The Study of Environmental Arctic Change ... The Arctic has

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The Study of Environmental Arctic Change
Authors The SEARCH Steering Committee Members
Dr. Peter Schlosser, Chair
SEARCH Implementation Activities
The Arctic has been characterized in recent
decades by a complex of significant,
interrelated, pan-Arctic changes we call Unaami
Beaufort High decreased and shifted east
Transpolar drift of ice shifted axis
counterclockwise producing a more cyclonic
motion
SOR Social Response Research social and economic
adaptation to climate change in the past and app
ly research on Unaami to economic and social
concerns in the future. Find ways to
communicate the results of SERCH to decision
makers.
SEI Social and Economic Interaction
Examine the interactions of the physical and
biological elements of Unaami and the social and
economic systems within the context of other for
ces of social change
LGC Linkages and Global CouplingUse modeling
and analysis to elucidate the connections between
Unaami and global climate and the connections
within the arctic system as they pertain to Unaami
Highest 1/3 Middle 1/3 Lowest 1/3
Human Dimension of Change The physical changes
of Unaami have large impacts on the Arctic
ecosystems and society
Ice extent, thickness, and duration are reduced,
hurting transportation and subsistence
43 decrease in sea ice thickness (Rothrock et
al. (1999) Weather is more unpredictable affecti
ng safety, food gathering, and transportation
Increases in cyclone activity north of 65N
since at least 1958 (Serreze et al., 2000)
Decreased ice extent changes in storm patterns
produce higher seas that accelerate coastal
erosion Enhanced cyclonic ocean circulation rai
ses coastal sea level (Proshutinsky and Johnson,
1997) Inland precipitation changes cause drying
affecting food gathering Increases in fire freque
ncy in Alaska over the past 50 years (Oechel and
Vourlitis, 1996) Increase in the abundance of wo
ody shrub species and slow northward movement of
treeline have major impacts on winter snow
accumulation and soil temperature (Sturm et al.,
2001), Changes in climate raises concern about na
tive foods From Alaska Native Science Commission
and Institute of Social and Economic Research,
Alaska Traditional Knowledge and Native Foods
Database, http//www.native knowledge.org
SEARCH Hypotheses for Change Unaami is related t
o spin up of the atmospheric Polar Vortec
Unaami is a component of climate change
Feedbacks among the ocean, the land, and the
atmosphere are critical to Unaami
Physical changes of Unaami have large impacts
on the Arctic ecosystems and society
To test these hypotheses and help society deal w
ith change requires a program of long-term,
large-scale observations (including
retrospective and paleo studies), analysis, and
modelingSEARCH

SEARCH Project Office acknowledges funding from
NSF Grant OPP-0076298