‘No longer solid’: perceived impacts of permafrost thaw in three Arctic communities

Author(s)

Justine Ramage, Leneisja Dennie Marija Jungsberg, Alexandra Meyer, Susanna Gartler

Abstract

Permafrost characterizes ground conditions in most of the Arctic and is increasingly thawing. While environmental consequences of permafrost thaw are under intense scrutiny by natural and life sciences, social sciences' studies on local communities' perceptions of change is thus far limited. This hinders the development of targeted adaptation and mitigation measures. We present the results of a survey on communities' perceptions of permafrost thaw, with a focus on subsistence activities, carried out between 2019 and 2020 in Aklavik (Northwest Territories, Canada), Longyearbyen (Svalbard, Norway), and Qeqertarsuaq (Qeqertalik Municipality, Greenland). Results show that the majority of the 237 participants are well aware of the consequences of permafrost thaw on the landscape as well as the connection between increased air temperature and permafrost thaw. The majority perceive permafrost thaw negatively although they do not perceive it as a challenge in all life domains. Permafrost thaw is perceived as a major cause for challenges in subsistence activities, infrastructure, and the physical environment. Different perceptions within the three study communities suggests that perceptions of thaw are not solely determined by physical changes but also influenced by factors related to the societal context, including discourses of climate change, cultural background, and land use.

Organisation(s)

Department of Social and Cultural Anthropology

Journal

Polar Geography

Volume

45

Pages

226-239

No. of pages

14

ISSN

1088-937X

DOI

https://doi.org/10.1080/1088937x.2022.2105973

Publication date

07-2022

Peer reviewed

Yes

Austrian Fields of Science 2012

504008 Ethnography

Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Geography, Planning and Development, General Agricultural and Biological Sciences, General Earth and Planetary Sciences

Portal url

https://ucrisportal.univie.ac.at/en/publications/30cf0267-89b4-4f48-bd6d-365c681a706e