Breaking through: understanding sovereignty and security in the circumpolar arctic

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-2
Author(s):  
Kathryn Urban
Keyword(s):  
Circumpolar Arctic

scholarly journals Stable ringed seal (Pusa hispida) demography despite significant habitat change in Svalbard, Norway

2021 ◽  
Vol 40 ◽  
Author(s):  
Magnus Andersen ◽  
Kit M. Kovacs ◽  
Christian Lydersen
Keyword(s):  
Life History ◽  
Sea Ice ◽  
Close Association ◽  
Ringed Seal ◽  
Breeding Habitat ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Recent Period ◽  
Ringed Seals ◽  
Time Periods ◽  
Circumpolar Arctic

Ringed seals, which are small phocid seals, range across the circumpolar Arctic, and have evolved in close association with sea ice and depend on it for all aspects of their life history. This research study compares age structure, reproductive parameters, body size and condition during three time periods—1981–82 (n = 277), 2002–04 (n = 272) and 2012–18 (n = 212)—to study potential changes in demography in ringed seals in western Svalbard, Norway, an area that has undergone dramatic changes in sea-ice conditions during recent decades. Age distributions for the three time periods were similar, with the exception that the most recent period had a higher proportion of young animals. Age at sexual maturity for both sexes was similar for the two most recent periods, both being lower than in the 1980s. Ovulation rates did not vary significantly among the three periods (range 0.86–0.94). Pregnancy rates were only available for the most recent study period (0.71); this value falls within the range reported from other Arctic regions. Body length showed no clear temporal patterns; males were slightly longer in the most recent period, while females were slightly longer in the first period. Data from May in all periods suggest that body condition has not varied significantly through time. In conclusion, although the ringed seal breeding habitat in Svalbard has declined significantly in recent decades, demographic parameters appear to be largely unaffected. Life-history plasticity in combination with a small-scale regional variation in environmental conditions might explain the lack of changes in demography over time.

The Earth Is (Still) Our Mother

2021 ◽  
pp. 115-125
Author(s):  
Chad S. Hamill
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
World Wide ◽  
Climate Science ◽  
Indigenous Communities ◽  
Ecological Knowledge ◽  
Small Islands ◽  
Adaptive Power ◽  
Circumpolar Arctic ◽  
European Colonialism

As many large-scale protests by Indigenous people have articulated, lands inhabited by Indigenous communities (such as desert margins, small islands, lakes and rivers, high-altitude zones, and the circumpolar Arctic) are particularly vulnerable to the dramatic shifts in climate currently underway. The delicate ecosystems upon which Indigenous communities rely are in flux, and the accelerating rate of climate change—outpacing the direst scientific projections—amounts to a crisis that is every bit as threatening as the legacy of European colonialism. Fortunately, for millennia Indigenous communities have cultivated an intimate awareness of their ecology and have remained, throughout the era of world-wide industrial devastation, adept at adapting to environmental change. This awareness and adaptive power has been discussed within the framework of Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK). Using traditional stories and songs in Indigenous communities as a touchstone, this chapter will explore three interrelated aspects of TEK: (1) its role in assisting Indigenous communities in adapting to the effects of climate change; (2) its potential to inform and influence Western-generated climate science; and (3) its promise as a unifying thread tying Indigenous communities together, strengthening global self-determination.

scholarly journals Responding to Climate and Environmental Change Impacts on Human Health via Integrated Surveillance in the Circumpolar North: A Systematic Realist Review

2018 ◽  
Vol 15 (12) ◽  
pp. 2706 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexandra Sawatzky ◽  
Ashlee Cunsolo ◽  
Andria Jones-Bitton ◽  
Jacqueline Middleton ◽  
Sherilee L. Harper
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Human Health ◽  
Realist Review ◽  
Public Health Research ◽  
Surveillance Systems ◽  
Inclusion Criteria ◽  
Substantial Impact ◽  
Circumpolar North ◽  
Circumpolar Arctic

Environments are shifting rapidly in the Circumpolar Arctic and Subarctic regions as a result of climate change and other external stressors, and this has a substantial impact on the health of northern populations. Thus, there is a need for integrated surveillance systems designed to monitor the impacts of climate change on human health outcomes as part of broader adaptation strategies in these regions. This review aimed to identify, describe, and synthesize literature on integrated surveillance systems in Circumpolar Arctic and Subarctic regions, that are used for research or practice. Following a systematic realist review approach, relevant articles were identified using search strings developed for MEDLINE® and Web of Science™ databases, and screened by two independent reviewers. Articles that met the inclusion criteria were retained for descriptive quantitative analysis, as well as thematic qualitative analysis, using a realist lens. Of the 3431 articles retrieved in the database searches, 85 met the inclusion criteria and were analyzed. Thematic analysis identified components of integrated surveillance systems that were categorized into three main groups: structural, processual, and relational components. These components were linked to surveillance attributes and activities that supported the operations and management of integrated surveillance. This review advances understandings of the distinct contributions of integrated surveillance systems and data to discerning the nature of changes in climate and environmental conditions that affect population health outcomes and determinants in the Circumpolar North. Findings from this review can be used to inform the planning, design, and evaluation of integrated surveillance systems that support evidence-based public health research and practice in the context of increasing climate change and the need for adaptation.

Circumpolar Arctic Vegetation Classification

2018 ◽  
Vol 48 (2) ◽  
pp. 181-201 ◽  
Author(s):  
Donald A. Walker ◽  
Fred J.A. Daniëls ◽  
Nadezhda V. Matveyeva ◽  
Jozef Šibík ◽  
Marilyn D. Walker ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Vegetation Classification ◽  
Arctic Vegetation ◽  
Circumpolar Arctic

scholarly journals The ecology of gadid fishes in the circumpolar Arctic with a special emphasis on the polar cod (Boreogadus saida)

Polar Biology ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 39 (6) ◽  
pp. 961-967 ◽  
Author(s):  
Franz J. Mueter ◽  
Jasmine Nahrgang ◽  
R. John Nelson ◽  
Jørgen Berge
Keyword(s):  
Polar Cod ◽  
Boreogadus Saida ◽  
Polar Cod Boreogadus Saida ◽  
Circumpolar Arctic

scholarly journals Adaptive capacity of Arctic communities in the context of climate change and shipping growth: A review of Russian and Western literature

Polar Record ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 56 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julia Olsen
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Adaptive Capacity ◽  
Climatic Changes ◽  
Coastal Communities ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Community Based Research ◽  
English Only ◽  
The Past ◽  
Arctic Communities ◽  
Circumpolar Arctic

Abstract Throughout the past two decades, the number of studies examining the adaptive capacity of Arctic communities in the context of climate change has been increasing; however, little is known about Arctic communities’ ability to adapt to certain emerging changes, such as increased shipping activity. To address this knowledge gap, this study systematically analyses published scientific articles on community adaptive capacity in circumpolar Arctic, including articles published in Russian which may not be captured in English-only reviews. Throughout this review, the study focuses on three areas: the development of the adaptive capacity framework; the conditions that enable community adaption abilities; and the extent to which shipping developments are addressed in the literature. This study demonstrates that the adaptive capacity framework has been significantly developed both theoretically and methodologically and is broadly used to address new types of climatic and non-climatic changes. Though the impacts from the shipping development are discussed in some studies, there is a clear need for further examination of coastal communities’ ability to adapt to such changes. Additionally, the study reveals limitations in the application of the Western conceptual terminology when exploring community-based research by Russian scholars.

scholarly journals A raster version of the Circumpolar Arctic Vegetation Map (CAVM)

2019 ◽  
Vol 232 ◽  
pp. 111297 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martha K. Raynolds ◽  
Donald A. Walker ◽  
Andrew Balser ◽  
Christian Bay ◽  
Mitch Campbell ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Vegetation Map ◽  
Arctic Vegetation ◽  
Circumpolar Arctic

Research and management of polar bears Ursus maritimus

Polar Record ◽  
1986 ◽  
Vol 23 (143) ◽  
pp. 167-176 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ian Stirling
Keyword(s):  
Natural Resources ◽  
Polar Bear ◽  
World Wide ◽  
Ursus Maritimus ◽  
Polar Bears ◽  
International Agreement ◽  
International Union ◽  
International Coordination ◽  
The 1950S ◽  
Circumpolar Arctic

AbstractThrough the 1950s and 1960s there was a marked increase in recorded numbers of polar bears being killed for their hides, giving rise to world-wide concern that the species might be endangered. At a meeting in Fairbanks, Alaska 1965, representatives of circumpolar arctic nations discussed conservation of polar bears and concluded that international coordination of research and management efforts was essential. Subsequent meetings of scientists engaged in polar bear research were organized every two years by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources, facilitating exchanges of views and cooperation; as a result, in 1973 the International Agreement on the Conservation of Polar Bears and their Habitats was signed in Oslo, Norway. This paper describes some of the research and management undertaken in the years leading up to the agreement, and initiatives that are continuing because of it.

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