#8

"How are Arctic sea-ice, climate and culture all connected?"

Arctic ice is mostly oceanic affecting the cooling and warming of the Earth. Excess heat of the Earth is moved by ocean currents toward the poles. The polar cap reflects radiant energy instead of absorbing it. Cloud cover creates shade and winds carry heat in the form of water vapor away to cooler places. The cryosphere is the region of Earth that has predominantly ice. This ice influences the climate of our Earth.

Changes in the cryosphere ( sea ice,ice shelves, icebergs, ice sheets, glaciers, lake ice, river ice, snow and permafrost) will have implications for climate change world wise. The middle and low latitudes are not experiencing cryosphere on a permanent basis and is far less dominant than the polar regions. Snow and ice cover affects surface evaporation, permafrost influences run off and ground water storage. Melting of mountain snow pack provides water for vegetation growth and fresh water supplies; winter snow stores water that is later released that decreases the possibility of drought and summer forest fires.

The process of water freezing causes heat loss. Since the freezing of salt water takes a lower temperature of -3 Celsius, then more heat is given off while the oceans freeze. This change of energy during the freezing of ocean waters, allows a movement of heat/energy from hot to cold areas. The Albedo ( reflectivity of Earth's light off the ice back into space) has been increasing. As the Arctic ice cap melts, there is less white ice to keep summer solar radiation from shining onto the land. The exposed land masses absorb the light energy that the ice used to reflect. The land warms more quickly during summers. The Arctic ocean turns light into heat, which melts more ice, which reinforced the heating/ melting cycle. The climate changes due to a storing of heat for longer periods of time.

The Earth's average temperature has increased. Warmer temperatures have caused changes in the extent of snow and ice cover. There is a direct impact on the cultures that live near the Arctic oceans. Subsistence hunters are noticing a decrease in sea ice formation. This causes unsafe hunting conditions, traveling condition and animal movement to other areas further from villages. I was speaking with Peter Joseph 111 of Tuntutuliak, Alaska, a Yup'ik Eskimo, aged 42 years. He has living in the Kuskokwim delta area his entire life. I asked him if he was able to 'read the ice in our area?' and his reply was, "I used to when I was in my twenties, now I am confused." Speaking to an elder of 65 years, he said in response to the same question: " Ice used to freeze good by end October, break up end of May. Good ice all winter through. Now late ice, early break-up and open water in winter-time." The inconsistency of ice formation, warming and cooling causes "traditional knowledge' to be less assuring than in the past. Our temperatures this winter have fluctuated; we had 3 'thawings' during the winter. The temperature 'of old' would get to minus temperatures and stay there for months with little to no fluctuation. So why do we living under these conditions care? The ice is our foundation upon which we travel, hunt, gather ice for house water ( we have no running water system in our village) and build our homes and buildings. We aren't experiencing as drastic changes as the ocean communities, but are noticing the ponds drying up, vegetation coming onto the tundra areas and river erosion of our banks. Our village has river on three sides.

To Conclude, the far North is experiencing climate change at a faster rate than other areas of the Earth. Cultural understanding of people's living closest to the land and oceans rely directly on natural resources. Arctic sea-ice has been dwindling causing more exposed land that is warming faster and longer. This change is causing cryospheric disturbances that in turn affects climate world-wide. As our climate changes, so does the plants and animals that the indigenous cultures are subsistence living with and dependent upon. Some of these changes are beneficial and some detrimental. We are seeing more muskoxen in our area- eating the willows and tag alder. We are getting more grasses taking over the tundra where we get our berries. The caribou herds are moving further inland with a longer trip time to hunt these herds. The People will have to adapt to these changes; possibly becoming less involved and knowledgeable about subsistence ways of life. Indigenous peoples have survived in the harsh environment because they are adaptable.