Climate Variability and Climatic Change: Potential Implications for Hudson Bay Coastal Communities

• Autores: Gita J. Laidler, William A. Gough
• Localización: Polar geography, ISSN 1088-937X, Vol. 27, Nº. 1, 2003, págs. 38-58
• Idioma: inglés
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• Resumen

  • Hudson Bay (HB) is one of the largest inland seas in the world, and is located within the subarctic and arctic regions of Canada. Regional climates in the HB bioregion are influenced by yearly cycles of ice-covered and ice-free seasons, tending to contribute to high interannual variability. Cree and Inuit communities established along the HB coasts have adapted and responded to these seasonal fluctuations for generations. Their experiences have facilitated the development and refinement of intimate relationships with marine/terrestrial wildlife and ecosystems. This paper reviews the past and current land use and resource harvesting practices of coastal communities. Having identified the importance of certain renewable resources to distinct subregions of HB, local and scientific observations of a changing environment are presented. This interdisciplinary overview of experienced and observed changes is used to facilitate a conceptual evaluation of the potential effects of climate variability and/or climatic change on HB coastal communities.