{{Infobox ecoregion
| name = Arctic coastal tundra
| image = Tundra coastal vegetation Alaska.jpg
| image_caption = Tundra vegetation on Alaska's coastal plain
| image_size = 300
| country = [[United States]]
| state = [[Alaska]]
| country1 = [[Canada]]
| rivers = the [[Mackenzie River]] delta
| elevation = {{convert|0|-|150|m|ft}}
| bird_species = 74<ref name = "Atlas">
{{cite book |last1 = Hoekstra |first1 = J. M. |last2 = Molnar |first2 = J. L. |last3 = Jennings |first3 = M. |last4 = Revenga |first4 = C. |last5 = Spalding |first5 = M. D. |last6 = Boucher |first6 = T. M. |last7 = Robertson |first7 = J. C. |last8 = Heibel |first8 = T. J. |last9 = Ellison |first9 = K. |title = The Atlas of Global Conservation: Changes, Challenges, and Opportunities to Make a Difference |publisher = [[University of California Press]] |editor1-last = Molnar |editor1-first = J. L. |year = 2010 |isbn = 978-0-520-26256-0 |url=http://www.nature.org/multimedia/maps/ }}</ref>
| mammal_species = 31<ref name = "Atlas"/>
| habitat_loss = 0
| habitat_loss_ref = <ref name = "Atlas"/>
| protected = 49.8
| protected_ref = <ref name = "Atlas"/>
| area = 98200
| geology = coastal plain
| biome = [[Tundra]]
| animals = [[caribou]], bear, wolf, [[muskox]], [[snow goose]], [[Brant goose]], polar bear, fox, lemming, ermine, seal, fish,
| map = Arctic coastal tundra map.svg
| map_caption = 109. Arctic Coastal Tundra
| map_size = 248
}}
The '''Arctic coastal tundra''' is an [[ecoregion]] of the far north of North America, an important breeding ground for a great deal of wildlife.
==Setting==
This ecoregion is located on the north coast of [[Alaska]], and includes the east coast plain of [[Banks Island]], the [[Tuktoyaktuk]] coast in the [[Yukon]], and the [[Anderson River (Northwest Territories)|Anderson River]] and [[Horton River (Canada)|Horton River]] plains in the [[Northwest Territories]]. This in an area of low, flat, boggy coastal plains. The underlying soil of this damp Arctic coast is thick, solid permafrost, covered in summer with [[thermokarst]] "thaw lakes" of melted ice. Ice features such as [[ice wedge]]s and [[pingo]] mounds of soil and ice can be found. This coast has an arctic climate warm enough to allow plant growth in late-June, July and August only, and even then frosts may occur. On the whole this is a damper, wetter area than the [[Low Arctic tundra]] ecoregion that continues along the coast west of here to [[Quebec]].<ref>{{WWF ecoregion|id=na1103|name=Arctic coastal tundra}}</ref>
==Flora==
This area supports wetland plants especially [[Cyperaceae|sedge]]s and grasses, [[moss]]es and [[lichen]]s, and right on the coast there are peat bogs. Trees such as [[dwarf birch]], [[willow]]s, northern Labrador tea ([[Dryas (plant)|Dryas]]) and [[alder]]s grow in the warmer areas of the region, the [[Mackenzie River]] delta and the [[Yukon]] coast.
==Fauna==
This coast is the breeding ground for three huge herds of [[caribou]], the Western Arctic, Central Arctic, and [[Porcupine caribou]] herds. Another key species if the [[muskox]] of [[Banks Island]] and the [[Arctic National Wildlife Refuge]] coast. Other mammals include [[lemming]]s, [[polar bear]], [[walrus]], [[beluga whale]], [[snowshoe hare]] and [[arctic hare]], [[red fox]], [[grey wolf]], [[Arctic ground squirrel]] and [[Pinniped|seal]]s. The coast is also home to many breeding waterbirds including [[snow goose]], [[spectacled eider]], [[steller's eider]], [[king eider]], and [[yellow-billed loon]]. Important bird areas include the [[Colville River (Alaska)|Colville River]] delta, [[Teshekpuk Lake]] (which is within the [[National Petroleum Reserve–Alaska]]), and [[Kasegaluk Lagoon]] a breeding area for [[brant goose]]. Predatory birds include the [[snowy owl]]s that hunt waterbirds and lemmings. Fish of the waters here include the [[arctic char]].
==Threats and preservation==
90% of natural habitat remains intact, except for the vicinity of [[Barrow, Alaska]] and the oil fields of [[Prudhoe Bay, Alaska]] and [[Kuparuk Oil Field|Kuparuk]] which are expanding along the coast and may in future spread into the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, which is the only major protected area on this coast (see [[Arctic Refuge drilling controversy]]), and on and around the [[Dalton Highway]] and the [[Trans-Alaska Pipeline]].
==References==
{{reflist}}
{{Geography topics}}
{{Physical geography topics}}
{{Alaska}}