BEAUFORT SEA CAUSEWAYS AND COASTAL OCEAN DYNAMICS

Abstract

Three gravel-fill causeways have been built near Prudhoe Bay, Alaska on the Beaufort Sea coast. The interaction which these structures have with coastal water masses and nearshore circulation processes during the short Arctic summers is a matter of environmental concern because of the potential degradation of habitat for anadromous fish that inhabit these waters. Extensive data have been gathered over the past decade from monitoring studies in the vicinity of the existing structures. Analysis of these data show that, despite large freshwater input at the coast, extensive shallow areas, strong density stratification of shelf water masses and varied shoreline types, the circulation and hydrography are not substantially different from that observed in other coastal ocean areas.