The SIKU (Sea Ice Knowledge and Use) project emerged in response to the growing public and scholarly attention to the environmental knowledge of the Arctic residents, as well as to the rising concerns about the impact of climate change on Arctic environment and polar sea ice. The special momentum for the SIKU project was created by International Polar Year (IPY) 2007–2008 that launched a new era of international and interdisciplinary collabration and partnership with northern communities. This introductory chapter tells how the SIKU project has originated and developed in 2004–2005; it reviews its structure made of various regional and individual initiatives, and covers major activities undertaken by the team during 2006–2009. It summarizes the key scientific outcomes and public messages of the SIKU project, as well as its contribution to the overall science program of IPY 2007–2008. It ends up with the synopsis of the present volume with the acknowledgements to many institutions and individuals who were instrumental to the success of the SIKU project.