Thawing ice wedges create ponds on the Arctic Coastal Plain. The shape of these ponds influences how their water levels and nutrient concentrations change over the year. These variables in turn influence pond ecosystems and use by waterbirds.
Images
Browse images from a wide range of science topics covered by USGS. All items in this gallery are considered public domain unless otherwise noted.
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Thawing ice wedges create ponds on the Arctic Coastal Plain
Thawing ice wedges create ponds on the Arctic Coastal Plain. The shape of these ponds influences how their water levels and nutrient concentrations change over the year. These variables in turn influence pond ecosystems and use by waterbirds.
Adult Female Walruses on Ice Floe with Young
Adult female walruses on ice floe with young.
Adult female walruses on ice floe with young.
Table Top Mountain and the West Twin Creek Catchment
Table Top Mountain and the West Twin Creek catchment.
Table Top Mountain and the West Twin Creek catchment.
USGS scientist banding a Bluethroat on the Seward Peninsula, Alaska
USGS scientist Rachel Richardson banding a Bluethroat on the Seward Peninsula in Alaska.
USGS scientist Rachel Richardson banding a Bluethroat on the Seward Peninsula in Alaska.
Adult Female Walrus on Ice Floe
Adult female walrus on ice floe.
Adult female walrus on ice floe.
Radio Tagged Adult Female Walrus on Ice Floe
Adult female walrus on ice floe photographed shortly after receiving a behavior monitoring satellite-linked radio tag from USGS researchers.
Data acquired from such radio-tags are providing insights on the distribution and behavior of Pacific walruses during a time when their summer sea ice habitat is rapidly changing.
Adult female walrus on ice floe photographed shortly after receiving a behavior monitoring satellite-linked radio tag from USGS researchers.
Data acquired from such radio-tags are providing insights on the distribution and behavior of Pacific walruses during a time when their summer sea ice habitat is rapidly changing.
Pacific Walruses Resting on Sea Ice
Female walruses and their young must haul out of the water to rest between foraging bouts.
Female walruses and their young must haul out of the water to rest between foraging bouts.
Using ground penetrating radar
Colin and Colby use ground penetrating radar to measure the depth to ground ice in the watershed
Colin and Colby use ground penetrating radar to measure the depth to ground ice in the watershed
Adult Female Walruses on Ice Floe with Young
Adult female walruses on ice floe with young. Notice the radio tag borne on her her upper mid back.
This tag will monitor resting and foraging behavior and convey the information back to USGS scientists.
Adult female walruses on ice floe with young. Notice the radio tag borne on her her upper mid back.
This tag will monitor resting and foraging behavior and convey the information back to USGS scientists.
Catch of forage fish from a trawl in Prince William Sound, Alaska
Catch of forage fish from a trawl in Prince William Sound, Alaska. Trawling was part of detecting long-term changes in forage fish populations.
Catch of forage fish from a trawl in Prince William Sound, Alaska. Trawling was part of detecting long-term changes in forage fish populations.
A bald eagle in a tree with a small sea otter pup
A bald eagle rests in a tree with a small sea otter pup it has just snatched from the water. Once pups are a few weeks older they have grown too large for eagles to lift. Female otters with very small pups often only do short foraging dives and continuously monitor and reposition their pups to keep them from being predated.
A bald eagle rests in a tree with a small sea otter pup it has just snatched from the water. Once pups are a few weeks older they have grown too large for eagles to lift. Female otters with very small pups often only do short foraging dives and continuously monitor and reposition their pups to keep them from being predated.
Alaska geologic mapping by helicopter
A helicopter waiting to pick up geologic mappers and move them to a new location in the western Alaska Range in south-central Alaska. Helicopters are an essential part of geologic fieldwork in the many remote, rugged regions of Alaska.
A helicopter waiting to pick up geologic mappers and move them to a new location in the western Alaska Range in south-central Alaska. Helicopters are an essential part of geologic fieldwork in the many remote, rugged regions of Alaska.
A Tufted Puffin on the water
A Tufted Puffin on the water
Yellow Warbler in Alaska
Scientist holding an Yellow Warbler on the Seward Peninsula, Alaska. This photo is part of the Changing Arctic Ecosystems Boreal-Arctic Transition program.
Scientist holding an Yellow Warbler on the Seward Peninsula, Alaska. This photo is part of the Changing Arctic Ecosystems Boreal-Arctic Transition program.
R/V Alaskan Gyre near a glacier in Prince William Sound, Alaska
The research vessel Alaskan Gyre is near a glacier in Prince William Sound, Alaska.
The research vessel Alaskan Gyre is near a glacier in Prince William Sound, Alaska.
Caribou
Low-lying, salt-tolerant goose grazing lawn in foreground, giving way to higher elevation, salt-intolerant tundra in background. Geese require vegetation that is higher in quality and lower in biomass than caribou.
Low-lying, salt-tolerant goose grazing lawn in foreground, giving way to higher elevation, salt-intolerant tundra in background. Geese require vegetation that is higher in quality and lower in biomass than caribou.
One of two trawl winches on the R/V Alaskan Gyre
One of two trawl winches on the R/V Alaskan Gyre
One of two trawl winches on the R/V Alaskan Gyre
Hydraulic controls on the aft deck of the R/V Alaskan Gyre
Hydraulic controls on the aft deck of the R/V Alaskan Gyre
Hydraulic controls on the aft deck of the R/V Alaskan Gyre
Ninespine stickleback experimental release
Ninespine stickleback experimental release. The addition of small-bodied ninespine stickleback to fishless thermokarst ponds provided valuable information on their ability to influence invertebrate prey. Through consumption, ninespine stickleback substantially reduced invertebrate biomass during the 6-week experiment.
Ninespine stickleback experimental release. The addition of small-bodied ninespine stickleback to fishless thermokarst ponds provided valuable information on their ability to influence invertebrate prey. Through consumption, ninespine stickleback substantially reduced invertebrate biomass during the 6-week experiment.
Stream outflow from a lake on the Arctic Coastal Plain
Stream outflow from a lake on the Arctic Coastal Plain. Surface water connectivity affects the occupancy of fish species in lakes, influencing richness, composition, and food web complexity.
Stream outflow from a lake on the Arctic Coastal Plain. Surface water connectivity affects the occupancy of fish species in lakes, influencing richness, composition, and food web complexity.
Greater white-fronted geese on the Arctic Coastal Plain
Greater white-fronted geese on the Arctic Coastal Plain
Greater white-fronted geese on the Arctic Coastal Plain