This region extends from the us border in the south to the arctic ocean in the north. When you go to canadian arctic, in particular the beaufort sea, we see changes in a summer, in a month, sometimes even in a day, during coastal storms says dustin whalen of natural resources canada. In situ c records the duration of exposure during the. Nevertheless, erosion on a local scale may still be a major threat to archaeological sites, such as fort conger on northern ellesmere island in canada, iita in northwest greenland and herjolfnes in south greenland, where the remains of a norse settlement are threatened by coastal erosion dawson et al. An arctic coastal erosion process or mechanism is distinct from a non arctic erosion process due to the importance of thermal processes in addition to mechanical ones. Geology and assessment of undiscovered oil and gas resources.
Bonsnes this paper discusses sediment yield, sediment delivery and processes of erosion in rivers subject to high arctic conditions in svalbard. The canadian arctic rift system is a branch of the midatlantic ridge that extends 4,800 km 3,000 mi into the north american continent. Pdf limited icesheet erosion and complex exposure histories. This booklet is devoted to the tectonic map of the arctic temar that has been compiled under the international project atlas of geological maps of the circumpolar arctic in scale 1. The efficacy of erosion by high arctic glaciers remains poorly understood. At the laptev sea, eastern siberian arctic, the historical mean coastal erosion rate is estimated at 0. Talk of climate change impact often focuses on the future 10, 20 or 50 years ahead. Erosion causing island in canadas north to disappear youtube. Timelapse series of coastal bluff erosion along the arctic coast at drew point, beaufort sea, alaska. Coastlines of svalbard, greenland and the canadian archipelago are less. The yukon coastal plain, located in the western canadian arctic, is characterized by the occurrence of icerich. Arctic coasts to erosion, inundation, and damage to settle ments and.
The case of nunavut, canada james ford,1 tristan pearce, 2 barry smit,2 johanna wandel, mishak allurut,3 kik shappa,3. In 2014, our research covered those topics, both as fundamental and applied research at many key sites across the arctic, particularly in southern baffin island iqaluit airport, on bylot island thermo erosion and. The arctic and northern policy framework is a profound change of direction for the government of canada. Arctic erosion control along transportation routes in northern climates frederic b. Reproduced with the permission of the minister of public works. The synthesis papers address biogeochemical export from rivers holmes et al. Efficient glacial erosion is an important assumption for ce dating studies but may be hampered where ice sheets are coldbased. Coastal erosion of permafrost soils along the yukon coastal. Pdf erosion and floodingthreats to coastal infrastructure in the. Discordant cosmogenic nuclide exposure ages derived from be, al, and c extracted from quartz in rocky summits along the eastern rim of the central baffin island plateau provide constraints on the efficiency of erosion by the laurentide ice sheet lis and on the timing and duration of icefree conditions in the eastern canadian arctic. Coastal erosion of permafrost soils along the yukon. Couture1,2, anna irrgang 3,4, wayne pollard2, hugues lantuit, and michael fritz3 1geological survey of canada, natural resources canada, ottawa, ontario, canada, 2department of geography, mcgill. The arctic tundra is at the northern extremity of north america, europe and asia.
Coastal erosion in the canadian arctic that is among the highest in the world releases terrestrial organic carbon stored in icerich permafrost into the arctic ocean, which fosters the feedback mechanisms between carbon cycle and climate. Instability of coastal landscapes in arctic communities. Coastal erosion variability at the southern laptev sea. Report to congress department of defense arctic strategy. Reducing individual costs of permafrost thaw damage in canada. When you go to canadian arctic, in particular the beaufort sea, we see changes in a summer, in a month, sometimes even in a day, during coastal storms says dustin whalen of. Introduction considerable conflict has arisen concerning glacial erosion rates and the origin of till in various parts of the world.
Sequence stratigraphy, biotic change, 87sr86sr record. Coastal erosion in the arctic intensifies global warming. The communitys future in now uncertain due to rising sea levels and coastal erosion. Arctic residents are faced with rapidly changing conditions that challenge health, safety, and cultural practices. Jan 25, 2017 the canadian government is putting some resources into measuring the rate of coastal erosion in the arctic. For too long, canada s arctic and northern residents, especially indigenous people, have not had access to the same services, opportunities, and standards of living as those enjoyed by other canadians. For instance, dustin whalen, a physical scientist with natural resources canada, has been using an aerial drone to take photos of the changing beaufort sea coastline. Pdf the arctic coastal erosion problem researchgate. Pdf climate change and the deteriorating archaeological and.
On the one hand, they can elect to build on the rudimentary beginnings of an international cooperative regime. The arctic is warming and melting at an alarming rateat least twice as fast as in the rest of the world. Stratigraphic constraints on late pleistocene glacial erosion. The canadian arctic tundra is a biogeographic designation for northern canada s terrain generally lying north of the tree line or boreal forest, that corresponds with the scandinavian alpine tundra to the east and the siberian arctic tundra to the west inside the circumpolar tundra belt of the northern hemisphere. Jun 11, 2019 0 0 drone surveys involved in the observation and study of extreme erosion of arctic coastlines in a changing climate reveal erosion of up to a metre a day.
The head of small flowers can be seen in late summer. Although the arctic comprises onethird of the global coastline and has some of the fastest eroding coasts, current tools for quantifying permafrost erosion are unable to. Interagency arctic research policy committee report on the arctic observing network. Climate change in the arctic and boreal region is unfolding faster than anywhere else on earth. It spans most of the eastern coast of nunavut with high. Stratigraphic constraints on late pleistocene glacial erosion and deglaciation of the chukchi margin, arctic ocean volume 67 issue 2 leonid polyak, dennis a. A new international study has concluded that canada s arctic coastline. Geology and assessment of undiscovered oil and gas resources of the franklinian shelf province, arctic canada and north greenland, 2008 by marilyn e.
Reducing vulnerability to climate change in the arctic. Russia and canada claim the right to regulate arctic waters in excess of the authority permitted under international law. The canadian arctic and north and its people are safe, secure and welldefended. The arctic coastal erosion problem technical report. Coastal erosion rates exceeding 20 meters per year are. The trans canada highway bridge at beaver river, glacier national park. Coastal erosion of permafrost soils along the yukon coastal plain and fluxes of organic carbon to the canadian beaufort sea nicole j. Arctic boreal vulnerability experiment above the arctic boreal vulnerability experiment above iis a nasa terrestrial ecology program field campaign that will take place in alaska and western canada between 2016 and 2021. It makes up the southern parts of manitoba and saskatchewan, almost all of alberta and the western part of the northwest territories. Black carbon pollution from canada is harming the arctic environment and ecosystems upon which indigenous arctic athabaskan peoples depend for their lives, livelihoods, and culture. Many nations, beyond the eight arctic countries, are increasing their attention to, and investment in, arctic research and engagement to better understand and prepare for the consequences of these dramatic changes. Updated assessment of erosion rates on alaskas arctic coast. Application of 3d laser scanning to the preservation of fort conger, a historic polar research base on northern ellesmere island, arctic canada.
A case study from herschel island, yukon territory, canada. Glacial erosion at the fjord onset zone and implications. The arctic cordillera is a terrestrial ecozone in northern canada characterized by a vast, deeply dissected chain of mountain ranges extending along the northeastern flank of the canadian arctic archipelago from ellesmere island to the northeasternmost part of the labrador peninsula in northern labrador and northern quebec, canada. Nov 09, 2017 in arctic waters, caissons surround equipment below the waterline, protecting it from damage caused by drifting ice. Pdf, prevention and control measures for coastal erosion in.
Strengthened infrastructure that closes gaps with other regions of canada. Introduction the beaver river is incising the bank near the eastern abutment of the bridge of the trans canada highway the implications of this potentially include a wash. The primary challenge is the erosion of the riverbank. Drones capture erosion of permafrost coastline in canadian arctic. The widespread occurrence of permafrost in northern climates dictates the use of specialized measures to protect the. Canada interior basins province, arctic canada, 2008 by marilyn e. The northwest canada interior basins province is bounded by the mackenzie and richardson mountains on the southwest and west, by the eskimo lakes arch on the northwest, and by the erosional limit of paleozoic strata on the east. Arctic alaska coastal erosion rates among worst in u. Canada s arctic tundra 2 layer, which is soil that goes through a freezeandthaw cycle annually.
A probabilistic model of coastal blufftop erosion in high. It lies within the far northwest part of the paleozoic continent of laurentia. Cirque glacier erosion rates and characteristics of. The sverdrup basin province, an area of 515,000 square kilometers on the northern margin of north america, extends 1,300 kilometers across the canadian arctic islands from near the mackenzie delta to northern ellesmere island. Feb 01, 2019 the remote town of barrow, alaska, home to more than 4,000 people, touts picturesque views of the arctic ocean as well as an unparalleled connection to the alaskan wild, but underneath its stunning beauty lies a major global crisis permafrost coastal erosion causing barrow to gradually slip into the sea. Erosion causing island in canadas north to disappear. Comparing comparing the the last fifty fifty years years of. Arctic alaska the arctic alaska erosion report, about five years in the making, is comprehensive and part of a national usgs program measuring longterm rates of shoreline loss. The canadian arctic tundra is a biogeographic designation for northern canada s terrain generally lying north of the tree line or boreal forest, that corresponds with the scandinavian alpine tundra to the east and the siberian arctic tundra to the west inside the circumpolar tundra belt of the northern hemisphere canada s northern territories encompass a total area of 2,600,000 km 2. Highlights the average annual land surface air temperature north of 60 n for october 2019september 2020 was the second. Field observations of arctic coastal erosion are available. The arctic coastal erosion problem sandia national laboratories.
The erosion taking place on pelly island in canada s north may be the most dramatic in the country, but it is happening all along coastlines and is having a. The widespread occurrence of permafrost in northern climates dictates the use of specialized measures to protect the terrain from adverse impacts associated with the construction of transportation facilities. Furthermore, these communities have limited access to electrical grids and bear oppressive energy costs relying on diesel generators. Arctic vegetation plots in northern nwt and yt, canada. Mar 04, 2021 thawing permafrost affects residents across the arctic region, especially those in canada, the united states, russia, and greenland. Arctic permafrost might contain sleeping giant of worlds carbon emissions. Positive erosion trends have been observed for highlyvariable geomorphic conditions across the entire arctic, suggesting a major humantimescale shift in coastal landscape evolution. In the arctic this a selfguided nature trail canada. In the arctic, where climate change is melting permafrost and causing major shoreline erosion, remote communities in alaska and northern canada are particularly vulnerable. The validity of the efficient glacial erosion assumption must be considered when applying ce dating in arctic glacial landscapes. Plain and fluxes of organic carbon to the canadian. The interior plains in canada are often called the prairies. Northwestern manitoba this photograph, taken in northwestern manitoba, shows an aerial view of gravel ridges that mark the location of crevasses in the ice sheet that once covered the canadian shield. Aug 31, 2019 the communitys future in now uncertain due to rising sea levels and coastal erosion.
Each ridge is about 3 metres high and 10 metres wide. Erosion and floodingthreats to coastal infrastructure in. Nevertheless, the channelling of ice streams down preglacial fluvial valleys presumably caused selective linear. Arctic coastal erosion research group home facebook. A major goal of the arctic coastal dynamics project was to develop circum arctic estimates of the coastal. Erosion and floodingthreats to coastal infrastructure in the. Severe coastal erosion will be a growing problem as rising sea levels and a. Its clustered leaves resemble its near relative the azalea. Coastal erosion and fluxes of dissolved organic carbon from. Another solution could be the creation of a mechanism that translates the latest in permafrost research into accessible language to individuals. Erosion control along transportation routes in northern. Finkellimited icesheet erosion and complex exposure histories derived from in situ cosmogenic 10 be, 26 al and 14 c on baffin island, arctic canada quaternary geochronology, 1 2006, pp. Canadas marine coasts in a changing climate ouranos.
The effect of changing sea ice on the physical vulnerability of arctic. Longterm measurements reveal large variations between rivers and from year to year in each individual river. Geological survey of canada, photograph number 2001079. Erosion control along transportation routes in northern climates. Ignoring repression and dirty tricks in coverage of ecuadors election. It consists of an intracratonic late paleozoic to early cenozoic riftsag basin and a mesozoic rift shoulder that bounds it on the north. The american and canadian coastlines exhibit the highest erosion rates throughout. Soft erosion prevention measures, which include both beach nourishment and. It is an incipient structure that diminishes in degree of development northwestward, bifurcates at the head of baffin bay and disappears into the arctic archipelago. Hugues lantuit 2008 arctic change erosion in russia and canada. Coper is a scientific programme, funded by the helmholtz association and the alfred wegener institute, assessing the pace and nature of.
Built in vancouver, the caissons could be floated and towed offshore and then secured with sand ballast. Nov 12, 2015 arctic coastal infrastructure and cultural and archeological sites are increasingly vulnerable to erosion and flooding due to amplified warming of the arctic, sea level rise, lengthening of open water periods, and a predicted increase in frequency of major storms. Climate risk could be pooled between these countries. Atlantic, arctic and pacificcanadas coasts, the longest in the world, are. Rapid erosion contributed to the 4 kmthick, pliocenepleistocene iperk sequence and a 23fold increase in sedimentation rates relative to the early and middle miocene. Erosion and sediment transport in high arctic rivers, svalbard. Rising temperatures and sea levels have put the community at risk. The sustained transformation to a warmer, less frozen and biologically changed arctic remains clear extreme warm air temperatures in the eurasian arctic illustrate significant regionwide effects of yeartoyear variability and connections across the arctic environment. Glacial erosion at the fjord onset zone and implications for. During early paleozoic time, it was part of a passive margin formed when the. Permafrost and climate change in northern coastal canada. Below this layer is the permafrost, which stays permanently frozen. Application of 3d laser scanning to the preservation of fort. Geology and assessment of undiscovered oil and gas.
Mitigating these hazards necessitates decisionmaking tools at an appropriate scale. Little erosion is predicted by a theoretical, maximum ice cover over the queen elizabeth islands, arctic canada, because much of the ice was coldbased reference sugden sugden, 1978. Pdf arctic coastal infrastructure and cultural and archeological sites. Arctic foreign policy en final global affairs canada. A case study from herschel island, yukon territory, canada, estuaries and coasts, 2016, pp. Stlaurent makes its way through the ice in baffin bay, thursday, july 10, 2008.
An international team of researchers led by the university of edinburgh flew dronemounted cameras over a section of permafrost coastline on herschel island, also known as. Russia requires foreign vessels to obtain permission, embark russian ice pilots, and serve under escort of russian icebreakers before entering the northern sea route nsr. Later in cretaceous time, clastic strata derived from cordilleran uplifts to the southwest began to prograde north, ending with eventual laramide. Sea ice cover and sealevel rise are key determinants of coastal erosion rates. But in the arctic, the erosion of coastline can sometimes be measured from one day to another. Flooding land use and stream management clearing of river bank vegetation river straightening rapid flow drop after flooding saturation of banks from nonriver sources redirection and acceleration around infrastructure or debris in the channel intense rainfall events. Canada has a rich history in the north, and canada s sovereignty is the foundation for realizing the full potential of canada s north, including its human dimension. The interior plains are made up of sedimentary rock. The rulesbased international order in the arctic responds effectively to new challenges and opportunities.
Canada s arctic feels impact of climate change as coastline disappears into the sea. A subsequent period of inactivity and erosion persisted until sedimentation resumed as the opening of the canada basin initiated an early cretaceous marine transgression over much of the region. Canada and the other arctic states face a developing set of choices in responding to the new realities of the arctic. Breaking barriers to renewable energy production in the north. Recent observations show rates of arctic coastal erosion are increasing.
When a big storm hit tuktoyaktuk on august 4, beaufort drive the communitys main drag was bustling with activity late into the night. Hamlets shoreline erosion a warning to rest of canada s north. Impacts on the residents of the circumpolar arctic region. Glacial erosion of a high arctic valley journal of. With little fanfare, canada quietly launches new arctic. This would mean that all arctic countries canada included would need to scale. Typical seasonal variation of the flow of water in the mackenzie river, arctic council owens et al. Increasing arctic coastal erosion rates have put critical infrastructure and native communities at risk while also mobilizing ancient organic carbon into modern carbon cycles.
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