Coastal dynamics at the Barents and Kara Sea key sites

Abstract

The results of permafrost and coastal dynamics investigations at four key sites on the shores of the Kara and Barents Seas are discussed. Three ACD key sites, Marre-Sale, Shpindler, and Kolguev, characterize areas with active thermal erosion; key site Cape Bolvansky is found on a relatively stable coast. It is found that the coastal retreat rate has spatial and temporal variability, which is typical of the entire Arctic coast. Coastal deposits on the Kara and Barents Seas have a low organic carbon content. Annual input of material into the Kara Sea resulting from coastal degradation reaches 35–40 million t, including about 7.5 million t of ice, 0.35 million t of organic carbon, and 0.3 million t of soluble salts.