S - U
type: Concept

SIKU
type: Concept
definition: Proposal URL: http://classic.ipy.org/development/eoi/proposal-details.php?id=166 Sea ice is a fundamental feature of the polar environment; it is also one of its most tangible indicators of change. During the last two decades, and in the past several years in particular, both polar scientists and local indigenous residents have detected dramatic shifts in the extent, timing, and other key parameters of Arctic sea ice. Whereas earlier IPY ventures contributed greatly to the progress in the scientific knowledge and understanding of polar sea ice, IPY 2007-2008 will become a milestone in the documentation of indigenous knowledge of sea ice environment. It will also set new standards for efforts and methods to bridge scientific and local observations of change in the ice-dominated northern ecosystems. To achieve this we propose a coordinated international study of local knowledge and use of sea ice in several indigenous communities across the Arctic region. The acronym for our project's title, Sea Ice Knowledge and Use is also the most general word for sea ice in all Inuit (Eskimo) languages from Bering Strait to Greenland. For many Arctic indigenous peoples, despite rapid and pronounced changes in lifestyles and local cultures the ice-covered sea continues to be an integral component of daily life. It remains the most productive and widely used habitat for six to nine months every year. It is also the main platform for traveling; for observing weather systems, tidal and current cycles, marine mammals and other biota; as well as for training and education in navigational and subsistence skills passed from elders to younger hunters. Further, the status of local use and knowledge of sea ice is also an indicator of social change, a function of new technologies, economic and dietary trends, and of shifts in educational practices and cultural values. For many polar communities the use and knowledge of the ice-covered sea remains the key pillar of identity and resilience. It …
in scheme: projects