Spring Scenes

SPRING SCENES

Spring melt in the Alaskan Arctic is the dominant hydrologic event of the year, often releasing half of the annual runoff within 7 to 10 days.

In very low gradient areas of the Arctic, much of the snowmelt water is lost as evaporation since infiltration is limited by ice-rich soils and runoff is quite slow.

Snow melting on the tundra.

Stream bank erosion revealing ice wedges in frozen soil.

Large ice wedges revealed during construction of Farmers Loop Road near the University of Alaska in Fairbanks.

During road construction through severe problem areas over ice rich permafrost, occasionally the frozen ground is completely removed and replaced with a non-heaving gravel prior to construction.

Snowmelt runoff in Alaska tussock tundra.

Male and female King Eiders in Prudhoe Bay Oilfield Complex.

Low centered polygons bordering the Kuparuk River on the Alaskan Arctic Coastal Plain.