Arctic coastal erosion demands more attention as the global climate continues to change. Unlike those along low and mid latitude, sediments along Arctic coastlines are often frozen, even during summer.
Thermal and mechanical factors must be considered together when analysing Arctic coastal erosion. Two major erosion mechanisms in the Arctic have been identified: thermodenundation and thermoabrasion. Field observations of Arctic coastal erosion are available at sites in Russia and in Svalbard. The objective of this study is to model the observed coastal erosion. Xbeach will be used in this study. One core advantage to use XBeach is the avalanching mechanism of the dunes at the end of the beaches. Although the avalanche mechanism is designed for the sand, with proper modifications it can be applied to the Arctic coasts to simulate slumping, sliding and bluff collapse.
Recommended subject: TBA4265 Arctic and Marine Civil Engineering.
Key words: Arctic coast
Type of project: Numerical calculations
Contact person at NTNU: Raed Lubbad
Continuation of project: Can be extended into a Master Thesis