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Ninth International Conference on Permafrost ... - IARC Research

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Ni n t h In t e r n at i o n a l Co n f e r e n c e o n Pe r m a f r o s tFigure 2. Bluff accreti<strong>on</strong> and erosi<strong>on</strong> during the “Late” period from approx. 1980 to 2003, in m/yr.for three “timeslices”: approx. 1950, approx. 1980, and 2003(Manley et al. 2007). Spatial analysis of bluff retreat wasc<strong>on</strong>ducted for selected areas near the m<strong>on</strong>itoring sites usingthe USGS DSAS extensi<strong>on</strong> to ArcGIS (Thieler et al. 2005).Results indicate that the GIS-based measurements haveacceptably low errors (+/- 0.1 m/yr or better).Transects with 20 m spacing reveal high spatial variabilityrelated to coastal morphologies and processes (Figs. 1, 2).A comparis<strong>on</strong> of the two time intervals suggests temporalvariability also. For example, bluff erosi<strong>on</strong> rates appear tohave decreased after 1980 for the north-facing coast of BeringLand Bridge Nati<strong>on</strong>al Park (BELA), while increasing after1980 for the west-facing coast of Cape Krusenstern Nati<strong>on</strong>alM<strong>on</strong>ument (CAKR). In general, most of the >600 km-l<strong>on</strong>gcoast from Wales to Kivalina has experienced erosi<strong>on</strong> in thepast five decades, with l<strong>on</strong>g-term average rates of 0 to -3 m/yr. Direct impacts include beach and bluff retreat, overwashdepositi<strong>on</strong>, migrati<strong>on</strong> or closure of inlets and lago<strong>on</strong>s, captureof thaw-lake basins, and release of sediment and organiccarb<strong>on</strong> to nearshore waters. Higher temporal resoluti<strong>on</strong> isneeded, but the coastal ecosystems in the regi<strong>on</strong> appear tobe sensitive to the frequency and intensity of storm events,increasing temperatures, permafrost melting, sea-level rise,and the increasing length of the summer ice-free seas<strong>on</strong>.ReferencesJorgens<strong>on</strong>, M.T. & Brown, J. 2005. Classificati<strong>on</strong> of theAlaskan Beaufort Sea Coast and estimati<strong>on</strong> of carb<strong>on</strong>and sediment inputs from coastal erosi<strong>on</strong>. GeomarineLetters 25: 69-80.Manley, W.F., Parrish, E.G., Sanz<strong>on</strong>e, D.M. & Lestak, L.R.2007. High-Resoluti<strong>on</strong> Orthorectified Imagery forthe Coastal Areas of Bering Land Bridge NP (BELA)and Cape Krusenstern NM (CAKR). NorthwestAlaska, Fairbanks, AK: Nati<strong>on</strong>al Park Service, ArcticNetwork I & M Program. Digital Media.Mars, J.C. & Houseknecht, D.W. 2007. Quantitative remotesensing study indicates doubling of coastal erosi<strong>on</strong>in past 50 yr al<strong>on</strong>g a segment of the Arctic coast ofAlaska. Geology 35: 583-586.Solom<strong>on</strong>, S.M. 2005. Spatial and temporal variability ofshoreline change in the Beaufort-Mackenzie regi<strong>on</strong>,northwest territories, Canada. Geomarine Letters 25:127-137.Thieler, E.R., Himmelstoss, E.A., Zichichi, J.L. & Miller,T.L. 2005. Digital Shoreline Analysis System (DSAS)versi<strong>on</strong> 3.0: An ArcGIS extensi<strong>on</strong> for calculatingshoreline change. U.S. Geological Survey Open-fileReport 2005-1304.200

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