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Socio-Ecological Systems Transformation in River basins of the sub-Arctic under climate change
(SESTRA)
Kuskokwim River, Alaska. Source: Kuskokwim River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission.
About
Cold regions are experiencing unprecedented environmental change that coincides with social and economic transformations. Given the vital role of water systems in cold regions, current climate and socioeconomic changes have significantly impacted many riverine communities. Focusing on two sub-Arctic river basins, Kuskokwim and Selenge, located in remote parts of Alaska and northern Eurasia (Mongolia), the SESTRA RIVERS Project analyzes the changing interactions between climate, water, and society, to assess their impact on people, ecosystems, and infrastructure, and develop, jointly with communities, current and future adaptation options.
The project will help understand how climate and water cycle changes impact people living in cold regions, including Indigenous communities. The results will suggest effective ways to deal with the current and future climate changes in the Arctic and sub-Arctic. The project will engage Indigenous communities. Project results will help navigate the current and arising challenges of climate change and lay the foundation for future international community-driven collaboration.
This research will provide a set of plausible trajectories of human responses to climatic, social, economic, and political stressors developed for Alaskan and Mongolian regions and communities but applicable to the broader Arctic and sub-Arctic.
The project will involve Indigenous artists and develop an extensive training program for students and early career scientists.
The photo of Bayanzürkh, Mongolia. Courtesy of Vera Kuklina.
Our Study Domains
The SESTRA Project focuses on two sub-Arctic river basins, Kuskokwim and Selenge, located in remote parts of Alaska and Mongolia.
The Project uses a multiscale approach by integrating diverse information flows from urban and rural settings in each study region.
Map of the Kuskokwim River, Alaska.
Map of the Selenge River, Mongolia.
Our Team
The interdisciplinary SESTRA team consists of researchers with backgrounds in different natural and social science disciplines, artists, Indigenous scholars and knowledge-holders.
The Project involves students and early career scientists from undergraduate to post-doctoral levels in interdisciplinary research and fieldwork activities.
Acknowledgements
Land Acknowledgement
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The SESTRA Project honors the ancestral stewards of the Indigenous lands included in our study areas in Alaska and Mongolia. In Alaska, among these stewards are the Yup'ik on the lower Kuskokwim and Upper Kuskokwim Athabaskan on the upper Kuskokwim. We acknowledge and respect their knowledge and wisdom.
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March 5-7, 2024
Washington, DC
The George Washington University
Session Transformations of Socio-Ecological Systems in Pan-Arctic River Basins under Climate Change
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Description:
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Cold regions are experiencing unprecedented environmental change that coincides with social and economic transformations. Given the vital role of water systems in cold regions, current changes in climate, land cover and water cycle have significantly impacted sustainability of many local communities through increased streamflow, river bank erosion, permafrost thaw, and changed precipitation pattern, vegetation and river/lake ice magnitude and timing. We propose a session aimed at understanding how changes in climate and hydrology impact people and ecosystems of riverine communities in Arctic and sub-Arctic regions.
The Session welcomes projects focused on interactions between changing climate, hydrology, cryosphere, and human processes in order to improve local-regional resilience and adaptive capacity.
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The Session is organized by the SESTRA Project in cooperation with the ARCTICenter, UNI, University of Alaska Fairbanks, and the Cold Regions Lab, and GWU.
April 16–20, 2024
Honolulu, Hawai'i
Session Indigenizing Research Agenda and Geography Research Methodologies
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Description:
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Indigenizing research agenda and research methods is an important priority to ensure that geographical research is respectful and inclusive of Indigenous knowledge, is ethically conducted, and addresses urgent community needs and priorities.
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We invite researchers, especially Indigenous scholars, to share their experiences in implementing the Indigenized and knowledge co-production approaches throughout the complete research process.
The Session is organized by the ARCTICenter, University of Northern Iowa, Measuring Urban Sustainability in Transition (MUST) Project, the Understanding the Gendered Impacts of COVID-19 in the Arctic (COVID-GEA) Project, and the Socio-Ecological Systems Transformation in River basins of the sub-Arctic under climate change (SESTRA) Project.
