Research into human/environment interactions in the arctic system encompasses many potential research topics that require interdisciplinary approaches. These projects frequently require collaboration with arctic residents or users of arctic resources. Thus, human/environment interactions science is complex, and scientists who conduct this research must use established methods and approaches as well as developing new ones to meet the particular demands of a given project. The project teams for this type of science are similarly complex, often requiring large teams that draw on a number of disciplines, plus input and direction from Arctic communities.

An open science workshop to discuss patterns, connections, and methods in conducting human/environment interactions research in the arctic system will be held Saturday and Sunday, 25-26 October 2003 in Seattle, Washington. This workshop aims to further develop a research community interested in human/environment studies in the Arctic, share findings and lessons learned from current investigations, and highlight promising directions for future research. Two primary questions will provide the overall focus for the workshop:

  • How do we define the field of Human-Environment Interactions?
  • What is needed to advance the field, with emphasis on the Arctic?

This meeting is being sponsored by the Human Dimensions of the Arctic System (HARC) program, a component of the National Science Foundation's Arctic System Science (ARCSS) Program. The primary purposes of the meeting are to:

  • Identify challenges, compare experiences, and discuss ideas about solutions for conducting interdisciplinary human-dimensions research in the Arctic.
  • Provide a common forum for investigators to outline ongoing research, discuss results, and receive feedback from colleagues.
  • Compare theoretical and practical observations regarding diverse methodological and conceptual approaches applied to human/environment interactions research in the Arctic.

The workshop will include presentations, extended discussions, and poster sessions.


"There is an inseparable link between humans and the environment, and the study of one without the other can go only halfway to finding solutions to the challenges that face us."
–Caleb Pungowiyi, President, Robert Aqqaluk Newlin Sr. Memorial Trust

List of Abstracts

Modeling Impacts of Hydrologic and Climatic Change on Humans in the Arctic

Lilian Alessa1, Daniel White2, Larry Hinzman3, Peter Schweitzer4
1Biological Sciences, University of Alaska, Anchorage, 3211 Providence Dr., Anchorage, AK, 99508, USA, Phone 907 786 1507, Fax 907 786 4607, afla [at] uaa.alaska.edu
2Water and Environmental Research Center, University of Alaska, Fairbanks, PO Box 755860, Fairbanks, AK, 99775, USA, Phone 907 474 6222, Fax 907 474 7979, ffdmw [at] uaf.edu
3Water and Environmental Research Center, University of Alaska, Fairbanks, PO Box 755860, Fairbanks, AK, 99775, USA, Phone 907 474 7331, Fax 907 474 7979, ffldh [at] uaf.edu
4Anthropology, University of Alaska, PO Box 757720, Fairbanks, AK, 99775, USA, Phone 907 474 5015, Fax 907 474 7453, ffpps [at] uaf.edu



Freshwater is critical to the sustainability of humans and their activities in the Arctic. The availability and status of water resources may promote good health or propagate disease, support the distribution and quality of plants and animals used for subsistence and promote or impede access...

The Common Raven (Corvus corax) on the North Slope of Alaska: Wildlife Management and the Human Dimension

Stacia A. Backensto1, Abby N. Powell2
1Biology and Wildlife/RR&A IGERT, University of Alaska Fairbanks, PO Box 757000, Fairbanks, AK, 99775, USA, Phone 907-457-2025, ftsab [at] uaf.edu
2Biology and Wildlife, University of Alaska Fairbanks, PO Box 757000, Fairbanks, AK, 99775, USA, ffanp [at] aurora.alaska.edu



As we begin to identify the linkages and feedbacks among social and ecological systems within the context of global change, the need for collaborative and integrated research among natural scientists and social scientists becomes increasingly more apparent. Avian conservation efforts are directly shaped and...

Adaptation and Sustainability in a Small Arctic Community: Results of an Agent-Based Simulation Model

Matthew Berman1, Craig Nicolson2, Gary Kofinas3, Stephanie Martin4
1Institute of Social and Economic Research, University of Alaska Anchorage, 3211 Providence Drive, Anchorage, AK, 99508, USA, Phone (907)786-7716, matt.berman [at] uaa.alaska.edu
2Department of Natural Resources Conservation, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA, USA
3Institute of Arctic Biology, University of Alaska Fairbanks, AK, USA
4Institute of Social and Economic Research, University of Alaska Anchorage, AK, USA



Climate warming could affect abundance, distribution, and access to wildlife that arctic communities harvest for subsistence. Another set of global forces increasingly directs local cash economies that support the logistics of subsistence activities as well as provide market consumption goods. Agent-based computational models may contribute...

Contributions to Quaternary and Recent History of the Bering Sea Coast of Kamchatka, Russian Far East

Joanne Bourgeois1, Tatiana Pinegina2, Vera Ponomareva3, Veronika Dirksen4, Natalia Zaretskaia5, Kevin Pedoja6
1Earth & Space Sciences, Univ. of Washington, Box 351310, Seattle, WA, 98195-1310, USA, Phone 206 685-2443, Fax 206 543-0489, jbourgeo [at] u.washington.edu
2Inst. of Volcanic Geology & Geochemistry, Far East Division, Russian Academy of Sciences, Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy, Russia
3IVGG, Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy and , Russia
4St. Petersburg, Russia
5Geological Institute, Moscow, Russia
6France



This cooperative interdisciplinary project is currently funded principally by NSF (EAR/INT), as well as by the Russian Foundation for Basic Research. Funded objectives include 1) Holocene volcanic history (tephra stratigraphy) of northern Kamchatka, both on its own scientific merit, and also as a tool...

Context and Climate Change: Lessons from Barrow, Alaska

Ronald D. Brunner1
1Center for Public Policy Research, University of Colorado, Campus Box 333, Boulder, CO, 80309, USA, Phone 303-492-2955, Fax 303-492-0978, ronald.brunner [at] colorado.edu



At the University of Colorado my colleagues and I are half way through a 5-year HARC project designed to help the people of the North Slope adapt to climate change and variability on a more informed basis. This talk will review how we have...

Simultaneous Application of Traditional and Scientific Ecological Knowledge to Ecological Change in the Nearshore Kotzebue Sound Ecosystem

Lisa M. Clough1, Jeff Johnson2, David Griffith3, Alex Whiting4, Will Ambrose5, Melinda Reynolds6, Terry Reynolds7, Steve Jewett8
1Biology, East Carolina University, Howell Science Building, Greenville, NC, 27858, USA, Phone 252-328-1834, Fax 252-328-4178, CLOUGHL [at] MAIL.ECU.EDU
2Sociology and Institute for Coastal and Marine Resources, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC, 27858, USA, Phone 252-328-1753, johnsonje [at] mail.ecu.edu
3Anthropology and Institute for Coastal and Marine Resources, East Carolina University, NC, 27858, USA, Phone 252-328-1753, griffithd [at] mail.ecu.edu
4Kotzebue IRA, Post Office Box 296, Kotzebue, AK, 99752, USA, Phone 907-442-3467, sheep [at] otz.net
5Biology, Bates College, Lewiston, ME, 04240, USA, Phone 207-786-6114, wambrose [at] bates.edu
6Coastal Resource Management, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC, 27858, USA, melinda_reynolds [at] yahoo.com
7Coastal Resource Management, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC, 27858, USA, tar0401 [at] mail.ecu.edu
8Institute of Marine Science, University of Alaska, Fairbanks, AK, 99775, USA, Phone 907-474-7841, jewett [at] ims.uaf.edu



The HARC initiative began in earnest in 1997, and sought to "assist arctic peoples to understand and respond to the effects of large-scale changes" (ARCUS 1997). We developed an interdisciplinary project in response to the broad guidelines of the HARC initiative, with a...

North Atlantic Oscillation Driven Changes To Wave Climate in the Northeast Atlantic and Their Implications for Ferry Services to the Western Isles of Scotland

John Coll1, David K. Woolf2, Stuart W. Gibb3, Peter G. Challenor4, Michael Tsimplis5
1Environmental Research Institute, UHI Millennium Insitute/Tyndall Centre For Climate Change, Castle Street, Thurso, Caithness, KW14 7 JD, UK, Phone +44 (0) 1847 88, Fax + 44 (0) 1847 8, John.Coll [at] thurso.uhi.ac.uk
2Southampton Oceanography Centre/Tyndall Centre For Climate C, University of Southampton, European Way, Southampton, AK, SO14 3ZH, UK, Phone + 44 (0) 23 805, Fax +44 (0) 23 8059, dkw [at] soc.soton.ac.uk
3Environmental Research Institute/Tyndall Centre For Climate , UHI Millennium Institute, Castle Street, Thurso, Caithness, AK, KW14 7JD, UK
4Southampton Oceanography Centre/Tyndall Centre For Climate C, University of Southampton, European Way, Southampton, AK, SO14 3ZH, UK
5Southampton Oceanography Centre/Tyndall Centre For Climate C, University of Southampton, European Way, Southampton, AK, UK



The North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) is the most prominent and recurrent pattern of atmospheric circulation variability over the middle and high latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere and dictates climate variability from the eastern United States to Siberia and from the Arctic to the subtropical Atlantic....

Shaking up the Neighborhood: Historic Perspective on Resilience and Vulnerability in the Gulf of Alaska

Jennie N Deo1, Catherine W. Foster2, Margaret R. Berger3, Ben Fitzhugh4
1Anthropology, University of Washington, Box 353100, Seattle, WA, 98195-3100, USA, Phone 206-685-6650, jdeo [at] u.washington.edu
2Anthropology, University of Washington, Box 353100, Seattle, WA, 98195-3100, USA, Phone 206-685-6650, cwfoster [at] u.washington.edu
3Anthropology, University of Washington, Box 353100, Seattle, WA, 98195-3100, USA, Phone 206-685-6650, mrberger [at] u.washington.edu
4Anthropology, University of Washington, Box 353100, Seattle, WA, 98195-3100, USA, Phone 206-543-3285, fitzhugh [at] u.washington.edu



Around the North Pacific Rim of southern Alaska, human mobility and subsistence strategies have been heavily influenced by punctuated events such as earthquakes, tsunamis, and volcanic ash fall, and by more-or-less gradual fluctuations in climate and sea level. Recent geological and geophysical research projects...

Human Impacts to Fire Regime in Interior Alaska

La'ona DeWilde1
1Department of Biology, University of Alaska Fairbanks, PO Box 82175, Fairbanks, AK, 99708, USA



A thorough analysis of human impacts on Interior Alaska's fire regime demonstrates that human activities have a large effect on fire regime. The Fairbanks region, which has a large human population with road influences, differs from two other regions with low human populations with...

Metadata, Long-Term Archiving and Arctic System Science (ARCSS) Data Coordination Center (ADCC) Management Services.

Rudolph J. Dichtl1, Chris McNeave2, Nancy Auerbach3, Betsy Sheffield 4
1ARCSS Data Coordination Center (ADCC), University of Colorado, UCB 449, Boulder, CO, 80309-0449, USA, Phone 303-492-5532, Fax 303-492-2468, dichtl [at] nsidc.org
2ARCSS Data Coordination Center (ADCC), University of Colorado, UCB 449, Boulder, CO, 80300-0449, USA, Phone 303-492-1390, Fax 303-492-2468, mcneave [at] kryos.colorado.edu
3ARCSS Data Coordination Center, University of Colorado, UCB 449, Boulder, CO, 80309-0449, USA, Phone 303-492-4116, Fax 303-492-2468, auerbach [at] kryos.colorado.edu
4ARCSS Data Coordination Center, University of Colorado, UCB 449, Boulder, CO, 80309-0449, USA, Phone 303-492-4549, Fax 303-492-2468, betsys [at] kryos.colorado.edu



The ARCSS Data Coordination Center (ADCC) at the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC), University of Colorado at Boulder, is the permanent, long-term data archive for all components of the ARCSS Program. Funded by the National Science Foundation's Office of Polar Programs, our focus...

The Archeology of Glaciers and Snow Patches: A New Research Frontier

E. James Dixon1, William F. Manley2, Craig M. Lee3
1Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research, University of Colorado at Boulder, 1560 30th Street, 450 UCB, Boulder, CO, 80309-0450, USA, Phone 303-735-7802, Fax 303-492-6388, jdixon [at] colorado.edu
2Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research, University of Colorado at Boulder, 1560 30th Street, 450 UCB, Boulder, CO, 80309-0450, USA
3Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research, University of Colorado at Boulder, 1560 30th Street, 450 UCB, Boulder, AK, 80309-0450, USA



Approximately 10% of the earth's land surface is covered by ice. Global warming is rapidly melting ice and exposing rare archeological remains. These sites are important to understanding the role of high latitude and high altitude environments in human adaptation and cultural development. GIS modeling...

Learning from the Local: Case Studies in Human Dimensions Research

Hallie C. Eakin1
1Center for Atmospheric Sciences, National Autonomous University of Mexico, Circuito Exterior, Mexico D.F., 04510, Mexico, Phone 52 55 56 22 40 , eakin_unam [at] yahoo.com



In a field where research has emphasized the dynamics of broad regional and global processes extending far into the future, new attention to the problem of adaptation to climate change demands a focus on the present time and to the local scale. "Place-based" analyses...

When Scientific Research and Socio-economic Advocacy Intersect: Experiences with Reindeer Herders in Alaska

Greg L. Finstad1, Knut Kielland2, William Schneider3
1Reindeer Research Program, School of Natural Resources and A, University of Alaska Fairbanks, P. O. Box 757200, Fairbanks, AK, 99775-7200, USA, Phone (907) 474-6055, Fax (907) 474-7175, ffglf [at] uaf.edu
2Institute of Arctic Biology, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK, 99775, USA, Phone (907) 474-7164
3Oral History Program, University of Alaska Fairbanks, AK, USA



Northern People and their interactions with the Arctic environment are the central theme in the HARC initiative. Humans have the potential to influence the Arctic environment through a variety of activities. Do we as HARC researchers have the potential to shape human-environment feedbacks through our...

Vulnerability of communities in the Canadian Arctic to risks associated with climate change: A framework for assessment

James D. Ford1, Barry Smit2
1Geography, University of Guelph, Hutt Building, Guelph, ON, N1G 2W1, USA, jford01 [at] uoguelph.ca
2Geography, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, N1G 2W1, Canada, bsmit [at] uoguelph.ca



Adaptations to climate change vulnerabilities are recognized as important policy issues by international bodies such as the IPCC and UNFCCC, and by national governments. The Arctic is widely viewed as being particularly vulnerable to climate change related risks, including geophysical hazards such as coastal flooding...

"When the Weather is Uggianaqtuq: Inuit Observations of Environmental Change" ó An Interactive CD-ROM

Shari Fox1
1Department of Geography, Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES), CIRES, Campus Box 449, University of Colorado at Boulder, Boulder, CO, 80309-0449, USA, Phone 303 492 6115, Fax 303 492 2468, sfox [at] kryos.colorado.edu



This 'interactive poster' demonstrates a new multi-media CD-ROM to be released this fall entitled, "When the Weather is Uggianaqtuq: Inuit Observations of Environmental Change".

Uggianaqtuq is an Inuktitut (North Baffin dialect) word that means to behave unexpectedly, or in an unfamiliar way....

How Climate Change Affects Society: Findings from the Northern Atlantic

Lawrence C. Hamilton1
1Sociology Department, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH, 03824, USA, Phone 1-603-862-1859, Fax 1-603-862-3558, Lawrence.Hamilton [at] unh.edu



Historical and archaeological records provide rich empirical evidence about the human dimensions of climatic change. Societal impacts often cannot be described as direct, simple consequences of climate events, however. Instead, we commonly see complex patterns of interaction or synergy between climate and human...

Designing a Regional Integrated Climate Research Program for the Pacific Northwest: Evolving Research Priorities for the University of Washington Climate Impacts Group

Alan F. Hamlet1, Edward Miles2, Philip Mote3, Nate Mantua4, Robert Francis5, Dennis P. Lettenmaier6
1Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Washington, Box 352700, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA, Phone 206/685-1796, Fax 206/685-3836, hamleaf [at] u.washington.edu
2no contact info
3no contact info
4no contact info
5no contact info
6no contact info



The Joint Institute for the Study of Atmosphere and Oceans (JISAO) Climate Impacts Group (CIG) at the University of Washington is one of several NOAA funded Regional Integrated Scientific Assessment (RISA) teams. The CIG's broadest goals have been to understand the implications of climate...

Reconstructing Marine Resource Usage and Trophic Dynamics at Mink Island Site (XMK-030)

Amy C Hirons1, Maribeth S. Murray2, Jeanne M. Schaaf3
1Institute of Marine Science, University of Alaska Fairbanks, PO Box 757220, Fairbanks, AK, 99775, USA, Phone 907-474-5926, Fax 907-474-7204, ftach [at] uaf.edu
2Department of Anthropology, University of Alaska Fairbanks, PO Box 757720, Fairbanks, AK, 99775, USA, Phone 907-474-6751, Fax 907-474-7453, ffmsm [at] uaf.edu
3Lake Clark Katmai National Park and Preserve, 4230 University Drive, Suite 103, Anchorage, AK, 99508, USA, Phone 907-271-1383, Fax 907-271-1382, jeanne_schaaf [at] nps.gov



The stable isotope signatures of marine vertebrates and seabirds recovered from this archaeological site offer excellent data on past environmental and ecological conditions over a 7000 year period. Alaska coastal sites contain well-preserved archaeofauna and abundant deposits of marine shellfish. Ocean productivity is recorded in...

Creating Research Partnerships with Arctic Residents: Issues of Collaboration, Informed Consent and Human Subjects Review

Anne M. Jensen1, Henry P. Huntington2
1Science Division, Ukpeagvik Iñupiat Corp., PO Box 577, Barrow, AK, 99723, USA
2Huntington Consulting, 23834 The Clearing Drive, Eagle River, AK, 99577, USA, Phone 907/696-3564, Fax 907/696-3565, hph [at] alaska.net



The structure and organization of Northern research and Northern research teams is evolving. This process has many positive aspects, and is welcomed by Northern residents. However, there are some associated issues which require explicit acknowledgement and careful consideration by all participants. ...

Modeling Ecological Knowledge: Model Development, Validation, and Methods of Comparison

Jeffrey C. Johnson1, David Griffith2, Lisa Clough3, Terry Reynolds4, Alex Whiting5
1ICMR, East Carolina University, Mamie Jenkins Building, Greenville, NC, 27858, USA, Phone 252-328-1753, Fax 252-328-4265, johnsonje [at] mail.ecu.edu
2Sociology and Institute for Coastal and Marine Resources, East Carolina Unversity, Greenville, NC, 27858, USA, Phone 252-328-1753, griffithd [at] mail.ecu.edu
3Biology, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC, 27858, USA, Phone 252-328-1834, cloughl [at] mail.ecu.edu
4Coastal Resource Management, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC, 27858, USA, taro401 [at] mail.ecu.edu
5Kotzebue IRA, Post Office Box 296, Kotzebue, AK, 99, USA, Phone 907-442-3467, sheep [at] otz.net



There has been considerable interest in methods for documenting and modeling traditional ecological knowledge (TEK), local knowledge, indigenous knowledge, folk knowledge or whatever term one uses to represent what people know about the ecosystem in which they are embedded. Whereas much of the work in...

Geological and geophysical research into the impact of earthquakes on prehistoric coastal occupation: the mid-Holocene occupation and abandonment of the Tanginak Spring Site

Elizabeth Mahrt1, Bretwood Higman2, Joseph MacGregor3, Joanne Bourgeois4, Ben Fitzhugh5
1Earth and Space Science, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA, bmahrt [at] u.washington.edu
2Earth and Space Science, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA, hig314 [at] u.washington.edu
3Earth and Space Science, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA, joemac [at] u.washington.edu
4Earth and Space Science, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA, jbourgeo [at] u.washington.edu
5Anthropology, University of Washington, Box 353100, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA, Phone (206)543-9604, Fax (206)543-3285, fitzhugh [at] u.washington.edu



Since their earliest arrival, humans living on the tectonically active subarctic coastal margins of the northern Pacific have had to adapt to both gradual and rapid environmental changes. The research reported here documents the effects of dynamic geological processes on the settlement history of...

Humans within Ecosystems: Getting Beyond 'Human Impacts' along the Southern Bering Sea and North Pacific

Herbert D. Maschner1
1Department of Anthropology, Idaho State University, Campus Box 8005, Pocatello, ID, 83209, USA



Tradition and sustainability are buzz words among both indigenous peoples of the north and the scientists working there. In the past, tradition meant the maintenance of social and cultural identity while maintaining sustainability through settlement and economic flexibility. Today, largely because of the domineering agenda...

Shared Knowledge for Decision-Making on Environment and Health Issues in the Arctic

Nancy G. Maynard1, Boris S. Yurchak2
1Earth Sciences/Code 900, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, NASA/GSFC/Code 900, Greenbelt, MD, 20771, USA, Phone 301-614-6572, Fax 301-614-5620, nancy.g.maynard [at] nasa.gov
2Goddard Earth Sciences & Technology Center (GEST), NASA GSFC/Code 900, Greenbelt, MD, 20771, USA, Phone 301-614-5898, Fax 301-614-5620, boris_yurchak [at] hotmail.com



This paper will describe a remote sensing and GIS-based system to bring indigenous traditional knowledge together with contemporary scientific knowledge to address impacts resulting from changes in climate, environment, weather and pollution in the Arctic. As scientists and policy-makers from both indigenous and non-indigenous...

Analyzing Climate Impacts: Experiences from CLIMAS

Barbara J. Morehouse1
1Institute for the Study of Planet Earth, University of Arizona, 715 N. Park, 2nd Fl., Tucson, AZ, 85721, USA, Phone (520) 622-9018, Fax (520) 792-8795, morehoub [at] u.arizona.edu



The Climate Assessment for the Southwest (CLIMAS) project, funded by NOAA's Office of Global Programs under its Regional Science and Assessment (RISA) program, aims to carry out interdisciplinary, integrated research on climate impacts in the US Southwest and adjacent border region of Mexico. The project...

Movements by Ice Floes Beyond the Horizon Near Barrow, Alaska, During the Spring Whaling Seasons of 2000 and 2001.

David W. Norton1, Allison M. Graves2
1Arctic Rim Research, 1749 Red Fox Drive, Fairbanks, AK, 99709, USA, Phone 907-479-5313, Fax 907-474-7204, arcrim [at] ptialaska.net
2Nuna Technologies, P.O. Box 190589, Anchorage, AK, 99519, USA, nunatech [at] usa.net



Coastal sea ice in Alaska's northern Chukchi Sea consists of shorefast ice and moving ice floes from immediately beyond fast ice, out some 100 km to coherent pack ice. Because coastal resistance to westward-drifting pack ice drops off west of Pt Barrow, a semi-permanent...

Social-Ecological Resilience and the Future of Remote Resource-Dependent Communities

Martin D. Robards1, Lilian Alessa2
1Biology, University of Alaska, 3211 Providence Drive, Anchorage, AK, 99508, USA, Phone (907) 272-0649, mro [at] uaa.alaska.edu
2Biological Sciences, University of Alaska Anchorage, Biological Sciences (UAA), 3211 Providence Dr., Anchorage, AK, 99508, USA, Phone 907 786 1507, Fax 907 786 4607, afla [at] uaa.alaska.edu



Arctic communities have always strived to adapt to changing physical, biological, social, and cultural environments. Accordingly, they offer guidance in understanding how human communities perceive, articulate and make operational their biophysical environment. We will investigate how community resilience is generated and winnowed by differing...

The continuation of "Contemporary Ideas of Nature and Civilization's Prospects for Countermeasures. Needs more spiritual ways for resolutions"

Vladimir F. Sevostianov1
1n/a, Commander Islands&BC Nature Protection and Conservation Association, P.O. Box 5482, Victoria, BC, V8R 6S4, Canada, Phone n/a, Fax n/a, seaotter3 [at] hotmail.com



There was a precise understanding for the catastrophic collapse of the northern Pacific's unique ecosystem at the conference "Sustaining the Bering Sea: An International Conference for Collaboration" (April, 1-4, 2003, in Girdwood, Alaska, http://www.pacificenvironment.org/marine/sustaining_proceedings).

Without mentioning the detailed reasons behind these events we can...

Human Dimensions of Climate Change at the Bering Strait Environmental Observatory

Gay Sheffield1, Lee W. Cooper2, Jacqueline M. Grebmeier3
1Alaska Department of Fish and Game, 1300 College Road, Fairbanks , AK, 99701, USA, Phone 9074597248, gay_sheffield [at] fishgame.state.ak.us
2Ecology and Evoulutionary Biology, University of Tennessee, 10515 Research Drive, Suite 100, Knoxville , TN, 37932, USA, Phone 8659742990, Fax 8659747896, lcooper1 [at] utk.edu
3Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Tennessee, 10515 Research Drive, Suite 100, Knoxville, TN, 37932, USA, Phone 8659742592, Fax 8659747896, jgrebmei [at] utk.edu



The major goal of the Bering Strait Environmental Observatory is to improve environmental observation capabilities in the Bering Strait region. In this sparsely populated, remote area adjacent to the Russian-U.S. boundary, local residents are heavily dependent upon subsistence food resources and they are keenly aware...

The Arctic Research Consortium of the United States

Wendy K. Warnick1
1Executive Director, ARCUS, 3535 College Rd. Suite 101, Fairbanks, AK, 99701, USA, Phone 907-474-1600, Fax 907-4741604, arcus [at] arcus.org



The Arctic Research Consortium of the United States (ARCUS) is a nonprofit membership organization, composed of universities and institutions that have a substantial commitment to research in the Arctic. ARCUS promotes arctic research by improving communication among the arctic research community, by organizing workshops, and...

Dam/Reservoir Impacts on Siberian Large River Streamflow Regime and Change

Daqing Yang1, Doug Kane2, Baisheng Ye3
1Water and Environmental Research Center, University of Alaska Fairbanks, 457 Duckering Building, Fairbanks, AK, 99775, USA, Phone 907-474-2468, Fax 907-474-7979, ffdy [at] uaf.edu
2Water and Environmental Research Center, University of Alaska Fairbanks, PO Box 755860, Fairbanks, AK, 99775-5860, USA, Phone 907-474-7808, Fax 907-474-7979, ffdlk [at] uaf.edu
3Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, 730000, China



Fresh water discharge from northern-flowing rivers plays an important role in regulating the thermohaline circulation of the world's oceans. Both the amount and the timing of freshwater inflow to the ocean systems are important to ocean circulation, salinity, and sea ice dynamics. Recent studies find...
"HARC research considers human activity, both within and outside the Arctic, as a link and vital driver among the terrestrial, marine, and climatic subsystems. Accordingly, the initiative provides a significant opportunity to integrate ecosystem and climate studies with a broad range of the social sciences."
-- People and the Arctic: A Prospectus for Research on the Human Dimensions of the Arctic System.