‘The land is tearing itself apart’: life on a collapsing #Arctic isle
On #Qikiqtaruk, off Canada, researchers at the frontier of #ClimateChange are seeing its rich ecology slide into the sea as #MeltingPermafrost ice leaves little behind
“It’s one thing to think about what the changes mean to us, but I can’t imagine the fear and stress the animals feel as everything changes so fast. We’re supposed to be the guardians of the land. But we’ve let them down.” - Richard Gordon.
By Leyland Cecco, on Herschel Island–Qikiqtaruk
November 21, 2024
"Armed with a fleet of drones and working closely with Indigenous Inuvialuit rangers, the team has revealed a rapid reshaping of the tundra with little precedent. As they race to understand what those changes might mean, a combination of rising seas, landslides and flooding mean the landscape is literally collapsing around them, making it harder to study an island that reflects the tumultuous future of the western Arctic."
#Inuvialuit #ClimateCatastrophe #Permafrost #Yukon #Canada #Landslides #Flooding #IndigenousCommunities #FirstNations #Qikiqtaruk #HerschelIsland