Environment

The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is a diverse but fragile ecosystem. The 1002 region in particular, a coastal strip caught between the Brooks Range Mountains and the Beaufort Sea, is an intricate network of species and their surroundings that stand to be severely damaged by human activities. It is essential to establish a baseline of the ANWR ecosystem in order to create an assessment of the effects of oil drilling on its well-being and to take the proper precautions to preserve it.

In order to create a comprehensive model of the ecosystem, we have to set up the important parameters and components that define an ecosystem. Based on ecological models from multiple references, we have determined the main constituents of an ecosystem to include the following: geography structure and relief, climate, soils, hydrology, producers and consumers, decomposition and soil processes, energy and nutrient cycling, and interaction between terrestrial and aquatic communities (if relevant to the area of study). By developing a descriptive and quantitative model for each constituent we can compile the information for the structure and function of the ANWR ecosystem.

Surface Operations

Impact of Surface Operations

Physical Environment

Permafrost

Biodiversity

Terrestrial
Polar Bears
Muskoxen
Other Bears
Migratory Species

Avian
Snow Geese
Other birds

Plants
Plants
Mosses and Lichens

Decomposers
Decomposers