Typhoon disaster in Western Alaska raises questions around the region's future [View all]

[RandySF]

Intertwined climate change forces make long-term prospects grim in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, according to a wide-ranging scientific study he led. The study was published in mid-August, just two months before the remnants of Typhoon Halong hit on Oct. 12.

Coastal erosion, permafrost thaw, sea-level rise, intrusion of saltwater into freshwater systems – are combining with storm surges to dramatically transform the coastal area, damaging communities and the food resources that have sustained Yup’ik people for centuries, the study said.

Of the 18 villages on the outer coastal area of the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, at least 10 will likely have to be relocated, said Jorgenson, who is affiliated with the University of Alaska Fairbanks while operating an independent science consulting company.

The at-risk villages sit atop permafrost that, when intact, is a platform a meter or two above the region’s salt marshes, Jorgenson said. That permafrost is no longer intact, and it will likely disappear in the next two to three decades, he said.




https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/typhoon-disaster-western-alaska-raises-questions-around-regions-future