CoPe RCN: Arctic Migration in Harmony: An Interdisciplinary Network on Littoral Species, Settlements, and Cultures on the Move

Georgetown University, Washington DC

Investigators

Abstract

Urbanization, globalization, and changing climate are activating the simultaneous migrations of species, ecosystems, and settlements across Arctic coastlines in new and unpredictable ways. Arctic port cities are witnessing increased maritime traffic and inflow of labor; rural villages are facing displacement from slow and sudden-onset disasters; sea ice melt and ocean warming are shifting marine species ranges; and terrestrial ecosystems in transition are upending Arctic food webs and introducing southern disease vectors. Each of these intersecting mobilities challenge Arctic quality of life, sustainable development, and environmental health. The Migration in Harmony RCN (MIH-RCN) will establish a network of researchers, practitioners, and stakeholders to jointly identify and prioritize research topics on the contemporary migration of peoples, economies, cultures, and ecosystems catalyzed by coastal environmental variability and natural hazards in the Arctic. The MIH-RCN will advance knowledge on how the migrations of Arctic ecosystems, economies, and peoples interact with one another, and how the social, geohazard, and economic drivers and consequences of migrations intersect across different fields. The network activities will engage local leaders, practitioners, and researchers to bridge research divides and synthesize existing data; link ongoing major research initiatives to fill this research gap; and implement creative participatory methods to broaden participation in migration research. The MIH-RCN will include students at all levels in its network activities. A collaboration with SeaTech at Mt. Edgecumbe High School in Sitka, Alaska will allow students researching whale migrations to present their work and learn from network participants, and will scale the involvement of other high school students. The RCN will work with the SURGE program (Scholars from Under-Represented Groups in Engineering and the Social Sciences) from NSF INCLUDES (Inclusion across the Nation of Communities of Learners of Underrepresented Discoverers in Engineering and Science), to scale its mentoring program to Alaska Native students and expose SURGE students to Arctic disasters researchers. The MIH-RCN will engage international collaborations to contribute regional solutions to the societal, economic, and environmental challenges of migration across borders. The objectives of the Migration in Harmony RCN are (1) to synthesize existing research on Arctic coastal migrations (2) to identify the transdisciplinary intersections of and gaps between existing research; (3) to create integrated teams of social and natural scientists, traditional knowledge holders, community leaders, public health professionals, educators, and engineers to fill identified gaps; and (4) to produce communication products to advance the understanding of how coastal environmental variability and hazards impact the migration of settlements, species, and cultures. The MIH-RCN will integrate knowledge from a geographically, disciplinary, and culturally diverse set of network members in a participation-broadening way. This ambition requires an innovative approach to networking that moves beyond presentation-based meetings. The MIH-RCN uses a coupled human and natural systems approach (CHANS) for coordinating and synthesizing Arctic coastal research to advance a holistic understanding of patterns, drivers, and consequences of changes in movement. This approach was chosen due to its integrative features, bringing together theoretical and analytical techniques from natural sciences, social sciences, and traditional knowledge to understand the interface of complex systems. The approach will allow the RCN to transcend a single discipline and synthesize the mobility “patterns and processes that link people and their activities with wildlife and their habitats.” This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.