Environmental change in the Kitikmeot Region of western Nunavut and Ulukhaktok region of eastern Northwest Territories. Polar Knowledge: Aqhaliat Report - Volume 4

McLennan, Donald and Brown, Kristina and Scharien, Randall and Else, Brent and Wilson, Katherine and Humphreys, Elyn and Marsh, Philip and Ullulaq, Jennifer and Park, Brian and Cockney-Goose, Tyra and Aipellie, Gary and Qillaq, Nysana (2022) Environmental change in the Kitikmeot Region of western Nunavut and Ulukhaktok region of eastern Northwest Territories. Polar Knowledge: Aqhaliat Report - Volume 4. Other. Polar Knowledge Canada, Canada.

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Abstract

There are many impacts observed across the Canadian North because of changing environmental conditions. Increasing heat in the atmosphere caused by human pollution is causing the Arctic to warm up faster then anywhere else on Earth, and more frequent and intense weather has been occurring across the North. More unpredictable weather, tundra fires, forceful winds and storminess is expected to occur, with important impacts on northern communities. Air temperature controls all aspects of Arctic life, including which animals and plants can survive, when rivers and oceans freeze and break up, and the thickness of sea ice and permafrost. Canadian Arctic communities are warming the most in winter. Rainfall changes affect caribou and muskoxen, as they must break ice to get to their food. The snow season is shorter. Permafrost is warming and thawing. Arctic plants are changing in complex ways, in some areas climate change is causing them to grow more, shrubs becoming denser, and more grasses are present. Eventually, the tree line will move Northward. Ocean water is changing with increasing freshwater and sediments from melt, and this affects ocean life from microscopic species to fish and marine mammals. Global sea level rise will be less significant in the Canadian Arctic compered to low-laying islands elsewhere in the world. Arctic Sea Ice is melting, and this affects the safety of ice travel.

Item Type:	Monograph (Other)
Related URLs:
Subjects:	Natural Environment > Atmosphere Natural Environment > Cryosphere Peoples, Cultures and Societies > Heritage and Culture Peoples, Cultures and Societies > Indigenous Peoples
Organizations:	Unspecified
Date Deposited:	29 Jan 2024 09:33
URI:	http://library.arcticportal.org/id/eprint/2811

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