An Analysis of Coastal Erosion Along the Chukchi Coast at Barrow, Alaska

Leanne R. Lestak, William F. Manley, James A. Maslanik, Amanda H. Lynch and Timothy Buckley

University of Colorado and Barrow High School

Photo provided by Alaska Division of Emergency Services

Introduction What we found Methods Some hypotheses Future work A close-up look at the photomaps

The focus of this NSF project Coastal change between 1948 and 1997 Community dynamics

September 1986 Storm

Photos from The Open LeadLeavitt house

What we found in Barrow

1997 Shoreline in Green 1948 Shoreline in Red

37 m

Methods

Orthorectified 1997 aerial photography

Mosaic photos together

Register 1948 photos to 1997 photos

Digitize shorelines and bluff bottoms

Analyze difference in shoreline locations

Horizontal accuracy ca. 3.5 m

Orthorectify 1997 photos

Graphic from NASA

Photo contains distortions Register photo to Map using GCPs

Graphic from Richard Burns, PLSCaltrans Geometronics

Register 1948 photos to 1997 photos Mosaic Photos Together

Digitize shorelines and bluff bottoms

Analyze difference in shoreline locations

Horizontal accuracy ca. 3.5 m

No erosion south of gravel pit

High erosion at bluffs in Barrow

Aggradation in Browerville

Erosion is not continuous, it’s episodic

Short-term erosion vs. long-term erosion, problems are different

Why is there no change

south of the gravel pit?

Bathymetry

• Geomorphology• Permafrost differences• Curve in coastline

• What do you think?

Future work

This data is yours (NSB, High School, BASC) This is a preliminary study We will have intervening photo years:

29 July 1949 14 Aug 1955 Summer 1962 14 July 1964 15 July 1979 Summer 2002 (Quickbird image)

QuickBird satellite imagery.

Radar Imagery

• 70 cm (2 ft) pixels for panchromatic imagery (Black and White)• 2.8 m (8 ft) pixels for multi-spectral imagery (Red, Blue, Green, and Near-InfraRed bands)• 4 of 5 scenes successfully acquired Aug. 1 and 2• Fifth scene acquired before Aug. 31, pending cloud-free conditions

Preliminary “Browse Image” from Aug. 1, Barrow and Chukchi coast.

Preliminary close-up of buildings on Gas Well Road (70-cm resolution panchromatic image).

Future work

Study will extend up to Point Barrow Is this study reasonable? What else should we look at?

Let’s have a look at the

photo maps