EventA University of Alaska Fairbanks study shows Indigenous observations improve Arctic Ocean computer models. Researchers from the International Arctic Research Center worked with the Alaska Arctic Observatory and Knowledge Hub, recording daily sea‑ice and marine changes. The data helped correct model freeze‑up times in a 2019 heat wave and explore whaling‑season patterns. Observers are co‑authors and will continue in a new project.
A new University of Alaska Fairbanks study shows that Indigenous experts’ daily observations can improve computer models of Arctic Ocean changes, helping predict sea‑ice and marine life dynamics and support subsistence hunters.
Photo shows a person in a parka standing on jumbled sea ice, looking toward the sun.
