Erosion and carbon release along the eastern permafrost coastline of Parry Peninsula between 1965 and 2020, (Amundsen Gulf, Canada)
In the recent context of fast and unprecedented warming of the Arctic region, Arctic Indigenous communities are impacted through a modification of their lands from coastline retreat and flooding events.
Arctic permafrost coasts are increasingly affected by storms, waves, and sea-level rise mainly due increasing soil and sea-surface temperatures and decreasing sea-ice extent.
We measured coastline erosion over the eastern coast of Parry Peninsula, which is the home of the Inuvaluit settlement of Paulatuk and the Anguniaqvia Niqiqyuam Marine Protected Area, by comparing historical aerial photos and new satellite imagery.
Read this open access paper on the Arctic Science website.
The results reveal that the coast is generally slowly retreating due to its dominant rocky composition, and sheltered exposure. However, we identified 4 major sites where erosion is faster, up to 5 m/yr.
Erosion is accelerating and have been multiply by 2 along the western tundra coast of Paulatuk in the recent decades.
These fast retreating coastlines are characterized by unstable cliffs rich in organic carbon, when released into the adjacent coastal waters can potentially affect the distribution of fish and whales populations, a vital resource for the Inuvaluit.
The study of coastline changes is necessary in order to prevent and mitigate risks which are facing local Indigenous communities.
Read the paper — Shoreline change rates and land to sea sediment and soil organic carbon transfer in eastern Parry Peninsula from 1965 to 2020 (Amundsen Gulf, Canada) by Rodrigue Tanguy, Dustin Whalen, Gonçalo Prates, and Gonçalo Vieira
