Coastal Observers of Barrow Community-Based Monitors

Many coastal communities on the west and north coast of Alaska are threatened by coastal hazards (erosion, storm surge, permafrost thaw, sea ice loss) and that vulnerability is increasing as the environment changes with rapid warming. Using thermal sensors for thaw, an Argus camera system for wave dynamics, and survey instruments for erosion, Community-Based Monitors measure 9 beach profiles over time to determine changes from these hazards in collaboration with the North Slope Borough Office of Emergency Management (NSB OEM) and Applied Research in Environmental Sciences Nonprofit, Inc. (ARIES) because it is a serious threat to the critical infrastructure and informs public safety decisions. The monitoring measurement protocol provides workforce skills about survey equipment and a spatial reference framework as well as risk education activities by the monitors for all ages. Seven years of collected data have shown changes to the beach profiles and provides calibration and validation data for hydrodynamic forecast models by the Navigating the New Arctic team.