Community-based Observing of Nunatsiavut coastal Ocean Circulation (CONOC)Atlases

The Community-based Observing of Nunatsiavut coastal Ocean Circulation (CONOC) project was initiated in 2018 with the aim to increase understandings of coastal oceanography in Nunatsiavut. A primary goal the project was to record local, Labrador Inuit knowledge as well as to measure the ocean with oceanographic instruments. Participatory mapping workshops were held in Rigolet and Hopedale in 2019 and in Nain, Makkovik, and Postville in 2021 which mapped and recorded local knowledge of the ocean and ice around each community. While this research will help the Nunatsiavut Government and Inuit Community Governments with planning for future change, it is also important that the results support other community identified values such as intergenerational knowledge transfer. The CONOC Atlases knowledge mobilization project aimed to support this through creating unique travel booklets for Rigolet, Hopedale, Nain, Makkovik, and Postville including maps and travel safety advice that was shared during the participatory mapping workshops in each community. The booklets were designed for a local rather than a research audience and include both English and Inuktitut translations. This enables knowledge mobilization in a visual, creative and accessible format that is of relevance to Labrador Inuit. The booklets aim to support intergenerational knowledge transfer within the community and throughout the region by sharing knowledge of local travel routes, sea ice, and ocean features and advice on safe travel in the region.