skip to main content
US FlagAn official website of the United States government
dot gov icon
Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
https lock icon
Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( lock ) or https:// means you've safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Explore Research Products in the PAR
It may take a few hours for recently added research products to appear in PAR search results.


  • NSF Public Access
  • Search Results
  • Connecting understandings of weather and climate: steps towards co-production of knowledge and collaborative environmental management in Inuit Nunangat
Title: Connecting understandings of weather and climate: steps towards co-production of knowledge and collaborative environmental management in Inuit Nunangat
Inuit hunters and meteorologists alike pay close attention to weather and weather changes, with deep understandings. This paper describes a long-time research project based in Kangiqtugaapik (Clyde River), Nunavut, where a research team of Inuit and visiting scientists have combined information and knowledge from a community-based weather station network, on-going interviews and discussions, and extensive travel (both Arctic fieldwork and visits to southern universities) to co-produce knowledge related to human–weather relationships and weather information needs and uses in one Nunavut community. The project uses the concept of “HREVs”, human-relevant environmental variables — complex, synthesis variables that, used in conjunction with a host of social variables, assist in informing safe land travel and activities. This work, including linking Inuit knowledge and environmental modeling, can be expanded to not only understand human–weather relationships more broadly and in other locations but also provide insights into the process of building diverse research teams and knowledge co-production. Inuit angunasuktiit amma silalirijiit tamarmik ujjiqsuttiasuunguvut silamit amma silaup asijjiqpallianingani, tukisiumaniqarjuaqłutik. Una paippaangujuq unikkaarivuq akuniujumi qaujitasaqtaunirmut piliriangujumi Kangiqtugaapik (Clyde River), Nunavummi, qaujisaqtiujuni katinngajuni Inungni amma pularaqtunut qaujisaqtiujunut katirisimajuni uqausiksani amma qaujimaniujumi nunalingni−tunngavilingmi silalirivvingmi tusaumatittiniujumi, apiqsuqtaunginnaqtuni amma uqallangniujuni, amma aullaaqsimarjuaqłutik (tamakkit Ukiuqtaqtumi iniujumi piliriniujumi amma pulararniujunut qallunaat nunanganni silattuqsarvigjuangujunut) saqqitittiqatigiingnirmut qaujimaniujumi pijjutiqaqtumut inungnut−silamut piliriqatigiingniujuni amma silamut uqausiksani pijariaqarniujunut amma aturniujunut atausirmi Nunavummi nunaliujumi. Piliriangujuq atusuunguvuq isumagijauniujumi “HREVs”, inungnut-atuutilingnut avatimut ajjigiinnginniujunut – nalunaqtuni, katinniujuni isumagijauniujuni aaqqiksinirnut piliri−jusiujumi ajjigiinnginniujuni, atuqatiqaqłuni ilagijaujumi inuuqatigiingujunut ajjigiinnginniujunit, ikajuqsuisuunguvuq aaqqiksuinirmi attananngittumi nunami aullaarniujumi amma qanuiliurniujunut. Una piliriniujuq ilaqaqtumi kasuqatiqarnirmi inuit qaujimajanginni amma avatimut uukturautiqarnirmi, angigligiaqtaujunnaqpuq tukisiumanituangunngittumi inungt-silamut piliriqatigiingniujumi tauvunngaujjiniujumi ammalu asinginni iniujunut, kisiani tunisijunnaqpuq tukisirjuarniujuni piliriniujuni sananirmut ajjigiinngiruluujaqtuni qaujisaqtiujunut katinngajuni amma qaujimanirmut saqqitittiqatigiingniujumi.  more » « less
Award ID(s):
1733578
PAR ID:
10457162
Author(s) / Creator(s):
; ; ; ; ; ; ;
Date Published:
Journal Name:
Arctic Science
Volume:
6
Issue:
3
ISSN:
2368-7460
Page Range / eLocation ID:
267 to 278
Format(s):
Medium: X
Sponsoring Org:
National Science Foundation
More Like this
  1. (, Ecology and society)
    null (Ed.)
    Amplified climate warming at high northern latitudes is challenging societies that depend on local provisional and cultural ecosystem services, e.g., subsistence resources, for their livelihoods. Previous qualitative research suggests that climate-induced changes in environmental conditions are affecting rural residents’ ability to travel across the land and access local resources, but detailed information on the nature and effect of specific conditions is lacking. Our objectives were to identify climate-related environmental conditions affecting subsistence travel and access, and then estimate rural resident travel and access vulnerability to those environmental conditions. We collaborated with nine Interior Alaskan communities within the Yukon River basin and provided residents with camera equipped GPS units to document environmental conditions directly affecting subsistence access for 12 consecutive months. We also conducted comprehensive interviews with research participants to incorporate the effects of environmental conditions not documented with GPS units. Environmental conditions reported by rural residents were categorized into seven condition types. We assessed vulnerability to each condition by accounting for both likelihood (number of times a condition was documented) and sensitivity (magnitude of the effect from the condition) information derived from GPS observations and interviews. We also tested for differences in mean vulnerability values among environmental conditions and between community types (road-connected vs. remote) using a oneway analysis of variance. Rural community travel and access were most vulnerable to changes in ice conditions, erosion, vegetative community composition, and water levels. Environmental conditions that impeded natural travel corridors, e.g., waterways, more strongly influenced remote communities than those connected by roads. Increased vulnerability to environmental change puts remote communities at increased risk for food-security issues. Our study used a novel community-based approach to integrate local knowledge with scientific analysis to document and estimate the relative effects that specific environmental conditions are having on access to subsistence resources across Interior Alaska. 
    more » « less
  2. ; (, American journal of human biology)
    Objective Human dimensions of climate change research in the Arctic often proposes ways for local communities to adapt to changes to their environment, foregrounding problems posed by climate change while treating social, political, and economic factors as background conditions. We explore the relevance of this research paradigm for Inuit by examining how Inuit from Kangiqsujuaq present and discuss the major issues facing their community. Methods We thematically code and analyze the responses of 107 Inuit to three free-response questions about the problems facing their community and the best things about their community. The data were collected as part of a questionnaire for a project focused on food security and food sharing conducted in Kangiqsujuaq, Nunavik, in 2013 to 2014. Results Few respondents mentioned issues relating to climate change among the most pressing problems faced by their community. Rather, a suite of interconnected social and economic issues, particularly substance abuse and the cost of living, emerged as the main concerns of Kangiqsujuarmiut. However, the environment was a central theme in respondents' favorite thing about their community. Conclusions In light of the concerns identified by Inuit, we argue that much research on climate change makes incorrect a priori assumptions and consequently fails to capture aspects of Arctic socioecological systems that are essential for how Inuit are responding to climate change. An inductive, open-ended approach can help produce research more relevant to communities. 
    more » « less
  3. ; ; ; (, Arctic Data Center)
    Inuit communities have sustained themselves in the Arctic for millennia through systematic knowledges about and relationships with the ecosystem of which they are a part. Because of increasing reliance on global industrial food systems there is a growing lack of access to sufficient quantities of affordable, culturally significant, and nutritious food. Arctic food insecurity stems from multiple factors, including the loss of Inuit knowledges regarding traditional food production due to negative, deficit-based stereotypes that label those foods as unsafe or disgusting. Fermented foods are among those traditional foods that have been the most criticized, even though they provide a valuable source of nutrition and health benefits. The overarching long-term goal of the planning grant project is to support the resurgence of Inuit fermented foods by generating positive, desire-based messages that recognize and value the knowledge of Indigenous fermenters, thereby improving food security in Inuit communities. The planning grant performed activities to build foundations for an Inuit-led, self-sustaining, and collaborative network in Greenland to promote Inuit fermented foods and food safety. These efforts were also intended to lead to improved scientific questions that address the future and present needs of people in the Arctic from an Indigenous perspective. Data collected for this planning grant include images, interviews, audio recordings, video recordings, and transcripts from 17 individual interviews and group discussions. These data were collected during three trips to Greenland, including two trips to South Greenland (Nanortalik, Narsarmijit, and Nunarsuaq) and one to Nuuk, spanning May 2022 to August 2024. Stakeholders included community members (elders, children, tourists, chefs, fishers, and other community members), a director of a cultural center, and a food authority supervisor. The interviews and recordings were conducted to identify key themes and to assess the desire and need for additional research and resources. The summary enclosed explains the trips, meetings and interactions, and major project findings. Key findings include how Greenlanders connect foods and land (place) together. Another finding is the expressed need for more resources and support for Greenlandic food researchers who are rooted in their communities and recognize the value of local knowledge. 
    more » « less
  4. ; ; ; ; ; (, Oceanography)
    The grand environmental challenges society faces cannot be solved without knowledge contributions from communities that are touched by the outcomes and impacts of research. Recognizing and valuing these sources, a research method known as co-production of knowledge involves collaboration of interested parties and knowledge owners in activities ranging from identifying research needs to study design, data collection, interpretation, and evaluation. We present a novel approach to the administrative and financial support for knowledge co-production developed by Oregon Sea Grant and provide examples from two funded project teams. We summarize barriers to these approaches, discuss points of symmetry, and propose good practices. One project emphasized equitable alternative strategies for chronic and acute coastal hazard adaptation and mitigation. The other project looked beyond dam removal in the Klamath River Basin to generate place-based and generalizable understanding of, and equitable decisions around, water quality and socio-ecological systems undergoing change. Both projects provide high-level lessons regarding opportunities and challenges encountered in the engaged research process, highlighting flexibility and adaptability as two important considerations. 
    more » « less
  5. ; ; ; ; ; (, Polar Geography)
    Understanding how to design climate services across a range of contexts remains a key priority. This research evaluates the Sea Ice for Walrus Outlook (SIWO), a resource designed to provide information about sea ice, weather, and walruses in Alaska, a region experiencing rapid social and environmental change. The evaluation was based on a set of 22 indicators developed from literature on evaluation, weather and climate services, science communication, and decision support. Two datasets were assessed to evaluate the SIWO: semi-structured interviews (n = 13) and a web-based questionnaire (n = 35). Interpretation of the outcome indicators suggests that the SIWO supported several community needs, including providing information to support travel, documenting historical impacts for disaster relief, and sharing Indigenous Knowledge among villages. The evaluation revealed insights into the kinds of information useful for rural and Indigenous communities, such as the importance of local observations from within and from nearby villages. Recommendations for other emergent organizations providing climate services in rural communities include attention to specific budget considerations to support equitable engagement and compensation, including both local and scientific observations, using multiple channels to disseminate information, and including evaluations in the design of climate services that are aligned with funding cycles. 
    more » « less
  • Citation Formats
  • MLA
  • APA
  • Chicago
  • BibTeX
  • Save / Share this Record
  • Send to Email