“The changes I’ve seen on ice are that before 1962 the ice conditions were good those years. The ice condition changed after 1962. As a hunter, I started noticing that ice was starting to form very late. Around 1960 the ice used to form early. When it had formed the ice conditions were good those days, but after 1960’s even though the ice has formed, it was still not good to use. Those days the ice used to form completely during January. The ice at that time is completely formed as we can go just about everywhere to hunt/camp.

“Nowadays we are getting wind from everywhere. The winds are shifty and constantly changing their point of origin. The weather signs point towards a clear calm day, but the winds suddenly whips up and that is how it seems to operate in this day and age.” 

“The lakes and rivers are starting to get mushy earlier and they become impassable in only a few days. Even before the traditional time of ice melting, the ice is getting dangerous to traverse. The lakes have thinner ice and does not hang around. These days the ice melts earlier and becomes crystallized way earlier where you cannot stand on it.”

“It is very obvious that spring is a lot earlier than before. The month of April is one where I can cite an example of the changes, perhaps by many other Inuit. The month is generally used for the Toonik Time spring festivities. It was towards the end of the month when the festivities were held prior to the new century, but these last few years, due to earlier spring, the festivities have to be moved up by two weeks.”

“[I]n the winter, you used to see the ice fog that would form when it got really cold, past –40C. That is what does not occur as much. It used to be common from January and February. Whenever the wind dies down, the cold would produce ice fog. It never gets that cold in Iqaluit anymore, not for the long stretches that it used to.”

“[In] perhaps 1975, there was a lightning storm that I experienced for the first time further down the bay…nowadays, there are lightning storms every summer down the bay”

“It is getting more unpredictable as to what will happen; because the signs are misleading the Inuit who are used to weather that follows these signs.”

“I have noticed the changes and especially this last year. It has not really snowed at all this year. In that I mean a real snowstorm, and we have yet to experience a blizzard this winter. There are reports of blizzards on the radio, but that is only natiruviaq, a small blizzard, not a real one”

“The snow is really hard now. Although it would not seem to be hard, it would still be all drift snow. And, the snow crystals you would expect to find under this snow, pukajaaq, there seems to be no more occurrences anymore. Perhaps this is due to the wind. Although we find some crystals, they are not the same. Generally, you find them in areas where there is some wind, but also some protection. There is hardly any more pukajaaq snow” 

“Most of the areas that we use for our travel are not as useable and due to the lack of snow, they are not really navigable. It has really affected some of the hunters as the lack of snow is hindering the harvesters. Although we would want to go hunting inland, it was getting tiresome waiting for the snow to arrive so that we could use our snow machines to go hunting with. It was quite an unnerving experience especially since this is so unusual to not have snow on the ground for weeks at a time”