. >> reporter: marie rexford is a witness to the changes wrought by rising temperatures. >> good attraction for all the tourists. to us they're a nuisance. they can smell your good food anywhere. they have broken down our door to our cellars. >> reporter: for centuries residents stored the whales they hunted in the permafrost, a natural underground freezer. >> most of the ice cellars filled up with water, and it's hard to keep them going. >> you used to have natural ice cellars. >> yeah, yeah. >> that have now melted? >> they washed out. erosion got all of them. they're all gone. >> and now you've got containers. >> reporter: relying on the earth for sustenance is something the people of kaktovik need to do because even though there is a grocery store here, that doesn't mean groceries are accessible for everyone. >> $21 for a bottle of lotion. everywhere you look prices are about three times. $34 for conditioner. it's tough. the prices are a lot higher. >> how challenging is it to keep your store stocked here on barter island? >> the planes are fully loaded with tourists and they're not bri