Roads | Permafrost | Tundra | Rivers | Waterfowl | Caribou

Transportation on the frozen Arctic land depends on the use of ice roads. Rising temperatures are leading to a shortening of ice road transport seasons and the melting ice roads are creating transportation challenges. The opening dates for tundra roads in northern Alaska has shifted two months later from early November (pre-1991) to January (recent years), dramatically decreasing the potential work period during which ice roads can be used for transportation. It should be noted that the decrease in time of tundra travel is not only a function of warming, but also of changes in regulatory criteria See the Tundra Travel Modeling Project for details.

Time period when roads are open for travel on the Alaska North Slope, since 1970. A longer bar indicates a longer period of time during which the roads are open for travel. Data from Alaska Department of Natural Resources. Also see Petroleum News.article.		Ice road transport. From the Malik project at the USGS.

Find more information (references and websites):

• Canada's Cold Winter Roads - from the Washington Post