Cape Krusenstern's beach ridges formed over many years of wave action. Cape Krusenstern National Monument covers over half a million acres of tundra and low mountains along the coast of northwestern Alaska. There are nine coastal lagoons within the monument. These dynamic lagoons are critically important ecosystems in the region because they support birds, fishes, invertebrates, and terrestrial and marine mammals. They are also the place of seasonal traditional subsistence activities for Alaska Natives and serve as navigational pathways throughout the year by local people. A series of beach ridges, accumulated over time by wave action, host numerous archeological sites ranging far into the past, left by the people who lived and hunted here.
Dolly Varden, an important subsistence species for Kivalina.
Jessica L. Bryant
What We Monitor in Cape Krusenstern National Monument
