Supporting coastal community resilience in Alaska: an evaluation of the Sea Ice for Walrus Outlook (SIWO)

The Arctic is undergoing rapid socio-environmental change that has led to shifting distributions of walrus hunting locations in the Bering Sea. There is increasing interest among Bering Strait hunters in understanding sea ice, reducing risks, using Indigenous knowledge and western science in decision support, and supporting knowledge sharing across communities. There is also a desire to validate the accuracy of National Weather Service (NWS) models using local observations. The Sea Ice for Walrus Outlook (SIWO) was designed in 2010 to serve as a web-based resource for Alaska Native communities and other stakeholders interested in sea ice and walruses in northwest Alaska and support National Weather Service sea ice forecasts via feedback from community observers. 

This research evaluated the Sea Ice for Walrus Outlook (SIWO), a resource designed to provide information about sea ice, weather, and walruses in Alaska, a region experiencing rapid social and environmental change. The evaluation was based on a set of 22 indicators developed from literature on evaluation, weather and climate services, science communication, and decision support. Two datasets were assessed to evaluate the SIWO: semi-structured interviews and a web-based questionnaire. Interpretation of the outcome indicators suggests that the SIWO supported several community needs, including providing information to support travel, documenting historical impacts for disaster relief, and sharing Indigenous Knowledge among villages. The evaluation revealed insights into the kinds of information useful for rural and Indigenous communities, such as the importance of local observations from within and from nearby villages.