User:Kvicich/sandbox

Ecology[ edit]
Area of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge coastal plain, looking south toward the Brooks Range

The Brooks Range forms the northernmost drainage divide in North America, separating streams flowing into the Arctic Ocean and the North Pacific. The range roughly delineates the summer position of the Arctic front. It represents the northern extent of the tree line, with little beyond isolated balsam poplar stands occurring north of the continental drainage divide. Trembling aspen and white spruce also occur north of the Brooks Range, though they are limited to sites that have been disturbed by human activity. Southern slopes have some cover of black spruce, Picea mariana, marking the northern limit of those trees. As the global mean temperature increases, tree line has been observed to move further north, changing the boundaries of where these trees are found '''. An increase in shrub abundance is also being experienced in areas which were previously dominated by tundra, impacting the ecology of the area .'''

As one of the most remote and least-disturbed wildernesses of North America, the mountains are home to Dall sheep, grizzly bears, black bear, gray wolf, moose and the porcupine caribou.

In Alaska, the Western Arctic Caribou herd (490,000 strong in 2004) traverses the Brooks Range in its annual migration. The smaller Central Arctic herd (32,000 in 2002), as well as the 123,000 animal Porcupine Caribou herd, likewise migrate through the Brooks range on their annual journeys in and out of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. The migration path of the Porcupine Caribou herd is the longest of any terrestrial mammal on earth. Added citation here

Climate[ edit]
While other Alaskan ranges to the south and closer to the coast can receive 250 inches (640 cm) to 500 inches (1,300 cm) of snow, the average snow precipitation on the Brooks Range is reported at 30 inches (76 cm) to 51 inches (130 cm). Due to a changing climate, between the years 1969–2018 the Eastern and Western portions of the brooks range have experienced a 17.2% increase in annual precipitation.

As measured at the Anaktuvuk Pass weather station (elevation 770 meters (2,530 ft)), the average summer temperatures are 16 °C (61 °F) as a high and 3 °C (37 °F) as a low. During the winter the average high is −22 °C (−8 °F) while the average low is −30 °C (−22 °F). '''Polar amplification (LINK TO WIKI PAGE) is a force experienced in this region as global temperatures are rising. The northern and western regions of Alaska, where the brooks range lies, is experiencing a warming rate twice that of southeastern Alaska. The Brooks Range has experienced an increase in average summer temperature between 4.2°F and 5.8° F between the years 1969–2018.'''

'''In certain areas of the Brooks Range, year round snow cover or "perennial snowfields", can be found. In 1985, 34 square miles of snowfields were recorded, where as that number has dropped to under four square miles in 2017. '''

Add section about: Fossilized tree pollen and logs have been found further north than the current tree line, suggesting that the treeline has receded over time.

Add Map! *Having a hard time finding one that is public source, but I feel like the article really needs one!