Work Package 3 is entitled Reindeer herders’ knowledge: codifying and communicating coping mechanisms. The objectives are to codify herders’ experience and perception of climate change, their coping mechanisms and their perception and assessment of risk associated with different coping options.
Knowledge, language and snow are intertwined in this work package, and now that winter has arrived in Kautokeino/Guovdageaidnu, the time for field work has begun
A major goal of this winter's field work is to measure temperature data through different levels of the snow pack, from the ground upwards and through the use of measurements taken over the winter, build an accurate long terms picture of what is happening temperature wise in the snow pack over time. Thermacroms have been placed in the snow and they will be left in situ and their data downloaded when the snow melts.
For the indigenous people of the Arctic, the understanding of snow and ice has always been necessary for survival. Reindeer herders and their reindeer live for 8-9 months a year on snow, in extreme environments with variable climatic conditions. Reindeer herding is strongly influenced by climatic conditions, and most of all, snow conditions. More than 20. Indigenous peoples have their main income from reindeer husbandry in 9 national states. Sámi reindeer herding represents roughly one third of the world’s reindeer herding.
