Willow ptarmigan in favourable seasons, many juveniles may survive and the population of willow ptarmigan is prone to wide fluctuations in size. By September, families begin to form flocks. The females and young migrate to lower altitudes and may overwinter from their breeding grounds in wooded valleys and hilly country. The males also congregate in small groups but do not usually travel as far as the females. The willow ptarmigan was adopted as the state bird of Alaska in 1955. Widespread and not uncommon in its remote habitat, the willow ptarmigan is classified as a species of "Least Concern" by the IUCN.
Surface Heat Budget of the Arctic Ocean ice reflects about 80% of the incident sunlight. Seasonal changes in the Arctic result in clear skies and radiational cooling from snow-covered sea ice in the constantly dark arctic winter. In spring, with the return of sunlight, melt pools begin to form and increase the rate of heat absorption from the sun. In the summer, during constant daylight, clouds form which reflect light to the sky, but impede heat flow from the ocean. In order to quantify these effects over a large portion of earth's area—the Arctic Ocean—required a large-scale scientific data-gathering and analysis effort over the span of a