The Arctic Ocean is one of the most productive places on earth for wildlife, but there is much we have yet to learn about this ecosystem.
A view from the deck of the Coast Guard icebreaker the Healy on an Arctic research trip. Photo: Melanie Smith
The Arctic Ocean is one of the most productive places on earth for wildlife, but there is much we have yet to learn about this ecosystem. Although the weather is harsh in the winter, with gale-force winds, 20-foot seas, and shifting sea ice, these waters provide unspoiled habitat for millions of migratory birds and thousands of marine mammals, including polar bears, ice seals, endangered bowhead whales, and Pacific walrus.
The Beaufort Sea is home to migratory birds, bowhead whales, other marine mammals.
Audubon Alaska works to protect habitat for eiders, walrus, and other wildlife in the Chukchi Sea.
Bristol Bay is home to dozens of global Important Bird Areas and one of the world’s largest concentrations of seabird colonies.
See Audubon Alaska's maps of the habitat and wildlife of the Beaufort and Chukchi Seas.
This interactive map profiles some of the most important marine areas in the US Arctic, as identified by the best available science.
Audubon Alaska depends on supporters like you to make our science-based conservation success possible.
Help defend the towering old-growth trees of the Tongass National Forest from clearcutting.
