Tracking Arctic Coastal Changes Through a Collaborative Network of Northern Alaska Coastal Indigenous Communities

Arctic marine ecosystems are at the forefront of dramatic environmental shifts due to climate change, yet there are many gaps in our knowledge that limit our ability to predict future changes, mitigate recent and ongoing rapid change, and impact the adaptation and resilience of coastal communities. Local scale observations are particularly relevant when considering community needs to adapt to and be resilient in the face of a changing environment. Here, we contribute to conversations of Arctic change with the unique perspective and expertise of Arctic Indigenous coastal communities in Alaska. To examine recent environmental changes across Alaska's Arctic coast and at the community-scale, we rely on observations contributed across a participatory network of Indigenous Experts (i.e. "local observers") whose observations are distributed across >1500 km of Alaska's Arctic coastal region in seven coastal communities. The Alaska Arctic Observatory and Knowledge Hub (AAOKH) is an ongoing observing network with a goal to provide northern Alaska coastal communities with the tools, resources, and scientific support to share their expertise through community-based observations on changing coastal conditions and associated impacts to their access of traditional marine resources. Community-based observations, such as those collected via the AAOKH network, are useful for assessing impacts to the accessibility of traditional harvesting activities, which are perceived as a critical challenge to the future resilience of Alaska Native subsistence lifestyles and culture. Similar collaborative research with Indigenous experts has improved the understanding of several aspects of changing arctic marine ecosystems relevant to both Arctic science and Alaska Native communities.