Sea level rise in Kowanyama Qld “When that whole ocean comes and rises up, where are we going to go?” ponders Inherkowinginambana, a Kunjen elder from Kowanyama, a coastal Aboriginal community in tropical Queensland, Australia. “Every year it (the tide) comes in, it goes a bit further up….once it hits the swamps, that will kill all the plant life, and the waterways,” adds an Aboriginal ranger who works with local elders to protect Aboriginal country and culture. These tidal changes are not unique to Australia. Historically, scientists have documented a wide fluctuation in sea level rise. So how does climatic warming lead to sea level change? Research has shown that thermal expansion of sea water is the leading contributor to sea level change. As the temperature increases, the ocean warms, causing water to expand and the sea level to rise; similar to what happens when bottled water is left out in the heat. The Kowanyama people The delicate balance between saltwater and freshwater has nurtured life in this arid land. Links
Walking on Country With Spirits Located on the eastern shore of Australia’s tropical north, Shipton’s Flat is home to Marilyn, a Kuku Nyungkal Aboriginal woman, and her family. She has been living here the ancestral way — far removed from the services and conveniences of modern life. Like her ancestors before her, Marilyn walks through the Nyungkal bubu, the Nyungkal’s country, acknowledging and conversing with the spirit beings around her. She greets the spirit of the flowing stream that provides her family with freshwater, the spirits of her mother, father and grandparents that cared for the country before her, the spirits of her ancestors that have been formed into rocks, and the spirits of the trees and animal life around her that lend shade and sustenance. A change in the weather Marilyn has observed that the seasons are getting hotter. Marilyn feels that the “country is transforming, food is disappearing. What does it mean? “There will be nothing left because it is getting hotter,” Marilyn worries. What should we do?
Mapping - Contour Education