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Climate change impacts on the water resources of American Indians and Alaska Natives in the U.S.

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Abstract

This paper provides an overview of climate change impacts on tribal water resources and the subsequent cascading effects on the livelihoods and cultures of American Indians and Alaska Natives living on tribal lands in the U.S. A hazards and vulnerability framework for understanding these impacts is first presented followed by context on the framework components, including climate, hydrologic, and ecosystem changes (i.e. hazards) and tribe-specific vulnerability factors (socioeconomic, political, infrastructural, environmental, spiritual and cultural), which when combined with hazards lead to impacts. Next regional summaries of impacts around the U.S. are discussed. Although each tribal community experiences unique sets of impacts because of their individual history, culture, and geographic setting, many of the observed impacts are common among different groups and can be categorized as impacts on—1) water supply and management (including water sources and infrastructure), 2) aquatic species important for culture and subsistence, 3) ranching and agriculture particularly from climate extremes (e.g., droughts, floods), 4) tribal sovereignty and rights associated with water resources, fishing, hunting, and gathering, and 5) soil quality (e.g., from coastal and riverine erosion prompting tribal relocation or from drought-related land degradation). The paper finishes by highlighting potentially relevant research questions based on the five impact categories.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank the following people for their valuable assistance with the manuscript preparation: D. Heom, J. Deems, J. Nania, J. Maldonado, M. Stover, N. Crowe, R. Pandya, T. Howes, and two anonymous reviewers.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, USA

    K. Cozzetto

  2. Department of Soil, Water, and Environmental Sciences, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA

    K. Chief

  3. Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission, Portland, OR, USA

    K. Dittmer

  4. Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium, Anchorage, AK, USA

    M. Brubaker

  5. Intertribal Council on Utility Policy, Rosebud, SD, USA

    R. Gough

  6. PRiMO, Indigenous Ecological Knowledge Circle, Honolulu, HI, USA

    K. Souza

  7. United Tribes of Michigan, Harbor Springs, MI, USA

    F. Ettawageshik

  8. Institute for Tribal Environmental Professionals, Flagstaff, AZ, USA

    S. Wotkyns

  9. Staplets Consulting, Boulder, CO, USA

    S. Opitz-Stapleton

  10. Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, USA

    S. Duren

  11. Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium, Anchorage, AK, USA

    P. Chavan

Authors
  1. K. Cozzetto
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  2. K. Chief
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  3. K. Dittmer
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  4. M. Brubaker
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  7. F. Ettawageshik
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  8. S. Wotkyns
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  9. S. Opitz-Stapleton
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  11. P. Chavan
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to K. Cozzetto.

Additional information

This article is part of a Special Issue on “Climate Change and Indigenous Peoples in the United States: Impacts, Experiences, and Actions” edited by Julie Koppel Maldonado, Rajul E. Pandya, and Benedict J. Colombi.

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Cozzetto, K., Chief, K., Dittmer, K. et al. Climate change impacts on the water resources of American Indians and Alaska Natives in the U.S.. Climatic Change 120, 569–584 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10584-013-0852-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10584-013-0852-y

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