Rapid retreat of permafrost coastline observed with aerial drone photogrammetry
Permafrost landscapes are changing around the Arctic in response to climate warming, with coastal erosion being one of the most prominent and hazardous features. Using drone platforms, satellite images, and historic aerial photographs, we observed the rapid retreat of a permafrost coastline on Qikiq...
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Copernicus Publications
2019
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Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-1513-2019 https://doaj.org/article/19fee0a1d6d6456b969f8ffe3b784a97 |
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ftdoajarticles:oai:doaj.org/article:19fee0a1d6d6456b969f8ffe3b784a97 2023-05-15T15:02:14+02:00 Rapid retreat of permafrost coastline observed with aerial drone photogrammetry A. M. Cunliffe G. Tanski B. Radosavljevic W. F. Palmer T. Sachs H. Lantuit J. T. Kerby I. H. Myers-Smith 2019-05-01T00:00:00Z https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-1513-2019 https://doaj.org/article/19fee0a1d6d6456b969f8ffe3b784a97 EN eng Copernicus Publications https://www.the-cryosphere.net/13/1513/2019/tc-13-1513-2019.pdf https://doaj.org/toc/1994-0416 https://doaj.org/toc/1994-0424 doi:10.5194/tc-13-1513-2019 1994-0416 1994-0424 https://doaj.org/article/19fee0a1d6d6456b969f8ffe3b784a97 The Cryosphere, Vol 13, Pp 1513-1528 (2019) Environmental sciences GE1-350 Geology QE1-996.5 article 2019 ftdoajarticles https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-1513-2019 2022-12-31T02:12:34Z Permafrost landscapes are changing around the Arctic in response to climate warming, with coastal erosion being one of the most prominent and hazardous features. Using drone platforms, satellite images, and historic aerial photographs, we observed the rapid retreat of a permafrost coastline on Qikiqtaruk – Herschel Island, Yukon Territory, in the Canadian Beaufort Sea. This coastline is adjacent to a gravel spit accommodating several culturally significant sites and is the logistical base for the Qikiqtaruk – Herschel Island Territorial Park operations. In this study we sought to (i) assess short-term coastal erosion dynamics over fine temporal resolution, (ii) evaluate short-term shoreline change in the context of long-term observations, and (iii) demonstrate the potential of low-cost lightweight unmanned aerial vehicles (“drones”) to inform coastline studies and management decisions. We resurveyed a 500 m permafrost coastal reach at high temporal frequency (seven surveys over 40 d in 2017). Intra-seasonal shoreline changes were related to meteorological and oceanographic variables to understand controls on intra-seasonal erosion patterns. To put our short-term observations into historical context, we combined our analysis of shoreline positions in 2016 and 2017 with historical observations from 1952, 1970, 2000, and 2011. In just the summer of 2017, we observed coastal retreat of 14.5 m, more than 6 times faster than the long-term average rate of 2.2±0.1 m a −1 (1952–2017). Coastline retreat rates exceeded 1.0±0.1 m d −1 over a single 4 d period. Over 40 d, we estimated removal of ca. 0.96 m 3 m −1 d −1 . These findings highlight the episodic nature of shoreline change and the important role of storm events, which are poorly understood along permafrost coastlines. We found drone surveys combined with image-based modelling yield fine spatial resolution and accurately geolocated observations that are highly suitable to observe intra-seasonal erosion dynamics in rapidly changing Arctic landscapes. Article in Journal/Newspaper Arctic Beaufort Sea Herschel Herschel Island permafrost The Cryosphere Yukon Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles Arctic Yukon Herschel Island ENVELOPE(-139.089,-139.089,69.583,69.583) Herschel Island Territorial Park ENVELOPE(-139.089,-139.089,69.583,69.583) The Cryosphere 13 5 1513 1528 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles |
op_collection_id |
ftdoajarticles |
language |
English |
topic |
Environmental sciences GE1-350 Geology QE1-996.5 |
spellingShingle |
Environmental sciences GE1-350 Geology QE1-996.5 A. M. Cunliffe G. Tanski B. Radosavljevic W. F. Palmer T. Sachs H. Lantuit J. T. Kerby I. H. Myers-Smith Rapid retreat of permafrost coastline observed with aerial drone photogrammetry |
topic_facet |
Environmental sciences GE1-350 Geology QE1-996.5 |
description |
Permafrost landscapes are changing around the Arctic in response to climate warming, with coastal erosion being one of the most prominent and hazardous features. Using drone platforms, satellite images, and historic aerial photographs, we observed the rapid retreat of a permafrost coastline on Qikiqtaruk – Herschel Island, Yukon Territory, in the Canadian Beaufort Sea. This coastline is adjacent to a gravel spit accommodating several culturally significant sites and is the logistical base for the Qikiqtaruk – Herschel Island Territorial Park operations. In this study we sought to (i) assess short-term coastal erosion dynamics over fine temporal resolution, (ii) evaluate short-term shoreline change in the context of long-term observations, and (iii) demonstrate the potential of low-cost lightweight unmanned aerial vehicles (“drones”) to inform coastline studies and management decisions. We resurveyed a 500 m permafrost coastal reach at high temporal frequency (seven surveys over 40 d in 2017). Intra-seasonal shoreline changes were related to meteorological and oceanographic variables to understand controls on intra-seasonal erosion patterns. To put our short-term observations into historical context, we combined our analysis of shoreline positions in 2016 and 2017 with historical observations from 1952, 1970, 2000, and 2011. In just the summer of 2017, we observed coastal retreat of 14.5 m, more than 6 times faster than the long-term average rate of 2.2±0.1 m a −1 (1952–2017). Coastline retreat rates exceeded 1.0±0.1 m d −1 over a single 4 d period. Over 40 d, we estimated removal of ca. 0.96 m 3 m −1 d −1 . These findings highlight the episodic nature of shoreline change and the important role of storm events, which are poorly understood along permafrost coastlines. We found drone surveys combined with image-based modelling yield fine spatial resolution and accurately geolocated observations that are highly suitable to observe intra-seasonal erosion dynamics in rapidly changing Arctic landscapes. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
A. M. Cunliffe G. Tanski B. Radosavljevic W. F. Palmer T. Sachs H. Lantuit J. T. Kerby I. H. Myers-Smith |
author_facet |
A. M. Cunliffe G. Tanski B. Radosavljevic W. F. Palmer T. Sachs H. Lantuit J. T. Kerby I. H. Myers-Smith |
author_sort |
A. M. Cunliffe |
title |
Rapid retreat of permafrost coastline observed with aerial drone photogrammetry |
title_short |
Rapid retreat of permafrost coastline observed with aerial drone photogrammetry |
title_full |
Rapid retreat of permafrost coastline observed with aerial drone photogrammetry |
title_fullStr |
Rapid retreat of permafrost coastline observed with aerial drone photogrammetry |
title_full_unstemmed |
Rapid retreat of permafrost coastline observed with aerial drone photogrammetry |
title_sort |
rapid retreat of permafrost coastline observed with aerial drone photogrammetry |
publisher |
Copernicus Publications |
publishDate |
2019 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-1513-2019 https://doaj.org/article/19fee0a1d6d6456b969f8ffe3b784a97 |
long_lat |
ENVELOPE(-139.089,-139.089,69.583,69.583) ENVELOPE(-139.089,-139.089,69.583,69.583) |
geographic |
Arctic Yukon Herschel Island Herschel Island Territorial Park |
geographic_facet |
Arctic Yukon Herschel Island Herschel Island Territorial Park |
genre |
Arctic Beaufort Sea Herschel Herschel Island permafrost The Cryosphere Yukon |
genre_facet |
Arctic Beaufort Sea Herschel Herschel Island permafrost The Cryosphere Yukon |
op_source |
The Cryosphere, Vol 13, Pp 1513-1528 (2019) |
op_relation |
https://www.the-cryosphere.net/13/1513/2019/tc-13-1513-2019.pdf https://doaj.org/toc/1994-0416 https://doaj.org/toc/1994-0424 doi:10.5194/tc-13-1513-2019 1994-0416 1994-0424 https://doaj.org/article/19fee0a1d6d6456b969f8ffe3b784a97 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-1513-2019 |
container_title |
The Cryosphere |
container_volume |
13 |
container_issue |
5 |
container_start_page |
1513 |
op_container_end_page |
1528 |
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1766334211765043200 |