Demonstration adaptation project : Dog Sledging - adapting to a warmer climate.

Location: Ilulissat, Greenland

Only in Greenland is the dog sledge still an integral part of everyday life during winter and spring. The apparently simple wooden sledge and a team of Greenlandic dogs is in fact a living expression of man's adaptation to the arctic climate, the way that Greenlanders have always travelled. However the arctic climate is changing and the changes are having consequences for dogsledging.

Research and the experiences of the locals show that the winter temperatures are getting warmer; there is a shorter winter season, less sea ice, more snow but also more wind. More wind means that even though there might be more snow, it does not stay on the trail, on the inland trails stone and rocks appear more easily and this causes more accidents. The lack of sea ice has huge consequences for dogsledging, and as a consequence some towns become much more isolated. More thaw-freeze-periods make the trail very icy and slippery, causing serious accidents.  The shorter winter season also means a shorter season for dogsledging. In Ilulissat area this has given serious problems for dogsledging.

Project presentation (February 2010)

Adaptation strategy (June 2010)

Project details in Danish