Multimedia

Sea ice is critical to Arctic food webs. The loss of sea ice not only disrupts the ecology, but also communities of people who depend on the environment for food.

NOAA

After the Ice is a new mini-documentary series sharing stories of Indigenous communities challenged by sea ice loss in Alaska’s Bering Sea. It is a three-part series created through a partnership between the Bering Sea Elders Group and the Study of Environmental Arctic Change.

After the Ice, Part 1: Our Food
After the Ice, Part 2: Our Land
After the Ice, Part 3: Our Story

Under clear skies with blowing winds, crews in Point Hope, Alaska are at the shorefast sea ice edge for the spring whaling season. On 7 April 2023, Guy Norman Omnik reported “-11°F, mostly cloudy, north winds 10 mph. Poyuaqpanguu! – first [bowhead] whale sighting.”

Photo credit: Guy Norman Omnik

Insights from Coastal Arctic Indigenous Observers: Perspectives from community-based observers on the impacts of rapid and unprecedented Arctic environmental change

“What is a key environmental change in your community that you want people to know about?” “The sea ice and permafrost are melting too fast.“

– Joe Mello Leavitt [Iñupiat], Utqiaġvik (AAOKH 2023).

The Alaska Arctic Observatory and Knowledge Hub (AAOKH) is a collaboration between university scientists and a network of Iñupiaq observers in northern Alaska coastal communities. AAOKH (pronounced “A-OK”) provides long-term documentation of weather, ocean, sea ice, and landscape conditions and context to wildlife, harvesting, and cultural and community activities by creating space for Indigenous Knowledge holders to share their expertise and observations of environmental change. The primary objectives of AAOKH, determined by the observers, are to sustain Arctic Indigenous observing, support Indigenous scholarship, and apply observations to inform decision-making in response to environmental change. [From the Arctic Report Card 2023]

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  Arctic Network

  Multimedia & Outreach

  Browse a library of videos, story maps, and other multimedia outreach products.

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  Bering Land Bridge National Preserve

  Photos & Multimedia

  Photos and multimedia products from Bering Land Bridge National Preserve.

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  Cape Crusenstern National Monument

  Photos & Multimedia

  Photos and multimedia products from Cape Krusenstern National Monument.

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  Gates of the Arctic NP&Pres

  Photos & Multimedia

  Photos and multimedia products from Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve.

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  Kobuk Valley National Park

  Video Postcards

  Video postcards made by visitors to Kobuk Valley National Park.

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  Noatak National Preserve

  Photos & Multimedia

  Photos and multimedia from Noatak National Preserve.