Shishmaref has been at the forefront of media attention for some time in regards to the community battling the erosion that has been working on the barrier island on which the community was built. Although there has been archaeological evidence of habitation for thousands of years, only family groups inhabited the island until the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) built a school to educate the younger population of the area. People would bring their children from all up and down the coast to get their children a Western education.
Southerly winds create the greatest problems for the Seward Peninsula in the effect of storm surge. The Chukchi Sea coast is relatively unaffected by lunar tides. The direction of the wind causes greater variability of water depth here on the Northern Seward Peninsula as strong southerly winds push water from the Bering Sea up through the Bering Strait into the Chukchi Sea. One recent fall storm recorded an 8 foot storm surge.
By using SwathViewer I was recently able to measure an approximate loss of 700 feet of the shoreline in Shishmaref by comparing a USGS topographic map to recent satellite images. Many houses have been relocated and at least one has been left to the mercy of the Arctic Ocean.
The process of the greatest erosion here is the following: 1) strong southerly winds bring storm surge, 2) waves take loose soil along the shoreline up to the permafrost (which was insulated by the loose soil), 3) exposed permafrost is undercut and left to melt leaving loose soil to be eroded, etc...
In the past late storms did not affect the area as it does today because the sea ice buffered the wave action. I was told by an elder Clarence Tocktoo that the sea ice used to form in late October. In the past 10 years, the sea ice has not been forming until December. Storms in November, that wouldn't have had much impact historically, can now erode the coastline unbuffered by sea ice.
As the ice has been forming later, it does not have as long to thicken. This has a more profound effect on spring subsistence hunting for bearded seal and walrus, which hang around ice floes. The sea ice breaks up as through a combination of forces. As the ice melts a northerly current creates leads and south winds help to break up the shore-fast ice.
In 2007 the Spring ice conditions were not safe for hunters to pull boats across the shore-fast ice out to the open water, it was thin and rotten. The hunters had to wait until the shore fast ice broke up. By that time the bearded seals and walrus had migrated further up the coast making it more difficult and expensive for families to fill their subsistence needs of seal and walrus.
As soon as I learn how to imbed images into this post I will do so.
International Arctic Research Center
FORUMS FOR ARCTIC CLIMATE AND RESEARCH