Climate change eroding Alaska coast at accelerating rate

By Tim Bradner
Alaska Journal of Commerce Coastal erosion isn’t the only climate-related problem confronting rural communities. Health officials now are concerned about food and water safety in northern villages as warming temperatures thaw ice cellars and melting permafrost increases the organic content in rivers, creating problems in village water treatment plants. As for erosion, it isn’t yet being tracked in a widespread, systematic way. But it appears to be accelerating in places where it is documented. A few years ago, the Beaufort Sea was cutting about 10 meters a year into the shoreline in Cape Halkett, in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska. That has recently doubled to 50 meters a year in certain places. Increased erosion is presenting problems within the petroleum reserve. Erosion has the potential to expose old oil and gas drill sites and reserve pits, where contaminants are stored. Farther east, near the producing oil fields in the Prudhoe Bay area, production pads, pipelines and utility lines have been installed near the shoreline. There are other changes: Barrier islands along the Beaufort Sea coast have always moved: gravel islands are pushed by waves and wind. Those islands are moving faster now. Narwhal Island, a small barrier island near Prudhoe Bay is being tracked by University of Alaska scientists, and is currently moving about 25 meters a year. That’s up from the previous pace of 4 meters a year. …

 Climate change eroding coast at accelerating rate, scientists find via Apocadocs