Reduced sea ice protection period increases storm exposure in Kivalina, Alaska

• Published in: Arctic Science
• Main Authors: Zhanpei Fang, Patrick T. Freeman, Christopher B. Field, Katharine J. Mach
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English; French
• Published: Canadian Science Publishing 2018
• Subjects: sea ice; storms; coastal erosion; arctic coastal zone; alaska; geo; envir; Arctic; Climate change; inuit; Inupiaq; Sea ice; Alaska
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.1139/as-2017-0024; https://doaj.org/article/d348c76e96354f3298bdff219d53ebb7

On Arctic coasts, erosion is limited by the presence of nearshore sea ice, which creates a protective barrier from storms. In Kivalina, an Alaskan Inupiaq Inuit community, decreasing seasonal sea ice extent and a lengthening of the open-water season may be resulting in fall storms that (1) generate higher, longer, and more destructive waves and (2) cause damage later in the year, resulting in increased flooding and erosion. We assess trends in the duration of nearshore sea ice and their relationship with storm occurrence over the period 1979–2015 in Kivalina. Analysis of passive microwave sea ice concentration data indicates that the open-water season has increased by 5.6 ± 1.2 days/decade over the last 37 years, with moderate evidence that it is extending further into the fall than into the spring. This is correlated with an increased reporting frequency of high-damage storms; 80% of reported storms since 1970 occurred in the last 15 years. Each high-damage storm event occurred during the open-water season for that year. Our findings support Kivalina villagers’ assertions that climate change increases storm exposure and associated damages from flooding and erosion.