Abstract
Connecting indigenous and scientific observations and knowledge has received much attention in the Arctic, not least in the area of climate change. On some levels, this connection can be established relatively easily, linking observations of similar phenomena or of various effects stemming from the same cause. Closer examinations of specific environmental parameters, however, can lead to far more complex and difficult attempts to make those connections. In this paper we examine observations of wind at Clyde River, Nunavut, Canada. For Inuit, many activities are governed by environmental conditions. Wind, in particular, is identified by Inuit as one of the most important environmental variables, playing a key role in driving sea ice, ocean, and weather conditions that can either enable or constrain hunting, travel, or other important activities. Inuit observe wind patterns closely, and through many means, as a result of their close connection to the land and sea. Inuit in many parts of Nunavut are reporting changes in wind patterns in recent years. At Clyde River, a community on the eastern coast of Baffin Island, Inuit have observed that at least three key aspects of wind have changed over the last few decades: wind variability, wind speed, and wind direction. At the same time, wind observations are also available from an operational weather station located at Clyde River. An analysis of this information shows little change in wind parameters since the mid-1970s. Though the station data and Inuit observations correspond in some instances, overall, there is limited agreement. Although the differences in the two perspectives may point to possible biases that may exist from both sources—the weather station data may not be representative of the region, Inuit observations or explanations may be inaccurate, or the instrumental and Inuit observations may not be of the same phenomena—they also raise interesting questions about methods for observing wind and the nature of Arctic winds.
Article PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.
References
ACIA (2005) Arctic climate impact assessment. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK
Agrawal A (1995) Dismantling the divide between indigenous and scientific knowledge. Dev Change 26(3):413–439
Arragutainaq L (2005) Comments made at the Nunavut Tunngavik Inc workshop. In: Inuit perspectives on climate change adaptation challenges in Nunavut, Iqaluit
Attungala N (2003) Interview in Fox S (2003) when the weather is uggianaqtuq: inuit observations of environmental change. A multi-media, interactive CD-ROM. Produced at the Cartography Lab, Department of Geography, University of Colorado at Boulder. Distributed by the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) and Arctic System Sciences (ARCSS), National Science Foundation
Berkes F (1999) Sacred ecology: traditional ecological knowledge and resource management. Taylor & Francis, New York
Cleveland WS, Grosse E, Shyu WM (1992) Local regression models, chapter 8. In: Chambers JM, Hastie TJ (eds) Statistical models in S. Wadsworth: Pacific Grove, CA
Cruikshank J (2001) Glaciers and climate change: perspectives from oral tradition. Arctic 54(4):377–393
Environment Canada (2006) Observation site data inspection report for clyde a station. (Site ID YCY, Climate ID 2400800). Inspection data 4/13/2006. Published by Environment Canada and obtained by request
Essery R (2001) Spatial statistics of windflow and blowing-snow fluxes over complex topography. Boundary-Layer Meteorol 100:131–147
Essery R, Li L, Pomeroy J (1999) A distributed model of blowing snow over complex terrain. Hydrol Process 13:2423–2438
Fisher NI (1993) Statistical analysis of circular data. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge
Ford J, Martinez D (2000) Traditional ecological knowledge, ecosystem science, and environmental management. Ecol Appl 10(5):1249–1340 (invited feature)
Fox S (2002) These are things that are really happening: inuit perspectives on the evidence and impacts of climate change in nunavut. In: Krupnik I, Jolly D (eds) The earth is faster now: indigenous observations of arctic environmental change. Arctic Research Consortium of the United States, Fairbanks, AK, pp 12–53
Fox S (2003) When the weather is uggianaqtuq: Inuit observations of environmental change. A multi-media, interactive CD-ROM. Produced at the Cartography Lab, Department of Geography, University of Colorado at Boulder. Distributed by the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) and Arctic System Sciences (ARCSS), National Science Foundation
Fox S (2004) When the weather is uggianaqtuq: linking inuit and scientific observations of environmental change in Nunavut, Canada. Dissertation, University of Colorado at Boulder
Gearheard S, Matumeak W, Angutikjuak I, Maslanik J, Huntington HP, Leavitt J, Matumeak-Kagak D, Tigullaraq G, Barry RG (2006) “It’s not that simple”: a comparison of sea ice environments, uses of sea ice, and vulnerability to change in barrow, Alaska, USA, and Clyde River, Nunavut, Canada. Ambio 35(4):203–211
George JC, Huntington HP, Brewster K, Eicken H, Norton DW, Glenn R (2004) Observations on shorefast ice failures in Arctic Alaska and the responses of the Inupiat hunting community. Arctic 57(4):363–374
Government of Nunavut (1999) Report from the September Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit workshop, Niaqunngnut, Nunavut, 29–20 September 1999. Sponsored by the Government of Nunavut Department of Culture, Language, Elders and Youth
Government of Nunavut, Department of Sustainable Development, Environmental Protection Services (2001) Inuit knowledge of climate change: a sample of inuit experiences of climate change in Nunavut, Baker Lake and Arviat, Nunavut. Government of Nunavut, Iqaluit
Government of Nunavut, Department of Sustainable Development, Environmental Protection Services (2003) Inuit Knowledge of climate change: a sample of inuit experiences of recent climate and environmental changes in Clyde River, Pond Inlet, Resolute, Grise Fjord, Pangnirtung and Iqaluit Nunavut. Two Volumes, North Baffin and South Baffin. Government of Nunavut, Iqaluit
Henshaw A (2006) Winds of change: weather knowledge amongst the Sikusilarmiut. In: Riewe R, Oakes J (eds) Climate change: linking traditional and scientific knowledge. Aboriginal Issues Press, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg pp 177–186
Huntington HP, Fox S (2005) The changing arctic: indigenous perspectives. In: Arctic climate impact assessment. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, pp 61–98
Huntington HP, Callaghan T, Fox S, Krupnik I (2004a) Matching traditional and scientific observations to detect environmental change: a discussion on Arctic terrestrial ecosystems. Ambio 33(7):18–23
Huntington HP, Suydam RS, Rosenberg DH (2004b) Traditional knowledge and satellite tracking as complementary approaches to ecological understanding. Environ Conserv 31(3):177–180
Ilisaqsivik Society (2005) Healthy land, healthy ice, healthy life: understanding environment-health relationships at Clyde River, Nunavut. Ilisaqsivik Society, Clyde River
Ingold T, Kurtilla T (2000) Perceiving the environment in Finnish Lapland. Body Soc 6(3–4):183–196
Inuit Heritage Trust (2006) Notes accompanying Clyde River place name maps. Map sheet 27F.
Johannes RE (1981) Words of the Lagoon: fishing and marine lore in the Palau District of Micronesia. University of California Press, Berkeley, CA.
Krupnik I, Jolly D (eds) (2002) The earth is faster now: indigenous observations of arctic environmental change. Arctic Research Consortium of the United States, Fairbanks, Alaska
Laidler GJ (2006) Inuit and scientific perspectives on the relationships between sea ice and climate change: the ideal compliment? Clim Change 78:407–444
Leduc TB (2006) Inuit economic adaptations for a changing global climate. Ecol Econ 60:27–35
MacDonald J (1998) The arctic sky: inuit astronomy, star lore, and legend. Royal Ontario Museum and Nunavut Research Institute, Toronto and Iqaluit
Mustonen T, Helander E (2005) Snowscapes, dreamscapes: snowchange book on community voices of change. Tampere Polytechnic Publications, Tampere
Nawri N, Stewart RE (2006) Climatological features of orographic low-level jets within Frobisher Bay. Atmos Ocean 44:397–413
Nelson R (1969) Hunters of the Northern Ice. University of Chicago Press, Chicago, Xxiv+429 pp
Norton DW, Gaylord AG (2004) Drift velocities of ice floes in Alaska’s northern Chukchi Sea flaw zone: determinants of success by spring subsistence whalers in 2000 and 2001. Arctic 57(4):347–362
NTI (Nunavut Tunngavik Inc) (2001) Elder’s conference on climate change: final report. Cambridge Bay, Nunavut. Nunavut Tunngavik Inc.
NTI (Nunavut Tunngavik Inc) (2005) What if the winter doesn’t come? Inuit Perspectives on Climate Change Adaptation Challenges in Nunavut. In: Summary workshop report, 15–17 March 2005. Iqaluit, Nunavut. Nunavut Tunngavik Inc
Oozeva C, Noongwook C, Alowa G, Krupnik I (2004) Watching ice and weather our way. Arctic Studies Center, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC
Paneak P (2001) Interview by Shari Fox and Geela Tigullaraq. 29 June 2001. Clyde River
Salomon AK, Tanape NM, Huntington HP (2007) Synergistic serial depletion of marine invertebrates leads to the decline of a strongly interacting grazer in Alaska. Ecol Appl 17(6):1752–1770
Spalding A (1998) Inuktitut: A multi-dialectical outline dictionary. Nunavut Arctic College, Iqaluit, Xi+195 pp
Statistics Canada (2006) http://www12.statcan.ca/english/census06/data/profiles/aboriginal/. Cited 30 June 2008
Tassugat N (2001) Interview by Shari Fox and Geela Tigullaraq. 25 June 2001. Clyde River
Thorpe N, Hakongak N, Eyegetok S, the Kitikmeot Elders (2001) Thunder on the Tundra: Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit of the Bathurst Caribou. Generation Printing, Vancouver, British Columbia
Wenzel GW (2000) Sharing, money, and modern inuit subsitence: obligation and reciprocity at Clyde River, Nunavut. In: Wenzel GW, Hovelsrud-Broda G, Kishigami N (eds) The social economy of sharing: resource allocation and modern hunter-gatherers. Senri ethnological studies, vol 53, pp 61–87
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Gearheard, S., Pocernich, M., Stewart, R. et al. Linking Inuit knowledge and meteorological station observations to understand changing wind patterns at Clyde River, Nunavut. Climatic Change 100, 267–294 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10584-009-9587-1
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10584-009-9587-1