Climate change varies greatly within the Canadian North. The west has been warming, with the greatest temperature increases occurring in the winter and spring. The east, however, has experienced a general cooling trend, with the greatest temperature decreases occurring during the winter and spring.

Changes in the variability of climate or in the frequency of extremes may be as important to life in Nunavut as long-term warming or cooling trends.

Current climate in Nunavut reflects this variability. For southern Nunavut, the winter of 2000 was warmer. However, northern areas along the eastern Arctic Islands were cooler. Also, the precipitation conditions were wetter than normal, which is contrary to the rest of Canada.

Summer sea ice conditions vary from year to year. In 1998, the warmest year in Canada since 1951, sea ice extent for the Arctic Islands was a record minimum.

The Canadian Arctic is expected to experience more substantial changes than southern regions. In the west, temperature increases of 5°C to 7°C are predicted, whereas in the east, warming is predicted to be much less. Temperature changes will also differ between seasons with more overall warming occurring in the winter months.

Potential regional impacts

• Sea level rise, more extreme weather, and a loss of sea ice will contribute to more erosion and flooding along vulnerable Arctic shorelines. Higher sea levels with less ice cover will expose more of the coast to both normal waves and more powerful storm waves.
• Loss of sea ice will have a profound effect on northern life. Traditional northern activities such as travel, hunting, and fishing depend upon the presence of solid sea ice whereas, on the other hand, less sea ice in the North would make access to the communities easier by boat and create longer shipping seasons.
• Glaciers may melt and decrease in size with increased temperatures in the Arctic. Where a glacier has formed a lake by blocking river drainage, the dam may melt and cause flooding downstream.
• Traditional knowledge is used to predict ice conditions and guide hunters in travel and work at the floe edge. Change in land-fast ice behaviour has made predicting ice conditions more difficult, and caused dangerous situations in recent years, such a number of students being stranded on sea ice in 1997.
• Warming may extend waterfowl nesting periods, provide more food for young birds, and decrease chick mortality.
• However, in the southern regions, warming may reduce breeding and forage habitats.
• Sea level rise may damage important shoreline nesting areas, and increased storms during the nesting season could destroy essential nesting efforts, eggs, and chicks.
• Changes in the range and abundance of animals may mean local adjustments to traditional hunting and harvesting strategies, as well as possible changes in traditional diet.
• The meat quality is expected to decline, and this may affect the nutritional health of people dependent on country food.

Curriculum linkages

Science
Unit D Global systems

Innuuqatigiit curriculum

Water - Values: An appreciation of the importance of water to Inuit life should be taught.

Ice - Objectives: Understand the relationships between ice, weather, tides current and the land. Key experiences/Activities: Observe salt water and fresh water ice during freeze up and breakup. Notice the differences. How long does it take to freeze, melt, break up? Do they follow a pattern? Is it the same every year?

Weather and weather predicting - Values: Recognition that weather controls humans and that humans do not control weather is encouraged. Objectives: Learn about long-term climate changes.

Sky - Attitudes: Students will be encouraged to look at the sky and always be conscious of the changing weather; learn from the elders how to read the sky to predict the weather.

Bears - Knowledge and traditions: When bad weather prevailed over a long period of time, women would burn a piece of bear skin hoping to change the weather.