Two new studies by the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium
report that warmer climates are threatening the Northwest
Arctic's food-cooling and water-treatment systems, and posing
various food- and waterborne health risks to nearby communities.
According to the studies, two small communities in the region,
Kivalina and Point Hope, are experiencing longer warm seasons
that cause sanitary water systems to flood, damage "washaterias"
(places where people can get clean water to bathe or wash
clothes), and worsen algae blooms. In 2004, Kivalina had to
close its washateria after the belated freeze-up damaged its
leach field system for the winter; during the shut down, the
village reported a rise in respiratory and skin diseases. In
Point Hope, algae blooms between 2007 and 2008 became so
frequent and large in the nearby lake that the village's water
that technicians had to clean filters more than a dozen times
daily. Worse, warmer temperatures have meant longer growing
seasons, triggering a spike in the number of