2020 Map of Meade River C-3 NE

About this map

The Inaru River meanders across the northern reaches of this North Slope landscape, carving a serpentine path through a complex network of thaw lakes and wetlands typical of the Arctic coastal plain. In the southern portion of the sheet, the Meade River flows through a broad corridor, its large oxbow loops and dynamic channel shifts illustrating the fluid nature of this permafrost-influenced terrain. These watercourses were historically vital as travel corridors and subsistence resources for local populations. The landscape is primarily defined by its hydrography, with hundreds of unnamed water bodies dotting the tundra between the major river systems. This 2020 topographic record highlights the intricate hydrological patterns of the Alaskan wilderness, showing the expansive drainages of the Meade River and Inaru River before they reach the Beaufort Sea.