Reduced sea ice protection period increases storm exposure in Kivalina, Alaska

Arctic Science

article

Zhanpei Fang¹  Patrick T. Freeman²  Christopher B. Field³  Katharine J. Mach⁴ 

[1] Department of Physics, Stanford University;Department of Global Ecology, Carnegie Institution for Science;Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment, Stanford University;Department of Earth System Science, Stanford University

关键词: sea ice;    storms;    coastal erosion;    Arctic coastal zone;    Alaska.;   

DOI  :  10.1139/as-2017-0024

学科分类：地球科学(综合)

来源: NRC Research Press

【 摘 要 】

On Arctic coasts, erosion is limited by the presence of nearshore sea ice, which creates a protective barrier from storms. In Kivalina, an Alaskan Inupiaq Inuit community, decreasing seasonal sea ice extent and a lengthening of the open-water season may be resulting in fall storms that (1) generate higher, longer, and more destructive waves and (2) cause damage later in the year, resulting in increased flooding and erosion. We assess trends in the duration of nearshore sea ice and their relationship with storm occurrence over the period 1979–2015 in Kivalina. Analysis of passive microwave sea ice concentration data indicates that the open-water season has increased by 5.6 ± 1.2 days/decade over the last 37 years, with moderate evidence that it is extending further into the fall than into the spring. This is correlated with an increased reporting frequency of high-damage storms; 80% of reported storms since 1970 occurred in the last 15 years. Each high-damage storm event occurred during the open-water season for that year. Our findings support Kivalina villagers’ assertions that climate change increases storm exposure and associated damages from flooding and erosion.

【 授权许可】

CC BY