title: Sea ice, rain-on-snow and tundra reindeer nomadism in Arctic Russia.
abstract: Sea ice loss is accelerating in the Barents and Kara Seas (BKS). Assessing potential linkages between sea ice retreat/thinning and the region's ancient and unique social-ecological systems is a pressing task. Tundra nomadism remains a vitally important livelihood for indigenous Nenets and their large reindeer herds. Warming summer air temperatures have been linked to more frequent and sustained summer high-pressure systems over West Siberia, Russia, but not to sea ice retreat. At the same time, autumn/winter rain-on-snow (ROS) events have become more frequent and intense. Here, we review evidence for autumn atmospheric warming and precipitation increases over Arctic coastal lands in proximity to BKS ice loss. Two major ROS events during November 2006 and 2013 led to massive winter reindeer mortality episodes on the Yamal Peninsula. Fieldwork with migratory herders has revealed that the ecological and socio-economic impacts from the catastrophic 2013 event will unfold for years to come. The suggested link between sea ice loss, more frequent and intense ROS events and high reindeer mortality has serious implications for the future of tundra Nenets nomadism.
authors.affiliation: Arctic Centre, University of Lapland, Rovaniemi, Finland bforbes@ulapland.fi.
authors.forename: Bruce C
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-4593-5083
authors.initials: BC
authors.lastname: Forbes
authors.affiliation: Geographical and Historical Studies, University of Eastern Finland, Joensuu, Finland.
authors.forename: Timo
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kumpula
authors.affiliation: Arctic Centre, University of Lapland, Rovaniemi, Finland.
authors.forename: Nina
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Meschtyb
authors.affiliation: Arctic Centre, University of Lapland, Rovaniemi, Finland.
authors.forename: Roza
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Laptander
authors.affiliation: School of Geography and the Environment, Oxford University, Oxford, UK.
authors.forename: Marc
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Macias-Fauria
authors.affiliation: Dendrochronology Laboratory, University of Eastern Finland, Joensuu, Finland.
authors.forename: Pentti
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Zetterberg
authors.affiliation: Geographical and Historical Studies, University of Eastern Finland, Joensuu, Finland.
authors.forename: Mariana
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Verdonen
authors.affiliation: Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden.
authors.forename: Anna
authors.identifier: 0000-0003-3221-1024
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Skarin
authors.affiliation: Earth and Environmental Sciences, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Kwang-Yul
authors.initials: KY
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA.
authors.forename: Linette N
authors.initials: LN
authors.lastname: Boisvert
authors.affiliation: National Snow and Ice Data Center, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, USA.|Department of Earth Sciences, University College London, London, UK.
authors.forename: Julienne C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Stroeve
authors.affiliation: Zentralanstalt für Meteorologie und Geodynamik, Vienna, Austria.|Geodäsie und Geoinformation, Technische Universität, Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Annett
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bartsch
mesh_terms: D000822:Animal Husbandry; D025041:Animal Migration; D000818:Animals; D001110:Arctic Regions; D057231:Climate Change; D006801:Humans; D046448:Ice Cover; D011891:Rain; D012053:Reindeer; D012800:Siberia; D012914:Snow; D065929:Tundra
keywords: Barents and Kara seas; Nenets herders; Rangifer tarandus; West Siberia; Yamal Peninsula; climate change