Dez Loreen
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Oct 10/05) - Melting polar sea ice could rise causing massive flooding in the Arctic, said United States researcher Mark Serreze.

"The North is where we will see the first differences," explained Serreze. "It's an early warning system, like the canary in a coal mine."

On Aug. 15, an iceberg floated into the bay leading into Clyde River, Nunavut. Residents are hoping the berg will stay for the winter so they will have a source of fresh water. - photo courtesy of Vera Saltzman

Greenhouse gases produced all over the world have opened the ozone layer above the North, and the added sunlight has been absorbed by the open waters, which used to be ice, according to Serreze.

Evidence of the impact of the melting ice can already be seen in Sachs Harbour, said Mayor Andy Carpenter.

"The water takes longer to freeze up and spring time warms up too early," said Carpenter. "The weather used to be cold all the time."

People across the Mackenzie Delta have been noticing a change in their water systems, as well. Dennis Allen is an Inuvialuit man who travels out to his father's camp on the delta throughout the seasons and sees evidence of warming.

"I think the permafrost is melting," said Allen.

"The shore lines are receding into the water, I've seen a lot of land fall into the river already."

High traffic area

The region is riddled with creeks and channels of the mighty Mackenzie River and is a busy area for local hunters.

Leonard Harry, an Inuvialuit elder who has lived there his whole life, said the river channels have been shifting with the water currents.

"I've noticed changes near the Kendall Island area, near the coast of Tuktoyaktuk," said Harry. "The channels I use to get out to my camps have been getting shallower and wider."

The changes in the land are believed to be due to the harsh freezing and thawing of river ice during the transitional months.

With the North warming up, the permafrost has also been melting in certain areas, said Serreze.

"With the underground ice melting away, you see more plant life in the delta region, and the tree line has been expanding farther north."

Changes in the weather have been a topic of discussion among Northerners.

Richard Dick, 61, of Inuvik, has noticed climate changes from when he was young.

"It gets warmer in the spring time very early, and it only gets really cold later in the fall," said Dick.

Despite changes in the environment around him, Dick plans on sticking with his annual hunting schedule.

"I won't let these changes affect my time on the land," said Dick.

"I plan on hunting the caribou this winter, and muskrats in the spring."