Collaborative Research: Planning: Arctic T-SLIP: Tsunamigenic SLope Instabilities Partnership

Chugach Regional Resources Commission, Anchorage AK

Investigators

Abstract

Retreating glaciers and warming permafrost in mountainous coastal areas increases the likelihood of landslides and, as a result, landslide-generated tsunamis. These potential landslides and tsunamis become a hazard if they risk impacting areas where people gather for a variety of cultural, recreational, or economic purposes. A number of coastal towns and communities in Alaska are at risk, while both scientific understanding and preparedness options are still in their early stages. This project aims to support initial planning conversations among the people affected by the hazard, emergency response managers, and scientists who study these hazards across the Arctic. Any successful planning and preparedness effort requires useful and accessible data, which research efforts can provide if designed together with the end-users of the information. Accordingly, we hope to bring people with various expertise and knowledge together at in-person and online listening- and conversation spaces to 1) identify and prioritize information needs, and 2) to enable the creation of diverse teams for future collaborations in addressing the specified needs. These conversations will build towards larger efforts to better understand landslide-generated tsunamis, allowing for increased awareness and preparedness to these hazards in coastal Alaska. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.