Coastal Alaska is experiencing accelerated erosion; along the Alaskan North Slope, average shoreline retreat rates have been measured at roughly –2.0 m per year regionally, and localized rates up to –19 m per year (USGS). Retreat rates up to ~20 m/year have even been documented at specific sites (e.g., Drew Point, AK). The combination of thawing ice-rich cliffs and reduced protective sea ice means that erosion now poses a sustained and growing threat to infrastructure, subsistence terrain, and community viability.
Typhoon remnants and extra-tropical cyclones are increasingly reaching Alaska’s western and southern coasts, producing high winds, storm surges, and flooding in remote villages. In October 2025, the remnants of Typhoon Halong struck the Yukon‐Kuskokwim Delta region of western Alaska. A storm surge of over 6 feet (~1.8 m) above normal tide levels was reported, which swept homes off their foundations and displaced communities. These regions are only accessible by air or boat, making evacuation and relief operations complex, slow, and costly.
Uncertainty in near shore sea ice extent and stability, snow distributions on land, stability and persistence of over ice transport, and trafficability hazards associated with soil moisture and permafrost thaw all impact operational readiness and emergency response in coastal regions.
DoW assets in remote operating locations of the Arctic face two complementary yet distinct hazard pathways — slow-creep land loss from erosion and permafrost thaw and rapid onset damage from flooding, storm surge, and typhoon events. The uniquely limited access to many of the areas affected by these phenomena adds a layer of logistical complexity and cost that must be addressed to sustain DoW mission.
