Computer models indicate that if the earth is warming, the amount of warming likely would be greatest in the higher latitudes such as the Arctic region. But scientists have yet to determine whether the changes observed in the Arctic reflect the early stages of a permanent warming due to manmade, heat-trapping pollution in the atmosphere or a natural, cyclical climate blip. Still, the Inuit people who live along the southwestern coast of Banks Island are convinced their climate is changing. The private group, based in Ottawa, Canada, espouses a broad range of sustainable development activities and research programs. It gets both private and government funding, although much of its Inuit project was funded by the Climate Change Action Fund, an environmental advocacy group.
Autumn freezes now occur a month later than the once did and spring thaws come earlier.
The winters, although harshly cold are not as cold as they once were. She described foundations of homes cracking and shifting. She also said she is worried that the community itself may one day slide into the Beaufort Sea because of moving mud that once stayed frozen solid. We don't know when to travel on the ice and our food sources are getting farther and farther away. All rights reserved.