Combining Indigenous knowledge and AI to support safer on-ice travel

Warming temperatures mean shorter ice seasons in Sanikiluaq, Nunavut. As a result, the stretches of landfast ice formed from frozen seawater that Inuit use to travel and hunt on are increasingly unpredictable and unsafe. Polynyas, areas of open water and thin ice, occur where ocean currents or wind prevent pack ice from forming. They're typically found in the same locations each year enabling travellers to plan their routes safely. But climate change is affecting this predictability, causing smaller, unexpected polynyas that make travelling across the pack ice risky.