'No longer solid': perceived impacts of permafrost thaw in three Arctic communities

ABSTRACT Permafrost characterizes ground conditions in most of the Arctic and is increasingly thawing. While environmental consequences of permafrost thaw are under intense scrutiny by natural and life sciences, social sciences' studies on local communities' perceptions of change is thus f...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Polar Geography
Main Authors: Ramage, Justine, Leneisja Jungsberg, Meyer, Alexandra, Susanna Gartler
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:unknown
Published: 2022
Subjects:
Arctic
Svalbard
Northwest Territories
Longyearbyen
Canada
Greenland
Norway
Aklavik
Qeqertarsuaq
Climate change
permafrost
Online Access:https://zenodo.org/record/7696137
https://doi.org/10.1080/1088937X.2022.2105973
Description
Summary:ABSTRACT Permafrost characterizes ground conditions in most of the Arctic and is increasingly thawing. While environmental consequences of permafrost thaw are under intense scrutiny by natural and life sciences, social sciences' studies on local communities' perceptions of change is thus far limited. This hinders the development of targeted adaptation and mitigation measures. We present the results of a survey on communities' perceptions of permafrost thaw, with a focus on subsistence activities, carried out between 2019 and 2020 in Aklavik (Northwest Territories, Canada), Longyearbyen (Svalbard, Norway), and Qeqertarsuaq (Qeqertalik Municipality, Greenland). Results show that the majority of the 237 participants are well aware of the consequences of permafrost thaw on the landscape as well as the connection between increased air temperature and permafrost thaw. The majority perceive permafrost thaw negatively although they do not perceive it as a challenge in all life domains. Permafrost thaw is perceived as a major cause for challenges in subsistence activities, infrastructure, and the physical environment. Different perceptions within the three study communities suggests that perceptions of thaw are not solely determined by physical changes but also influenced by factors related to the societal context, including discourses of climate change, cultural background, and land use.

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