1500, 500, and 450-year Sea Ice Models and Output Morphology Data, Colville River Delta, Alaska ...

• Main Authors: Cooper, Caroline, Eidam, Emily, Nienhuis, Jaap
• Format: Dataset
• Language: English
• Published: NSF Arctic Data Center 2023
• Subjects: Delta; Delft3D; Sediment; Ice; Geomorphology; Modeling; Arctic; Sea ice; Alaska
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.18739/a2xg9fc7g; https://arcticdata.io/catalog/view/doi:10.18739/A2XG9FC7G

In this study, we developed a 1D Delft3D-FLOW model to simulate the temporal development of the Colville River Delta, Alaska during the most active Arctic seasons: break-up/freshet (spring), open-water (summer), and freeze-up (fall). Simulations focused on the deltaic clinoform (i.e., the cross-sectional view of a delta) and used a floating barge structure to mimic the effects of sea ice on surface waters. Delft3D simulations were coupled with modules written in MATLAB and outputs were process in MATLAB. Arctic delta morphology is impacted by seasonal sea ice coverage which significantly limits wave and river influences and alters river-to-ocean sediment dispersal. However, our knowledge of the morphologic influences of ice on delta morphology is relatively limited. To assess the role of sea ice, our study used a model to explore long-term Arctic delta development under seasonal ice, river, and wave conditions. Delta developmental simulations (spanning 1500 years) included ice-free and ice-affected cases. ...