Arctic communities' experience of impact from permafrost thaw

Abstract:

Permafrost thaw is a challenge for many of the 907 Arctic communities living on permafrost. Many people have expressed their concerns about risks associated with permafrost thaw. Impacts include destabilization of infrastructure, reduction in country food accessibility, and declining health conditions. This study applies an analytical framework that recognize risk as both perception (individual experiences) and social representation (collective experiences). The analytical framework is the foundation for a social impact survey carried out in three Arctic communities (Aklvik in Canada, Qeqertarsuaq in Greenland and Longyearbyen, Svalbard/Norway).

In the three study sites 87% of the respondents identified the increase in temperatures as the main reason causing permafrost thaw. Moreover, 74% said that permafrost thaw has led to negative changes in their community in the past 10 years. While permafrost thaw was perceived as a negative change, 54% of the respondents indicated that permafrost thaw did not cause problems for them as individuals. Still, permafrost thaw was perceived as a cause of problems in the daily lives of 40% of the respondents. The answers varied between sites. In Aklavik, 76% of the respondents had problems related to permafrost thaw whereas it affected 46% of the respondents in Longyearbyen. In Qeqertarsuaq, 21% of the respondents perceived permafrost thaw as a cause of problems.