Supporting climate adaptation strategies
Climate change is already affecting communities and ecosystems across the polar regions. In places such as Longyearbyen in Svalbard and communities in Greenland, shifting patterns of snow, ice and permafrost conditions are having increasingly visible impacts on infrastructure and livelihoods.
Adapting to these changes requires not just scientific knowledge, but an understanding of the governance systems and decision-making processes through which that knowledge is used.
SnowPI brings together expertise from both the natural and social sciences to examine how knowledge about the changing cryosphere can support practical adaptation.
Working across three case study regions, Greenland, Svalbard and Antarctica, the project analyses governance frameworks, ecosystem management approaches and policy processes at community, national and international levels.
Using information generated through observations, modelling and
climate storylines, SnowPI develops future scenarios that help stakeholders explore potential risks, identify opportunities and consider possible responses.
These scenario exercises are designed to encourage dialogue between different stakeholders, guided by research frameworks developed in consultation with regional and community organisations.
The aim is to improve the connection between scientific evidence and real-world action. By providing accessible and policy-relevant information, the project helps stakeholders better understand how environmental change may affect their regions and what options are available for responding.
SnowPI works with stakeholders to explore future challenges and opportunities, producing impact assessments and future scenarios that support adaptation planning and informed decision-making in a changing climate.