State of the Arctic coast 2010

This report addresses a recognised need for a more detailed assessment of the impacts of environmental and social change in the Arctic coastal zone. It introduces an alternative perspective, highlighting the need for integrated approaches to environmental and other changes in the Arctic coastal zone, exploring ways to reduce the vulnerability of coastal communities and the negative impacts of climate change (such as rising sea levels, changes in winds and storm patterns, storm-surge, flooding or coastal erosion), and addressing the need for integrated governance mechanisms to support adaptation.

The overall report is organized in three parts: (i) assessing the state of the Arctic coastal systems under three broad disciplinary themes – physical, ecological, and human systems; (ii) considering the need for and progress toward integrative approaches to monitoring, understanding, and managing change in Arctic coastal systems; and (iii) providing a synthesis and identifying data gaps and research priorities over the coming decade. It aims to be a first step towards a continuously updated coastal assessment and to identify key issues seeking future scientific concern in an international Earth system research agenda.