Landscape ecosystems of the Kobuk Preserve Unit : Gates of the Arctic National Park, Alaska
Swanson DK. 1995. Landscape ecosystems of the Kobuk Preserve Unit : Gates of the Arctic National Park, Alaska. Technical Report. NPS/ARRNR/NRTR-95/22. US National Park Service. Alaska Regional Office. Anchorage, AK
This document reports on an integrated study by the Natural Resources Conservation Service of the landforms, soils, and vegetation in the Kobuk Preserve Unit of the Park. The study's main purpose was to predict potential impacts of road development in the Preserve and direct any development away from sensitive areas. An additional objective was to provide basic ecological information for research, wildlife management, and education of park staff and visitors. Field work was done in the summers of 1992 and 1993. Most soils in the study area are weakly weathered and have a surface accumulation of organic matter; many also have permafrost near the surface and are wet due to perching. Vegetation is dominantly taiga (boreal forest), with tundra occurring in the mountains above 600 m elevation and in the lowlands at the west end of the study area. Eighteen landscape ecosystem map units were defined and mapped at a scale of 1:63,360 by aerial photography interpretation and field data collection.
- Type
- Published Report
- Authors
- Swanson, David
- Date of Issue
- 1995
- Publisher
- US National Park Service. Alaska Regional Office
- Units
- GAAR
- Keywords
- Aerial Photography, Development, Ecosystems, Gates Of The Arctic National Park And Preserve, Kobuk Preserve Unit, Landforms, Mapping, Maps, Natural Resources, Planning, Soils, Vegetation