The North Alaska's Harsh Environment

The northern part of Alaska contains a harsh environment, which is defined by its barren landscape with scarce amount of resources available. The Brooks Range is a large mountain range that runs east to west, which splits the northern coast from the interior. On one side of the mountain range lies a flat tundra that is relatively treeless, while the other side lies the forested lands of the central Alaskan plateau. Much of the northern region has many low lakes and is covered in marsh lands. The North Alaskan tundra is usually referred to as a desert “The rain and snowfall in the region averages less than ten inches per year.” (Chance 1996: 9). The area has a perennially frozen topsoil and a permanently frozen subsoil, which hinders drainage