26 March 2025 | 16:00 - 18:00 (MDT)
Open Session - HYBRID
Room: UMC Fourth Floor - 415/417
Organisers: Ming Xiao (Pennsylvania State University); Benjamin Jones (University of Alaska Fairbanks); Nora Nieminski (Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys)
Zoom link to the Session (password-protected)
The password needed to connect to the session will be distributed the day prior to the start of the sessions to all registered conference participants. Further guidelines on how to participate virtually in the ASSW 2025 can be found on the ASSW 2025 website.
Session Description:
The significant environmental changes and social challenges of the Arctic coastal systems are well recognized by the society; they are also experienced and coped with by coastal communities in their daily lives. Many convergent research projects on these topics have been carried out. There is a need to share their research outcomes with each other and with stakeholders and rightsholders (including local community residents and local, regional, state, and federal governments), so that results can lead to outcomes and impacts well-beyond the individual projects. It is also critical for researchers, Indigenous community members, and government officials from diverse sectors and regions to strengthen and expand partnerships and to learn from one another, so that community- and science-based actionable solutions can be co-developed and implemented. This session provides a platform for international researchers to provide the most recent research outcomes and for stakeholders to develop strategic research plans that better serve Arctic coastal communities’ needs in the next decade. The session is expected to attract international arctic coastal researchers, Arctic coastal community residents, and government officials.
Instructions for Speakers: Oral presentations in this session should be at most 9-minutes in length, with an additional 2 minutes for questions (unless more detailed instructions are provided by session conveners). See more detailed presenter instructions here.
Oral Presentations:
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unfold_moreBridging Indigenous and Western Worldviews for Arctic Climate Change Adaptation — Ranjan Datta, Felix Nwaishi, & Copper Joe Jack
Ranjan Datta 1; Felix Nwaishi 2; Copper Joe Jack 3
1 Mount Royal University; 2 University of Saskatchewan; 3 Creator of the Land and People Relationship Model (LPRM)Format: Oral in-person
Abstract:
This project seeks to foster meaningful collaboration between Indigenous and Western worldviews to create Arctic Indigenous community-led climate change adaptations. The initiative focuses on three primary goals: (a) identifying Arctic Indigenous community-led strategies for food sovereignty, climate change, and management; (b) developing an interdisciplinary research team and community-led evaluation framework for alternative food security, climate change management policies; and (c) exploring transdisciplinary solutions anchored in sustainable climate change politics to support Indigenous communities in balancing climate policy benefits with the defence of treaty rights, traditional land use, and environmental integrity. The research unfolds in three phases. We will identify tools currently used to address food insecurity and climate risks by gathering stories from Indigenous Elders, Knowledge-keepers, and leaders from the highly affected Arctic communities. Our work will significantly contribute to academic scholarship by advancing methodologies for assessing and enhancing Indigenous community resilience. This structured Indigenous framework for community engagement and decision-making will guide interdisciplinary research and strategic climate change assessments. By facilitating collaboration among communities, governments, and industries, the research will help develop sustainable policy solutions for climate change management, fostering long-term community-led research at the intersection of policy, science, and Indigenous knowledge.
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unfold_moreMicroplastics in marine mammals of Arctic waters — Mathilde Piette
Mathilde Piette 1; Bianca Unger 1,2; Matteo Baini 3; Felipe Escobar 1; Cristina Panti 3; Ursula Siebert 1
1 Institute for Terrestrial and Aquatic Wildlife Research, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation; 2 Lower nature conservation authority, Dithmarschen district; 3 Department of Physical, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Siena, ItalyFormat: Oral in-person
Abstract:
Nowadays, microplastics (MPs) pollution affects all ecosystems, even in remote areas such as the Arctic. These contaminants enter the Arctic through various pathways, including water inputs, transfer by animals and melting sea-ice. As a result, the biota of this sensitive ecosystem is at risk of being exposed to MPs and their potentially toxic additives. These include also arctic marine mammals, which are an essential part of the arctic trophic web and a valuable food source for the Artic indigenous people. However, despite widespread awareness of the environmental threat posed by these pollutants, there is still a research gap in understanding the current level of MPs pollution in arctic marine mammals. This study aims to assess the current state of MPs pollution and the presence of MPs-associated contaminants in marine mammals from Arctic waters. For this purpose, the study utilized intestine contents and faeces samples of ringed seals (Pusa hispida) and polar bears (Ursus maritimus). The samples were then analysed via a Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy to obtain information about the polymer structure of extracted particles. In addition, blubber and muscle samples of the same species were analysed by gas chromatography – mass spectrometry (GC-MS) to determine the concentration of different phthalates as additives for polymers. The analysis revealed the presence of MPs in faeces of ringed seals and polar bears. The results of this study will provide insight into the environmental burden of MPs on marine mammals in and the potential risk of indirect MPs exposure for indigenous people.
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unfold_moreLow-Cost, Open-Source Water Level Monitoring to Empower Coastal Resilience in the Bering Sea Inuit Communities — Casey Brayton
Casey Brayton 1; Hailey Scofield 2; Stacey Lucason 2; Margaret Rudolf 3; Nora Neiminski 4
1 Columbia University/Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory; 2 Kawerak, Inc.; 3 University of Alaska Fairbanks; 4 Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical SurveysFormat: Oral in-person
Abstract:
This project responds directly to the critical absence of water level data in the Bering Sea, where annual fall storms regularly inundate coastal communities with little real-time data to inform local adaptation efforts. Led in partnership wit the State of Alaska DGGS Coastal Hazards Program, Kawerak, Inc., USGS, RNA CoObs, and Columbia University, we aim to deploy pilot sets of low-cost, open-source GNSS-IR water level sensors in Shishmaref and Shaktoolik. These affordable, open-source alternatives to traditional sensors offer community members access to continuous data that is essential for tracking the impact of coastal storms. We highlight a model that combines cutting-edge monitoring technology with Indigenous-led knowledge frameworks, ultimately advancing water level monitoring across Arctic communities to help address the escalating impacts of climate change. The collaboration reflects a slow and intentional approach to capacity building and co-production, providing a replicable model for Arctic communities facing similar climate-driven risks. This initial pilot installation provides critical baseline data for two high-risk villages while establishing a blueprint for broader implementation across the Bering Sea. With traditional water level sensors often prohibitively expensive, this project aims to increase data accessibility by training community members to install, maintain, and interpret data from these innovative sensors. Community members will receive hands-on training to manage sensor operations, equipping them with skills to monitor local environmental changes and make informed, data-driven decisions about adaptation strategies. This collaboration models a scalable, tribally led data monitoring approach that places water level data and adaptation decision-making directly in the hands of local communities.
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unfold_moreBarriers to Self-Sufficiency in South Greenland Coastal Communities — Jaeheon Kim
Jaeheon Kim 1; Erik Kielsen 2; Suuluaraq Motzfeldt 3; Kiley Daley 4; Jasmine Saros 4; Keith Evans 4
1 Gulf of Maine Research Institute, University of Maine; 2 Innovation South Greenland; 3 Qeqqata Kommunia, Innovation South Greenland; 4 University of MaineFormat: Oral in-person
Abstract:
Arctic indigenous communities are inherently resilient, as they have co-existed with a changing Arctic since time immemorial. However, Arctic coastal communities are subject to new and intense environmental, economic, and regulatory change which threaten the resilience and adaptive capacity of Arctic fisheries and coastal communities.
As part of the Systems Approaches to Understanding and Navigating the New Arctic (SAUNNA) National Research Traineeship (NRT) 2023 summer field research trip, we worked with Greenland researchers, guides, hunters and fishers, and sheep farmers to co-produce indigenous research concerning self-sufficiency and climate change in South Greenland. We conducted 6 in-person interviews with key members of the fishing and hunting communities in two central population centers in South Greenland, Qaqortoq and Narsaq.
Our preliminary results show that governance is the greatest barrier to self-sufficiency in South Greenland in regards to changing arctic systems. A lack of autonomy and inflexibility of regulations drastically reduce adaptive capacity of fishers and hunters to environemntal changes. Reduced quota allocation and restrictive management create positive feedback loops in which ill-management of a resource leads to an inefficient and unproductive fishery, which then infleunces even stricter regulatory management of South Greenland fisheries. Dependence on infastructure and reductions in access to markets, locally produced foods, and education have also been identified as important factors for self-sufficiency in South Greenland coastal communities. This study shows that decolonization of fisheries managment is key to increasting the resilience and adaptive capacity of Arctic indigneous and coastal communities.
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unfold_moreExpanding Seas, Receding Coasts: An Overview of Integrated Coastal Zone Management and Marine Spatial Planning Efforts in the Circumpolar Arctic — Nicholas Parlato & Jade Zoghbi
Nicholas Parlato 1; Jade Zoghbi 2
1 University of Alaska Fairbanks; 2 Autonomous University of BarcelonaFormat: Oral virtual
Abstract:
Human governance systems are integral to managing coastal and marine geo-ecological systems. The relationship between people and these environments ought to be approached holistically, with attention to the wider planetary context for effective and sustainable use. In the context of climatic changes in the Arctic, oceanic and coastal processes are undergoing rapid changes associated with loss of the cryosphere and intensified human activities related to transportation, resource extraction, tourism, military security, and infrastructure development. Among the five littoral Arctic States, the governance models of Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) and Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) have seen only limited and variable application to date; Norway, Iceland and Canada actively make use of some form of MSP. Yet only Norway employs ICZM to any extent along its Arctic coasts; and in the US (Alaska), Russia, and Greenland (Denmark), both MSP and ICZM are notably absent. This contribution offers an overview of the recent history and current efforts of the littoral Arctic nations to engage with both ICZM and MSP. Our objectives are to discuss the unique deployments of these governance models in each country, identify areas where the presence or absence of such systems has proven adaptive or detrimental in managing multiple uses and sustainability objectives, and address how coastal and marine governance may evolve under conditions of intensifying climate change. Under conditions of rapid social and environmental changes, the capacity to adapt coastal and marine governance models also hinges on the active inclusion and co-development of observation and decision-making procedures with local stakeholders, rightholders, and their diverse knowledge systems.
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unfold_moreField observations of the East Svalbard coastscape changes due to climate warming (made in August 2024) — Wieslaw Ziaja
Wieslaw Ziaja 1
1 Jagiellonian University, Faculty of Geography and Geology, Institute of Geography and Spatial ManagementFormat: Oral in-person
Abstract:
Twelve coastal areas were explored in East Svalbard from 20th to 30th August 2024, during the research cruise of the yacht “OceanA”, implemented as part of the project “HarSval – Bilateral initiative for harmonisation of the Svalbard cooperation”, financed by “Norway grants”, led by University of Silesia. Main coastscape changes were possible to note due to complete melting of snow, caused by record high temperatures. Glacial recession is the common change, best visible in the southeastern and central-eastern Spitsbergen where a lot of new bays (including fjords) appeared in valleys filled with tidewater glaciers before. The recession of the ice-sheets is common but not that spectacular in NE Spitsbergen, Edgeøya and Barentsøya. Deep thawing of the permafrost active layer causes quick erosion of the coasts which are not built of resistant rocks and have not been glaciated in SE Spitsbergen, Edgeøya and Barentsøya. Increasing intensity of the geomorphological sea action, caused by shortening of sea-ice seasons, influences the lowest (3 m a.s.l.) coastal plains of the aforementioned new bays. These plains, formed after glacial recession since the 1970s, were subject to plant succession. However, recently, this succession was stopped on them due to sea flooding during heavy storms. They occur with greater frequency since 2016, as evidenced by new driftwood and macro-plastic on these plains, e.g. in Hambergbukta. Summing up: the biggest coastscape changes occur in SE Spitsbergen; and the most unchanging are the coastal plains built of more resistant rocks (e.g. dolerite), dispersed in the rest of East Svalbard.
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unfold_moreEstimation of potential subsidence for the coastal ice-rich areas — Dmitry Nicolsky
Dmitry Nicolsky 1; Louise Farquharson 1; Vladimir Romanovsky 1; Colby Wright 1; Mohammad Islam 1; Sarah Baker 1,2; William Tracey 2
1 University of Alaska Fairbanks; 2 Point Lay, AlaskaFormat: Oral in-person
Abstract:
Climate warming constitutes an immediate hazard for communities located on the ice-rich near-surface permafrost in the Arctic. As the seasonal thaw depth reaches the ice-rich material, the ground loses its weight-bearing capacity, and surface subsidence occurs. Along coastlines this process is further complicated by the potential for coastal inundation due to a combination of subsidence and sea level rise. We apply newly developed analytical and numerical tools to estimate the rate of talik formation and ground surface subsidence using a new version of the Geophysical Institute Permafrost Laboratory (GIPL) heat transfer model. The model has been updated and calibrated using collected ground temperature data and near-surface ice content from over 70 ground temperature monitoring sites across the North Slope Borough. Modeling results are upscaled using high-resolution remote sensing ecotype maps. Simulations of the ground subsidence for the community of Point Lay according to future scenarios are presented.
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unfold_morePredicting coastal total water levels for safe beach access in the Canadian High Arctic — David Didier
David Didier 1; Jérémy Baudry 2; Terry Noah 3; Erin Bertrand 4; Charles Jourdain-Bonneau 5; Dany Dumont 6
1 Université du Québec à Rimouski, Northern and Arctic Coastal Research Lab.; 2 Université du Québec à Rimouski, Northern and Arctic Coastal Research Lab.; 3 Ausuittuq Adventures; 4 Department of Biology Dalhousie University, Canada Research Chair in Marine Microbial Proteomics; 5 Université du Québec à Rimouski, Northern and Arctic Coastal research Lab.; 6 Université du Québec à Rimouski, Institut des sciences de la merFormat: Oral in-person
Abstract:
Based on extensive community-led field research in Kugluktuk, Ikaluktutiak, and Ausuittuq, this presentation introduces updated results on coastline migration across Nunavut with a focus on the Canadian High Arctic (CHA). In Canada's northernmost community, the Inuit Hamlet of Ausuittuq, coastal vulnerability has been recently raised by community members and the Iviq Hunters and Trappers Association (HTA) as a top priority issue for socioeconomic development. Most importantly, coastal risk management in the CHA involves developing efficient short-term forecasting tools to support decision-making and response to high-energy storm events. Since 2020, a community-based research project has been developed in Ausuittuq with local partners, including youth, adults and elders. Bridging Inuit and Western knowledge, an operational coastal hazards prediction system providing forecasts of the coastal total water levels (TWL) was implemented, including water levels and waves. The offshore wave component of the system is based on a validated 1 km-resolution WAVEWATCH III regional configuration forced by atmospheric, ocean and sea ice forecasts. It includes a state-of-the-art parametrization of wave propagation and attenuation in sea ice. The wave impact on the coast (wave runup) is simulated empirically with equations extensively calibrated using high-resolution drone-derived digital elevation models, video cameras, nearshore wave sensors and buoys deployed over consecutive summers in Jones Sound. storm events are well detected by the system which aims to provide early warnings for the community. The effective system enables the community to make emergency plans a few days in advance, secure existing infrastructures and adapt hunting activities according to forecasted waves and ice conditions.
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unfold_moreArctic Coastal Hazard Mapping — Ming Xiao
Ziyi Wang 1; Ming Xiao 1; Dmitry Nicolsky 2
1 Pennsylvania State University; 2 University of Alaska FairbanksFormat: Oral virtual
Abstract:
Warming permafrost, declining sea ice extent, and more frequent and impactful storms accelerate coastal land loss, exposing civil infrastructure to risk and eventually forcing communities to relocate. Arctic coastal hazards include ground subsidence due to permafrost thaw, flooding, long-term coastal erosion, and short-term storm-induced land loss and bluff failures. Enhancing the resilience of Arctic coastal communities requires accurate, high-spatial-resolution tools and prediction models that can visualize coastal hazards. Yet, understanding and predicting the timing and extent of coastal hazards is complicated due to the complex interactions of coastal erosion, flooding, and land subsidence. We developed the Arctic Coastal Hazard Index (ACHI) to assess the vulnerability of Arctic coasts to permafrost thawing, coastal erosion, and flooding. We particularly focus on hazard mapping of the coastal communities in North Slope Borough in Alaska. The ACHI incorporates a quantitative permafrost thaw potential into seven physical and ecological variables for coastal hazard assessment: shoreline type, habitat, coastal relief, wind exposure, wave exposure, storm surge potential, and sea-level rise. Four categories of infrastructure are studied and included on the map: buildings (including residential, industrial, public buildings, and culturally significant sites), roads, airports, and pipeline systems. We will present the development of the hazard mapping tool, the plan for data collection and validation by collaborating with local communities, and web-based, GIS-enabled preliminary results. We will seek further input on how to improve and maintain such hazard mapping tool for it to be directly usable by local communities and local government entities.