Capturing complexity: Environmental change and relocation in the North Slope Borough, Alaska
This paper explores the knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors about emerging hazards, environmental change, and relocation among community groups in Utqiavik (Barrow) of the North Slope Borough (NSB), Alaska. This region has been experiencing accelerating erosion and warmer temperatures, permafrost th...
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ftvirginiatec:oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/114508 2023-12-24T10:15:24+01:00 Capturing complexity: Environmental change and relocation in the North Slope Borough, Alaska Climate Risk Management Garland, Anne Bukvic, Anamaria Maton-Mosurska, Anuszka Alaska United States 2022-12 application/pdf http://hdl.handle.net/10919/114508 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.crm.2022.100460 en eng Elsevier 100460 http://hdl.handle.net/10919/114508 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.crm.2022.100460 38 Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ Climate-change migration shishmaref knowledge culture context point needs Article - Refereed Text 2022 ftvirginiatec https://doi.org/10.1016/j.crm.2022.100460 2023-11-30T19:05:25Z This paper explores the knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors about emerging hazards, environmental change, and relocation among community groups in Utqiavik (Barrow) of the North Slope Borough (NSB), Alaska. This region has been experiencing accelerating erosion and warmer temperatures, permafrost thawing, more frequent and intense storm surges, and increased maritime traffic and extractive industries with ice loss, with direct or cascading effects on the mixed ethnic and indigenous communities. This paper used engagement activities (Participatory Applied Theater) and qualitative approaches (focus groups) during three consecutive summers 2016-2018 to evaluate the risk perceptions and interpretations towards coastal changes and relocation as an adaptive response in this U.S. strategic yet remote location. Each focus group session started with risk ranking activities about regional hazards to assess knowledge and perceptions of risk, followed by an interactive script reading of an Iñupiat disaster legend to facilitate discussion about risk reduction options and engagement with the survey questions. Focus groups were audio recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using qualitative data analysis software Nvivo and a hybrid coding strategy. Results indicate that relocation is considered by some participants but is not planned for nor implemented by community groups, families, or the local government to reduce the hazard risks. However, widespread recognition of accelerated hazards and environmental changes, and the need for adaptation could lead to consideration of relocation in the future. This study provides a case of disaster risk reduction in a remote place with unique place-specific characteristics (e.g., particular forms of subsistence, corporate monopolies, Traditional Ecological Knowledge, and social organizations), but also shaped by significant external influences, accompanied by a changing landscape of risk from the slow and rapid onset of environmental changes. Published version Article in Journal/Newspaper Barrow Ice north slope permafrost Alaska VTechWorks (VirginiaTech) Climate Risk Management 38 100460 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
VTechWorks (VirginiaTech) |
op_collection_id |
ftvirginiatec |
language |
English |
topic |
Climate-change migration shishmaref knowledge culture context point needs |
spellingShingle |
Climate-change migration shishmaref knowledge culture context point needs Garland, Anne Bukvic, Anamaria Maton-Mosurska, Anuszka Capturing complexity: Environmental change and relocation in the North Slope Borough, Alaska |
topic_facet |
Climate-change migration shishmaref knowledge culture context point needs |
description |
This paper explores the knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors about emerging hazards, environmental change, and relocation among community groups in Utqiavik (Barrow) of the North Slope Borough (NSB), Alaska. This region has been experiencing accelerating erosion and warmer temperatures, permafrost thawing, more frequent and intense storm surges, and increased maritime traffic and extractive industries with ice loss, with direct or cascading effects on the mixed ethnic and indigenous communities. This paper used engagement activities (Participatory Applied Theater) and qualitative approaches (focus groups) during three consecutive summers 2016-2018 to evaluate the risk perceptions and interpretations towards coastal changes and relocation as an adaptive response in this U.S. strategic yet remote location. Each focus group session started with risk ranking activities about regional hazards to assess knowledge and perceptions of risk, followed by an interactive script reading of an Iñupiat disaster legend to facilitate discussion about risk reduction options and engagement with the survey questions. Focus groups were audio recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using qualitative data analysis software Nvivo and a hybrid coding strategy. Results indicate that relocation is considered by some participants but is not planned for nor implemented by community groups, families, or the local government to reduce the hazard risks. However, widespread recognition of accelerated hazards and environmental changes, and the need for adaptation could lead to consideration of relocation in the future. This study provides a case of disaster risk reduction in a remote place with unique place-specific characteristics (e.g., particular forms of subsistence, corporate monopolies, Traditional Ecological Knowledge, and social organizations), but also shaped by significant external influences, accompanied by a changing landscape of risk from the slow and rapid onset of environmental changes. Published version |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Garland, Anne Bukvic, Anamaria Maton-Mosurska, Anuszka |
author_facet |
Garland, Anne Bukvic, Anamaria Maton-Mosurska, Anuszka |
author_sort |
Garland, Anne |
title |
Capturing complexity: Environmental change and relocation in the North Slope Borough, Alaska |
title_short |
Capturing complexity: Environmental change and relocation in the North Slope Borough, Alaska |
title_full |
Capturing complexity: Environmental change and relocation in the North Slope Borough, Alaska |
title_fullStr |
Capturing complexity: Environmental change and relocation in the North Slope Borough, Alaska |
title_full_unstemmed |
Capturing complexity: Environmental change and relocation in the North Slope Borough, Alaska |
title_sort |
capturing complexity: environmental change and relocation in the north slope borough, alaska |
publisher |
Elsevier |
publishDate |
2022 |
url |
http://hdl.handle.net/10919/114508 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.crm.2022.100460 |
op_coverage |
Alaska United States |
genre |
Barrow Ice north slope permafrost Alaska |
genre_facet |
Barrow Ice north slope permafrost Alaska |
op_relation |
100460 http://hdl.handle.net/10919/114508 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.crm.2022.100460 38 |
op_rights |
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.crm.2022.100460 |
container_title |
Climate Risk Management |
container_volume |
38 |
container_start_page |
100460 |
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1786202208016007168 |