Toxic Tides in a Melting Arctic: Climate Change, Harmful Algal Blooms and Their Impact on the Food Security of Alaskan Arctic Indigenous Communities

Abstract

The Alaskan Arctic is undergoing a profound transformation. As climate change reshapes the landscape, the balance of the ecosystem is disrupted. This has far reaching consequences for In- digenous communities who have called this area their home for over a thousand years. This paper examines the impact of climate change on the Arctic marine ecosystem and its consequences for Indigenous communities, with a special focus on the Alaskan Arctic and Alaskan Indigenous com- munities. Rising temperatures are dramatically altering sea ice dynamics, additionally, increased nutrient influxes are creating increasingly favourable conditions for harmful algal blooms (HABs). This study focuses on two primary toxin producing species, Alexandrium and Pseudo-nitzschia that produce saxitoxin (STX) and domoic acid (DA) which are very harmful, often lethal to hu- mans and other organisms. These toxins have been detected throughout the Arctic food web, from bottom feeding clams to top predator marine mammals and sea birds. The pervasive presence of these bio-toxins poses significant risks to the health of ecosystem and the Indigenous communities that rely on it for subsistence. This paper highlights the urgent need for comprehensive monitoring programs and adaptation strategies to protect both the Arctic marine environment as well as the cultural practices of Indigenous Alaskans in the face of rapid climate driven changes.