Interpreting environmental change in coastal Alaska using traditional and scientific ecological knowledge
Humans who interact directly with local ecosystems possess traditional ecological knowledge that enables them to detect and predict ecosystem changes. Humans who use scientific ecological methods can use species such as mollusks that lay down annual growth rings to detect past environmental variati...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2014-09-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Marine Science |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://journal.frontiersin.org/Journal/10.3389/fmars.2014.00040/full |
| _version_ | 1818022563387801600 |
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| author | William Gerald Ambrose Jr. William Gerald Ambrose Jr. Lisa eClough Jeffrey eJohnson Jeffrey eJohnson Michael eGreenacre Michael eGreenacre David eGriffith Michael eCarroll Alex eWhiting |
| author_facet | William Gerald Ambrose Jr. William Gerald Ambrose Jr. Lisa eClough Jeffrey eJohnson Jeffrey eJohnson Michael eGreenacre Michael eGreenacre David eGriffith Michael eCarroll Alex eWhiting |
| author_sort | William Gerald Ambrose Jr. |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Humans who interact directly with local ecosystems possess traditional ecological knowledge that enables them to detect and predict ecosystem changes. Humans who use scientific ecological methods can use species such as mollusks that lay down annual growth rings to detect past environmental variation and use statistical models to make predictions about future change. We used traditional ecological knowledge shared by local Iñupiaq, combined with growth histories of two species of mollusks, at different trophic levels, to study local change in the coastal ecosystems of Kotzebue, Alaska, an area in the Arctic without continuous scientific monitoring. For the mollusks, a combination of the Arctic Oscillation and total Arctic ice coverage, and summer air temperature and summer precipitation explained 79-80% of the interannual variability in growth of the suspension feeding Greenland cockle (Serripes groenlandicus) and the predatory whelk (Neptunea hero) respectively, indicating these mollusks seem to be impacted by local and regional environmental parameters, and should be good biomonitors for change in coastal Alaska. The change experts within the Kotzebue community were the elders and the fishers, and they observed changes in species abundance and behaviors, including benthic species, and infer that a fundamental change in the climate has taken place within the area. We conclude combining traditional and scientific ecological knowledge provides greater insight than either approach alone, and offers a powerful way to document change in an area that otherwise lacks widespread quantitative monitoring. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-10T03:30:25Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-aa1d3c27735e4f5fbb62e3c6d4c95df8 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2296-7745 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-10T03:30:25Z |
| publishDate | 2014-09-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Marine Science |
| spelling | doaj.art-aa1d3c27735e4f5fbb62e3c6d4c95df82022-12-22T02:03:50ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Marine Science2296-77452014-09-01110.3389/fmars.2014.00040104906Interpreting environmental change in coastal Alaska using traditional and scientific ecological knowledgeWilliam Gerald Ambrose Jr.0William Gerald Ambrose Jr.1Lisa eClough2Jeffrey eJohnson3Jeffrey eJohnson4Michael eGreenacre5Michael eGreenacre6David eGriffith7Michael eCarroll8Alex eWhiting9Bates CollegeAkvaplan-nivaNational Science FoundationEast Carolilna UniversityUniversity of FloridaAkvaplan-nivaUniversitat Pompeu FabraEast Carolina UniversityAkvaplan-nivaNative Village of KotzebueHumans who interact directly with local ecosystems possess traditional ecological knowledge that enables them to detect and predict ecosystem changes. Humans who use scientific ecological methods can use species such as mollusks that lay down annual growth rings to detect past environmental variation and use statistical models to make predictions about future change. We used traditional ecological knowledge shared by local Iñupiaq, combined with growth histories of two species of mollusks, at different trophic levels, to study local change in the coastal ecosystems of Kotzebue, Alaska, an area in the Arctic without continuous scientific monitoring. For the mollusks, a combination of the Arctic Oscillation and total Arctic ice coverage, and summer air temperature and summer precipitation explained 79-80% of the interannual variability in growth of the suspension feeding Greenland cockle (Serripes groenlandicus) and the predatory whelk (Neptunea hero) respectively, indicating these mollusks seem to be impacted by local and regional environmental parameters, and should be good biomonitors for change in coastal Alaska. The change experts within the Kotzebue community were the elders and the fishers, and they observed changes in species abundance and behaviors, including benthic species, and infer that a fundamental change in the climate has taken place within the area. We conclude combining traditional and scientific ecological knowledge provides greater insight than either approach alone, and offers a powerful way to document change in an area that otherwise lacks widespread quantitative monitoring.http://journal.frontiersin.org/Journal/10.3389/fmars.2014.00040/fullArcticenvironmental changeknowledge networkssclerochronologytraditional ecological knowledgescientific ecological knowledge |
| spellingShingle | William Gerald Ambrose Jr. William Gerald Ambrose Jr. Lisa eClough Jeffrey eJohnson Jeffrey eJohnson Michael eGreenacre Michael eGreenacre David eGriffith Michael eCarroll Alex eWhiting Interpreting environmental change in coastal Alaska using traditional and scientific ecological knowledge Frontiers in Marine Science Arctic environmental change knowledge networks sclerochronology traditional ecological knowledge scientific ecological knowledge |
| title | Interpreting environmental change in coastal Alaska using traditional and scientific ecological knowledge |
| title_full | Interpreting environmental change in coastal Alaska using traditional and scientific ecological knowledge |
| title_fullStr | Interpreting environmental change in coastal Alaska using traditional and scientific ecological knowledge |
| title_full_unstemmed | Interpreting environmental change in coastal Alaska using traditional and scientific ecological knowledge |
| title_short | Interpreting environmental change in coastal Alaska using traditional and scientific ecological knowledge |
| title_sort | interpreting environmental change in coastal alaska using traditional and scientific ecological knowledge |
| topic | Arctic environmental change knowledge networks sclerochronology traditional ecological knowledge scientific ecological knowledge |
| url | http://journal.frontiersin.org/Journal/10.3389/fmars.2014.00040/full |
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