Coastal Geomorphology and Ground Thermal Regime of the Varandey Area, Northern Russia

Abstract

ABSTRACT Guegan, E.; Sinitsyn, A.; Kokin, O., and Ogorodov, S., 2016. Coastal geomorphology and ground thermal regime of the Varandey area, northern Russia. This study documents a regional summary of the present geomorphology of the Varandey area coastline of northern Russia. Fieldwork was undertaken over three seasons (2011–2013) and combined with observations from 1999. The Varandey area has morphologies varying from low-gradient, wide sandy shores with dune belts that reflect stable and aggrading coasts (where sandy shore processes govern the coastal dynamics) to subvertical coastal ice-rich bluffs and narrow beaches, which reveal active coastal recession (where cohesive shore processes are dominant). In addition to these geomorphological observations, the study documents a continuous ground temperature recorded from July 2011 through August 2013 by six thermistor strings installed on a 500-m-long transect perpendicular to the coast. The thermal regime of the ground in permafrost areas controls its mec...