Co-producing research questions and solutions to coastal erosion in Nunatsiavut

Climate change is dramatically enhancing the vulnerability of Arctic coastlines to erosion. Beaches and coastal bluffs in northern regions are disproportionately sites of human occupation and commonly associated with archaeological or cultural places. Local knowledge in Nunatsiavut identifies Webb Bay, located ~30 km north of Nain, as a bellwether of change for this region. The headland beach in Webb Bay was stable for centuries until rapid cliff retreat began ~5 years ago. 3This problem is urgent — if the accelerated retreat rates are maintained the first homes will be lost in a year or two. In collaboration with the Nunatsiavut Government and members of the Webb family, for whom the Bay is an ancestral home, we are undertaking a study of the coastal environment in Webb Bay. We will simultaneously monitor sediment transport on the coast and near shore oceanographic processes in a year-long study initiating in September 2022. Data generated will be used to quantify storm surge elevation, wave height, associated wind-field intensity and orientation, and the event-scale magnitude of erosion. As a basis for comparison with the data generated in the monitoring study, our research will estimate historic baselines for key environmental parameters based on modeled data and observations made by the Webb family. We will then apply these data towards predictive modeling of coastal change and to evaluate the potentials of erosion mitigation approaches. Our project was developed with consultation from the Nunatsiavut Government’s Archaeology Division, with the intention of using these results to characterize risk at a regional scale. Additionally, we will apply our data towards erosion prevention measures and informed adaptive decision making. Northern communities are frequently left to address coastal erosion unaided and with limited resources. Our team believes that this data-driven, community-engaged approach could have efficacy for this issue in other northern communities.