Beach Dynamics and Nearshore Morphology of the Alaskan Arctic Coast.

156 Pages·2017·5.53 MB·English

by  Andrew Damien Short

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LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses Graduate School
1973
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Andrew Damien Short
Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College
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Short, Andrew Damien, "Beach Dynamics and Nearshore Morphology of the Alaskan Arctic Coast." (1973).
LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses. 2498.
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SHORT, Andrew Damien, 1946-
BEACH DYNAMICS AND NEARSHORE MORPHOLOGY
OF THE ALASKAN ARCTIC COAST.
The Louisiana State University and Agricultural
and Mechanical College, Ph.D., 1973
Marine Sciences
University Microfilms, A XEROX Company, Ann Arbor. Michigan
THIS DISSERTATION HAS SEEN MICROFILMED EXACTLY AS RECEIVED.
BEACH DYNAMICS AND NEARSHORE MORPHOLOGY
OP THE ALASKAN ARCTIC COAST
A Dissertation
Submitted to tha Graduate Faculty of tha
Louiaiana Stata University and
Agricultural and Mechanical College
in partial fulfillment of the
requirements for tha degree of
Doctor of Philosophy
in
The Department of Marine Seience
by
Andrew Damien Short
B*A«, University of Sydney, 1968
M.A., University of Hawaii, 1969
August, 1973
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Financial support for the study was furnished by
Coastal Studies Institute, Louisiana State University,
under Contract N00014-69-A-0211-0005» Project NR 388 110,
with Geography and Arctic Programs, Office of Naval
Research. Field support was provided by the Naval Arctic
Research Laboratory, Barrow, Alaska, under the director­
ship of John Schindler.
The writer is indebted to Dr. L. D. Wright for his
advice and assistance throughout the study and for criti­
cally reviewing the manuscript. Additional reviews of the
final manuscript by Drs. W. G. Mclntire, H. J. Walker,
J. M. Coleman, and C. J. Sonu were also very helpful.
Field assistance, without which the study could not
have been undertaken was rendered by Drs. W. J. Wiseman,
J. M. Coleman and J. N. Suyhada, and by D. Fisher, A.
Gregory and L. White. The support of the personnel and
pilots at N.A.R.L. was essential to the success of the
field investigations. The personnel of Pt. Lay and
Oliktok Point DEWline stations, in particular J. DiMaio,
8tation chief, provided every assistance. M. Erickson
wrote the Portran IV programs for reducing and plotting
the beach profile data. My wife, Patricia, worked beyond
the call of duty in typing the drafts of this manuscript.
ii
TABLE OP CONTENTS
Page
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................... ii
LIST OP TABLES........................... v
LIST OP FIGURES......................... vi
ABSTRACT....................................... xi
INTRODUCTION ................................... 1
METHODOLOGY ................................... 5
Instrumentationa nd Field Techniques . . . . 7
Data Processing............. . . . . . . . . 9
STUDY AREA..................................... 12
COASTAL VARIABILITY............................. 17
The Western Coast — Cape Lisburne to
Point Barrow ............... 17
The Eastern Coast — Point Barrow to
Demarcation Point ....................... 25
The Field Sites..................... 32
Pingok Island ......................... 32
Point La y ............................ 34
BREAKUP....................................... 36
Introduction . . . . • • • • • • • • • • • • ^
River Breakup —— Its Effect in the Coastal
Zone ................... 37
Sea Ice Breakup......... ...... 42
Beach Thaw. .. • • • • • • • • • 44
Discussion........... ................... 50
OPEN WATER ............................... 52
Introduction............................... 52
Open Water Regimes....................... 51
Two-Dimensional Beach Response. , .'......... 56
Outer Bars. ............... . . . . . . . . . 73
Bathymetry ........................... 74
Interpretation of Bar Morphology. . . . . . 77
iii
Page
Bar Formation . . . . . . . . . 82
Bar Migration ................ 85
Beach Modification Associated with Bars . 88
Inlet Morphology and Sediment Transport • . 91
Western Coast ......................... 92
Eastern Coast........... 94
Island Migration . . . . . .............. 97
Discussion . . . . . ................... 100
F3EEZEUP........................................ 103
Introduction................................ 103
Frozen Upper Beach Surface. . • • • • • . . 104
Snow C o v e r ....................... 105
Ice Cakes....................... 106
Lagoon Ice-Slush .................. 109
Frozen Swash, Foam, and Spray . . . . . . . 110
Frozen Beach Face . . . . . ................ 113
Observation of a Winter Beach . . . . . . . 114
Late Freezeup Features. .............. 117
Discussion......................... 123
CONCLUSION.................................. 125
BIBLIOGRAPHY..................... T . T . . . . 133
iv
LIST OP TABLES
Table Page
1. Instrument array - Pingok Island and
Point Lay, 1972..................... 7
2. Type and extent of coastal environment
along the Alaskan arctic coast . . . . 18
3. Summary of daily means of selected marine
and atmospheric parameters at Pingok
Island.............................
55
4. Composite of Pingok Island beach sediment 5^
5. Distinctions between outer— and inner-bar
rhythmic topographies .............. 79
v
LIST OP FIGURES
Figure Page
1. Alaskan arctic coast, a. Point Hope
to Smith Bay, b, Pitt Point to
Demarcation Point ................... 6
2. Diagramatic definition of parameters
used in calculating beach area and
volume changes................. 10
3. Average ice concentration along the
north Alaskan coast and adjacent waters
from May through October.............. 19
4. Diagramatic representation of process
regimes along the western Alaskan
arctic coast . . . . . ............... 20
5. Location and pattern of outer bars along
the northwestern Alaskan coast........ 22
6. Two rythmic outer bare approximately
200 and 600m offshore, 20km south
of V.ainwright. ............... 24
7. Location and pattern of bars and
shoals along the eastern Alaskan arctic
coast, a. Barrow to Smith Bay. b. Pitt
Point to Colville River delta . . . . . 26
c. Colville River delta to Sagavanirktok
River delta, d. Foggy Island Bay to
Canning River delta, e. Camden Bay to
Humphrey Point, f. Icy Reef to Demarca­
tion Point. ....................... 27
8. High westerly waves breaking on a three
outer bars along Pingok and Leavitt
Islands ......... 29
9* High westerly waves breaking on outer
bars around ReindeerI sland • • • • • • 29
10. Westerly waves breaking on three to four
rythmic outer bars east of Humphrey
Point......................... 29
vi
Figure Pa ge
11. Waves breaking on the outer edge
of the delta shoals off the Hulahula
River delta....................... 30
12. Waves breaking on the outer edge of a
wide shoal off the tundra bluffs between
Esook and Cape Halklett............. • 30
13* Illustration of proposed sequence of
barrier formation, based on four
selected coastal areas............. .
31
14. The Pingok Island field area, including
the surrounding Jones and Return Islands
and mainland shore 33
15. The point Lay field area.......... 35
16. Mean daily air temperature and breakup
sequence at Point Lay and Pingok Island,
May 1 to August 10, 1972 .............. 39
17. Aerial view of Point Lay, June 13# 1972. 41
18. The beach in the vicinity of Grid I,
Pingok Island, July 15# 1972 .......... 41
19. Sea ice grounded on outer bars to the
east of Icy Cape, July 16, 1949.... 41
20. "Hanging” tundra gullies at Skull Cliffs 45
21. A four meter wide kettle hole on Pingok
Island. ....................... 45
22. View of shoreline pressure ridge and
exposed foredune north of Point Lay. • . 45
23* Oeach profile changes across Grid I,
Point Lay......................... 47
24. Ground level view looking couth of exposed
foredune, exposed crest of gravel covered
ice-foot, and shoreline pressure ridge • 49
25. Beach at Point Lay, June 1, 1972 . . . . 49
26. Point Lay beach, June 9, 1972. • • . • • 49
27. Gravel piles, up to 60cm high, following
partial thaw of the ice-foot...... 49
vii
Figure Page
,?8. Plot of daily averages of selected
marine and atmospheric parameters at
Pingok Island, July 11 to September 25,
1972................................... 54
29* Map of Pingok Island, showing location
of field camp, beach grids, profiles
A-L, and spits surveyed .............. 58
30. Minature ridge and runnel system backed
by a small erosion scarp................ 60
31. View of the lower beach face showing
gravel bands backed by a minature berm. . 60
32. Plot of wave height, swash limit, erosion-
deposition mode, and beach volume changes
at Pingok Island, Grid 1................ 62
33* Plot of swash limit, orooion-deposition
mode, and beach volume changes at Point
Lay, Grid I ................. 65
34. Schematic diagram showing characteristic
sequence of profile change. . ........ 66
35. Changes in beach configuration along
profiles A, B, C, D, and E, Grid I,
Pingok Island ......................... 68
36. Changes in beach profiles F, G, and H,
Grid II, Pingok Island.................. 69
37. Newly developed berm and runnel, Pingok
Island............................... 70
38* Selected changes in profiles J, K, and L
Grid III, Pingok Island................ 71
39. Nearshore bathymetry off Pingok and Leavitt
Islands (August-Septeraber, 1972)........ 75
40. Waves breaking on the outer bar of Pingok
Island................................. 78
41. Shoreline rhythms along Pingok Island • . 78
42. Selective bar profiles showing pattern
of bar development..................... 83
viii