The main settlements in this section are Arctic Red River, Ak- 

 lavik and Port Brabant (Tuktoyaktuk). These are small ports 

 serving the river steamers. 



Permafrost underlies the entire region, including the plateau of 

 the Canadian shield, the sedimentary basin of the Mackenzie, and 

 most of Alaska. The surface of the ground thaws in the summer 

 to depths varying from 3 to 4 inches on the north slopes, and to 

 24 inches or more on the sunny slopes. 



There is a great variation in the ice conditions along the coast 

 from year to year. In general, the main pack breaks away from 

 the shore ice by late May. Bering Strait is usually ice free by the 

 first of July. Point Barrow may open up by early August, but 

 occasionally ice remains until the first of September. The shift- 

 ing winds and currents may at any time drift the pack ice in to 

 the shore. These forces have been known to pile the ice onto the 

 shore over the top of 75-foot bluffs, even burying Eskimo camps 

 in a matter of a few minutes. A lead may open up in summer 

 between the heavy pack ice of the polar basin and the shore along 

 the whole western arctic coast. This allows limited and hazard- 

 ous navigation, in great contrast to the rather active summer sea 

 travel in the eastern arctic of North America. 



The region is devoid of trees except in some of the sheltered 

 places on the Mackenzie delta, where scrub willows and dwarf 

 birches are found. Tundra and muskeg cover the area, with 

 mosses and lichens on all but the most exposed rocks of the plateau 

 and uplands. 



Precipitation is light although snow cover in late winter may 

 exceed two feet in depth, and snow may fall at any time of year. 

 Some snow and ice persist through the summer in protected places. 

 Visibility is poor in summer when fog and rain are common. 

 Severe storms occur in the winter. Wind is an important factor 

 throughout the entire year and has a high average velocity over 

 most of the arctic coastal area of Alaska and Western Canada. 



This area is of economic and strategic importance in view of a 

 possible Naval Petroleum Reserve back of Cape Simpson, and the 

 proximity of the Eldorado mine on Great Bear Lake, and the oil 

 fields around Norman Wells. 



For general information on petroleum development at Point 

 Barrow refer to articles by K. Marshall Fagin in the Petroleum 

 Engineer for August, September, October, and December 1947. 

 From those articles much can be learned about this area of arctic 

 America. 



53 



