The goal was to link these data together, to give a view of the history of biological communities and their responses to environmental change over the last 10,000 years. The DEW Line Stations were converted to LRRS in the 1980s and presently function as remote Air Force sites in the Alaska Radar System. Coastal tundra biological communities are present at Point Barrow LRRS and Barter Island LRRS as well as five other Air Force radar sites located on the North Slope of Alaska. Fossil samples were collected below the surface to a depth into the permafrost. A chain saw was needed to collect some samples from frozen peat.
Frozen peat is a permafrost soil with a large component of partially decomposed vegetation.
The study found significant differences in both ancient and modern environments between eastern and western regions along the arctic coast of Alaska. These differences are most likely caused by varying substrates and different climatic conditions. A suite of plant species that may be suitable for revegetation efforts at arctic coastal sites was identified. The outward appearance of the vegetation at the two LRRS is very similar and typical of coastal areas across northern Alaska. The Holocene is the period of geologic time since the last ice age.