What are you seeing?

The vast majority of global scientists have acknowledged the reality of climate change. 

So what exactly do we know about global climate change?  

Here is some of the key evidence with links to resources for you to review and consider:

Temperature

We know that the earth's average temperature has been steadily rising. Carbon Dioxide (CO₂₎, a "greenhouse gas", is increasing in the earth's atmosphere. CO₂ is trapping heat in the atmosphere around us, contributing to the earth's warming. Rising average temperatures also mean that temperature extremes may be more frequent, and many locations around the world have recorded their warmest temperatures ever, in a single day. In 2019, for example, Iqaluit recorded its warmest daytime temperature ever, 23.5 degrees Celsius.

• Think of other unusually warm days - can you remember them and how that felt and what people said about it? 

Ice

Both the extent and thickness of Arctic sea ice has declined rapidly over the last several decades. The ocean, bays, rivers and lakes are ice-free for longer periods of time now. The ice melts earlier in the spring, and forms later in the fall. This impacts fish and mammals like whales, polar bears, caribou, seals and other animals. Their migration, hunting or grazing patterns change, which in turn has serious consequences for Inuit hunters. It may increase the time and cost to find and hunt animals and can also impact hunter safety. Thinner, more mobile and less predictable ice has threatened the lives of many hunters already. Think of stories you've heard in your community.

• What are people saying about the ice?
• How has it impacted them?
• How can you show with images that the ice is changing? 

Snow

Scientific observations have revealed that the amount of spring snow cover in the Northern Hemisphere has decreased over the past five decades and that the snow is melting earlier. Some communities in the Arctic have seen more snow cover and snow fall in the winter, with more blizzards and storms, while the snow disappears earlier in the Spring. You can document the snowfall and snowmelt in your community, and create pictures on days of the last and first snowfall of the season, and show a sequence of images that document when the snow is melting in the spring or piling up again in the fall. 

Soil

Arctic soils and landforms are changing as well, especially the permafrost. Permafrost is a permanently frozen layer below the Earth’s surface. The date when snow melts is key to determining the rate at which the permafrost thaws. Permafrost usually remains at or below 0 degrees Celsius (32 degrees Fahrenheit) for at least two years.  It is found in areas where temperatures rarely rise above freezing. Permafrost depth varies across the Arctic and it is typically between 1 meter and 1 kilometer thick. Increasingly, Arctic communities are seeing the reduction or disappearance of permafrost, and this shows up in several ways. Roads buckle visibly, asphalt cracks and washes out, and the foundation of houses moves, often damaging the house and making it no longer livable. This has been observed across many communities in Nunavut.

• Have you seen or heard about any changes in the permafrost?
• Where is it happening in your community?

Wildlife

Climate change has had a profound impact on wildlife in the Arctic as well. Caribou herds, for example, have been reduced by more than half in the past two decades alone, and they constitute a major source of food for Arctic peoples. With less ice cover, herds must cross open rivers more often, which can lead to calves drowning. Food sources for caribou, especially lichen, is also more difficult to access in warmer weather, as the lichen that can be found below the snow is not often coated in ice, due to more freezing and thawing activity. Many other Arctic species are also impacted by climate change – nanuq (polar bear), seal, umingmak (muskox) and other fauna. Finally, because of warming water and temperatures, new species that have invaded the Arctic that were never there before. Mussels, for example, can pose a significant threat to fisheries.

• When you think of wildlife around you, have you seen any changes, or heard others talk about it, in their hunting stories, for example?
• What are they reporting?

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So what can you do?

These are just a few examples of how climate change has affected the Arctic overall. You likely have seen some or all of these changes in your community as well. For this course, we'd like you to create pictures and video that shows any of these changes. For example: 

Check the links in the following pages and read a little more about each of the aspects of climate change mentioned above.