Seasonal Sea Ice Conditions Affect Caribou Crossing Areas Around Qikiqtaq, Nunavut: Uqsuqtuurmiut Knowledge Guides Ice Chart Analysis
Though polar ecologists consider sea ice primarily as a habitat for marine mammals, caribou use sea ice to complete their reproductive cycles, to access areas with preferred climatic and vegetation conditions, and to avoid predators seasonally and sporadically. Building on previous caribou research...
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The Arctic Institute of North America
2023
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Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.14430/arctic77149 https://journalhosting.ucalgary.ca/index.php/arctic/article/download/77149/56600 |
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crarcticinstna:10.14430/arctic77149 2024-09-15T17:49:55+00:00 Seasonal Sea Ice Conditions Affect Caribou Crossing Areas Around Qikiqtaq, Nunavut: Uqsuqtuurmiut Knowledge Guides Ice Chart Analysis Paquette, Emmelie Ljubicic, Gita Johnson, Cheryl A. Okpakok, Simon Mueller, Derek Montpetit, Benoit 2023 http://dx.doi.org/10.14430/arctic77149 https://journalhosting.ucalgary.ca/index.php/arctic/article/download/77149/56600 unknown The Arctic Institute of North America http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ ARCTIC volume 76, issue 1, page 83-101 ISSN 1923-1245 0004-0843 journal-article 2023 crarcticinstna https://doi.org/10.14430/arctic77149 2024-08-06T04:00:27Z Though polar ecologists consider sea ice primarily as a habitat for marine mammals, caribou use sea ice to complete their reproductive cycles, to access areas with preferred climatic and vegetation conditions, and to avoid predators seasonally and sporadically. Building on previous caribou research in Uqsuqtuuq (Gjoa Haven, Nunavut), we explored the connections between caribou and sea ice phenology in 5 community-identified caribou crossing areas around Qikiqtaq (King William Island). We defined freeze-up and breakup based on Uqsuqtuurmiut (people of Uqsuqtuuq) knowledge of caribou habitat requirements, to orient our analysis to the complex and multifaceted hazards that caribou can encounter while moving through their dynamic and unpredictable sea ice habitat. We investigated the reliability of caribou sea ice habitat surrounding Qikiqtaq, prioritizing key transitional periods with intensified caribou movement. We use regional ice charts produced by the Canadian Ice Service (CIS) and held workshops with Uqsuqtuurmiut to understand how sea ice phenology and caribou mobility have changed over time. The high spatial and temporal variability of sea ice phenology around Qikiqtaq facilitates caribou moving across sea ice should they need to respond to seasonal or unpredictable changes in ecological conditions or anthropogenic disturbance. Therefore, these localized sea ice conditions may increase caribou resiliency to changes or extreme events by providing alternative options for movement across the sea ice. We encourage others to consider the needs of wildlife sea ice users when assessing or providing ice information. Article in Journal/Newspaper Arctic Gjoa Haven King William Island Nunavut Sea ice Arctic Institute of North America ARCTIC 76 1 83 101 |
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Arctic Institute of North America |
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Though polar ecologists consider sea ice primarily as a habitat for marine mammals, caribou use sea ice to complete their reproductive cycles, to access areas with preferred climatic and vegetation conditions, and to avoid predators seasonally and sporadically. Building on previous caribou research in Uqsuqtuuq (Gjoa Haven, Nunavut), we explored the connections between caribou and sea ice phenology in 5 community-identified caribou crossing areas around Qikiqtaq (King William Island). We defined freeze-up and breakup based on Uqsuqtuurmiut (people of Uqsuqtuuq) knowledge of caribou habitat requirements, to orient our analysis to the complex and multifaceted hazards that caribou can encounter while moving through their dynamic and unpredictable sea ice habitat. We investigated the reliability of caribou sea ice habitat surrounding Qikiqtaq, prioritizing key transitional periods with intensified caribou movement. We use regional ice charts produced by the Canadian Ice Service (CIS) and held workshops with Uqsuqtuurmiut to understand how sea ice phenology and caribou mobility have changed over time. The high spatial and temporal variability of sea ice phenology around Qikiqtaq facilitates caribou moving across sea ice should they need to respond to seasonal or unpredictable changes in ecological conditions or anthropogenic disturbance. Therefore, these localized sea ice conditions may increase caribou resiliency to changes or extreme events by providing alternative options for movement across the sea ice. We encourage others to consider the needs of wildlife sea ice users when assessing or providing ice information. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Paquette, Emmelie Ljubicic, Gita Johnson, Cheryl A. Okpakok, Simon Mueller, Derek Montpetit, Benoit |
spellingShingle |
Paquette, Emmelie Ljubicic, Gita Johnson, Cheryl A. Okpakok, Simon Mueller, Derek Montpetit, Benoit Seasonal Sea Ice Conditions Affect Caribou Crossing Areas Around Qikiqtaq, Nunavut: Uqsuqtuurmiut Knowledge Guides Ice Chart Analysis |
author_facet |
Paquette, Emmelie Ljubicic, Gita Johnson, Cheryl A. Okpakok, Simon Mueller, Derek Montpetit, Benoit |
author_sort |
Paquette, Emmelie |
title |
Seasonal Sea Ice Conditions Affect Caribou Crossing Areas Around Qikiqtaq, Nunavut: Uqsuqtuurmiut Knowledge Guides Ice Chart Analysis |
title_short |
Seasonal Sea Ice Conditions Affect Caribou Crossing Areas Around Qikiqtaq, Nunavut: Uqsuqtuurmiut Knowledge Guides Ice Chart Analysis |
title_full |
Seasonal Sea Ice Conditions Affect Caribou Crossing Areas Around Qikiqtaq, Nunavut: Uqsuqtuurmiut Knowledge Guides Ice Chart Analysis |
title_fullStr |
Seasonal Sea Ice Conditions Affect Caribou Crossing Areas Around Qikiqtaq, Nunavut: Uqsuqtuurmiut Knowledge Guides Ice Chart Analysis |
title_full_unstemmed |
Seasonal Sea Ice Conditions Affect Caribou Crossing Areas Around Qikiqtaq, Nunavut: Uqsuqtuurmiut Knowledge Guides Ice Chart Analysis |
title_sort |
seasonal sea ice conditions affect caribou crossing areas around qikiqtaq, nunavut: uqsuqtuurmiut knowledge guides ice chart analysis |
publisher |
The Arctic Institute of North America |
publishDate |
2023 |
url |
http://dx.doi.org/10.14430/arctic77149 https://journalhosting.ucalgary.ca/index.php/arctic/article/download/77149/56600 |
genre |
Arctic Gjoa Haven King William Island Nunavut Sea ice |
genre_facet |
Arctic Gjoa Haven King William Island Nunavut Sea ice |
op_source |
ARCTIC volume 76, issue 1, page 83-101 ISSN 1923-1245 0004-0843 |
op_rights |
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.14430/arctic77149 |
container_title |
ARCTIC |
container_volume |
76 |
container_issue |
1 |
container_start_page |
83 |
op_container_end_page |
101 |
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1810291710580752384 |