Description

The Arctic Coastal Plain MLRA (MLRA 246X) consists of level to gently rolling plains along the coast of the Arctic Ocean. This area makes up 22,235 square miles. It is mostly remote, sparsely populated wildland. Numerous rivers, mostly originating in the Brooks Range, drain to the Arctic Ocean. The largest being the Canning, Colville, Jago, Kongakut, Kuk, Utukok, and Sagavanirktok Rivers. Narrow, nearly level flood plains and stream terraces parallel the many rivers. The area is dotted by thousands of small and medium-size lakes and interconnecting wetlands. Many of the lakes are elongated thaw lakes, which are consistently oriented from north to northwest. Small sand dunes occur along the coastline, rivers, and plains. Elevation ranges from sea level to about 655 feet. The dominant soil order in this MLRA is Gelisols. Most have an aquic soil moisture regime. The Gelisols are shallow or moderately deep to permafrost, occur on fine and coarse textured sediments, and are generally poorly drained or very poorly drained. Common Gelisol suborders are Histels, Orthels, and Turbels. The Histels have a glacic layer and/or thick accumulations of surface organic material and are associated with ice-wedge troughs of polygons, vegetated lake basins, swales, and low-gradient drainageways. The Orthels and Turbels have comparably thinner surface organic material and occur on flood plains, stream terraces, plains, and the centers of low- and high-center polygons. Miscellaneous (non-soil) areas make up about 20 percent of this MLRA. The most common are water, riverwash, and beaches.