Changing Wave Dynamics in Arctic Alaska
The Arctic coast of Alaska is defined and shaped by ice—and, increasingly, waves. New studies from USGS researchers and collaborators examine how wind-wave patterns in Arctic Alaska are shifting due to climate change, transforming coastlines, and potentially creating economic opportunities.
When sea ice forms each winter, it protects Arctic coastlines from wave-driven erosion. It also provides habitat for wildlife such as seals, walruses, polar bears, and Arctic foxes, and enables fast winter transportation for people in the Arctic. Additionally, sea ice reflects solar radiation, keeping the sea surface cooler.
Warmer temperatures in the Arctic are diminishing the duration and extent of winter sea ice, leading to longer periods of ice-free conditions that expose coasts to increasingly powerful storms and waves, hastening erosion. As sea ice diminishes, more solar radiation is absorbed by dark open water, further fueling the warming trend.
Previous research in the Beaufort Sea region of Arctic Alaska has found that larger ice-free areas, which persist longer into the fall, allow wind to amplify waves, creating higher sea states. These new studies rigorously quantify how wave patterns vary within the near- and inshore regions of the central Alaska Beaufort Sea and across different seasons, simulating wave conditions over a 41-year period. Their results suggest that, over this hindcast period, wave heights and wave power increased significantly, with serious implications for coastal erosion in the region.
“Coastal erosion impacts nearly every aspect of life in Arctic Alaska,” said Li Erikson, USGS Research Oceanographer and co-author of the new studies. “If the trend continues, energy and community infrastructure near the coast could be at risk. Many Alaska Natives rely on subsistence harvesting, which might also be impacted as coastal ecosystems change.”
“Our ultimate goal with this research is to provide communities the scientific support they need to plan for their future,” said Erikson. “As sea ice recedes in the Beaufort Sea, there is much interest in the opening of shipping passageways for the international transport of goods. Effectively, the loss of sea ice represents a shift both in the natural environment and the economic environment. For those living on the Beaufort Sea coast, this shift brings many negative impacts but also may provide new economic opportunities, and our intent is that this research serves multiple interests whilst incorporating potential changes in planning for the future.”
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