Coastal Erosion Rates along the Chukchi Sea Coast near Barrow, Alaska

Abstract

Coastal cliff retreat along the Chukchi Sea coast from Barrow to Peard Bay is determined by comparison of 1949 and 1976 vertical aerial photographs. Results indicate that the cliffed coast line had a mean long-term retreat rate of 0.31 m/yr. This retreat is considerably lower than reported for the Beaufort Sea coast and suggests that offshore permafrost along the Chukchi Sea coast may be relatively scarce. Cliff retreat is lowest near Barrow, about 0.06 m/yr, and increases to the south. Migratory offshore bars, beach-borrow activity, and variations in annual wave energy levels due to storms cause temporal variation in the coastal erosion rates.