The Breakout Session „Arctic Freshwater Resource Dynamics and Socio-environmental Challenges under a Changing Climate” will be held on Saturday 17 October at 15:30h - 17:00h at the Arctic Circle Assembly 2015 in Harpa, Reykjavík. Organizers are the Western Kentucky University; University of Akureyri; Icelandic Arctic Cooperation Network; Icelandic Meteorological Office; Institute of Freshwater Fisheries and the Icelandic Centre for Research
Global freshwater is a finite and vulnerable resource, including in Arctic regions where climatic influences are manifesting in the form of melting glaciers, increased flooding and hydrological variability, and changes in ocean water composition from freshwater inputs. Additionally, these processes impact other regions, such as the Caribbean, in the form of drought, extreme storm events, and the migration of water borne diseases. Ecosystem changes are as of yet unknown in many regions due to evolving long-term impacts from water resource variability. There lacks a dialogue on the environmental implications of changing global freshwater resources with respect to the Arctic, which is necessary to bring to realization the potential questions and stakeholders needed to identify solutions. Collectively, this session proposes to create discourse on the physical and socio-economic bases of future freshwater resources, including groundwater and surface water, vulnerability from climatic and human impacts, the socio-environmental dynamics of water resource resilience, scarcity issues, quality and quantity, equity, perception, and education. A key component is determining mechanisms for communicating between stakeholders to couch this topic in an interconnected, broader social and policy context.
