Story Map »Shore Erosion«: Slide 2
Erosion Rates of Arctic Coastlines
The historical mean rate of shoreline erosion in the Arctic is 0.5 meters (1.6 feet) per year (from about 1950 to 2011). However, erosion rates vary widely across regions. ? ?
Arctic Coastal Dynamics Database
A dataset compiled by researchers reveals significant spatial variability in coastal erosion rates. Certain areas, such as the Canadian Beaufort Sea, the US Beaufort Sea in Alaska, and the Laptev and East Siberian Seas in Russia, experience medium to high erosion rates, ranging from 1 to 10 meters (3 to 33 feet) per year. In contrast, other Arctic coastlines, including parts of Svalbard, Greenland, and coastal regions in Canada, Alaska, and Russia, exhibit stable shorelines or only slow erosion, ranging from 0 to 1 meter (0 to 3 feet) per year. ?
Below are examples of areas with varying erosion rates. Click on the headings to zoom in on a specific area and view its average erosion rate. You can also access this information by clicking on the map markers.
Drew Point, Beaufort Sea, Alaska
Shore erosion rate: approx. 17.2 meters (56 feet) per year ?
See also our example for Drew Point in the “At a glance” section of the start page. Here, you can find photo and a video from the Alaska ShoreZone Mapping Website.
Lena Delta, northern shore of Sobo-Sise Island, Laptev Sea, Russia
Shore erosion rate: up to 20 meters (65 feet) per year ?
See also the next slide for more detailed information of shore erosion in this region.
Pelly Island Beaufort-Mackenzie region, Beaufort Sea, Canada
Shore erosion rate: approx. 20 meters (65 feet) per year ?
Yukon Coastal Plain, Beaufort Sea, Canada
Shore erosion rate: 1.3 meters (4.3 feet) per year (regional average)
Diomede Islands, Bering Land Bridge, Chukchi Sea, Russia / Alaska
Shore erosion rate: 0.68 meters (2.2 feet) per year (regional average)
Cape Kruzenstern, Chukchi Sea, Alaska
Shore erosion rate: 0.13 meters (0.4 feet) per year (regional average)
Calypsostranda, Greenland Sea, Svalbard
Shore erosion rate: 0.1 meters (0.3 feet) per year (the change data has artifacts in this area)
Novaya Zemlya, Barents Sea, Russia
Shore erosion rate: 0 meters (0 feet) per year (regional average)
Further reading
Jones B. et al. (2020): Coastal Permafrost Erosion. 2020 Arctic Report Card. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). DOI: https://doi.org/10.25923/e47w-dw52
