usteq

noun

1. (uncountable)Catastrophic land collapse caused by the melting of permafrost, coastal flooding and erosion.

   “When the threat of permafrost thaw is high in a location also subject to erosion and flooding, the occurrence of usteq may be high.”

   “Newtok was able to win roughly $1.7 million in 2018 to buy out seven of the most usteq-threatened homes in Newtok.”

   “The land upon which many Alaska Native communities are located is destabilizing in the face of usteq—a Yupik word for the catastrophic ground collapse that occurs when thawing permafrost, erosion, and flooding combine to pull the ground out from under them.”