Progress report for project modeling Arctic barrier island-lagoon system response to projected Arctic warming

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Abstract

Changes in Arctic coastal ecosystems in response to global warming may be some of the most severe on the planet. A better understanding and analysis of the rates at which these changes are expected to occur over the coming decades is crucial in order to delineate high-priority areas that are likely to be affected by climate changes. In this study we investigate the likelihood of changes to habitat-supporting barrier island – lagoon systems in response to projected changes in atmospheric and oceanographic forcing associated with Arctic warming. To better understand the relative importance of processes responsible for the current and future coastal landscape, key parameters related to increasing arctic temperatures are investigated and used to establish boundary conditions for models that simulate barrier island migration and inundation of deltaic deposits and low-lying tundra. The modeling effort investigates the dominance and relative importance of physical processes shaping the modern Arctic coastline as well as decadal responses due to projected conditions out to the year 2100.

Study Area

Publication type Report
Publication Subtype Other Report
Title Progress report for project modeling Arctic barrier island-lagoon system response to projected Arctic warming
Year Published 2012
Language English
Publisher Arctic Landscape Conservation Cooperative (ALCC)
Contributing office(s) Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center
Description 23 p.
Country United States
State Alaska
Other Geospatial North Slope of Alaska
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