Seasonal Change

Fall colors on the tundra of Seward Peninsula.

NPS

The first blooms of spring. The first frost. The first dusting of snow. The signs and timing of the seasons is a finely tuned natural process. The interplay of temperature and daylight activates these changes and the subsequent plant and animal responses. A slight shift in any of these may mean that vegetation will no longer grow in a certain location or appear at a different time of year.

Without plants, animals who eat them may struggle to survive or may have to move elsewhere to find better food. The consequences may extend to the entire ecosystem, including humans.

In both Skagway and Nome, everyone agreed that spring is arriving earlier and fall is starting later. This not only makes for a longer growing season for gardeners, but it affects the arrival and departure timing of migratory animals that people hunt and may shift the location of where the animals are found. And in Nome, the shortening of the cold winter season has significant effects on the freezing of coastal sea ice.

Gardening

Pulling plants from the garden at the end of the season, Skagway.

© Jolanta Ryan

Devoted gardeners are keen observers of conditions that may impact their productivity. The soil and air must be a certain temperature. There needs to be enough sun to support new spring plant growth. The first onset of frost and freezing temperatures mark the end of the growing season. The length of time between these events is vital for determining the types of crops to plant for a successful harvest. As the temperatures have been warming in Skagway, spring arrives earlier, winter comes later, and home gardeners get a longer growing season.

The timing between the last freeze and first freeze makes a big difference for the planting season. So with the growing season getting longer, we get better harvests. – Elaine Furbish, Skagway

The last two years, the flower blossoms on the fruit trees are amazing. They have been producing like I’ve never seen. Usually, the season doesn’t give it a long enough time for the apples to remain on the tree to become sweet. – Dorothy Brady, Skagway

A change in precipitation also affects Skagway gardeners:

Over the period from 1987 to 2017, we have definitely seen a trend to it being warmer and drier, and it has changed the way we garden. Those plants that we depended on doing well in a maritime climate and for moist weather did not do well this year because it was too hot and dry. And we had to water. I’m not used to having to water so much. The last time I remember when it was like this year and I had to water so much was around 1988 or ‘89. – Lynne Cameron, Skagway

I’m losing more plants in the winter now because we don’t have the snow cover for insulation. – Dorothy Brady

Subsistence Harvesting

Frozen tundra landscape with tripod trail marker.

NPS

Winter arriving later and spring coming earlier has been good for gardeners in Skagway, while a similar seasonal shift is having negative effects in Nome. Winter brings freezing temperatures and the formation of ice on rivers, lakes, and the ocean – known as freeze-up. As temperatures warm in the spring, this ice melts and breaks apart – known as break-up. Shorter winters mean a shorter ice season, which has the ripple effect of limiting snowmachine travel and reducing access for subsistence activities. A shorter subsistence season can mean an empty freezer for families who depend on seasonally specific traditional foods.

It doesn’t freeze up as early as it used to so the subsistence window on the ice is shortened. Rivers and lakes that they used to use aren’t freezing as solid. So a river or lake that they used to go ice fishing on at a certain time of year is no longer accessible. – Jeanette Koelsch, Nome

Later freeze-up and snowing later means you can’t use a snowmachine until later in the season. Between this and ice being unsafe because it is too thin, access for hunting is becoming harder. Travel across country is increasingly risky. – Ken Adkisson, Nome

Disruptions to Wildlife

Successful subsistence harvest of caribou.

© Lia Nydes

The food chain can also be disrupted by shifts in the timing of when seasons change. In the fall, caribou herds on the Seward Peninsula begin to gather to migrate to their northern wintering grounds. In the past, this happened after freeze-up, making it easier for hunters to access the herds by snowmachine or dogteam. More recently, the herds may have already left the area before freeze-up so the animals are gone by the time hunters can safely travel on the tundra.

We here [in Nome] have noticed that the Western Arctic Caribou Herd that migrates partially through this part of the Seward Peninsula is not coming through at certain times like they were before. Hunters say that they haven’t been seeing as many caribou go through in certain spots, or their timing has changed to a later date because they’ve been waiting to migrate until they get pushed out by winter weather and snow and ice which is coming later and later. So going out hunting was kind of a waste of resources if you didn’t catch anything, and you were having to travel farther and using more resources [fuel] to harvest caribou. – Jacob Martin, Nome

Sealing with a harpoon from a boat.

NPS

The story is similar for seal hunting. The lack of sea ice means seals are not present close to Nome or the ice is too thin for hunters to reach them. The 1972 Marine Mammal Protection Act allows Alaska Natives to legally hunt seals, walrus, whales, and polar bears.

Less sea ice means fewer hauling out areas for seals, which makes seal hunting harder. It’s safer to hunt when there are pans of ice around instead of having to travel a long distance in open water to reach seals on the ice or hunt them in the water. – Roy Ashenfelter, Nome

When the sea ice was breaking off earlier in 2013, 2014, 2015, there was concern for marine mammals. But it was found that it wasn’t the marine mammals that were struggling for their populations, animals will continue to adapt to survive, but it was our access to that marine mammal to hunt as conditions were tough. What we’ve noticed was that their populations were probably changing, depending on how they were adapting to a certain instance. Especially without sea ice, I know some animals would struggle to have their young stay afloat, because they can’t float as long or swim as long. – Jacob Martin

Because of environmental change, hunters have to go further to find good ice on which to butcher a huge animal like a walrus. Thick ice is safest. Walrus might be out there, but the ice may not be good to get them. The population may be healthy, but you have to get to the animals at the right time. And it is more difficult for hunters having to travel further out to find game; gas is very expensive, and getting gear mobilized is very expensive. It is also more dangerous the farther out from land that you have to travel. – Vera Metcalf, Nome

Coastal Erosion

Eroding bluff near Ikpek Lagoon in Bering Land Bridge National Preserve

NPS

Seasonally-based ice formation plays another key role in the northern environment. The presence of ice on the ocean and along the shore in the winter months helps protect the coastline from wave action during heavy storms. The shortened ice season reduces the amount of time the coastal bluffs, lagoons, and beaches are protected from erosion.

Ice is leaving earlier and forming later, which leaves more time for erosion events to occur during the longer open water season. – Tahzay Jones, Anchorage

When we have big storms, without the ice there to stop the wave action or the tides rising, that’s increasing the amount of erosion or loss of coastal areas. Without the sea ice there to protect us, it adds to the intensity of the storm from the wave action. – Jacob Martin

How have seasons shifted where you live? Have these changes impacted how people live their daily lives?

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