Climate

Photographer: Nancy Grant

Student Project

Ilisagvik College

Capturing a glimpse of coastal erosion and permafrost melt through the lens of love for my village.

In the far north of Alaska, ice cellars are used to store subsistence bounty. These ingenious storage systems are giving way to melting tundra and permafrost, compounding environmental changes affecting our homelands and way of life.

This photo captures a trio of Inupiat life landscapes. Foreground, a subsistence food ice cellar roped off and adorned with tundra foliage and weathered whale bones. Middleground, our iconic bowhead jawbone arches. Background, Arctic Ocean horizon layered with summer ocean ice.

Also pictured are two shots of the Arctic Ocean with immersed and corroding coastal shore barriers with reflections of a partial blue sky and a horizon of melting summer sea ice. Tucked in one of the two photos, you can see a pick-a-boo of my village.