This $211,412 National Science Foundation Division of Polar Programs award under the Polar Programs (47.078) federal grant program will fund a collaborative research project between Oregon State University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill examining Arctic shelf sediment pathways and morphodynamic feedbacks. The award period is from December 15, 2022 through August 31, 2023.
Specifically, the researchers will conduct field measurements of sediment fluxes and seabed properties in Alaska's Harrison Bay and adjacent shelf to determine key mechanisms and pathways of sediment transport on the rapidly changing Arctic continental shelf. They will utilize dynamic measurements taken during the storm season to model shelf profile evolution over millennial timescales under changing wave and erosion conditions. The project aims to advance understanding of sediment fates in the Arctic coastal environment, where accelerated coastal erosion is contributing increased sediments into the coastal ocean under climate change. Insights gained could aid coastal management and inform geologic inquiries in the data-limited Arctic region.