A storm surge swept through the Beaufort Sea on Monday, sending a stark warning to low-lying Arctic communities like Tuktoyaktuk, N.W.T., about the mounting risks of climate change and coastal erosion.
While water levels receded quickly with no major structural damage, leaders say the hamlet was saved by pre-existing shoreline defences.
“The present disaster mitigation that was done before this year held its own, so we’re fortunate this time through this short storm surge,” said Tuktoyaktuk Mayor Vince Teddy. “We are grateful for that [funding] because it saved our community.”
The Disaster Mitigation and Adaptation Fund (DMAF) is a federal program that helps communities build infrastructure to protect against climate hazards like flooding and erosion.
In Tuktoyaktuk, a hamlet of about 1,000 people on the shores of the Beaufort Sea, that protection includes a $54-million shoreline revetment project completed in July 2025 using boulders shipped from Inuvik to shield the harbour.
But experts warn that with the warming climate, the natural ice barriers that historically protected communities like Tuktoyaktuk are rapidly disappearing, leaving shorelines increasingly vulnerable to direct wave action over longer open-water seasons.
Joseph Kim, a researcher with the National Research Council of Canada, said in the past, sea ice would act as “a protective shield,” but it is disappearing.
“As this open water season gets extended, you have much more time for storms to develop and impact the community,” Kim said. “That leads to more flooding and more erosion on Northern shorelines.”
Kim said a 2024 modeling study by the National Research Council found without sea ice protection, storm surges can reach two to three times higher than normal.
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Mauricio Carvallo Aceves, a climate adaptation researcher at the University of British Columbia, said warming ocean waters compound the problem: they thaw the underlying permafrost while waves mechanically strip away sediment.
âFirst of all, we have to remember that the coast is always changing and evolving,â said Carvallo Aceves. âThat inherently poses a challenge because there is no such thing as a stable coastline, so to speak.â
Even after recovering from a severe storm surge in August 2025, Tuktoyaktuk continues to face coastal erosion due to the warming climate.
âOne thing that we have to remember is that we really cannot stop the ocean. It will always win,” said Carvallo Aceves.
According to Teddy, to secure long-term protection for the airport, inner harbour and fresh water reservoir, the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation submitted a joint funding application over the winter for Tuktoyaktuk and three neighbouring Beaufort Delta coastal communities: Sachs Harbour, Paulatuk and Ulukhaktok.
Teddy said the proposal remains under territorial and federal review as engineers and researchers compile scientific data alongside local traditional knowledge into a formal plan.
“Take all of that and we apply not only what we’ve learned over the last three years for DMAF, but also the traditional knowledge that’s been there for generations,” Teddy said.
Part of this involves exploring nature-based protective measures using local materials already present on the shoreline.
“We’re looking at [adding] gravel and tundra on the shoreline just because that’s what the shoreline is made of really; the topsoil is there, and the tundra is there,” Teddy said.
Both Kim and Carvallo Aceves note that nature-based solutions can break wave energy naturally. However, short Arctic summer seasons leave tight windows for research and construction.
âThose are very difficult questions to answer partly because of just how localized it is,â Carvallo Aceves said. âWe really need those kinds of studies to be done at a small scale.â
Teddy says that while shoreline reinforcement buys crucial time, every protective measure taken today is just one step in a larger plan.
The community’s long-term goal remains relocation to safer ground on Inuvialuit lands. Preliminary discussions with government partners to that end continue.
