| Title | Coastal changes in the Arctic |
| |
| Author | Overduin, P P; Strzelecki, M C; Grigoriev, M N; Couture, N ; Lantuit, H; St-Hilaire-Gravel, D; Günther, F; Wetterich, S |
| Source | Sedimentary coastal zones from high to low latitudes: similarities and differences; by Martini, I P (ed.); Wanless, H R (ed.); Geological Society, Special Publication 388, 2014 p. 1-28, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP388.13 |
| Image |  |
| Year | 2014 |
| Alt Series | Earth Sciences Sector, Contribution Series 20150385 |
| Publisher | Geological Society of London |
| Document | serial |
| Lang. | English |
| Media | paper; on-line; digital |
| File format | pdf |
| Province | Northwest Territories; Nunavut; Yukon; Northern offshore region |
| NTS | 16; 25; 26; 27; 28; 29; 35; 36; 37; 38; 39; 45; 46; 47; 48; 49; 55; 56; 57; 58; 59; 65; 66; 67; 68; 69; 75; 76; 77; 78; 79; 85; 86; 87; 88; 89; 95; 96; 97; 98; 99; 105; 106; 107; 115; 116; 117 |
| Area | Arctic; Canada; United States of America; Russian Federation; Greenland |
| Lat/Long WENS | -180.0000 180.0000 90.0000 60.0000 |
| Subjects | surficial geology/geomorphology; marine geology; Nature and Environment; coastal environment; coastal studies; coastal management; permafrost; ground ice; freezing ground; ground temperatures; climate,
arctic; arctic geology; climatic fluctuations; climate |
| Illustrations | location maps; tables; photographs; plots |
| Program | Climate Change Geoscience Coastal Infrastructure |
| Released | 2014 02 12 |
| Abstract | The Arctic's climate system is changing: air temperatures, major river discharges and open water season length have increased, and storm intensities and tracks are changing. Thirteen quantitative
studies of the rates of coastline position change throughout the Arctic show that recently observed changes have not increased coastal erosion rates, which currently range between 0 and 2 m/yr when averaged for the arctic shelf seas. Current data is
probably insufficient, both spatially and temporally, however, to capture change at decadal to sub-decadal time scales. In this context, we describe the current understanding of arctic coastal geomorphodynamics with an emphasis on erosional regimes
of coasts with ice-rich sedimentary deposits in the Laptev, East Siberian and Beaufort seas, where local coastal erosion can reach 30 m/yr. We also examine coasts with lithified (rocky) substrates where geomorphodynamics are intensified by rapid
glacial retreat. Coastlines of Svalbard, Greenland, and the Canadian Archipelago are less frequently studied than ice-rich continental coasts of North America and Siberia and studies often focus on coastal sections composed of unlithified material.
As air temperature and sea ice duration and extent change, longer thaw and wave seasons will intensify coastal dynamics in the Arctic. |
| Summary | (Plain Language Summary, not published)
The Arctic's climate system is changing: there have been increases in air temperatures, the discharge of major rivers, and the length of the open-water
season, as well as changes in storminess. Thirteen studies of erosion throughout the Arctic show that the rates of coastal erosion (between 0 and 2 m/yr) have not increased as a result of these changes, but current data is probably insufficient,
both spatially and temporally, to capture change at decadal or shorter time scales. This article describes our current understanding of the dynamics of arctic coasts, with an emphasis on ice-rich coasts in the Laptev, East Siberian and Beaufort seas,
where local coastal erosion can reach 30 m/yr. We also examine rocky coasts of Svalbard, Greenland, and the Canadian Archipelago, where the dynamics are intensified by rapid glacial retreat. As air temperature and sea ice change, longer thaw and open
water seasons will intensify coastal dynamics in the Arctic. |
| GEOSCAN ID | 297500 |
|
|