March 12, 2009 -- Adding to the woes of polar ice-melt and shrinking glaciers, erosion rates have doubled along a stretch of the northern Alaska coast in the last 50 years, according to recent research. Most of that erosion has happened in just the last few years. See the signs of climate change in Alaska in this video. The study area, which borders the Beaufort Sea east of Barrow, is a unique place that doesn't necessarily reflect the pace of change throughout the Arctic. But warming trends are most likely to blame for the rapidly crumbling coastline and the drastic ecosystem changes that follow. And what's happening along the shores of the Beaufort Sea might hint at what's to come in the rest of the Arctic, where a slower pace of erosion is harder to measure but equally important, said lead researcher Benjamin Jones, a geographer with the United States Geological Survey in Anchorage, Alaska. "It's an extreme case," Jones said. "We can learn a lot from extreme cases." Related Content:
The region is extreme in many ways. Instead of beaches, the Alaskan Beaufort coast consists of icy bluffs that dangle over the water. There are no islands off shore, so strong, storm-driven waves can batter the bluffs and chip away at sediment-filled blocks of ice. And as soon as one block falls, water seeps in to chip away at the next block. All of this coastline bashing happens during the three or four months a year when the sea is ice-free. In 2007, USGS geologist John Mars and colleagues used remote sensing data to measure the accelerating rate of erosion in the region, but the resolution of their images was low. To get a better sense of just how fast the coast was retreating, Jones and his team collected both old and new aerial photos of a 60-kilometer (37-mile) stretch of coastline. The images provided a much higher level of detail. Get More NewsSpiders, Scorpions Among World's Oldest CreaturesMany creepy crawlies have been on Earth much longer than previously believed.Blood-Sucking Vampire Bats Sing DuetsWhite-winged vampire bats "harmonize" with separated roost mates.Oldest Hebrew Writing Possibly FoundAncient inscriptions on a 3,000-year-old pottery shard could make history.Rare, Prehistoric-Age Reptile Found in N.Z.A tuatara has been spotted on the New Zealand mainland for the first time in 200 years.Iceman Has No Living RelativesOetzi, the 5,300 year-old frozen mummy, left no living genetic legacy.SLIDE SHOW: Landscapes of TerrorWhat makes a place feel scary? There are scientific explanations.It's Official: People Are Warming the PolesHumans are conclusively to blame for polar warming, say scientists.Eight-Armed Animal Preceded DinosaursWhat may be one of Earth's first animals was no bigger than a coaster and had eight arms.Phoenicians Live on in People's GenesOne in 17 Mediterranean men may be descended from ancient Phoenicians.Pesticides, Fertilizers Linked to Frog DeclineA pesticide is found to promote parasites among amphibians.Hubble Telescope Taking Photos AgainThe Hubble Space Telescope is once again snapping stunning photos of the universe.Andean Mummy Hairs Show Hallucinogen UseScientists find direct evidence of hallucinogenic drug use among ancient Andeans.Opals on Mars Reveal Planet's Long Wet PastOpals found on Mars suggest the planet has been wet for much longer. |
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