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The valley bottom consists of an assemblage of tundra polygons, thaw lakes and ponds and mesic hummocky tundra. The water retaining capacity of these topographical features and the poor drainage of the underlying permafrost contribute to the formation of wetlands. Dryer areas dominated my mesic tundra are found on the rims surrounding polygons, better-drained sites in the valley bottom and on slopes, hills and elevated terraces surrounding the valley lowlands. The three live trapping grids of this sector are separated by at least 500 m over an area of ca 2 km2. The winter nest transects cover an area of ca 55 km2.
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