. Social Sciences at the National Snow and Ice Data Center: ELOKA and the Indigenous Foods Knowledges Network

Abstract
Research in the social sciences is a significant endeavor at the National Snow and Ice Data Center. Two projects - the Exchange for Local Observations and Knowledge of the Arctic (ELOKA) and the Indigenous Foods Knowledges Network (IFKN) - focus on the human condition and challenges in relation to climate and environmental change. ELOKA fosters collaboration between resident Arctic experts and visiting researchers to facilitate the collection, preservation, exchange, and use of local observations and Indigenous Knowledge of the Arctic. IFKN connects Arctic and U.S. Southwest Indigenous communities facing food security challenges and considers ways to ethically share knowledge, with a focus on "what's working" as communities identify solutions and innovations. We encourage research scientists to consider local and Indigenous Knowledge as a complementary, reinforcing way of understanding environmental systems, and to recognize the necessary investments required (time, trust, capacity building, and funding) to support sustained research collaborations with Indigenous community partners.