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1. Towards Haudenosaunee research sovereignty: Investing in local research and training to support community development

   https://doi.org/10.56367/OAG-046-11487  

   Martin-Hill, Dawn; Jamieson, Rebecca; Gibson, Colin M; Monteith, Hiliary; Patel, Rohini; Krantzberg, Gail (January 2025, Open Access Government)

   Towards Haudenosaunee research sovereignty: Investing in local research and training to support community developmentThe article emphasizes the importance of Indigenous Research Governance in Six Nations of the Grand River, addressing the harmful historical effects of academic research on Indigenous Peoples and advocating for structural changes that promote Indigenous data sovereignty and community ownership of research. In both Canada and the United States, academic research has long been part of the colonial project (Hodge, 2012; Williams et al., 2020). The impact research has had on Indigenous Peoples has resulted in a legacy of deep mistrust and negative perception of research by many Indigenous communities (Garrison et al., 2023). Indigenous scholars and leaders who have advocated for repairing this relationship have led major transformations away from the way in which research has traditionally been approached and administered. Most recent paradigm and policy shifts seek to support the establishment of self-determined Indigenous Research Governance (Garba et al., 2023; Morton et al., 2017), which encapsulates many interconnected key concepts, including Indigenous data sovereignty (Schnarch, 2004; Kukutai & Taylor, 2016; Cannon et al., 2024), Indigenous research ethics (Castellano, 2004; Kuhn et al., 2020; Fournier et al., 2023), Indigenous/ decolonizing methodologies (Kovach, 2009; Smith, 2021), and Indigenous epistemologies (McGregor et al., 2010; Karanja, 2019). 

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2. Warming Alaskan rivers affect first-year growth in critical northern food fishes

   https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-14711-8  

   Thomas, Peyton A; Blaskey, Dylan; Cheng, Yifan; Carey, Michael P; Swanson, Heidi K; Newman, Andrew J; Brooks, Cassandra; Herman-Mercer, Nicole M; Musselman, Keith N (December 2025, Scientific Reports)

   Arctic and subarctic rivers are warming rapidly, with unknown consequences for migratory fishes and the human communities dependent on them. To date, few studies have provided a comprehensive assessment of possible climate change impacts on the hydrology and temperature of Arctic rivers at the regional scale, and even fewer have connected those changes to multiple fish species with input and guidance from Indigenous communities. We used climate, hydrologic, and fish-growth simulations of historical (1990–2021) and future (2034–2065) young-of-year (YOY) growth potential of Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) and Dolly Varden (Salvelinus malma) for seven river basins in the Arctic-Yukon-Kuskokwim (AYK) region of Alaska, USA and Yukon Territory, Canada. Historically, summer water temperatures of all river basins remained below thresholds regarded as deleterious for Chinook salmon (14.6 °C) and Dolly Varden (16 °C), even in the warmest years. However, by the mid-century, Chinook salmon growth was limited, with declines in the warmest years in most river basins. Conversely, Dolly Varden are expected to benefit, with a near-doubling in growth projections in all river basins. This suggests that there may be an increase in suitable habitat for Dolly Varden by mid-century. The results highlight species-specific consequences of climate change and can guide future research on refugia for these species of cultural and subsistence importance to Indigenous communities in the AYK region and throughout the Arctic. 

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3. Hydrographic Data, Imnavait Creek Watershed, Alaska, 2018-2023

   https://doi.org/10.18739/A28G8FK2G  

   Youcha, Emily; Stuefer, Svetlana (January 2024, NSF Arctic Data Center)

   In Arctic landscapes, watershed processes are tightly linked to cold temperatures, permafrost, snow, and strong seasonality in precipitation, storage, and runoff. Thus, a rapidly changing Arctic climate will affect watershed function and result in changes to the transport of water, sediment, and nutrients to downstream aquatic and marine ecosystems. There is increasing evidence of hydrologic intensification of the Arctic terrestrial water cycle, fueling inquiry into the hydrologic responses that integrate the varying climate and landscape units. Key to understanding these complex watershed processes is long-term hydrologic monitoring in Arctic Alaska. The goal of this study is to operate and maintain hydroclimate observation stations in the Kuparuk River basin to obtain continuous datasets for the community of Arctic stakeholders. Imnavait Creek is a small (2.2 square kilometers) watershed located in the northern foothills region of Brooks Range and the headwaters of the Kuparuk River. The Kuparuk River flows north through the foothills and coastal plain of Alaska, before discharging into the Beaufort Sea. The gauging station at Imnavait Creek is approximately 3 kilometers south of the Dalton Highway, near MP (milepost) 291. Imnavait Creek parallels the Upper Kuparuk River and enters the Kuparuk River 12 kilometers north of the Water and Environmental Research Center (WERC) Upper Kuparuk gauging station. Streamflow at Imnavait Creek persists throughout the summer months, but during the winter months flow is non-existent. Streamflow in Imnavait Creek has been measured by researchers at the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) WERC from 1985 to 2023. This data package contains continuous streamflow data collected by researchers from University of Alaska Fairbanks from 2018-2023. For UAF-WERC historical discharge data for Imnavait Creek (1985-2017) see the data package at https://arcticdata.io/catalog/view/doi%3A10.18739%2FA2K649S9D. 

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4. Climate and hydrologic change across the Great Lakes region and other transboundary waters

   https://doi.org/10.56367/OAG-047-11487  

   Steinschneider, Scott; Arain, M Altaf; Coulibaly, Paulin; Gronewold, Andrew D; Krantzberg, Gail (January 2025, Open Access Government)

   Climate and hydrologic change across the Great Lakes region and other transboundary watersScott Steinschneider, M. Altaf Arain, Paulin Coulibaly, Andrew Gronewold, and Gail Krantzberg, explore climate and hydrologic change across the Great Lakes region in North America and other transboundary waters. Hydroclimate extremes are transforming water landscapes in transboundary regions. These systems are particularly susceptible to hydroclimatic variability due to shared governance structures, interconnected ecosystems, and a wide range of water users. The Great Lakes basin – one of the world’s largest freshwater systems, shared by Canada, the United States, and numerous Indigenous sovereign nations – exemplifies how shifting hydroclimatic conditions are challenging conventional approaches to water management across borders. In this region, the impacts of these changes are evident in increased flooding, shoreline erosion, economic disruption, ecosystem stress, and rising uncertainty surrounding water availability and quality. 

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5. Toward Co‐Designed Earth System Models: Reflecting End‐User Priorities in Local Applications From a Modeler's Perspective

   https://doi.org/10.1029/2025AV001921  

   Cheng, Yifan; Herman‐Mercer, Nicole; Newman, Andrew; Musselman, Keith; Woelfle‐Hazard, Cleo; Blaskey, Dylan; Brooks, Cassandra; Carlson, Tvetene; Koch, Joshua; Morrison, Monica; et al (December 2025, AGU Advances)

   Abstract Earth System Models (ESM)are crucial for quantifying climate impacts across Earth's interconnected systems and supporting science‐based adaptation and mitigation. However, not including end‐users, especially decision‐makers representing communities vulnerable to climate change, can limit model utility, increase epistemic risks, and lead to information misuse in decision‐making. While the ESM community increasingly values broad community engagement, end‐users may not initially perceive models as useful for local planning. Co‐designing models with end‐users fosters two‐way learning: users better understand models and their outputs, while modelers gain insights into fine‐scale local processes like monitoring practices and management priorities. Higher‐level co‐design can lead to more customized, priority‐driven, and useful modeling products. Despite these benefits, modelers often struggle to initiate meaningful partnerships with local communities. Therefore, this paper explores model co‐design from the perspective of modelers. This study presents two case studies where modelers and social scientists collaborated with Indigenous communities' decision‐makers to reflect their priorities in model design and application. In the Arctic Rivers Project, high‐resolution climate and hydrology data sets for Alaska were developed with guidance from an Indigenous Advisory Council, using optimized, coupled land‐atmosphere models. In the Mid‐Klamath Project, we partnered with the Karuk Tribe's Department of Natural Resources to assess climate change and prescribed burning impacts on terrestrial hydrology in the Klamath River Basin. Drawing from these studies, we introduce a four‐level framework: (a) Co‐design Configuration; (b) Model Tuning; (c) Incorporate Contextual Knowledge; (d) Co‐develop New Model Functions. We aim to help researchers consider and compare co‐design across diverse modeling projects systematically and coherently. 

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