Extreme Shore Erosion

Observation: Much of the shore in Shishmaref is not protected by the sea wall. A combination of thawing and waves is causing the shore to erode quickly. The distance in the past year is about 60 feet of shore loss. Also lost are several subsistence camps and even some buildings, and parts of the dump road. The sewage lagoon could go at any time. We talked with residents who had lost their camps. Sharon Nayokpuk with the tribal council helped us to set up a time-lapse camera to measure the rate of bank loss. Hopefully, it will help Shishmaref to better track the rate of change.

Resources

Climate Change in the Bering Strait Region – "In 2008, the Army Corps of Engineers completed an erosion survey of 128 communities across Alaska. Most had river erosion, but 17% were affected by coastal erosion." Source: 2015 Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium