Coastal Erosion
Coastal hazard education resources
Thawing permafrost, intensifying storms, rising sea levels, and reductions in shorefast sea ice are combining to wear away large sections of Alaska’s coast. Arctic western Alaska has become known worldwide for the impacts of coastal climate change.
Selected curriculum
| Topic | Grades | Type | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| Solving a Community Erosion Issue: (unit) | MS, HS | Lesson Plan, Field Trip, Citizen Science, Protocols/Datasheets, Problem Solving | ASG Alaska Seas & Watershed: Coastal Erosion (Problem Based Learning) Project |
|
Erosion is caused by natural processes; wind, water, and gravity move different types of materials at different rates. Natural factors and human activities, affect the rate of erosion.
|
MS, HS
|
Lesson Plan | Factors that Affect Erosion Lab |
| Lesson Plan | Stream Table Lab | ||
| Lesson Plan | Wave Machine Lab | ||
| Article, Video | Introduction to Concept of Erosion and Drew Point Video | ||
| Video | Moving Meshik | ||
| Article | Collapsing Coastlines | ||
| Article | Chunks of Alaska Coast Fall into the Sea | ||
|
Human-caused global warming is accelerating coastal and river erosion in Alaska and causing threats to Alaska communities
|
MS, HS
|
App | Coastal Erosion Mapper: Changes in Shoreline Location in Barrow Area, 1955-2014. |
| Report, Teacher Background | Fourth National Climate Assessment: Alaska | ||
| Video | Moving Meshik | ||
| Video | Losing Newtok | ||
|
Scientists use a variety of methods to measure the rate of coastal erosion along Alaska’s coast.
|
MS, HS
|
Technology | Coastal Monitoring Story Map |
| Activity | Raising Educational Achievement through Cultural Heritage UP (REACH Up) Curriculum | ||
|
Students can participate in community-based efforts to measure and monitor the rate of coastal erosion.
|
MS, HS
|
Lesson Plan, Field Trip, Citizen Science Protocols/Datasheets | Coastal Erosion Monitoring Field Trip |
| Teacher Background, Citizen Science, Protocols/Datasheets | Community-Based Methods for Monitoring Erosion | ||
|
Students can engage in problem-solving to assist their communities to mitigate (reduce) the effects of erosion on human activities and structures through planning and engineered solutions.
|
K-2, 3-5, MS, HS | Teacher Background Report | Understanding and Evaluating Erosion Problems |
|
MS, HS
|
Video | Wave Tank Demonstration: Effect of different types of structures on incoming wave energy | |
| Teacher Background, Article | What is a Buffer? How Well Do Engineered Buffers Work in the Arctic? | ||
| Presentation | Potential Solutions to Arctic Coastal Erosion PowerPoint presentation |
Thanks to these education partners, who collaborated to develop curriculum relevant to this coastal hazard: Alaska SeaLife Center, Center for Alaskan Coastal Studies, Kachemak Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, UAF Alaska Sea Grant, Prince William Sound Regional Citizen Advisory Council, Prince William Sound Science Center