Thermal abrasion of sea coasts (part I)

Abstract

Abstract Along arctic coasts consisting of unconsolidated sediments in permafrost, and especially where these sediments are ice‐rich, the thermal energy of the sea water is added to the normal erosive impact of the waves. The resulting process of erosion due to the combined action of the mechanical and thermal energy of the sea is termed thermal abrasion. This study concentrates on almost every aspect of the retreat of coastal cliffs and changes in the sea bed resulting from this process. The author's fieldwork on Muostakh Island near Tiksi forms the core of the study. Attention is focused particularly on the shape and height of the resulting cliffs, coastal retreat rates and subsequent lowering of the sea bed. In addition attempts are made at calculating rates of thermal abrasion based on water temperature and period of wave action, and of thermal denudation of the subaerial cliff based on air temperatures, solar radiation and the ice content of the sediments. The rate of thermal abrasion of ice‐rich coa...