Abstract
The Yukon-Kuskokwim (Y-K) Delta is home to the Alaskan Native Yup’ik people who have inhabited this remote, subarctic tundra for over 1500 years. Today, their ancestral lifeways and cultural landscapes are at risk from severe climate change-related threats. In turn, we propose that remote sensing technologies, particularly with sensors mounted on Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) platforms, are uniquely suited for protecting Yup’ik landscape heritage. Based on collaborative, community-based fieldwork in Quinhagak, AK, we present evidence that cultural sites—ranging from historic fishing camps to pre-contact winter villages—exhibit predictably atypical vegetation patterns based on the local ecological biome. Furthermore, these vegetation patterns can be recorded and statistically quantified through the analysis of multispectral imagery obtained from UAV-mounted sensors with three different false color composite rasters and vegetation indices depending on biome type. Finally, we suggest how the Yupiit can combine these methodologies/workflows with local knowledge to monitor the broader heritage landscape in the face of climate change.
Highlights
IntroductionLandscapes in Flux and Heritage at Risk
From a visual standpoint, NDVI was consistently outperformed by the two other vegetation indices tested, especially Cig, which purports to measure chlorophyll content
When wielded by Alaskan Native heritage stewards, they empower local communities with full control over information flows about their natural environment that they can use to navigate their path through a rapidly changing world
Summary
Landscapes in Flux and Heritage at Risk. It is characterized by high morphological variation and change due to seasonal cycles of fluvial deposition and erosion [1]. Yupiit) who have called this landscape home for the past 1500 years [2,3,4,5,6]. The reduction of permafrost levels and sea-ice along the Bering Sea coast, when combined with increased frequency and intensity of coastal storms, has led to the rapid degradation of coastlines and waterways [1,7]. Many coastal Yup’ik communities have begun planning for relocation further inland, and one such village, Newtok, has already been evacuated due to catastrophic levels of erosion [8]
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