Arctic Bluff Retreat and Inundation Hazards due to a Changing Global Climate
USGS is collecting and analyzing regional data to describe coastal erosion trends along Alaska's North Slope. A focused study is being conducted along the shoreline of Barter Island in the Beaufort Sea. A related project, National Shoreline Assessment Project, quantifies shoreline change rates along the entire North Slope and west coasts of Alaska.Abstract
The USGS is collecting and analyzing regional data to describe coastal erosion trends along Alaska's North Slope. A focused study is being conducted along the shoreline Barter Island in the Beaufort Sea. The work aims to assess the potential for changing bluff erosion rates. A major goal of the work is to improve upon the understanding of the nearshore processes and how they may change in response to climate change; this is being done through collection and analyses of field data and development of numerical models to simulate changes in the wave climate and nearshore processes under the influence of hypothetical climate change scenarios. To support this effort, field data is collected nearly annually (since 2011). Shoereline retreat rates have been shown to vary substantially across the North Slope. Hypothesis have been put forward as to the underlying reason for the variation in the recession rates; this project investigates details of forcing and resisting mechanisms that drive the changes.
Products
| Title | Type |
|---|---|
| Arctic Bluff Retreat and Inundation of an Ecologically Sensitive Barrier Island System | Project Website |
Contacts
Erikson, Li , 831-460-7563Status: onGoing
Start Year: 2011
End Year: 2019