During past storms, and as a result of coastal erosion, various structures have toppled over. Shishmaref is a barrier island with a population of less than 600 Alaska native Inupiaq people located 30 miles south of the Arctic Circle. The island is threatened by global temperature rises which have disproportionately affected the Arctic. Rising water levels and increased erosion mean that Shishmaref is slowly being absorbed by the surrounding seas and the prognosis is that it will disappear completely over the next two decades.
