Effects of All-Terrain Vehicle Traffic on Tundra Terrain Near Anaktuvuk Pass, Alaska

Six-and eight-wheel, light-weight all terrain vehicles (ATVs) (mainly the Argo with low-pressure, low-ribbed tires) are currently used in the Anaktuvuk Pass, Alaska, area for summer subsistence travel from the village into several Brooks Range valleys. The environmental effects of summer ATV use are...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Racine, Charles H., Johnson, Lawrence A.
Other Authors: COLD REGIONS RESEARCH AND ENGINEERING LAB HANOVER NH
Format: Text
Language:English
Published: 1988
Subjects:
Ecology
Geography
*TUNDRA
*OFFROAD TRAFFIC
*DAMAGE
*ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
SOILS
PROFILES
FREEZING
LIGHTWEIGHT
VEHICLES
VEGETATION
MOISTURE
SUMMER
TERRAIN
ALASKA
SITES
LAYERS
EXPOSURE(GENERAL)
*ALL TERRAIN VEHICLES
ALASKA NORTH SLOPE
Alaska North Slope
Brooks Range
north slope
Tundra
Alaska
Online Access:http://www.dtic.mil/docs/citations/ADA199969
http://oai.dtic.mil/oai/oai?&verb=getRecord&metadataPrefix=html&identifier=ADA199969
Description
Summary:Six-and eight-wheel, light-weight all terrain vehicles (ATVs) (mainly the Argo with low-pressure, low-ribbed tires) are currently used in the Anaktuvuk Pass, Alaska, area for summer subsistence travel from the village into several Brooks Range valleys. The environmental effects of summer ATV use are poorly understood. During the summers of 1985 and 1986, terrain disturbance at 31 sites representing trails over dry, moist and wet tundra was evaluated by rating the levels of soil exposure, Vegetation destruction and microtopographic depression(ruts). Surface and frozen layer profiles across selected trail sites were also obtained, and trail visibility from the air and ground was rated. The levels of trail disturbance vary between valleys and generally decrease with distance from the village of Anaktuvuk Pass. Trails over dry tundra showed low to moderate terrain disturbance. Terrain disturbance on trails over moist tundra varied from low to high.

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