11:00 AM - 1:00 PM
[MIS01-P01] Modern Climate Change Trends in the Areas of Residence of Indigenous Minorities of the Russian North: Thematic Study of the Sakha Republic (Yakutia)
★Invited Papers
Keywords:climate change, regional climate change trends, temperature changes, statistical analysis, Indigenous Minorities of the Russian North, the Sakha Republic of Russia
Attention given to the climate change issues in the areas inhabited by indigenous small-numbered peoples of the Russian North (i.e., indigenous peoples of the North, further IPN) in the Arctic region of Russia is recently rising. This trend is close related to the recent economic development of the Russian's Arctic zone. Recently issued «Strategy of development of the Arctic Zone of the Russian Federation and the provision of national security for the period up to 2035» defines special approaches to the socio-economic development of the Arctic zone and emphasizes the importance of scientific investigation on the state of the Arctic's ecosystems, climate change and Arctic studies. Therefore, the study of the characteristics of climate change in areas inhabited by IPN is becoming a matter of urgency in the light of the implementation of the development strategy for the Russian Arctic.
In the Sakha Republic, as in the rest of the Russian Arctic, climate change will lead to multiple impacts on society, including changes in traditional lifestyle of indigenous peoples of the region because of changes in their traditional life-support systems. There are five groups of indigenous minorities live on the territory of the republic including Chukchi, Yukaghir, Dolgan, Even and Evenki peoples maintaining their traditional lifestyle and traditional economic activities. Climate change affects IPN in two ways. First through increase in the number of natural and climatic hazards. Secondly through direct impact on their traditional economic activities. Climate change reduces the freeze-up period on rivers and lakes due to slow increase of the ice thickness, which postpones the opening of winter roads. For IPN, which areas of residence are mainly serviced by winter roads, it becomes a huge problem, because they cannot reach on time their hunting grounds and reindeer pastures. That is why the study on climate change characteristics and risks in the areas of residence of IPN is highly relevant.
This research assesses climate change trends in mean monthly air temperatures in settlements inhabited by IPN in the Sakha Republic. The long-term climate data was collected from Yakutian branch of the Russian Federal Service for Hydrometeorology and Environmental Monitoring. Each station represents the administrative district (ulus) where it is located. Trend, homogeneity, and stationarity analyses were applied to climate data to quantitively evaluate the regional climate change trends.
Results report that the districts, where reside indigenous minorities, have undergone significant warming during the study period. Strong warming trends were found in spring, summer, and early winter. The research concludes with discussion of possible climate change-induced risks for IPN communities and suggests the adaptation measures.
The research was funded by Russian Science Foundation (grants No. 22-27-00344 and 21-17-00250).
In the Sakha Republic, as in the rest of the Russian Arctic, climate change will lead to multiple impacts on society, including changes in traditional lifestyle of indigenous peoples of the region because of changes in their traditional life-support systems. There are five groups of indigenous minorities live on the territory of the republic including Chukchi, Yukaghir, Dolgan, Even and Evenki peoples maintaining their traditional lifestyle and traditional economic activities. Climate change affects IPN in two ways. First through increase in the number of natural and climatic hazards. Secondly through direct impact on their traditional economic activities. Climate change reduces the freeze-up period on rivers and lakes due to slow increase of the ice thickness, which postpones the opening of winter roads. For IPN, which areas of residence are mainly serviced by winter roads, it becomes a huge problem, because they cannot reach on time their hunting grounds and reindeer pastures. That is why the study on climate change characteristics and risks in the areas of residence of IPN is highly relevant.
This research assesses climate change trends in mean monthly air temperatures in settlements inhabited by IPN in the Sakha Republic. The long-term climate data was collected from Yakutian branch of the Russian Federal Service for Hydrometeorology and Environmental Monitoring. Each station represents the administrative district (ulus) where it is located. Trend, homogeneity, and stationarity analyses were applied to climate data to quantitively evaluate the regional climate change trends.
Results report that the districts, where reside indigenous minorities, have undergone significant warming during the study period. Strong warming trends were found in spring, summer, and early winter. The research concludes with discussion of possible climate change-induced risks for IPN communities and suggests the adaptation measures.
The research was funded by Russian Science Foundation (grants No. 22-27-00344 and 21-17-00250).