DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 
UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY 
PREPARED IN COOPERATION WITH THE UNITED STATES FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE AND THE 
UNITED STATES ARMY COLD REGIONS RESEARCH AND ENGINEERING LABORATORY 
VEGETATION AND LAND COVER, ARCTIC N W R, ALASKA 
MAP 1-1443 
Brownlow Pt 
Kaktovik 
VEGETATION AND LAND COVER 
ARCTIC NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE 
COASTAL PLAIN, ALASKA 
Manning Pt 
Seaward limit for area measurement of water 
Arey 
Island y 
Barter 
Island 
T9N 
R34E 
Kaktovik 
Lagoon 
Griffin Pt 
Boundary of study area 
\ Konganevik Pt 
Anderson Pt 
T8N 
R30E 
Collinson Pt 
+* Simpson Cove 
Humphrey Pt 
Nuvagapak Pt, 
Nuvagapak 
HI Lagoon 
Boundary of study area 
Land cover class, dominant vegetation, and map surface area in acres, hectares, and percent 
1 ha = 2.4 7 a 1 a = 0 405 ha 
1 hectare (ha) = 1 square hectometer 
Introduction 
The total surface area shown is 1,640,627 acres (2,563 sq. mi.), or 663,952 hectares (6,640 sq. km.). 
Moist Dwarf Shrub, Sedge Tussock Tundra; or Moist 
Sedge Tussock, Dwarf Shrub/Wet Dwarf Shrub Com 
plex (water track complex). — Upland tundra with 
shrubs to 50 cm high; or upland tussock tundra with 
shrubs in water tracks... 51,148 a (20,699 ha) (3.2 pet). 
Water.—Ocean surfaces, and lake and river surfaces larger 
than 1 acre. (Area measurement excludes water surface 
outside seaward limit of study area.) 
101,355 a (41,018 ha) (6.2 pet). 
Pond/Sedge Tundra Complex; Aquatic Tundra; or shallow 
water. — Very wet tundra areas with ponds and/or emer 
gent communities of Carex spp. or Arctophila-, and up to 
50% moist or wet tundra.. .16,964 a (6,865 ha) (1.0 pet). 
Wet Sedge Tundra. — Wet tundra with little standing water 
or with up to half of surface area water-covered or emer 
gent vegetation, or coastal areas periodically covered 
with salt water 260,057 a (105,244 ha) (15.8 pet). 
Moist/Wet Sedge Tundra Complex; or Dry Prostrate 
Shrub, Forb Tundra (Dryas river Terraces). — Moist 
sedge tundra with up to 40% wet sedge tundra; or dense 
prostrate mat of Dryas on river terraces 
270,565 a (109,496 ha) (16.5 pet). 
Moist Sedge, Prostrate Shrub Tundra; or Moist Sedge/ 
Barren Tundra Complex (frost-scar tundra). — Better- 
drained areas on rolling terrain sometimes with tussocks; 
or sparsely vegetated frost-scar tundra 
434,512 a (175,845 ha) (26.5 pet). 
Moist Sedge Tussock, Dwarf Shrub Tundra. — Well- 
drained upland tussock tundra in foothills with high 
percentage of cottongrass tussocks and dwarf or prostrate 
shrubs 414,550 a (167,766 ha) (25.3 pet). 
This map is produced in conjunction with an environmental impact 
statement assembled by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) 
in anticipation of oil exploration on the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge 
coastal plain. Classification of vegetation and land cover is derived 
from digital multispectral data comprising Landsat scenes indexed in 
the margin. For location control and area measurement, land cover 
data are assigned to 50 x 50 m cells in UTM Zones 6 and 7, then 
merged into Zone 6 (extended) for map printing. 
Vegetation classification and field review are by William Acevedo 
(Technicolor Graphic Services) and Donald Walker (Institute of Arctic 
and Alpine Research). Design of map and statistical products is by 
Leonard Gaydos and James R. Wray (USGS). Color separation and 
screening for four-color process printing are done on a large-format 
laser plotter using dot screens and angles developed on that equip 
ment and plotted directly onto the separations as data are read from 
the digital file. The resulting colors replicate those otherwise achieved 
at USGS using open-window plate negatives, conventional mechani 
cal screens, and the same process ink colors. 
Shrub-Tundra.—South-facing slopes in foothills or sub- 
alpine, with willow, birch, alder to 2m; or dense shrubs in 
water tracks 3,142 a (1,272 ha) (0.2 pet). 
Sadlerochit Spring 
Partially vegetated areas. — Diverse habitats including river 
bars, alpine tundra and moss mats with barren rock and 
talus, lichen-covered, sorted stone-nets and beach or 
mud flats 27,678 a (11,201 ha) (1.7 pet). 
Barren gravel or rock. — Bare light-colored river gravel, 
gravel and sand spits, alpine barrens (especially dolo 
mite), and cultural barrens (road or runway), often with 
rich but sparse floras .... 27,642 a (11,186 ha) (1.7 pet). 
Wet gravel or mud.—Extensive barren mud in river deltas 
and wet or dark-colored gravel on beaches or river beds, 
or dark-colored barren rock in mountains 
28,402 a (11,494 ha) (1.7 pet). 
Index to 
Landsat 
scenes 
21633-20531 
13 July 1979 
ARCTIC NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE 
COASTAL PLAIN, ALASKA 
/ 22008 - 20420 
22 July 1980 
/ (from Canadian Ground Station) 
2570-20462 
14 August 1976 
Base is adapted from USGS 1:250,000-scale topo 
graphic maps of Flaxman Island, Barter Island, Mt. 
Michelson, and Demarcation Point quadrangles, 
Alaska, Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM) Pro 
jection, 1927 North American datum, with UTM rec 
tangular grid shown for Zones 6 and 7 at 50,000- 
meter and 10,000-meter intervals. Tick crosses index 
geographic grid. Land lines and townships, num 
bered from Umiat Meridian and Base Line, represent 
unsurveyed and unmarked locations predetermined 
by Bureau of Land Management. The 1955 mag 
netic declination varies from 33° to 36° East. 
Distance scales 1:250,000 
10 Miles 
Ice. — River icii 
larger rivers 
in the braided stream channels of most 
4,612 a (1,866 ha) (0.3 pet). 
15 Kilometers 
143°00' West of Greenwich 
INTERIOR—GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. RESTON, VA—1982 
N 
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c\ 
For sale by Branch of Distribution, U.S. Geological Survey, 
Box 25286, Federal Center, Denver, CO 80225 
TIB/UB Hannover 
139 561 684