USGS Educational Resources
Alaska and the Arctic | Antarctica | Climate Change | Glaciers and Ice | Photographs | Satellite Imagery | Other USGS Resources | See entire resources index
Click topic headings for more information.
Wildlife
Marine Mammals
| What is it? | What Can I Do With It? | What Does It Look Like? |
|---|---|---|
The USGS is conducting studies to explain the movements and activities of polar bears. Polar bears and other marine mammals occur in the ice–covered portions of the Bering, Chukchi, and Beaufort Seas adjacent to Alaska. Polar bears´ dependence on drifting ice makes them an important indicator of global warming and its effects in the Arctic. |
Examine these studies to understand the movements and activities of polar bears, and investigate interactions between bears. Learn about their principal prey, ringed seals, and the sea ice that supports both of them. Study changes in movements and distribution patterns of polar bears and learn how understanding those patterns may help address habitat management issues. Learn more... |
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Alaska Wildlife
| What is it? | What Can I Do With It? | What Does It Look Like? |
|---|---|---|
Scientists at the Alaska Science Center study a wide range of arctic wildlife, including bears, caribou, moose, polar bears, sea otters, sheep, walrus, wolves, fish, and birds. |
See how scientists work in this extreme environment, collecting data and making observations about arctic wildlife. Find out the latest information the USGS is learning about arctic ecosystems and their response to global change. Learn more…. |
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Arctic Refuge Coastal Plain Terrestrial Wildlife Research Summaries
(Biological Science Report USGS /BRD/BSR-2002-0001, 1988–1994)
| What is it? | What Can I Do With It? | What Does It Look Like? |
|---|---|---|
First established in 1960, the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge was expanded in 1980. This report is in response to that year´s legislation, which designated almost all of the original Arctic National Wildlife Range as wilderness and directed the Secretary of the Interior to conduct studies evaluating both the biological resources and the potential petroleum reserves of 1.5 million acres on the coastal plain of the Arctic Refuge (the “1002 Area”). |
Use this extensive and well–illustrated report to investigate population dynamics, distribution, energetics, and habitat use of key wildlife species. Also read discussions about potential effects and mitigation of petroleum development on wildlife and habitats. Learn more… |
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Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) Earth and Biological Science Data
| What is it? | What Can I Do With It? | What Does It Look Like? |
|---|---|---|
This is a library of a variety of base maps and statistical data on ANWR. |
Use this site for earth and biological investigations of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Learn more… |
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