Climate services in a rapidly changing environment: an evaluation of the Sea Ice for Walrus Outlook (SIWO)

Figures & data

Table 1. Indicators to evaluate the SIWO.

Component	Indicators	References
Inputs (I)	I.1: Expertise and experience in local and Indigenous Knowledge, climate science, science communication, and boundary spanning	Meadow et al. (2016), Colavito et al. (2019), Buizer et al. (2016)
	I.2: Program champion(s) and leadership	McNie (2013)
	I.3: Equitable compensation for time and services	Ellam Yua et al. (2022)
	I.4: Articulated need for information resource	Vaughan and Dessai (2014), NRC (2009)
	I.5: Trusted relationships	Meadow et al. (2016)
	I.6: Motivations for collaborating among partners	Oh (1996)
	I.7: Having the right attitudes towards collaboration with Indigenous communities	Kalafatis et al. (2019b), Cochran et al. (2013), Maldonado et al. (2016)
	I.8: Institutional stability	NRC (2009)
Process (P)	P.1: Early, ongoing and iterative communication and engagement	NRC (2009), Dilling and Lemos (2011), Lemos et al. (2012)
	P.2: Design for learning	Meadow et al. (2016)
	P.3: Tailoring information	Lemos et al. (2012), Vaughan and Dessai (2014)
	P.4: Steps to enhance accessibility	Warner et al. (2022), Simonee et al. (2021)
	P.5: Equitable opportunities to participate	Ellam Yua et al. (2022)
	P.6: Transparent decision processes
Outcomes (OC)	OC.1: Information perceived as salient	Cash et al. (2003), McNie (2013)
	OC.2: Information perceived as credible	Cash et al. (2003), NRC (2009)
	OC.3: Information perceived as accessible	Cash et al. (2003)
	OC.4: Process perceived legitimate	Cash et al. (2003)
	OC.5: Achievement of project goals	Wall et al. (2017)
	OC.6: Partner interest in continued collaboration	Reo et al. (2017)
	OC.7: Unexpected and other outcomes	Wall et al. (2017)
Contextual Factors (CF)	CF: Social, cultural, political, historical, and economic factors as well as the organizational and institutional structures that shape how climate services are produced and used	Boon et al. (2022), Parris et al. (2016)

Figure 1. Survey participants. (A) Interviews; (B) Backgrounds of questionnaire participants; (C) Affiliations of questionnaire participants. Some questionnaire participants provided multiple backgrounds and affiliations. Other backgrounds include: university, non-profit organizations, and local community businesses.

Figure 2. Sea Ice for Walrus Outlook (SIWO) observer communities in the northern Bering Sea and southern Chukchi Sea regions in Alaska (n = 7).

Figure 3. (A) Value of information provided in the SIWO, n = 34; (B) Concern for the accuracy of NWS information, n = 32; (C) helpfulness of information provided in the SIWO, n = 34; (D) Challenges impeding access to the SIWO (n = 30).

Table 2. Some insights into the information and supporting processes for providing climate services in a rapidly changing environment.

Information	Supporting processes
Local Observations, including: (1) written and photo observations; (2) observations provided from within and from nearby communities; and (3) observations provided throughout the season	Community-based monitoring networks that are supported through equitable engagement and compensation
Scientific observations and forecasts, including: (1) simple and easy to read graphics that are annotated; (2) data on multiple environmental features (e.g. wind, sea ice, temperature, currents); (3) observations and forecasts	Partnerships, including federal agencies and trusted science communicators
Ongoing feedback	Evaluation

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Data availability statement

Data supporting the research findings are not available due to privacy and ethical considerations. Participants of this research did not give consent that their individual responses would be shared publicly. Questions may be directed to the University of Alaska Fairbanks, Institutional Review Board, Office of Research Integrity at [email protected].