NO. 9 MARINE INVERTEBRATES, ALASKA — MacGINITIE 7 



10 miles offshore, a blow of such violence came up that it Mras neces- 

 sary to go to shore 6 miles below the landing and work slowly along- 

 shore to the base, where the boat could be pulled out. Had the boat 

 been forced directly to the landing it would have been swamped. That 

 day the "No. i Boatman" (Max Adams) said, "I got a itta bit tsick." 



The vegetation consists of lichens, mosses, grasses, sedges, and 

 flowering plants. There are two species of low willows that grow 

 in the Arctic tundra. The largest of these is a branching, decumbent 

 plant that does not project more than 2 inches above ground and 

 seldom covers an area of more than 3 feet in diameter. One of these 

 willows may be found almost at land's end at the Point. Farther 

 inland along streams another species of willow that may attain a 

 height of 10 feet is abundant. 



Plants in the Arctic grow slowly. Two different Government men, 

 interested in reindeer propagation, told the writer that overgrazed 

 land requires 50 years in which to regain fully its plant life. 



The contribution of terrestrial plants to the economy of the sea is 

 brought about mainly through shore erosion, though some plants are 

 brought to the ocean by rivers. This relationship is further explained 

 under "Currents" and "Food." 



No account of the plants of the tundra would be complete without 

 some mention of the summer flowers. Those who think of the Arctic 

 waste as a dreary, uninviting area should visit the region in August 

 and see the profusion of flowers and birds. All flowers are short- 

 stemmed and small, but most of them are beautiful. A delightful 

 memory is of a field of poppies on the bluff alongshore several miles 

 southwest of Barrow Village, and the great fields of golden sedges of 

 the tundra are a never-to-be-forgotten sight. 



GEOLOGY 



To understand the sediments of the ocean shore and bottom at 

 Point Barrow and vicinity it is necessary to go a considerable dis- 

 tance to determine the source. Much of the shore and bottom ma- 

 terials has come from the Brooks Range to the south. These moun- 

 tains, 7,000 to 8,000 feet high, extend east and west across northern 

 Alaska (fig. 2) a distance of 600 miles. Some shore and bottom 

 materials are ice-borne from great distances. More will be said about 

 this under "Currents." 



Geologically the north slope, i.e., that part of Alaska from the 

 Brooks Range to the Arctic Ocean, may be divided into three general 

 regions : ( i ) The mountains of the northern slopes are sedimentary 

 formations. (The whole range, though sedimentary, shows granite 



