Coastal Erosion

Project description: Alaska communities are experiencing erosion at a faster rate than in the past. Many communities are experiencing impacts as a result, some are being displaced. This project hosted by the State of Alaska Coastal Hazards Program and the University of Alaska Fairbanks, collects and maps observations about coastal erosion events and provides information about strategies to monitor coastal erosion at the community level. These observations are a signal of an environmental change, and potentially an active or emerging erosion problem. These observations provide an opportunity for communities to document these events, and for outreach on strategies for developing standardized monitoring systems.

Monitoring Guidance: There are few standardized erosion monitoring systems in Alaska. Most are in coastal communities, but some of the methods and strategies transfer easily to river and lake communities. Measuring the distance to an erosion feature, time-lapse cameras, using Emery Rods and probing the ground for erosion thaw zones are all strategies that can be used to help understand and measure erosion risk and extent.

State of Alaska Coastal Hazards Program at DGGS "is engaged in ongoing investigations that will expand our understanding of how the coastline has evolved and how it will respond to hazardous events and long-term changes." The Coastal Hazards Program is currently working with Alaska Sea Grant and the University of Alaska Fairbanks Geoscience Department to build capacity and share instruments and strategies for local monitoring of shoreline erosion and change. Monitoring stations are being established. A training in collaboration with the Bristol Bay Native Association was held in Dillingham, August 15 and 16, 2016. The approach involves installation of time lapse cameras along with precise GPS measurements of baseline shore conditions. A "Shoreline Monitoring Site Installation Guide" has been developed to provide guidance for establishing community based programs. Resources include a handout: "Measuring the Shoreline with Stakes and Time-Lapse Photography" and a report, Baseline Shoreline Assessment using Time-lapse Photography' and Emery Rods by Richard Buzard. Also available is a "Coastal Shoreline Measurements, Time-lapse Camera Data Sheet." For more information, contact Project Lead, Jacquelyn Overbeck.

Resources:

Alaska Coastal Profile Tool (ACPT) – "This interactive tool enables access to beach elevation profile measurements collected throughout Alaska since the 1960s. Users can explore profile measurements collected by DGGS and others as time-series plots and location-based images of the shoreface environment." Source: Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys

Alaska Shoreline Change Tool – "This interactive tool displays historic and predicted shoreline position throughout Alaska. Users can explore the coasts of the state to see where shoreline has been in the past, and where it will be in the future. Historic shoreline positions were determined by looking at aerial photographs and satellite imagery dating back to the 1950s. Using the Digital Shoreline Assessment Tool (DSAS), rates of shoreline change were calculated." Source: Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys

Alaska ShoreZone Coastal Mapping and Imagery – "The Alaska ShoreZone program goal is to collect aerial imagery and habitat map all of Alaska's coastline and to make the imagery and the data both "physically and intellectually" accessible to everyone." Source: NOAA Fisheries, Alaska Regional Office

Alaska Planning & Land Management - Community Profile Maps – "Maps for most of the state's small communities. The Planning & Land Management Section provides assistance, training, and resources to help communities with local and regional land management and planning efforts. Our goal is to develop local planning capacity, empower communities to chart their own futures, and help local residents address land management problems that may be obstacles to community and economic development." Source: State of Alaska Department of Commerce, Community, and Economic Development, Community and Regional Affairs

Alaska Baseline Erosion Assessment – "The report has been prepared with the intent of providing information to Federal, State, Tribal, and local decisionmakers that can assist them in making informed decisions about erosion issues in Alaska and in developing strategies and plans for addressing those issues." Source: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Alaska District - Study Findings and Technical Report

Sea Grant Research Alaska – Developing Long-Term Records of Sea Level Fluctuations and Barrier Beach Evolution to Enhance Understanding of Ongoing and Future Coastal Change, "Supporting some of the largest salmon runs, as well as globally important migratory bird populations, southwestern Alaska’s coastal systems are some of the most ecologically productive in the North Pacific. These areas and the Alaska Natives who depend on them are highly vulnerable to accelerated rates of sea-level rise associated with ongoing climate change." Source: Geoscience Department, University of Alaska Fairbanks

Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium – Community Camera Project, "This project uses time lapse cameras located in northern communities to monitor change over long time periods. Typically the cameras are mounted at sites selected by local partners, and the cameras take one image per day. The images are then compiled into videos that help to evaluate important local topics and environmental indicators, such as weather, seasonal change, infrastructure, vegetation, erosion, ice conditions and water level." See the Google camera location map for more detail.