Arctic Coastal Erosion Threats to Indigenous Communities of Eastern Chukotka (Bering Strait): Physical Causes and Social Consequences.

Maslakov, A.A.; Shabanov, P.A.; Shabanova, N.N.; Baranskaya, A.V., 2024. Arctic coastal erosion threats to indigenous communities of Eastern Chukotka (Bering Strait): Physical causes and social consequences. In: Phillips, M.R.; Al-Naemi, S., and Duarte, C.M. (eds.), Coastlines under Global Change: Proceedings from the International Coastal Symposium (ICS) 2024 (Doha, Qatar). Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue No. 113, pp. 1036-1040. Charlotte (North Carolina), ISSN 0749-0208. The Bering Strait is the region of compact settlement of indigenous peoples of the North – Chukchi, Eskimo (Yupiks and Inupiats), Kereks, etc. Traditional lifestyle of the locals is closely related with hunting on marine mammals and fishing, therefore all communities in the region are confined to the contemporary coastline. Such phenomena are typical for the whole Bering Strait region including Eastern Chukchi Peninsula, Western Alaska, and Aleutian islands. Recent global climate change has the greatest effect on the Arctic, where air temperature has been increasing three times higher than the world average for the last 60 years. Air warming causes sea ice extent shrinking that has negative effect on coastal environments' stability. The Bering Strait communities experience conditions when both previously stable coasts shift to erosion, and erosional coast sections show accelerated retreat. Fall storms cause the most damage to coastal infrastructure and households. In our study we estimated hydrometeorological forcing to coastal zone via presented wind-wave energy potential. In 1980-2023 this parameter had been growing in 2 times that explains the intensified coastal erosion in this region. Local authorities struggle with negative consequences of this phenomenon by installing coastal protection facilities, but their effectiveness is low because of hard logistics and moderate financial resources. The experience from the American side of the Bering Strait shows that deteriorating conditions in the coastal zone finally led to coastal community relocation as it happened with Kivalina community in Alaska. Accelerated coastal erosion caused by sea ice extent decline threatens to many communities of the Arctic. This raises the problem to a global level. Therefore, joint scholar, governmental and indigenous collaboration is needed to develop strategy on mitigating negative consequences of climate change in the Arctic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]