Collaborative Research: Investigating Ecological Change in the Nearshore Kotzebue Sound Ecosystem: Simultaneous application of Traditional and Scientific Ecological Knowledge

Bates College, Lewiston ME

Investigators

Abstract

0138596 Ambrose This interdisciplinary study combines scientific ecological knowledge (SEK) and the traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) of the Inupiat people regarding Kotzebue Sound, Alaska. The research will focus on developing an ecological profile of the nearshore Kotzebue Sound and testing three hypotheses regarding food webs, sewage impacts, and ecosystem change. Common methods of ethnography will be used to elicit TEK, and standard oceanographic techniques will be used for the SEK portion of the study. The project includes outreach to local schools and will bring local students of all ages into the data collection process.