Impact of Climate Change on Food Security in Northern Canada

This presentation will highlight past and recent changes in climate and weather events and affects on indigenous communities. Examples include warming in the arctic, decreasing ice cover and permafrost, eroding coastlines, wildfires, floods and droughts, and impact on First Foods such Manoomin (wild rice), medicinal plants, and animal relatives. Increased variability in day-to-day weather has been noted in the Arctic, increasing the challenge of reliable forecasting traditional methods which rely on place-based observations. We will explore a few elements of traditional science of the Iñupiat people as evidenced in the descriptions of weather and ice in the Iñupiaq language. Aspects of this knowledge, such determining weather changes and impending storms will be compared to current approaches to weather and climate forecasting. New tools will be reviewed, such as Smart Ice and SIKU which may reduce the hazard of travel on thinning ice.

Dr. Bob Rabin is a research meteorologist with National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) at the National Severe Storms Lab in Norman Oklahoma and an Honorary Fellow at the Cooperative Institute for Meteorological Satellite Studies University of Wisconsin-MadisonHe is an active member of the American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES), serving as a volunteer and science judge at conferences, an instructor at Iiisaġvik College (Itqiaġvik,Alaska), the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) Water Resources Training Program, and the Native Youth Community Adaptation Leadership Congress in the U.S.. Bob has been engaged in learning the Iñupiaq language and is enrolled in the Iñupiaq Studies Program at Ilisaġvik College, Utqiaġvik (Barrow) AK.