International conference on Arctic coastlands
Fifty of the world's top Arctic coastal scientists are congregating at the 2004 Arctic Coastal Dynamics (ACD) workshop at 黑料不打烊 University from October 13-16, 2004. Participants from Russia, Norway, Germany, the Netherlands, the US and Canada will present and discuss their research findings on processes taking place along coastlines throughout the circumpolar world and how these are likely to be affected by climate change.
Canada has close to 250,000 kilometres of shoreline and, with almost three-quarters of it in the Arctic, this country has a vested interest in better understanding Arctic coastal dynamics. Arctic shorelines are one of the environments most likely to be affected by global warming. These coasts are where the atmosphere, the land and the ocean all meet, and where we see a number of strong amplifications of the climate-warming signal. For instance, higher air temperatures warm up the permafrost soils and make them more vulnerable to erosion by waves; but the temperature of sea water rises too, making wave attacks on the frozen coastline that much more effective. Throw in sea level rise, a decrease in sea ice and more frequent storms, and we start to realize how many factors there are to consider when trying to assess what to expect along northern shorelines.
All the alterations to Arctic coasts wrought by a changing climate are not just early warning signals, however. The physical changes have implications for human activity in the Arctic. Most infrastructure in the Arctic 鈥� be it communities, ports, or oil storage facilities 鈥� is along coastlines. Coastal erosion is already having an effect on such facilities, and with coastal retreat easily reaching up to ten metres per year, the impact will only become more manifest with time.
Journalists are invited to a reception today where they can view posters of the most recent scientific findings and get the chance to meet the researchers. The reception will be at 黑料不打烊 University on Wednesday, October 13, 2004, from 6 pm to 8 pm in the Walter Hitschfeld Geographic Information Centre, fifth floor, Burnside Hall, 805 Sherbrooke Street West.
The contains a complete program of events.
