The rate of coastal erosion more than doubled in Alaska—to as much as 45 feet per year—within the 52-year period between 1955 and 2007 along a 37-mile stretch of the Beaufort Sea, with ice-rich coastal bluffs showing the greatest increase in recent erosion rates.

A study led by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Alaska Science Center reveals that average annual erosion rates along this part of the Beaufort Sea—north of a large lake named Teshekpuk and about 100 mi west-northwest of Prudhoe Bay—climbed from historical levels of about 20 feet per year between the mid-1950s and late-1970s, to 28 feet per year between the late-1970s and early 2000s, to 45 feet per year between 2002 and 2007. Spatial patterns of erosion have become more uniform across shorelines with different degrees of ice richness. Until 2002, erosion rates were highest on shorelines with relatively low ground-ice content; but from 2002 to 2007, the greatest increase in erosion rates occurred for ice-rich terrain, suggesting a fundamental shift in the dominant processes driving and resisting erosion. The scientists propose that the shifts in the rate and pattern of land loss along this segment of coastline are likely the result of changing Arctic conditions, including declining sea-ice extent, increasing summertime sea-surface temperature, rising sea level, and increases in storm power and corresponding wave action.

Download Original

Download Changepair Left Image Original
Download Changepair Right Image Original

Related Links
USGS Alaska Science Center - Coastal Erosion on Alaska's North Slope

Sound Waves Newsletter - Erosion Doubles Along Part of Alaska's Arctic Coast

 Changes Over Time RSS Feed

Return to Home Page