Morphodynamic Types of the Laptev Sea Coast: A Review

Abstract

The Laptev Sea coast has a unique high-latitude and dynamic landscape. The presence of low-temperature permafrost (below −7 °C) and its high ice content (up to 90%) determine a wide array of permafrost landforms and features. Under the actions of thermal abrasion and thermal denudation, high rates of coastal retreat are evident within this region. Local differences in the geological structure and sea hydrodynamic conditions determine the diversity of this sea coast’s types. In this review, we present the results of a morphodynamic classification and segmentation of the Laptev Sea coast. The integrated approach used in the classification took into account the leading relief-forming processes that act upon this coastal zone. The research scale of 1:100,000 made it possible to identify and characterize the morphologies of the coast and their spatial distributions within the study area. The presented original classification can be considered to be universal for the eastern Arctic seas of Eurasia; it may be used as a basis for further scientific and applied research.

Keywords

• Arctic coasts
• thermal abrasion
• thermal denudation
• coastal dynamics
• thermoterrace
• permafrost