A group of students in the United States is using NASA satellite data alongside centuries old Indigenous observations to measure how fast the Alaskan coastline is disappearing.
Where satellites and oral histories meet
The project brought together high school and college students with Indigenous elders and NASA scientists. The students analyzed satellite images of coastal Alaska and compared them with oral histories from local communities. The goal was to track shoreline changes over time. The students found that combining both sources of information gave them a more complete picture of erosion patterns than either method could provide alone.
Why local communities took part
Coastal erosion is a pressing issue in Alaska. Many villages sit on land that is crumbling into the sea. Permafrost thaw and stronger storms have accelerated the loss. For the Indigenous communities involved, the land is not just a place to live. It holds cultural and subsistence resources. The students worked with elders who recalled specific landmarks that had vanished or moved. Those memories helped the students calibrate what they saw in the satellite imagery. The project was part of a NASA science activation program designed to make space based data useful for people on the ground.
What the students discovered
The students documented erosion rates that varied widely from one stretch of coast to another. Some areas lost several meters of land per year. Others remained stable. The Indigenous knowledge helped explain why. Elders pointed out places where the ice used to form earlier in the season, protecting the shore. They also noted where changes in river flow had altered sediment deposits. The students learned that the satellite data showed what was happening, but the oral histories often revealed why.
This approach did not treat Indigenous knowledge as a supplement to Western science. It treated both as valid ways of knowing. The students presented their findings at a community gathering. Elders and scientists discussed the results together. The project did not claim to solve coastal erosion. It showed that listening to people who have watched the land for generations can make satellite data more meaningful.
