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SITE NAME
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Coastline, barrier islands - Arctic Coastal Plain, Alaska, USA
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| Contact details
(phone/fax//e-mail//address): |
| 907-786-3908/907-786-3641 // Christian_Dau@fws.gov // U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Migratory Bird Management Division, Mail Stop 201, 1011 E. Tudor Road, Anchorage, AK 99503-6199, USA
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PROJECT DETAILS |
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Start of survey:
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End
of survey: |
Team
size: |
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WEATHER
CONDITIONS
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| Season phenology: |
average
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Weather conditions: |
| Initially snow and ice melt on the ACP was reported as "delayed" however, conditions moderated and onshore reports suggest "normal" climatic phenology. Most of the Chukchi Sea east of 170ø W was ice free by mid-June as in 2003 with estuarine conditions as follows: Kasegaluk Lagoon ice free, Peard Bay 95% ice covered. Sea ice was extensive along the Beaufort Sea coastline during the third week of June with open water near river mouths and ice free areas in the eastern Beaufort. Larger lakes were 10- 30% ice covered. Ice conditions in primary estuaries were: Elson Lagoon 80% ice with overflow, Dease Inlet 90% ice with overflow, open water near river mouths, Smith Bay 90% ice with overflow, Harrison Bay 60% ice with overflow, Simpson Lagoon west end 40-80% ice with overflow and ice free in east end, Stefansson Sound west end 80-90% ice with overflow and 50 % ice free in east end, Kaktovik lagoons mostly ice free, Demarcation Bay 80% ice cover with overflow.
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| Date of ice-break on
rivers: |
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| Date of final loss of
snow: |
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BIOTIC
CONDITIONS
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| Rodents abundance evaluation: |
low
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Breeding conditions:
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Additional indicators of low rodent numbers were no sightings of snowy owl or pomarine jaeger and <5 each of parasitic and long-tailed jaegers. Several short-eared owls were seen across the area by various observers. Goose and brant nesting chronology in 2004 appeared comparable to 1999-2003 observations with first broods as follows: greater white-fronted goose 24 June, Canada goose 26 June and black brant 25 June. Snow geese in the central Beaufort Sea area were on nest on 26 June with hatching in previous years ~29 June.
Green-up of coastal areas had begun <24 June with Ranunculus Pallasii and Petasites frigidus fully flowered on that date.
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Rodent dynamics:
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| Lemming numbers were apparently very low and no fresh sign was seen at Prudhoe Bay.
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Rodent species recorded:
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Summary
of fauna studies: |
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