Thursday, April 24, 2025

Participants of the Sikumiut Field School observe the features of the sea ice off Utqiagvik coast in April 2025. (Photo: Alice DuVivier) The ocean off Utqiagvik is covered with ragged sea ice ridges in early April. Iñupiaq whalers build trails across the blue and white terrain to access hunting sites along the lead edge. It’s hard to imagine a better spot for studying sea ice. And that’s why a group of Indigenous knowledge holders and Western scientists gathered there earlier this month. The Alaska Desk’s Alena Naiden from our flagship station KNBA has more. The Sikumiut Field School was a week-long event that brought 20 specialists to Utqiagvik. Some were scientists working with climate models or satellite data. Others were residents from various Arctic regions who have hands-on knowledge about when the ice is safe for travel. Erin Emily Thomas is a sea ice modeler. She says she was excited to observe the ice in person and learn from other experts. “Having everyone just sitting in the same room, exchanging knowledge, figuring out, where is the missing gap of information? What should we be looking at? What’s the most critical thing to study next? I thought that was the most exciting.” Participants spent mornings in a classroom, running models and looking at data. Afternoons were spent on the actual ice. It’s important work – particularly as winter sea ice in the Arctic was at a record low this year. Thomas says that sea ice affects the whole climate system, which makes observing it now crucial. “Maybe in the near future, there will be very little sea ice to go out on. And so I think it’s really important to study this now, while we have the chance.” Savik Richard Glenn is an Iñupiaq hunter, geologist, and a former executive. He led some of the hands-on activities, including checking ice thickness, watching for changes, and looking at the way snow and ice interact. “The little pieces of evidence that give you an idea about safety, about how prone the the ice might be to movement, either breaking off and floating away or ridging up and and grounding itself into the sea floor.” Glenn said that participants asked local whaling captains for permission to use their ice trails and worked to improve them. “We tried to behave as if we were neighbors with the folks who depend on the ice for subsistence.” Organizers say they hope the workshop inspires scientists and Indigenous experts to continue to exchange their knowledge in the future. (Courtesy Oregon State University) A new species of bacteria that conducts electricity has been found on the Oregon Coast. Scientists have named it for the Native Americans who historically lived in the area. The bacteria was found in a mud flat in the Yaquina Bay estuary, and has been deemed Ca. Electrothrix yaqonensi. The original people’s descendants are now part of the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians, who helped the researchers come up with the name. Cheng Li was a postdoctoral researcher at Oregon State University during the research. The rod-shaped cells that make up this form of “cable” bacteria have filaments that have electrical conductivity that help optimize their metabolic processes in the muck. “The cable bacteria are able to oxidize sulfide and channeling electrons along themselves conducting like wires, and then go to the surface of the sediment and reduce oxygen. Kind of connecting the two parts together by using electrical currents, so that’s why I think is super cool, and then they’re ecologically important to the environment.” Li says it’s important to honor the original inhabitants of the land where this bacteria was found. “So I think that history, it’s really rich, and should be preserved and telling people what had happened. And I think especially more important nowadays, because we’re facing some unforeseen drawbacks on diversity, equity, and inclusiveness.” The findings are published in the journal, Applied and Environmental Microbiology.     Get National Native News delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up for our daily newsletter today.