Sea ice loss enhances wave action at the Arctic coast
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Abstract
Erosion rates of permafrost coasts along the Beaufort Sea accelerated over the past 50 years synchronously with Arctic‐wide declines in sea ice extent, suggesting a causal relationship between the two. A fetch‐limited wave model driven by sea ice position and local wind data from northern Alaska indicates that the exposure of permafrost bluffs to seawater increased by a factor of 2.5 during 1979–2009. The duration of the open water season expanded from ∼45 days to ∼95 days. Open water expanded more rapidly toward the fall (∼0.92 day yr−1), when sea surface temperatures are cooler, than into the mid‐summer (∼0.71 days yr−1).Time‐lapse imagery demonstrates the relatively efficient erosive action of a single storm in August. Sea surface temperatures have already decreased significantly by fall, reducing the potential impact of thermal erosion due to fall season storm waves.
| Publication type | Article |
|---|---|
| Publication Subtype | Journal Article |
| Title | Sea ice loss enhances wave action at the Arctic coast |
| Series title | Geophysical Research Letters |
| DOI | 10.1029/2011GL048681 |
| Volume | 38 |
| Issue | 17 |
| Year Published | 2011 |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | American Geophysical Union |
| Contributing office(s) | Geosciences and Environmental Change Science Center |
| Description | L17503, 6 p. |
| Larger Work Title | Geophysical Research Letters |
| Google Analytic Metrics | Metrics page |