Information sources
Impacts
Northern natural systems and human communities will likely be stressed by the direct and indirect changes expected to be generated by climate change. More vulnerable systems may be negatively affected, while others may respond more positively to shifting climate norms and generate new opportunities for northern residents.
Below is a selection of articles and reference materials. For further information, you can search our Infosources Database or the online NCE Library.
Coastal zone
Sea-level rise, reduced ice cover on shorelines, and increased severe weather events may increasingly affect the coastal zone of the eastern and western Arctic through increased erosion and flooding.
Sea-level rise
- Climate Change Impacts and Adaptation: A Canadian Perspective
- Yukon's Herschel Island Included on 2008 World Monuments Watch List of 100 Most Endangered Sites
- Spatial trends in the variability of sea-level, sea ice, coastal storms and shoreline mobility in the Western Canadian Arctic
- Sea-level rise and coastal stability in the Arctic
Increased storminess
- Atmospheric and Climate Change in the Canadian Arctic: Causes, Effects, and Impacts
- Storminess in the Western Arctic: Extending the Historical Record Using Hudson's Bay Company Archives
- An Arctic Disaster and its Policy Implications
Erosion
- Taking the Chill Off: Climate Change in the Yukon and Northwest Territories – Impacts of Climate Change in Beaufort Sea Region
- Past, Present and Future Coastal Flooding in the Western Canadian Arctic
Cryosphere (snow, ice, and permafrost)
The cryosphere encompasses the frozen areas of the Earth, including snow, ice (lake, river, sea, and glaciers) and permafrost. These frozen areas are extremely vulnerable to the effects of a warming climate.
Snow
Glaciers
Ice – river, lake, and sea
- The Thermal Regime of Mayo Lake
- Sea-ice Change Around Alaska and Impacts on Human Activities
- Climate Change and Sea Ice: Local Observations from the Canadian Western Arctic
- Vulnerability of Northern Lake Ecosystems to Climate Change
Permafrost
- State of the Canadian Cryosphere
- Landslides and Permafrost
- Permafrost and Climate Change
- Permafrost, Communities and Climate Change
Ecosystem health
Climate warming will likely affect the distribution and habitat of terrestrial and marine Arctic species. Population densities of Arctic species are also likely to change in response to increasing stresses, food availability, and increasing competition from northward moving species.
Wildlife
- Impacts on Northern Wildlife
- Climate Change and Wildlife
- Management and Conservation of Wildlife in a Changing Arctic Environment
Vegetation
- Biodiversity and Climate Change
- Climate Change in the Western and Northern Forest of Canada: Impacts and Adaptation
- Resilience and Vulnerability of Northern Regions to Social and Environmental Change
- Climate Change and Forest Genetics
- Flora of the Arctic Archipelago
Fish
- Can Char Adapt to Climate Change?
- Climate Change: The Potential for Latitudinal Effects on Algal Biomass in Aquatic Ecosystems
- Climate Variability and Change Effects on Char in the Arctic
- Survival of Arctic Cod Larvae (Boreogadus saida) in Relation to Sea Ice and Temperature in the Northeast Water Polynya (Greenland Sea)
- General Effects of Climate Change on Arctic Fishes and Fish Populations
Northern communities
A rapid change in the climate, ground conditions and biodiversity of the Arctic will have a subsequent impact on northern communities. The traditional knowledge, food sources, and the health of these communities may ultimately be affected.
Traditional ecological knowledge
- From Yukon to Labrador: Understanding Northern Systems
- Degrees of Variation: Climate Change in Nunavut
- Responding to Climate Change in Northern Communities: Impacts and Adaptations
- Before... Nothing but Ice: Introducing a Series of Ancient Maps
- Inuit Observations on Climate Change
Health
- Climate Change and Health and Well-being: A Policy Primer for Canada's North
- Arctic Athabaskan Council: Yukon First Nations Climate Change Case Study
- The Arctic: Its People, and Climate Change
- Climate Change and Health and Well Being in Canada's North
Country foods (environmental contamination of food, changing strategies for gathering food, shifting patterns in types of food consumed, etc.)
- Factors Influencing Vulnerability to Climate Change Impacts on Traditional Food Security in Ivujivik, Nunavut
- Stability of Labrador's Country Food Sources in a Changing Climate
- Hunger in the Arctic: Food (In)Security in Inuit Communities
- Contaminants and the Physical Environment
- Food and Water Security in a Changing Arctic Climate
Economic development
Opportunities for economic development in the North may increase in a warming Arctic. Accessibility to remote areas will increase and working conditions will become less severe. Shifting temperature conditions and precipitation will also create challenges for industry that will require greater flexibility in future.
Forestry
- Forest Management in a Changing Climate: Building the Environmental Information Base for Southwest Yukon
- Managing Forests in the Face of Climate Change
- Adaptation to Climate Change in Forestry
- Adapting Forest Management to the Impacts of Climate Change in Canada
Agriculture
- Responding to Global Climate Change in British Columbia and Yukon
- Regional Science Consultation Meeting for Yukon in Whitehorse (Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada)
Fisheries
- Climate Change and Its Impact on Arctic Fisheries – Specific Reference to North Pacific-Bering Sea
- Effects of Climate Change and UV Radiation on Fisheries for Arctic Freshwater and Anadromous Species
Mining
Shipping
- Canadian Arctic Sovereignty
- Shipping in the Canadian Arctic: Challenges and Opportunities
- Scientific Basis for Arctic Shipping Regulations
Tourism
- Expert Advice on the Potential for Tourism in the Northern Area of James Bay
- Sea Ice in Canada's Arctic: Implications for Cruise Tourism
Infrastructure
Climate change may affect the buildings, bridges, roads, and services provided to northern communities. Thawing permafrost may destabilize existing infrastructure and increase the possibility of the contamination of drinking water from a number of sources. Increased rates of coastal erosion and sea-level rise may also threaten the infrastructure of vulnerable coastal communities.
Housing
- PWIAS Review Paper: Vulnerability of the Economic System in the Arctic
- Survey of Living Conditions in the Arctic: Inuit, Saami, and the Indigenous Peoples of Cukotka (SLICA)
Infrastructure
- Infrastructure and a Warming Arctic
- Connecting Canada Coast to Coast to Coast
- Impacts of Climate Change on Transportation in Canada
- Impacts on Transportation Infrastructure
- Climate Change, Permafrost Degradation, and Infrastructure Adaptation: Preliminary Results from a Pilot Community Case Study in the MacKenzie Valley
- Transportation by Land in Northern Canada