Alaska Arctic Observatory & Knowledge Hub: Community-based Observations of Changes in the Seasonal Cycle in Alaska's Arctic
Abstract
The Alaska Arctic Observatory & Knowledge Hub (AAOKH) is a network of local, indigenous experts making environmental and ecological observations in northern Alaska coastal communities, and provides a framework for sharing these observations with other community members, scientists, policy makers, and other stakeholders. Observations typically include weather information, oceanographic conditions, sea ice processes (freeze-up, break-up, specific incidents, etc.), tundra conditions, wildlife sightings, hunting reports, and community events. Anomalous events and conditions are particularly noted and help to catalogue changes to the seasonal cycles around which many subsistence and community activities revolve. Repeated observations in a location allow environmental changes in that area to be monitored, while observations taken along most of the Alaskan Arctic coast gives insight as to how change is varying temporally and spatially across the larger area. Since it is local experts in the coastal communities who make the observations, the archive of observations provides a relevant viewpoint important to local and regional policy and planning, as well as a holistic viewpoint from which science can progress in a meaningful way.
- Publication:
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AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- December 2018
- Bibcode:
- 2018AGUFMPA51C0782J
- Keywords:
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- 0230 Impacts of climate change: human health;
- GEOHEALTHDE: 1630 Impacts of global change;
- GLOBAL CHANGEDE: 1880 Water management;
- HYDROLOGYDE: 6620 Science policy;
- PUBLIC ISSUES