Meq unguvatkarput – water is our livelihood

This project builds research partnerships between Mekoryuk, Kongiginak, Alaska Pacific University, University of Alaska Fairbanks, UMass Amherst, and the University of South Carolina, diversifying the next generation of Arctic researchers.

Coastal delta communities are among the most vulnerable to climate change, causing most communities to wonder what their lands and waterways will look like in decades to come. The State of Alaska reports that villages of the Yukon-Kuskokwim (YK) Delta are underserved with respect to basic government services and highlights areas threatened by sea level rise, coastal erosion, flooding, and permafrost degradation.

Likewise, communities and traditional ways of life are threatened by sea level rise, salinization, and storm surges because of the delta’s low elevation. Additionally, the decrease in duration and extent of coastal sea ice has contributed to greater storm impacts increasing the vulnerability of the YK Delta to coastal hazards. These changes are forcing Alaskan Native communities to face new realities in their day-to-day lives. Changes in the water cycle driven by climate change are generating risks to health, sanitation, and infrastructure. Populations living in rural villages in the YK Delta region experience challenges in the quality, accessibility, and reliability of drinking water and sanitation services. These effects are exacerbated by changes in climate and water budgets that are increasingly influencing water cycles in the Arctic. As communities such as Kongiganak and Mekoryuk navigate the changing Arctic together, it is essential to chart a course that holistically considers the physical and human dimensions of these new realities.

This research the evaluates near-term and far-term prospects of providing safe, affordable, resilient, and locally acceptable drinking water, sanitation, and hygiene services in the context of environmental change (erosion, permafrost thaw, and flood hazards); measures, quantifies, and models rates of landscape change and altered hydrology caused by rising sea level and the collapse of permafrost across the built environment and landscapes used for traditional livelihoods; utilizes new baseline hydrographic data collected with community partners through bathymetric surveys, water level gauges, and coastal wave buoys to develop high-resolution 3D hydrodynamic models of storm surge flooding delivering predictive flood hazard maps and workflows for other communities; develops the first estimates of water/sanitation-related coping costs for rural Alaskan communities and quantify benefits/costs of various water/sanitation-service delivery models under different landscape and climate scenarios; and co-develops community-based monitoring programs that allow for the determination of how current rates of environmental change compare to historical trends and Indigenous Knowledge observations. We will document effective convergent workflows/co-production techniques to be applied broadly in the YK Delta and beyond where the same challenges of rapid climate change are playing out.

Theme 1

Safe and Reliable Water and Sanitation Systems That Meet Community Preferences and Sustain Through Future Environmental Conditions

This project investigates water provision, water and sanitation infrastructure, water quality, and quantity through partnerships with Mekoryuk and Kongiganak using community surveys, field sampling methods, and participant water diaries. Findings from this collaborative research help guide future decision-making regarding water and sanitation infrastructure in these communities.

Theme 2

Advancing Knowledge of Natural and Human Water Systems Through Community-Based Monitoring Programs

This project produces a variety of landscape change data products including permafrost and erosion hazard and predictive maps, storm surge flood hazard maps, infrastructure risk maps, erosion monitoring site maps, and 3D model products of eroding coastal bluffs.

The project also provides opportunities for local residents to be involved in any part of the monthly planning, which could include data collection, scientific analysis, indigenous practice, and outreach.

Theme 3

Science and Education – Art Co-Production of Ways of Knowing

Indigenous Knowledge, specifically art, is a an important component of this project. Art celebrates tradition, ignites contemplation, and serves as a reflection of lived experiences.

This project will use photography, murals, and storytelling to share knowledge.