Coping with difficult weather and snow conditions: Reindeer herders’ views on climate change impacts and coping strategies

Turunen, Minna; Rasmus, Sirpa; Bavay, Mathias; Ruosteenoja, Kimmo; Heiskanen, Janne

doi:10.1016/j.crm.2016.01.002

Cited by 77 publications

(102 citation statements)

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“…Furthermore, an increase in precipitation sum for winter melt days was observed [51]. Warm conditions in the late winter may lead to wet and slushy snow that hamper reindeer grazing and herding [35]. Increasing temperatures can also, e.g.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The formation of the snow cover during the autumn is considered crucial for all winter conditions. During unstable early winter with several 0-degree days, there is a high probability of icy snow cover or ground ice formation that prevents reindeer access to lichens [33][34][35]38]. Warmer and wetter winters have been reported to decrease reindeer condition and productivity and increase their mortality in Nordic countries and Russia.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Long-Term Climate Trends and Extreme Events in Northern Fennoscandia (1914–2013)

Kivinen

Rasmus

Jylhä

et al. 2017

Climate

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Abstract:We studied climate trends and the occurrence of rare and extreme temperature and precipitation events in northern Fennoscandia in 1914Fennoscandia in -2013. Weather data were derived from nine observation stations located in Finland, Norway, Sweden and Russia. The results showed that spring and autumn temperatures and to a lesser extent summer temperatures increased significantly in the study region, the observed changes being the greatest for daily minimum temperatures. The number of frost days declined both in spring and autumn. Rarely cold winter, spring, summer and autumn seasons had a low occurrence and rarely warm spring and autumn seasons a high occurrence during the last 20-year interval (1994)(1995)(1996)(1997)(1998)(1999)(2000)(2001)(2002)(2003)(2004)(2005)(2006)(2007)(2008)(2009)(2010)(2011)(2012)(2013), compared to the other 20-year intervals. That period was also characterized by a low number of days with extremely low temperature in all seasons (4%-9% of all extremely cold days) and a high number of April and October days with extremely high temperature (36%-42% of all extremely warm days). A tendency of exceptionally high daily precipitation sums to grow even higher towards the end of the study period was also observed. To summarize, the results indicate a shortening of the cold season in northern Fennoscandia. Furthermore, the results suggest significant declines in extremely cold climate events in all seasons and increases in extremely warm climate events particularly in spring and autumn seasons.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Long-Term Climate Trends and Extreme Events in Northern Fennoscandia (1914–2013)

Kivinen

Rasmus

Jylhä

et al. 2017

Climate

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“…Socioeconomically, caribou and reindeer are a major component of the subsistence harvest by Indigenous peoples (Wolfe and Walker 1987;Wolfe 2004;Kendrick et al 2005;Fall 2016). Indigenous and local people also herd domesticated and semidomesticated reindeer across northern Eurasia (Moen 2008;Rees et al 2008;Turunen et al 2016) and North America (Lantis 1950;Klein 1970), and Rangifer populations provide socioeconomic means to at least 20 Indigenous peoples across the circumpolar world (Uboni et al 2016).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Observed and predicted effects of climate change on Arctic caribou and reindeer

2018

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Abstract:The ability of many species to adapt to the shifting environmental conditions associated with climate change will be a key determinant of their persistence in the coming decades. This is a challenge already faced by species in the Arctic, where rapid environmental change is well underway. Caribou and reindeer (Rangifer tarandus) play a key role in Arctic ecosystems and provide irreplaceable socioeconomic value to many northern peoples. Recent decades have seen declines in many Rangifer populations, and there is strong concern that climate change is threatening the viability of this iconic Arctic species. We examine the literature to provide a thorough and full consideration of the many environmental factors that limit caribou and reindeer populations, and how these might be affected by a warming climate. Our review suggests that the response of Rangifer populations to climate change is, and will continue to be, varied in large part to their broad circumpolar distribution. While caribou and reindeer could have some resilience to climate change, current global trends in abundance undermine all but the most precautionary outlooks. Ultimately, the conservation of Rangifer populations will require careful management that considers the local and regional manifestations of climate change.Key words: climate change, caribou, reindeer, Rangifer, Arctic.Résumé : La capacité de bien des espèces à s'adapter aux conditions changeantes du milieu, associées au changement climatique, sera un facteur déterminant de leur pérennité dans les décennies à venir. Ceci constitue un défi auquel les espèces sont déjà confrontées dans l'Arctique, où la dégradation rapide de l'environnement est bien amorcée. Les caribous et les rennes (Rangifer tarandus) jouent un rôle essentiel dans les écosystèmes arctiques et apportent une valeur socio-économique irremplaçable aux populations du Nord. Au cours des dernières décennies, il y a eu des déclins dans beaucoup de populations de Rangifer et il règne une grande inquiétude que le changement climatique menace la viabilité de cette espèce iconique de l'Arctique. Nous examinons la littérature afin de fournir une étude complète et minutieuse des nombreux facteurs du milieu restreignant les populations de caribous et de rennes, et de déterminer comment ces populations pourraient être touchées par le réchauffement climatique. Notre examen suggère que la réponse des populations de Rangifer au changement climatique est, et continuera à être, diverse principalement en raison de leur vaste aire de répartition circumpolaire. Tandis que les caribous et les rennes pourraient avoir une certaine résilience au changement climatique, les tendances globales actuelles d'abondance des espèces affaiblissent toutes les perspectives sauf les plus préoccupantes. En fin de compte, la conservation des populations de Rangifer nécessitera une gestion prudente qui prenne en compte les manifestations locales et régionales de changement climatique. [Traduit par la Rédaction]

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“…In Northern Finland, winter is a critical season for reindeer herding [13][14][15] as ice and snow conditions remain particularly important environmental factors affecting reindeer populations dynamics, as well as the daily life of local communities [16,17]; in addition to the large natural variability of winter weather conditions, the Finnish Meteorological Institute predicts that warming and increased precipitation will be stronger in the winter (respectively by 3-9 • C and by 10-40%) than in the summer (by 1-5 • C and 0-20%), and winter changes will affect the north more than the south [18]. Moreover, the number of freezing point days (with a daily minimum temperature below zero and maximum temperature above zero) is another critical point for local livelihoods that are predicted to be larger than it is currently in the north.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Thus, Turunen et al [15] have carried out climate model simulations for the period 2035-2064 in Sodankylä, and they have concluded that winters "will be characterized by ephemeral snow cover formation and melting several times during the winter" with a delay of the seasonal snow cover formation and earliness of snow cover melting. However, these results are also consistent with other studies conducted in Northern Fennoscandia, especially the ones of Kivinen et al [45] reporting warming trends with an increase of extreme warm events and a decrease of extreme cold events (Figure 2), among other studies [46,47].…”

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confidence: 99%

Observed Regional Climate Variability during the Last 50 Years in Reindeer Herding Cooperatives of Finnish Fell Lapland

Lépy

Pasanen

2017

Climate

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Abstract:In Finnish Lapland, reindeer herders' activity is strongly dependent on the surrounding natural environment, which is directly exposed to environmental changes and climatic variations. By assessing whether there is any evidence of change in climate in Fell Lapland over the last 50 years, this paper attempts to link global climatic trends with local conditions and respond to the need of information at the local level. It aims at assessing the changes in temperature, precipitation and snow cover at a regional and local scale, as well as determining the climatic trends for the period 1960-2011. Statistical methods were used to conduct analyses of the regional homogeneity, the annual and seasonal variability, and the cold intensity. The results show that the regional climate is not homogeneous and differences exist between locations. Nevertheless, it can be concluded that, in general, a warming trend is discernible for the period 1960-2011, frost and thaw cycles slightly increase, and variations in mean temperatures are more important in the winter. Precipitation is more variable according to the site but, in general, precipitation is increasing with time, especially in the winter, and the snow cover does not seem to contain any discernible trend.

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Coping with difficult weather and snow conditions: Reindeer herders’ views on climate change impacts and coping strategies

Cited by 77 publications

References 59 publications

Long-Term Climate Trends and Extreme Events in Northern Fennoscandia (1914–2013)

Long-Term Climate Trends and Extreme Events in Northern Fennoscandia (1914–2013)

Observed and predicted effects of climate change on Arctic caribou and reindeer

Observed Regional Climate Variability during the Last 50 Years in Reindeer Herding Cooperatives of Finnish Fell Lapland

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