Find firsthand accounts from field researchers, underwater sound recordings, and more on Audubon Alaska's Vital Arctic Ocean Areas Storymap. 

The Arctic Ocean is one of the most productive places on earth for wildlife, providing key habitat for millions of migratory birds and thousands of marine mammals, including polar bears, beluga whales, ice seals, endangered bowhead whales, and Pacific walrus. 

We are still learning about the intricate interactions between wildlife and the ocean in these remote waters. This interactive map profiles some of the most important marine areas in the U.S. Arctic, as identified by the best available science. 

This map highlights eight areas that we have identified to be integral to the health of the wildlife, people, and overall ecology of the U.S. Arctic marine environment:

• Chukchi Corridor
• Barrow Canyon
• Beaufort Shelf Break
• Harrison Bay-Colville Delta
• Herald Shoal
• Oliktok Point to Demarcation Bay
• Smith Bay
• Hanna Shoal

Learn more on the Vital Arctic Ocean Areas Storymap!

Read a blog by scientists about important marine areas in the US Arctic: Vital Ocean Areas Blog.