Warming Winters Increase Deadly Ice Hazards Across Northern Regions

Unpredictable ice conditions disrupt traditional hunting and travel for Indigenous communities, raising food security concerns

Mar. 17, 2026 at 1:40pm

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As winters warm across the Northern Hemisphere, falling through thinning and unpredictable ice has become more common and deadly, especially in Alaska. Elmer Brown, a 45-year-old Alaskan, recently died of hypothermia after falling through ice while hunting caribou, leaving behind five children. His story highlights the growing risks facing Indigenous communities whose traditional ways of life are being disrupted by climate change.

Why it matters

The warming climate is causing ice conditions to become increasingly unreliable, threatening the food security and traditional practices of Northern Indigenous communities who rely on frozen waterways for hunting, fishing, and travel. This is a growing public safety issue as unpredictable ice leads to more drownings and disrupts access to vital resources.

The details

Elmer Brown was following two friends on his four-wheeler last November, hunting caribou across a frozen channel in northern Alaska when the ice gave way. All three plunged into the frigid water, and one friend drowned. Brown later died of hypothermia, leaving behind five children. His brother Jimmy said Elmer "was always helping other people and sharing his catch with the elders." The friends had ventured onto the ice to hunt caribou, under pressure to make the most of shorter and less reliable hunting seasons due to climate change.

  • In November 2025, Elmer Brown fell through the ice while hunting caribou in northern Alaska.
  • Elmer Brown later died of hypothermia from the incident.

The players

Elmer Brown

A 45-year-old Alaskan man who died of hypothermia after falling through the ice while hunting caribou, leaving behind five children.

Jimmy Brown

Elmer Brown's brother, who is adjusting to life without Elmer and trying to support his niece through her senior year of high school.

Roswell Schaeffer

A 78-year-old Inupiaq man from Kotzebue, Alaska who is one of the few remaining seal hunters in the community, but worries the rising danger on the ice will cause the tradition to fade.

Alex Whiting

The environmental program director for the Native Village of Kotzebue, who says the climate-driven changes are creating difficult choices for the community as they struggle with food insecurity.

Andy Mahoney

A professor of sea ice geophysics at the University of Alaska Fairbanks who says the ice is "part of the annual pulse of the ecosystem" and that when it's no longer frozen for the majority of the year, "it all starts to fall apart."

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What they’re saying

“He was always helping other people and sharing his catch with the elders. It's been tough, not seeing him. I keep expecting him to walk in and tell me about his day.”

— Jimmy Brown, Elmer Brown's brother

“Each winter, it gets more and more dangerous to be out on the ice. Our native food is really key in terms of how we survive the Arctic. The ice is changing too much, and it's not going to slow down.”

— Roswell Schaeffer, Inupiaq seal hunter

“Every day that people can't go hunting or fishing is one more day of the year where the community is more food insecure, because a whole day of opportunity is lost.”

— Alex Whiting, Environmental program director, Native Village of Kotzebue

“The ice is part of the annual pulse of the ecosystem. The Arctic only works when it's frozen - that's why it's the Arctic. And when that isn't the case anymore, it all starts to fall apart.”

— Andy Mahoney, Professor of sea ice geophysics, University of Alaska Fairbanks

What’s next

The judge in Elmer Brown's case will decide on Tuesday whether or not to allow Walker Reed Quinn, the man accused of repeatedly vandalizing Waymo autonomous vehicles in San Francisco, out on bail.

The takeaway

The tragic death of Elmer Brown highlights the growing public safety crisis caused by climate change-driven reductions in reliable ice cover across the Northern Hemisphere. As winters warm, the risks of falling through the ice are becoming more common and deadly, especially for Indigenous communities whose traditional ways of life and food security are being severely disrupted.