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Browse a collection of stories about prominent USGS scientists and projects in Alaska news.

2020 USGS Alaska Science Report
Filter Total Items: 159
Changing Wave Dynamics in Arctic Alaska

Changing Wave Dynamics in Arctic Alaska

The Arctic coast of Alaska is defined and shaped by ice—and, increasingly, waves. New studies from USGS researchers and collaborators examine how wind...

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Mapping the Entire Queen Charlotte-Fairweather Fault System

Mapping the Entire Queen Charlotte-Fairweather Fault System

A recently completed series of data publications led by the U.S. Geological Survey represents the first time the fault has been mapped using...

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Without Sea Ice, More Polar Bears Spend Time Onshore, Increasing Potential for Human Interaction

Without Sea Ice, More Polar Bears Spend Time Onshore, Increasing Potential for Human Interaction

As sea ice declines, more polar bears are coming onshore each summer and staying longer, increasing the potential for more human-bear interactions.

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Revisiting a Marine Mammal Mystery, with the Help of New Data and Powerful Statistics

Revisiting a Marine Mammal Mystery, with the Help of New Data and Powerful Statistics

New techniques and a massive dataset have helped USGS scientists and partners determine why sea otter populations in southwest Alaska collapsed in the...

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Publications Contribute to Strategic Framework for the Alaska Earth Mapping Resources Initiative (Earth MRI)

Publications Contribute to Strategic Framework for the Alaska Earth Mapping Resources Initiative (Earth MRI)

Minerals are a part of our daily lives. Critical minerals, sometimes referred to as strategic and critical, are mineral commodities that are vital to...

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Bipartisan Infrastructure Law helping Alaska map critical mineral resources

Bipartisan Infrastructure Law helping Alaska map critical mineral resources

RESTON, Va.—The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) announced today that Alaska will receive more than $6.75 million to conduct geologic mapping, airborne...

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A Review of Alaska's Marine Mineral Resources

A Review of Alaska's Marine Mineral Resources

For centuries, humans have mined, refined, and utilized various metals and minerals found on land and along coasts. As global supply of these finite...

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David Applegate Sworn In as Director of the U.S. Geological Survey

David Applegate Sworn In as Director of the U.S. Geological Survey

This release was originally shared by the Department of the Interior. 

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A disappearing act in Alaska

A disappearing act in Alaska

Permafrost, as its name implies, should be permanently frozen soil; however, that’s no longer the case. USGS researchers are looking into how these...

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A long-suspected culprit is caught

A long-suspected culprit is caught

New research reveals what killed a group of Arctic Terns in Alaska.

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From the Seafloor to Outer Space, USGS is on the Case

From the Seafloor to Outer Space, USGS is on the Case

It’s a pale blue dot. It’s also a landscape of jagged peaks and valleys beneath fluffy white clouds. It's a vast field of wispy green grasses and a...

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The Unexpected Activity of Frozen Soils: New USGS Research Discovers Permafrost and Frozen Winter Soils May Be More Alive than Previously Thought 

The Unexpected Activity of Frozen Soils: New USGS Research Discovers Permafrost and Frozen Winter Soils May Be More Alive than Previously Thought 

Newly published research indicates permafrost, or seasonally frozen, soils may be an overlooked source of greenhouse gases (GHG) prior to complete...

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