Search

The article discusses the close relationship between the Yupik people of St. Lawrence Island, Alaska, and walruses. The Yupik have relied on walruses for food, materials, and cultural expression. However, the Pacific walrus population was severely depleted by whalers in the late 1800s, leading to starvation and hardship for the island's communities. Today, the changing environment and increased human activity pose a double threat to walruses and the Yupik way of life. Efforts are being made to protect walruses and sustain the knowledge and skills needed to continue relying on them. The article emphasizes the importance of respect for walruses and supporting the rights of Indigenous communities. [Extracted from the article]

The Inupiat of Arctic Alaska identify themselves as the “People of the Whales.” The flesh of the bowhead whale (Balaena mysticetus) is high in vitamins and other components that traditionally sustained human physiology in a climate that is unsuitable for agriculture. Not surprisingly, the People of the Whales depend on the bowhead for sustenance and cultural meaning. The bowhead remains central to Inupiat life and culture through the hunting process, the communal distribution of meat and other body parts, and associated ceremonials and other events to sustain cultural well-being, which I call the Inupiat whaling cycle. For this study, I coined the term cetaceousness as a hybrid of cetaceous and consciousness, which links human awareness with cetaceans or whales. I use this term to refer to human-whale interactions at all levels. Particularly in Alaska, cetaceousness is a social and emotional process for the Inupiat to communicate with the whales. Based on my ethnographic fieldwork in Barrow and Point Hope, Alaska, from 2004 through 2007, this study reveals how collective uncertainty about the environment is expressed and managed in Inupiat practices and, by extension, how deeply global warming penetrates the cultural core of their society. To do so, I illustrate different aspects of Inupiat-bowhead whale relationships or the ways people make whales a central feature of their lives. By influencing the bowhead harvest and the Inupiat homeland, climate change increases environmental uncertainties that both threaten and intensify human emotions tied to identity. This emotional intensity is revealed in the prevalence of traditional and newly invented whale-related events and performances, the number of people involved, the frequency of their involvement, and the verve or feelings with which they participate. Thus, this study investigates how collective uncertainty about the future of the environment would be expressed and managed in Inupiat practices and, by extension, how deeply climate change penetrates the cultural core of their society. My findings demonstrate how the Inupiat retain and strengthen their cultural identity to survive unexpected difficulties with an unpredictable environment by reinforcing their relationship with the whales. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Provides an overview of the weather condition in Alaska in December 2003. Temperature; Snowfall; Sea ice coverage.

The article describes the weather in Alaska in December 2006. It states that the Arctic Oscillation index was definitely positive throughout the month of December. A stormy weather was experienced in Southeast Alaska and the southern mainland. Sea-ice coverage in the central Chukchi Sea remained at low levels. The highest temperature was noted at Metlakatla in southern southeast Alaska on December 7.

The article reports on the weather condition in Alaska in September 2006. The Arctic Oscillation remained stable in the region. Active weather systems occurred over the Gulf of Alaska, west coast and the Chukchi Sea making mainland Alaska warm and dry and Southeast Alaska cool and rainy. Interior Alaska experienced a warm and rain-free month with recorded temperatures of 3°F to 7°F. Thunderstorms affected the state during the third week of the month. Sea-ice coverage was above normal in the first week of the month.

The article describes the weather conditions in Alaska in March 2006. Although the Arctic Oscillation had a strong personality during March 2006, temperatures were colder than normal just about everywhere in Alaska. Precipitation was more than 50 percent above normal at Barrow, but since spring in the Arctic is a dry time of the year, the snowfall was just a few inches. Sea ice coverage during the month was near normal in Bristol Bay and greater than normal in the central Bering Sea.

The article reports on the weather in Alaska in 2005. Temperatures ranged from 2 to 4°F in the Arctic region. A total of 4.4 million acres were burned during the wildfire season. The central Arctic coast has experienced persistent sea ice coverage in July. The highest temperature recorded was 70°F at Craig in southeast Alaska.

Presents information on weather conditions in Alaska in June 2005. Percentage of normal precipitation; Range of interior temperatures; Total number of lightning recorded by the Alaska Lightning Detection System on June 15; Status of sea ice coverage.

Provides information on weather conditions in Alaska in May 2005. Precipitation levels on the coastal plain; Range of temperatures; Status of sea ice coverage.

Provides information on the weather conditions in Alaska in December 2004. Effect of avalanches on the locations affected; Occurrence of precipitation in several areas; Extent of the sea ice coverage in the Bering Sea.

Focuses on the weather conditions in Alaska in November 2004. Precipitation in the area; Range of temperature in the Upper Yukon and Susitna Valley; Sea ice coverage over the Beaufort Sea.

Focuses on the weather conditions in Alaska during October 2004. Range of precipitation around Prudhoe bay; Temperature in the west coast; Increase in sea ice average from Mackenzie Bay west to Barrow.

Reports on the weather condition in Alaska in January 2004. Temperature in Southeast Alaska; Sea ice coverage during the month; Temperatures in the west coast.

Provides information on the weather condition in Alaska in February 2004. Temperature in the state; Effect of the low pressure that swept over southwest Alaska; Rate of snowfall.