HR: 0830h
AN: GC31B-0175    [PDF]
TI: The Potential Impact of Hydrologic Change on Humans in the Arctic
AU: * White, D
EM: ffdmw@uaf.edu
AF: Water and Environmental Research Center, University of Alaska, Fairbanks, 306 Tanana Drive Duckering Rm 525, Fairbanks, AK 99775 United States
AU: Alessa, L
EM: afla@uaa.alaska.edu
AF: Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alaska, Anchorage, 3211 Providence Dr., Anchorage, AK 99508 United States
AU: Hinzman, L
EM: ffldh@uaf.edu
AF: Water and Environmental Research Center, University of Alaska, Fairbanks, 306 Tanana Drive Duckering Rm 525, Fairbanks, AK 99775 United States
AU: Schweitzer, P
EM: ffpps@uaf.edu
AF: Department of Anthropology, University of Alaska, Fairbanks, PO BOX 757720, Fairbanks, AK 99775 United States
AB: Freshwater is critical to the sustainability of humans in the Arctic. Water used for drinking or cleaning can promote good health or propagate disease. Water supports the plants and animals used for subsistence harvest. Water prevents or promotes access to food or shelter. Water has always been and will always be integral to the culture of humans in the Arctic. In the past 30 years, the climate in the Arctic has warmed appreciably and there is evidence for a significant polar amplification of global warming in the future. Recent studies suggest that climate change will have a significant impact on arctic hydrology. Changes in the hydrologic cycle will affect both the presence of surface water and the thermal balance in soil. While preliminary evidence suggests a changing climate will have a significant impact on the hydrologic cycle in arctic regions, very little evidence is available to predict how the quality and quantity of freshwater available to humans is likely to change. Even less is understood about how hydrologic changes will affect the health, sustainability, and culture of humans in the Arctic. The overall objective of the this research is to understand the vital role of freshwater in the lives of humans in the Arctic, how it has changed in the recent past, and how it is likely to change in the future. We seek to build a model that will allow us to predict climate-induced changes in the hydrologic cycle and their effects on water quality and availability. We will then attempt to understand how these changes will impact the life and culture of people in the Arctic. This study will take place on the Seward Peninsula where climate induced changes in the hydrologic cycle are already being observed. We will draw upon community interaction, historical documentation, field observations, laboratory experimentation, and computer modeling to achieve the project goals.
DE: 1600 GLOBAL CHANGE (New category)
DE: 1800 HYDROLOGY
SC: Global Climate Change [GC]
MN: 2003 Fall Meeting