Drew Point is located at the eastern entrance to Smith Bay on the Beaufort Sea, about 81 miles (131 km) north-west of Nuiqsut and 70 miles (113 km) south-east of Utqiaġvik, Alaska. It is formed by rapidly eroding permafrost and ice wedges at the edge of the Arctic Coastal Plain. Smith Bay and Drew Point were named in 1837 by Thomas Simpson after Edward Smith and Richard Drew, employees of the Hudson’s Bay Company at the Fort Chipewyan trading post on Lake Athabasca. The underlying bedrock represents the Sagavanirktok Formation that developed during the early Cenozoic, about 65 million to 2 million years ago. The rock consists of poorly lithified siltstone, shale and sandstone with local ash beds about 525 feet (160 m) thick. The Arctic Coastal Plain is mostly permafrost—ground that has remained frozen for at least two years, though most permafrost at high latitudes is many thousands of years old. Permafrost usually consists of a combination of ice, frozen soil, rock and organic materials and in some places can be over 2,000 feet (650 m) thick. Permafrost absorbs the impact of ocean waves and protects against coastal erosion, along with sea ice that blocks waves from reaching the shore. The rate of coastal erosion is accelerating along the coastal plain; the main mechanisms are the melting of permafrost and increased wave attack caused by more frequent and intense storms on an ice-free ocean.

Approximately 4,500 years ago terrestrial mammal hunters spread eastward from Beringia to Greenland, forming small settlements along the Alaskan and Canadian coasts. These Paleo-Eskimos inhabited the northern Arctic coast for 3,000 years, developing regional cultural variants. Between 800 and 750 years ago the Neo-Eskimo Thule, centered on whale hunting, rapidly spread eastward, reaching Greenland in only a few centuries. These Neo-Eskimos became the present-day Alaskan Inupiat, Canadian and Greenlandic Inuit, and Siberian Eskimo. In 1825 Captain Frederick W. Beechey commanded HMS Blossom to explore the Bering Strait and rendezvous with Sir John Franklin, who was exploring westward from the Mackenzie River mouth. Beechey reached Point Barrow but was blocked by ice; Franklin stopped at Return Reef, leaving a 180-mile (290-km) gap of uncharted coast. From 1836 to 1839 Thomas Simpson charted gaps left by earlier expeditions seeking the Northwest Passage. The party, headed by Peter W. Dease, left Fort Chipewyan in June and reached the Arctic in July. They traveled west along the coast past Return Reef until blocked by ice at Boat Extreme, about 50 miles (80 km) east of Point Barrow. Simpson and five men continued on foot, reaching Point Barrow in August and completing their task.

For thousands of years the rate of coastal erosion has been buffered by sea ice and permafrost. Without it, erosion is accelerating and threatens critical infrastructure. Drew Point is characterized by coastal bluffs of sand and clay 10 to 16 feet (3-5 m) tall with ice content typically exceeding 30 percent and as high as 70 percent. The bluffs retreat when wave erosion cuts a notch into the base, which subsequently collapses. Erosion rates along 37 miles (60 km) of the Beaufort Sea coast between Drew Point and Cape Halkett doubled from 22 feet (6.8 m) per year from 1955 to 1979 to 45 feet (13.6 m) per year from 2002 to 2007, with some observations as high as 98 feet (30 m) per year. Notch incision occurs when water rises to the bluff base, typically during storm surges. Nearshore sea ice now disappears earlier in the open-water season, and open-water conditions persist longer into autumn. Little coastal erosion occurs in autumn when water temperatures are cooler. However, as most Arctic projections include higher sea levels, warmer ocean waters and longer sea-ice-free seasons, this coastline is expected to experience some of the greatest changes from erosion. Existing petroleum and military infrastructure along the Alaskan Beaufort Sea coast, such as oil exploration wells and Northern Warning System sites, are increasingly in jeopardy; several structures have already been destroyed or removed due to land loss. Read more here and here. Explore more of Drew Point and Smith Bay here: