We are excited to share the great work Natasha Simonee and Jayko Alooloo are doing in Mittimatalik, creating tailored forecasts to meet community needs!

Sila Qanuippa? (How’s the Weather?): Integrating Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit and Environmental Forecasting Products to Support Travel Safety around Pond Inlet, Nunavut, in a Changing Climate (article in Weather, Climate and Society, 2021, issue 13)

“As Inuit hunters in Pond Inlet, Nunavut, we combine our knowledge of environmental conditions with weather, marine, and ice forecasting products to travel safely. Products developed for urban environments or economic sectors are not directly relevant to our seasonal activities, so we have had to learn how to access and interpret them. Like other Indigenous peoples, we face challenges such as limited and expensive bandwidth, having to consult multiple sources, doing mathematical unit conversions, vague or unfamiliar terminology, and insufficient geographical coverage. We have worked hard to develop a clearer understanding of the relationships between information provided and our local travel conditions. Information services can help further by being more user-friendly, complete, and locally applicable to cultural and geographic context.”

SUN Team members Natalie Carter and Gita Ljubicic are co-authors, supporting Simonee and Alooloo in sharing their work with researchers and service providers.