International Polar Year 2007–2008 - WMO

to the area (e.g. White King salmon), particularly in the
Alaskan communities; and 3) an increase in abundance
of certain species in the study the area (e.g. whales)
that indicates shift in spatial distribution likely due to
climate change.
Value for other IPY science fields. The BSSN
project through its pilot phase (available at www.
bssn.net) paved the way to a much larger study
(Phase II), which is funded by a five-year grant from
the U.S. National Science Foundation. It will continue
and expand the gathering of local observations in the
Bering Sea region, particularly in the field of wildlife
distribution and habitat change that is useful to
other science disciplines. The project metadata has
been published through ELOKA, CADIS (Cooperative
Arctic Data and Information Service) and IPY DIS
(International Polar Year Data and Information
Service). BSSN has presented project progress
reports in a number of conferences and symposia,
including Arctic Council meetings, IPY Open Science
Conference in 2008 and the 5th Northern Research
Forum, Anchorage 2008.
Preserving and Sharing Indigenous
Knowledge: ELOKA
For projects and organizations that work with local
and traditional knowledge and other social science
information, there are few, if any, resources to help
with data management and archiving (Fig. 3.10-14).
ELOKA, the Exchange for Local Observations and
Knowledge of the Arctic (IPY no. 187) was conceived as
an IPY initiative to provide the first data management
and user support network for local and traditional
knowledge (LTK) and community-based research and
monitoring activities in the Arctic (see http://elokaarctic.org/,
also Chapter 5.4).
Observation and monitoring strategies. ELOKA
originally comprised two partners, the community
of Sanikiluaq in Nunavut, Canada and the Narwhal
Tusk Project (IPY no. 163) located in three Nunavut
communities and one Greenland community (Chapter
5.4). ELOKA now collaborates with the SIKU project
(IPY no. 166), Alaska Native Science Commission,
Bering Sea Sub-Network (BSSN – IPY no. 247), Seasonal
Ice Zone Observing Network (SIZONet), Muohta ja
Fig. 3.10-14.
Community members
in Clyde River,
Nunavut, work on
mapping present
day and traditional
travel routes for the
Igliniit Project, a
sub-project in the
Inuit Sea Ice Use and
Occupancy Project
(ISIUOP-SIKU IPY
no. 166). Clockwise
from bottom right:
Sivugat Palluq,
Jacopie Panipak,
Elijah Kautuq, Apiusie
Apak, Laimikie Palluq,
David Iqaqrialu,
Peter Paneak, Jayko
Enuaraq, Amosie
Sivugat, Raygilee
Piungituq, Aisa
Piungituq, James
Qillaq.
(Photo: Shari Gearheard, 2008)
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