Controlling Arctic Coastal Erosion with Thermal and Mechanical Measures

Coastal erosion in the Arctic occurs due to both thermal and mechanical processes. On the Alaska Beaufort Sea coast and on much of the Chukchi Sea coast, the dominant coastal erosion mechanism is bluff face thaw/slump or thermal denudation. This erosion mechanism is a two-step process. In the first step, the bluff face thaws due to multiple heat fluxes and then slumps to the beach face. In the second step, storm surge events with their aggressive waves transport material offshore. This two-step sequence is repeated multiple times during the open water period. In this paper, using data from both Foggy Island Bay on the Alaska Beaufort Sea, we develop a process-based model of bluff face thaw/slump erosion and validate calculations with observations. Secondly, using the same model, we explore and integrate thermal and mechanical approaches to slowing coastal erosion.