Paper short abstract:

This paper focuses on people’s everyday adaptation to Arctic seasonality, the solutions they have developed over time to accommodate their daily routines with weather, and the possibilities provided by socio-technological advances. Adaptation to weather will need to continue as the climate heats up.

Paper long abstract:

In the Arctic, snow and ice structure people’s everyday life for half of the year. In the other half, snow melt and rapid plant growth evoke a frenzy of outdoor activities. Modern technology eases up the hardships that previous generations had to experience in winter, when livelihoods were mainly based on manual labour in agriculture, forestry and reindeer herding. But exposure to harsh weather and the need to deal with accumulating snow and ice, slippery conditions and floods during periods of melt cannot be entirely avoided. Residents of Northern Finland practice routines that allow them to move despite or because of winter weather, turning the limiting feature into an enabling one. Ice roads along or across rivers and swamps allowed for faster mobility then in summer, especially when motorized travel was restricted to dry summer weather, to mention one example.

From a socio-historical perspective, this paper will look at people’s adaptation to Arctic seasonality, the solutions they have developed over time to accommodate their daily routines with weather, and the possibilities provided by socio-technological advances. The emphasis will lie on adaptation to weather as an everyday practice against the background of high awareness how practices will need to continue to adapt as the climate heats up.