Snow Patches and Their Influence on Coastal Erosion at Baydaratskaya Bay Coast, Kara Sea, Russian Arctic

Sergey Buldovich,Vanda Khilimonyuk,Daria Bogatova (Aleksyutina)

doi:10.3390/w13101432

Sergey Buldovich, Vanda Khilimonyuk + Show 1 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/w13101432

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Abstract

The Arctic coastal environment is a very dynamic system and sensitive to any changes. In our research we demonstrate that nivation (snow patch activity) impacts the Arctic landscape especially in the coastal dynamic at the western part of Russian Arctic. During fieldwork, snowbanks were described and studied and their qualitative role in the development of coastal systems was revealed for Baydaratskaya Bay coast, the Kara Sea. On one side, the large snow cover protects the coastal slope from thermodenudation and thermoabrasion; on the other side, a thick layer of snow affects the ground temperature regime. During snow melting, snow patches contribute to the removal of material from the coastal slope. The quantitative effect of snow on the ground temperature regime was assessed according to numerical simulations. The critical snow thickness was determined based on a calculation. Critical snow thicknesses based on simulation and field data correlated well. The numerical simulation showed the talik formation under the snow patch. Talik size essentially depends on the freezing temperature of sediment (influenced by salinity). The changes of ground temperature regime might further generate thawing settlement of sediment under snow and contribute to beach topography, which might be a trigger for thermoabrasion.

Highlights

Such a thickness of snow cover is comparable to the average snow thickness registered at meteorological stations in the study area, which are situated within open flatlands [3]
At the beginning of summer, snow protects the coastal slope from solar radiation and air heating (Figure 8) during thermodenudation
For the study area the snow patches might be continuously distributed for hundreds of meters along the coast or occur as large fragments separated by small sections without snow accumulation

Summary

Introduction

In the previous decades the Arctic seas were covered by sea ice for approximately 9 to 10 months per year [3,4], and the last decade has shown significant decreases in the sea ice extent [5]

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Conclusion