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J. Brown et al. 



FIGURE 1-4. Aerial view looking north across the U.S. Tundra Biome 

 research area. The ice-covered Arctic Ocean is in the background. The 

 Naval Arctic Research Laboratory camp complex is in the upper right 

 corner. The ice-covered water body is Middle Salt Lagoon. Polygonal 

 terrain is visible in the foreground. (CRREL photograph.) 



remainder of the landscape contains recently drained lake basins, gently 

 sloping terrain and lakes. 



In 1970 an area 3 km from the sea near NARL was selected for the 

 main U.S. International Biological Program Tundra Biome research ef- 

 fort (Figure 1-4). The area contains a sequence of drained lake surfaces 

 (Figure 1-5). A small entrenched stream, Footprint Creek, flows across 

 the northern portion and its marshy feeders, together with polygon 

 troughs, drain the western and southern portion. The drainage area 

 north of the creek consists of gentle, hummocky slopes and high- 

 centered polygons with deepened troughs along with non-patterned mea- 

 dows and mixed high- and low-centered polygons. 



Three primary terrestrial sites and one aquatic site were established 

 (Figure 1-5): 



Site 1, immediately north of Footprint Creek, was used for a series 

 of experimental simulations of human-induced impacts: heated soils, oil 

 spills, physical disruption and greenhouse effects. 



