It is located on Sarichef Island in the Chukchi Sea, just north of the Bering Strait and five miles from the mainland.

[7] The name was assigned in 1821 to a nearby inlet by explorer Otto von Kotzebue of the Russian Imperial Marine, in honor of a member of his expedition, the commander Gleb S. Shishmaryov (Глеб Семёнович Шишмарёв).

Shishmaref was named in 1821 by explorer Lt. Otto von Kotzebue, of the Imperial Russian Navy, after Capt.

Sarichef Island (on which Shishmaref is located) is part of a dynamic, 100 km-long barrier island chain that records human and environmental history spanning the past 2000 years; the oldest subaerial evidence for the formation of this system is about 1700 years before present, according to carbon 14 dating (see References, below).

Erosion at Shishmaref is unique along the islands because of its fetch exposure and high tidal prism, relatively intense infrastructure development during the 20th century, and multiple shoreline defense structures built beginning in the 1970s.

[10] Rising temperatures have resulted in a reduction in the sea ice which serves to buffer Shishmaref from storm surges.

[11] Although a series of barricades has been put up to protect the village, the shore has continued to erode at an alarming rate.

However, Tin Creek proved unsuitable for long term settlement due to melting permafrost in the area.

The Shishmaref Erosion and Relocation Coalition, made up of the city, the IRA Council and other organizations, is seeking[when?]

The village was told by the Obama administration that no federal money was available, therefore tensions arose in 2013 when John Kerry announced Vietnam would receive $17 million to deal with climate change.

[citation needed] Erosion rates along the island front exceed (and are not comparable with) those along adjacent sectors.

[citation needed] Residents are experiencing the effects of coastal retreat on residential and commercial properties.

Researchers, journalists and the occasional tourist visit Shishmaref, and the city has acquired a reputation for being a gracious host.

Local artists carve sculptures from whalebone and walrus ivory, that are much sought after by galleries in Alaska and the Lower 48 states.

Some residents will travel by wood vessels around Sarichef Island and a barge delivers goods and materials to Shishmaref when it is ice free.