Forces of Change

Eyewitnesses to Change

Only recently has the full extent of changes in the Arctic come to light as polar residents and scientists have begun to share their knowledge and expertise.

Biologist Brendan Kelly tracks ringed seal pups to monitor the effects of changing snow and ice conditions on their health. Ethnologist Igor Krupnik collaborates with Arctic elders to preserve their traditional knowledge of weather and ice patterns. Others scientists look to the past for clues to help understand today’s changes: Geologist Richard Alley studies ice cores from Greenland, while archaeologist William Fitzhugh interprets remains of ancient house sites in Siberia. 

And increasingly community leaders such as Rosemarie Kupatana have begun to document the dramatic changes that Arctic residents are witnessing everyday.

Checking Out Seals - Brendan P. Kelly

If fewer pups survive, ringed seal populations will decrease.

Sea Ice Dictionary - Igor Krupnik

Yupik-speaking Eskimos have some 100 terms for sea ice and ice formations.

Back to the Future - Richard Alley

Can the climate change in just a few decades?

Wood in the Arctic? - William Fitzhugh

What clues did a 8,000-year house site hold?

In Our Own Words - Rosemarie Kuptana

A community initiates a two-year project to document their observations of climate change.