Predicting Riverbank Erosion for Climate-Change Adaptation Planning in Thawing Permafrost Landscapes
Profile
Predicting Riverbank Erosion for Climate-Change Adaptation Planning in Thawing Permafrost Landscapes
PI: Michael P. Lamb
Research Team: Madison Douglas
Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences
Climate Science Initiative
2020 Explorer grant
In the changing climate, the higher temperatures are causing some permanently frozen subsoils in the Arctic floodplains to thaw, which could result in destabilization of riverbanks and acceleration of the rates of river lateral migration. As a result, critical infrastructure and communities are now threatened. This work aims to conduct lab experiments to test permafrost riverbank erosion models that are needed for climate-change adaptation plans in Arctic Alaska.