A number of research projects during the current International Polar Year are using the traditional knowledge of the indigenous peoples of the Arctic as well as sociological studies of these societies in conjunction with research in the natural sciences on climate variability and change. With climate change rapidly altering the face of the Arctic, it is particularly important to document indigenous knowledge while it is still available. The inherent knowledge of snow and snow conditions that reindeer herding communities have accumulated over the centuries can be of great value to researchers studying snow and ice conditions in these regions.

In the IPY EALÁT project (n°399), researchers are examining reindeer herding societies and how they are coping with climate change while gathering some useful insights from them. The study focuses on two of the largest reindeer herding societies in the world: the Sámi, who hail from northern Scandinavia, and the Nenets, who inhabit the tundra of northern Russia. Named after the Sámi word meaning "pasture," the project consists of seven work packages that will be completed between 2007 and 2011.

In its article "The IPY EALÁT Project: Studying How Indigenous People Adapt to Climate Change in the Arctic", which includes commentary from those involved in the project, SciencePoles has a closer look at one of the more interesting and unique IPY research programmes.