Alena Naiden

Indigenous communities in Alaska's North Slope rely on Walrus for subsistence but climate change has shifted walrus habits. The U.S. Geological Survey and the University of Alaska Museum of the North are working with Indigenous hunters to understand these changes and document traditional knowledge.

As rising seas threaten many Indigenous communities, two villages in Alaska's Kenai Peninsula are considering a project that would harness the power of ocean waves.

Scientists and Iñupiaq hunters have been counting bowhead whales passing by the northernmost American town, Utqiagvik, for the past two months. It is part of an effort to evaluate the health of the whale population up north – and support subsistence in the area.

Salmon were once a rare sighting in the Alaskan Arctic. But warming temperatures have made them more common up there, and climate change has also changed whale patterns. These shifts are being watched closely by scientists and Indigenous communities.