Ice Movement in the Lena River and Effects of Spring Flooding on Human Society: An Interpretation of Local Sources Integrated with Satellite Imagery in a Multidisciplinary Approach

Abstract

Spring flooding of Arctic rivers is an important yet largely unexplored issue in climate change research. Owing to their complexity, scientific data on how climate change is altering the freshwater ice process and its impact on human societies remain unclear. This chapter explores the process of spring flooding on the Lena River in Siberia. We describe ice movement and speed, loci of flooding outbreaks, and the disastrous results. The analysis is an interpretative approach using multidisciplinary data from satellite imagery, local newspaper articles, and anthropological fieldwork. Combining the results of various disciplines, we obtained the following findings. Spring flooding occurs in conditions featuring a relatively slow speed of drifting ice. This flooding always occurs in the Lena River basin but, in years with dramatic water rise, there is damage even to surrounding regions. This more severe flooding clearly causes damage that affects the population. However, in years with moderate ice or shorter ice-jam flooding, the effects are beneficial to local agriculture. The spring flooding is a double-edged sword and the effects on the human society should be evaluated from the perspective of the aforesaid complex interactions.