Effects of Sea Ice on Arctic Delta Evolution: A Modeling Study of the Colville River Delta, Alaska

Abstract

AbstractSeasonal sea ice impacts Arctic delta morphology by limiting wave and river influences and altering river‐to‐ocean sediment pathways. However, the long‐term effects of sea ice on delta morphology remain poorly known. To address this gap, 1D morphologic and hydrodynamic simulations were set up in Delft3D to study the 1500‐year development of Arctic deltas during the most energetic Arctic seasons: spring break‐up/freshet, summer open‐water, and autumn freeze‐up. The model focused on the deltaic clinoform (i.e., the vertical cross‐sectional view of a delta) and used a floating barge structure to mimic the effects of sea ice on nearshore waters. From the simulations we find that ice‐affected deltas form a compound clinoform morphology, that is, a coupled subaerial and subaqueous delta separated by a subaqueous platform that resembles the shallow platform observed offshore of Arctic deltas. Nearshore sea ice affects river dynamics and promotes sediment bypassing during sea ice break‐up, forming an offshore depocenter and building a subaqueous platform. A second depocenter forms closer to shore during the open‐water season at the subaerial foreset that aids in outbuilding the subaerial delta and assists in developing the compound clinoform morphology. Simulations of increased wave activity and reduced sea‐ice, likely futures under a warming Arctic climate, show that deltas may lose their shallow platform on centennial timescales by (a) sediment infill and/or (b) wave erosion. This study highlights the importance of sea ice on Arctic delta morphology and the potential morphologic transitions these high‐latitude deltas may experience as the Arctic continues to warm.