Seven Decades of Coastal Change at Barter Island
Coastal Change in Arctic Alaska
Coastal Change in Alaska
Why USGS scientists are studying Alaska's coasts, and what we've learned
Physical features of a changing Arctic
Collapsing bluffs, salt-killed tundra, and drained thermokarst lakes on Pingok Island
The Arctic region is warming faster than anywhere else in the nation. Understanding the rates and causes of coastal change in Alaska is needed to identify and mitigate hazards that might affect people and animals that call Alaska home.
During research trips near the tiny village of Wainwright on Alaska’s North Slope, USGS scientist Li Erikson has encountered native in-ground cellars along the bluff’s edge. Alaska natives have called this rugged region of frozen tundra home for generations, yet modern conveniences such as sewage lines and grocery stores are not found in many areas this far north. So for years the indigenous people have used their naturally cold surroundings to their advantage—instead of modern refrigeration, they dig holes in the permafrost about 10 feet deep and 5 feet long to preserve the food that sustains them. However, as the permafrost thaws and coastal erosion increases, some of these natural iceboxes are beginning to disappear.
Issue
Alaska’s North Slope is home to the Iñupiat people, their archeological sites, and food resources that have sustained them for millennia. This area is a major migratory path for several bird species and other important Department of Interior trust species, such as polar bears. Prudhoe Bay is at the center of oil and gas production in Alaska and the site of numerous exploration wells and pipelines, which are at risk from spills, leaks, and inundation. Sandbags and shore protection structures have been emplaced to protect land and infrastructure in many of the villages and oil and gas production facilities. For example, on Barter Island, the airport runway is being relocated to higher ground to escape increased flooding and erosion by storm waves.
Although Alaska’s north coast experiences both erosion and accretion, it is predominantly erosional, retreating on average about 1.4 meters per year; very high rates of erosion—up to 20 meters per year—occur along some sections of coast, such as Drew Point, Alaska. The numerous low-lying barrier islands—which provide habitat for nesting birds, buffer wave energy reaching the mainland coast, and regulate salt and freshwater exchange in the lagoons—are extremely mobile and experience high rates of both erosion and accretion.
Ocean pack ice borders the coast from October to July and normally protects the barrier islands and mainland coast against winter storm flooding and erosion. The ice now forms later than in previous years, thus lengthening the ice-free period. Delayed formation of sea ice raises the potential for damage to the coast from storms arriving later in the season. It’s still uncertain whether these late storms are increasing in intensity.
In addition, the tundra typically has an upper active layer, which is the zone above the permafrost that thaws in summer and refreezes in winter. The active layer appears to be thickening in some regions each year; exactly where and why this is happening is unknown, but it may be linked to why the bluffs are failing. The release of large amounts of carbon and methane associated with permafrost degradation is also of concern.
Human adaptation to these changes is also difficult. Though major infrastructure in villages can be moved, relocation comes at great cost and with some concern that new sites might also be at risk from future erosion. Gathering baseline data on Alaska’s changing shoreline and the forces that are driving change can help scientists develop models of a future shoreline. This research can help government officials protect villages, mitigate threats to oil and gas infrastructure, and manage habitat for endangered and threatened species.
What the USGS is doing
The USGS team aims to determine the dominant forces causing beach and bluff erosion. To do this, they are modeling sea-level rise combined with projected storm activity to create maps of likely inundation—the first 21st-century flood maps of the area. They are examining the physical characteristics of the bluffs, the beach, and the nearby seafloor. Physical measurements collected in the field are vital to feed into models to understand how this wild landscape is evolving.
To quantify bluff erosion, scientists map the bluff edges using portable GPS units. After collecting samples of sediment on the beach and seafloor, the scientists measure its composition and grain size to help them model how waves and currents transport sediment. To monitor permafrost temperatures, scientists drill holes into the permafrost to place temperature sensors, or thermistor arrays. They also measure the thickness of the active layer. Resistivity instruments placed in the ground can be used to calculate how much of the ground is resistant to electrical conductivity. As ice does not conduct electricity, these measurements will indicate the presence of ice and fluctuations of the permafrost thickness. Knowing how the depth of the active layer varies throughout the summer warming period can help the team determine if this dynamic makes bluffs more susceptible to failure. In addition, collecting soil samples helps USGS microbiologists assess the role of microbes in the changing tundra.
To gain an initial understanding of the landscape where they would be working, the team flew the coast in 2006 and 2009 to collect 7,800 digital photographs and about 20 hours of continuous video along an 800-kilometer stretch of coast from Cape Sabine, Alaska, to the U.S.–Canada border. This effort was part of the USGS National Assessment of Shoreline Change project, designed to document and evaluate beach erosion along U.S. open-ocean shorelines. In Alaska, historical data on shoreline positions and coastal elevation are limited. Whereas records date back 150 years for most of the United States, Alaska’s historical shoreline maps, where they exist, go back only to the 1940s. It is extremely challenging to assess shoreline changes based on a paucity of data, in a region undergoing complex changes to ice cover, land subsidence, and shoreline position.
Using digitized historical maps from the 1940s and aerial and satellite imagery from the 2000s, the team calculated shoreline-change rates every 50 meters, which divided the coastline into nearly 27,000 sections. Airborne lidar surveys were collected between Icy Cape and the U.S.–Canada border (a stretch of coast about the length of California) over the course of four years in cooperation with the Arctic Landscape Conservation Cooperative and the Bureau of Land Management. The team incorporated these elevation data into a data set that can be used to define the shoreline position at the time of collection (2009–2012), and will help inform models of coastal inundation and hazards.
These data and present-day elevation and shoreline maps are a starting point for monitoring future changes to Alaska’s landscape. Additionally, several time-lapse cameras around the island capture terrain and coastal changes. Watch multiple-month time-lapse videos of Barter Island’s north coast, with examples of slumping bluffs:
Getting people and gear to this remote region with limited amenities requires creative planning, and often requires help from partner agencies already established there, such as the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service which has a permanent facility in Kaktovik. The team also engaged the community (the city of Kaktovik, the Kaktovik Iñupiat Corporation, and local residents) through outreach on USGS research activities.
Though vital and exciting frontier work, Arctic research does have its challenges—whether it’s walking on unstable bluffs in the fog, discovering fresh bear tracks following researchers’ footprints, or returning to a building to find a fire has destroyed much of the scientific gear. Transit into and out of Barter Island is often delayed due to inclement weather closing the small airstrip.
What the USGS has learned
Alaska’s north coast is predominantly erosional, averaging a loss of 1.4 meters a year. Along a much smaller stretch (60 kilometers) of this coastline (approximately box 6 in map below), USGS found that average annual erosion rates doubled from historical levels of about 20 feet per year between the mid-1950s and late-1970s, to 45 feet per year between 2002 and 2007. The study along that stretch of the Beaufort Sea also verified the disappearance of cultural and historical sites, including Esook, a hundred-year-old trading post now underwater on the Beaufort Sea floor, and Kolovik (Qalluvik), an abandoned Iñupiaq village site that may soon be lost.
The change in erosion rates is likely the result of several changing Arctic conditions, including declining sea-ice extent, increasing summertime sea-surface temperature, rising sea level, and possible increases in storm power and corresponding wave action. More long-term work is needed to understand the interplay of these factors and how they drive changes in coastal erosion.
This research is part of the USGS project titled, “Coastal Climate Impacts.”
Explore other research topics associated with this project, below.
Coastal Climate Impacts
The Arctic region is warming faster than anywhere else in the nation. Understanding the rates and causes of coastal change in Alaska is needed to identify and mitigate hazards that might affect people and animals that call Alaska home.
During research trips near the tiny village of Wainwright on Alaska’s North Slope, USGS scientist Li Erikson has encountered native in-ground cellars along the bluff’s edge. Alaska natives have called this rugged region of frozen tundra home for generations, yet modern conveniences such as sewage lines and grocery stores are not found in many areas this far north. So for years the indigenous people have used their naturally cold surroundings to their advantage—instead of modern refrigeration, they dig holes in the permafrost about 10 feet deep and 5 feet long to preserve the food that sustains them. However, as the permafrost thaws and coastal erosion increases, some of these natural iceboxes are beginning to disappear.
Issue
Alaska’s North Slope is home to the Iñupiat people, their archeological sites, and food resources that have sustained them for millennia. This area is a major migratory path for several bird species and other important Department of Interior trust species, such as polar bears. Prudhoe Bay is at the center of oil and gas production in Alaska and the site of numerous exploration wells and pipelines, which are at risk from spills, leaks, and inundation. Sandbags and shore protection structures have been emplaced to protect land and infrastructure in many of the villages and oil and gas production facilities. For example, on Barter Island, the airport runway is being relocated to higher ground to escape increased flooding and erosion by storm waves.
Although Alaska’s north coast experiences both erosion and accretion, it is predominantly erosional, retreating on average about 1.4 meters per year; very high rates of erosion—up to 20 meters per year—occur along some sections of coast, such as Drew Point, Alaska. The numerous low-lying barrier islands—which provide habitat for nesting birds, buffer wave energy reaching the mainland coast, and regulate salt and freshwater exchange in the lagoons—are extremely mobile and experience high rates of both erosion and accretion.
Ocean pack ice borders the coast from October to July and normally protects the barrier islands and mainland coast against winter storm flooding and erosion. The ice now forms later than in previous years, thus lengthening the ice-free period. Delayed formation of sea ice raises the potential for damage to the coast from storms arriving later in the season. It’s still uncertain whether these late storms are increasing in intensity.
In addition, the tundra typically has an upper active layer, which is the zone above the permafrost that thaws in summer and refreezes in winter. The active layer appears to be thickening in some regions each year; exactly where and why this is happening is unknown, but it may be linked to why the bluffs are failing. The release of large amounts of carbon and methane associated with permafrost degradation is also of concern.
Human adaptation to these changes is also difficult. Though major infrastructure in villages can be moved, relocation comes at great cost and with some concern that new sites might also be at risk from future erosion. Gathering baseline data on Alaska’s changing shoreline and the forces that are driving change can help scientists develop models of a future shoreline. This research can help government officials protect villages, mitigate threats to oil and gas infrastructure, and manage habitat for endangered and threatened species.
What the USGS is doing
The USGS team aims to determine the dominant forces causing beach and bluff erosion. To do this, they are modeling sea-level rise combined with projected storm activity to create maps of likely inundation—the first 21st-century flood maps of the area. They are examining the physical characteristics of the bluffs, the beach, and the nearby seafloor. Physical measurements collected in the field are vital to feed into models to understand how this wild landscape is evolving.
To quantify bluff erosion, scientists map the bluff edges using portable GPS units. After collecting samples of sediment on the beach and seafloor, the scientists measure its composition and grain size to help them model how waves and currents transport sediment. To monitor permafrost temperatures, scientists drill holes into the permafrost to place temperature sensors, or thermistor arrays. They also measure the thickness of the active layer. Resistivity instruments placed in the ground can be used to calculate how much of the ground is resistant to electrical conductivity. As ice does not conduct electricity, these measurements will indicate the presence of ice and fluctuations of the permafrost thickness. Knowing how the depth of the active layer varies throughout the summer warming period can help the team determine if this dynamic makes bluffs more susceptible to failure. In addition, collecting soil samples helps USGS microbiologists assess the role of microbes in the changing tundra.
To gain an initial understanding of the landscape where they would be working, the team flew the coast in 2006 and 2009 to collect 7,800 digital photographs and about 20 hours of continuous video along an 800-kilometer stretch of coast from Cape Sabine, Alaska, to the U.S.–Canada border. This effort was part of the USGS National Assessment of Shoreline Change project, designed to document and evaluate beach erosion along U.S. open-ocean shorelines. In Alaska, historical data on shoreline positions and coastal elevation are limited. Whereas records date back 150 years for most of the United States, Alaska’s historical shoreline maps, where they exist, go back only to the 1940s. It is extremely challenging to assess shoreline changes based on a paucity of data, in a region undergoing complex changes to ice cover, land subsidence, and shoreline position.
Using digitized historical maps from the 1940s and aerial and satellite imagery from the 2000s, the team calculated shoreline-change rates every 50 meters, which divided the coastline into nearly 27,000 sections. Airborne lidar surveys were collected between Icy Cape and the U.S.–Canada border (a stretch of coast about the length of California) over the course of four years in cooperation with the Arctic Landscape Conservation Cooperative and the Bureau of Land Management. The team incorporated these elevation data into a data set that can be used to define the shoreline position at the time of collection (2009–2012), and will help inform models of coastal inundation and hazards.
These data and present-day elevation and shoreline maps are a starting point for monitoring future changes to Alaska’s landscape. Additionally, several time-lapse cameras around the island capture terrain and coastal changes. Watch multiple-month time-lapse videos of Barter Island’s north coast, with examples of slumping bluffs:
Getting people and gear to this remote region with limited amenities requires creative planning, and often requires help from partner agencies already established there, such as the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service which has a permanent facility in Kaktovik. The team also engaged the community (the city of Kaktovik, the Kaktovik Iñupiat Corporation, and local residents) through outreach on USGS research activities.
Though vital and exciting frontier work, Arctic research does have its challenges—whether it’s walking on unstable bluffs in the fog, discovering fresh bear tracks following researchers’ footprints, or returning to a building to find a fire has destroyed much of the scientific gear. Transit into and out of Barter Island is often delayed due to inclement weather closing the small airstrip.
What the USGS has learned
Alaska’s north coast is predominantly erosional, averaging a loss of 1.4 meters a year. Along a much smaller stretch (60 kilometers) of this coastline (approximately box 6 in map below), USGS found that average annual erosion rates doubled from historical levels of about 20 feet per year between the mid-1950s and late-1970s, to 45 feet per year between 2002 and 2007. The study along that stretch of the Beaufort Sea also verified the disappearance of cultural and historical sites, including Esook, a hundred-year-old trading post now underwater on the Beaufort Sea floor, and Kolovik (Qalluvik), an abandoned Iñupiaq village site that may soon be lost.
The change in erosion rates is likely the result of several changing Arctic conditions, including declining sea-ice extent, increasing summertime sea-surface temperature, rising sea level, and possible increases in storm power and corresponding wave action. More long-term work is needed to understand the interplay of these factors and how they drive changes in coastal erosion.
This research is part of the USGS project titled, “Coastal Climate Impacts.”
Explore other research topics associated with this project, below.