A century ago permafrost strengthened these bluffs and sea ice protected them from waves during storms like this, but now each storm takes its toll on this coastline and many others along the arctic coasts.
Proposed oil and gas development on the Chukchi coast has seen opposition in part because the weather conditions, including thick moving sea-ice, storms, and fog would make spill response very difficult.
By Bretwood Higman, Erin McKittrick, Ground Truth Trekking
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