Presenter(s): Corinne Togiai − Biology
Faculty Mentor(s): Mark Carey
Poster 190
Research Area: Humanities and Natural Sciences
Sea ice is used as a bright surface to reflect sunlight back into space to help maintain cool temperatures in polar regions and to moderate climate change. However, as sea ice melts, more sunlight penetrates the ocean surface causing the ocean to heat up and Arctic temperatures to rise. Therefore, the decline of sea ice is greatly affecting the Inuit Arctic population’s livelihood such as hunting and transportation. The purpose of this study is to bring attention to the importance of sea ice within Inuit Arctic culture that is often neglected. Hence, preservation of Inuit Arctic culture and preventing climate through the lens of scientific raw data, indigenous Arctic knowledge via story-telling and qualitative observations, and political perspectives on how to address the effects of climate change, will help this indigenous population learn to adapt, and/or preserve their land and culture.Moreover, a collection of sources about sea ice in the Arctic region, Inuit Arctic culture, and issues/questions at a national and international level of what is currently in place to address the melting sea ice and climate change will be used to draw conclusions. Research has found an appearance in new species, and an increase in sea traffic resulting in Arctic Inuit people to feel loss of control of their homeland as sea ice used to be their separation from the outside world. This research is significant because with global climate change contributing to a shift in sea levels and temperature, indigenous Arctic people are in danger.