The USGS conducts scientific research for the Department of the Interior (DOI). The Alaska Science Center (ASC) provides objective and timely data, information, and research findings to Federal, State, and local resource managers and the public but has no regulatory authority. Our science helps support sound decisions regarding natural resources, natural hazards, and ecosystems in Alaska and circumpolar regions.
Our research areas include Ecosystems, Energy and Minerals, Geology, Landscape Science, Natural Hazards, and Water. The ASC is unique within USGS as it integrates multiple USGS Mission Area science programs in one Center. The ASC has offices in Anchorage, Juneau, and Fairbanks.
Alaska Science Center
Alaska is a critical area for natural resource science. Our scientists conduct interdisciplinary research around the state and work with partners and stakeholders to provide a wide range of science products and data for the Department of the Interior particularly related to trust species and resources in Alaska.
Fun Facts
Over 60% of land in Alaska is managed by federal agencies that have responsibilities for numerous Department of Interior resource management issues.
An additional 24% is managed by the state of Alaska where ASC data forms an integral part of the land management decisions.
Alaska’s northern location falls within the arctic, resulting in the United States being an Arctic nation.
The Arctic is changing rapidly, and Alaska’s location places the state and country at the center of this changing region.
Alaska has more coastline than the rest of the U.S. combined. Alaska's coastal and offshore waters provide foraging habitat for an estimated 100 million birds, comprising more than 90 different species.
Alaska’s geologic setting makes it prone to frequent earthquakes, with four out of every five earthquakes in the U.S. occurring in Alaska. The strongest earthquake (M9.2) recorded in North America occurred in Alaska in 1964.
The state has 3 million lakes, 3,000 rivers, 170 million acres of wetlands, an estimated 100,000 glaciers, and permafrost throughout the state.
More than one-third of the Nation’s stream runoff is from Alaska.
Ecosystems – Species and Habitats of Terrestrial and Marine Ecosystems
Department of the Interior bureaus, such as the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Bureau of Land Management, manage more than 200 million acres of trust lands in Alaska and have management responsibility for species that occur across areas with many jurisdictions.
Alaska Science Center scientists address the information needs of DOI bureaus, including species such as migratory birds, threatened and endangered species, interjurisdictional fish, marine mammals including polar bears, walrus and sea otters, and caribou.
The ASC has more than 40 years of research experience in Arctic and sub-Arctic regions, a state-of-the-art molecular genetics lab, and a 50-foot marine research vessel. Wildlife and their habitats across the state are important for human cultural and economic sustainability and the media and public actively monitor information regarding the health of Alaska’s ecosystems.
ASC scientists work with federal, state, other government, university, and industry partners to gather and quantify information about the status and trends of Alaska’s ecosystems.
Geology – Geologic Mapping, Energy Resources, and Mineral Resources
Alaska is still a frontier with respect to geologic investigation and has high potential for holding undiscovered resources which include strategic and critical mineral commodities and petroleum resources. Geologic research conducted at the center encompasses a wide range of topics including bedrock geology, igneous processes, tectonics, surficial geology, potential for critical minerals and metallic resources, and assesses the oil and gas resources of Alaska’s North Slope.
The Alaska Petroleum Systems project conducts research that increases our understanding of Alaska petroleum systems, conducts assessments of undiscovered oil and gas resources, and delivers energy-resource information to land and resource managers, policy makers, and the public.
Minerals are a part of our daily lives, with the average cell phone containing up to 67 metals. Critical minerals, sometimes referred to as strategic and critical, are mineral commodities that are vital to the economy, security of the United States, renewable-energy, and emerging electronics technologies. The U.S. is dependent on imports for many critical mineral commodities.
Reducing U.S. import reliance on these critical commodities requires a better understanding of the potential domestic supply. Alaska has significant known or suspected critical mineral potential and is a priority focus region of the USGS Mineral Resources Program and the national Earth Mapping Resources Initiative.
Natural Hazards – Earthquakes and Tsunamis
More than three-quarters of the state’s population live in areas susceptible to earthquakes. Our research provides objective science that helps stakeholders prepare for and mitigate the effects of future earthquakes and tsunamis, which bolsters the economic health and well-being of Alaska and the Nation.
The ASC Earthquake and Tsunami Hazards team conducts research that examines earthquake hazards that contribute to societal risk in Alaska and beyond, including earthquake ground motion, fault slip, surface deformation, landslides and liquefaction triggered by strong ground shaking, and tsunamis.
Alaska has more large earthquakes than the rest of the United States combined. More than three-quarters of the state’s population live in an area that can experience a magnitude 7 earthquake.
Water - Hydrologic Monitoring, Glaciers, Bridge Scour, and Transboundary Rivers
The Alaska Science Center monitors streamflow at 111 stations across Alaska, providing valuable and up-to-date information for water resource planners, engineers, managers, and the public to protect life and property, design and monitor infrastructure, and manage aquatic resources.
The ASC operates super gages on four transboundary rivers that originate in Canada and flow into Southeast Alaska. All five of these rivers support customary and traditional, recreational, and commercial salmon fisheries. Portions of these watersheds are in what is known at the Golden Triangle, containing some of the richest gold ore bodies in the world. Water quality data collected at the super gages contributes to a comprehensive understanding of current conditions which will serve as a reference (baseline). This information can then be used to monitor the long-term water quality during the operation of large-scale mines in the Canadian portion of the watersheds.
Scientists with the USGS Benchmark Glacier Project study the process and impacts of glacier change, including water resources, environmental hazards, and ecosystem links. Since the 1960s we have collected annual mass balance measurements at five glaciers in the United States. The project also integrates remotely sensed data to enhance our understanding of how glaciers respond to changes in climate. When paired with weather, streamflow and geochemical data, this research helps managers prepare for local, regional, and global impacts of glacier change.
Streambed scour is the leading cause of bridge failure in the United States resulting in over 60 percent of all failures. Costs associated with repair and the societal repercussions associated with failures are amplified in Alaska where alternate ground transportation routes between many cities do not exist. ASC is researching streambed scour through scour monitoring, hydrodynamic modeling, and data collection during high flows.
Landscape Science - Fire Ecology, Permafrost, and Hydrology
Landscape Science focuses on the integration of field studies, remote sensing observations, and modeling to characterize and document landscape changes occurring in terrestrial, aquatic, and coastal ecosystems in Alaska. The Arctic is warming at higher rates than much of the rest of the world. For Alaska, this results in changes in hydrology and ecosystems – permafrost is thawing, changing landscapes and releasing nutrients to soils and streams.
Our research is critical because it can quantitatively describe the processes underlying observed environmental conditions and change and provides the fundamental understanding necessary for predicting future conditions.
- Climate changes and interacting disturbances such as wildfires, insect and disease outbreaks, and erosion and flooding can perturb and reorganize ecosystems.
- Mountain glaciers, particularly in Alaska, contribute significantly to sea level rise and its global implications. Before reaching the sea, glacier melt provides freshwater for human consumption, agriculture, recreation, and hydropower. Glacier change also affects mountain hazards.
- Arctic – boreal catchment studies focus on the movement of water and solutes from landscapes to waterbodies and addresses how catchment hydrology is influenced by permafrost presence and thaw.
The USGS conducts scientific research for the Department of the Interior (DOI). The Alaska Science Center (ASC) provides objective and timely data, information, and research findings to Federal, State, and local resource managers and the public but has no regulatory authority. Our science helps support sound decisions regarding natural resources, natural hazards, and ecosystems in Alaska and circumpolar regions.
Our research areas include Ecosystems, Energy and Minerals, Geology, Landscape Science, Natural Hazards, and Water. The ASC is unique within USGS as it integrates multiple USGS Mission Area science programs in one Center. The ASC has offices in Anchorage, Juneau, and Fairbanks.
Alaska Science Center
Alaska is a critical area for natural resource science. Our scientists conduct interdisciplinary research around the state and work with partners and stakeholders to provide a wide range of science products and data for the Department of the Interior particularly related to trust species and resources in Alaska.
Fun Facts
Over 60% of land in Alaska is managed by federal agencies that have responsibilities for numerous Department of Interior resource management issues.
An additional 24% is managed by the state of Alaska where ASC data forms an integral part of the land management decisions.
Alaska’s northern location falls within the arctic, resulting in the United States being an Arctic nation.
The Arctic is changing rapidly, and Alaska’s location places the state and country at the center of this changing region.
Alaska has more coastline than the rest of the U.S. combined. Alaska's coastal and offshore waters provide foraging habitat for an estimated 100 million birds, comprising more than 90 different species.
Alaska’s geologic setting makes it prone to frequent earthquakes, with four out of every five earthquakes in the U.S. occurring in Alaska. The strongest earthquake (M9.2) recorded in North America occurred in Alaska in 1964.
The state has 3 million lakes, 3,000 rivers, 170 million acres of wetlands, an estimated 100,000 glaciers, and permafrost throughout the state.
More than one-third of the Nation’s stream runoff is from Alaska.
Ecosystems – Species and Habitats of Terrestrial and Marine Ecosystems
Department of the Interior bureaus, such as the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Bureau of Land Management, manage more than 200 million acres of trust lands in Alaska and have management responsibility for species that occur across areas with many jurisdictions.
Alaska Science Center scientists address the information needs of DOI bureaus, including species such as migratory birds, threatened and endangered species, interjurisdictional fish, marine mammals including polar bears, walrus and sea otters, and caribou.
The ASC has more than 40 years of research experience in Arctic and sub-Arctic regions, a state-of-the-art molecular genetics lab, and a 50-foot marine research vessel. Wildlife and their habitats across the state are important for human cultural and economic sustainability and the media and public actively monitor information regarding the health of Alaska’s ecosystems.
ASC scientists work with federal, state, other government, university, and industry partners to gather and quantify information about the status and trends of Alaska’s ecosystems.
Geology – Geologic Mapping, Energy Resources, and Mineral Resources
Alaska is still a frontier with respect to geologic investigation and has high potential for holding undiscovered resources which include strategic and critical mineral commodities and petroleum resources. Geologic research conducted at the center encompasses a wide range of topics including bedrock geology, igneous processes, tectonics, surficial geology, potential for critical minerals and metallic resources, and assesses the oil and gas resources of Alaska’s North Slope.
The Alaska Petroleum Systems project conducts research that increases our understanding of Alaska petroleum systems, conducts assessments of undiscovered oil and gas resources, and delivers energy-resource information to land and resource managers, policy makers, and the public.
Minerals are a part of our daily lives, with the average cell phone containing up to 67 metals. Critical minerals, sometimes referred to as strategic and critical, are mineral commodities that are vital to the economy, security of the United States, renewable-energy, and emerging electronics technologies. The U.S. is dependent on imports for many critical mineral commodities.
Reducing U.S. import reliance on these critical commodities requires a better understanding of the potential domestic supply. Alaska has significant known or suspected critical mineral potential and is a priority focus region of the USGS Mineral Resources Program and the national Earth Mapping Resources Initiative.
Natural Hazards – Earthquakes and Tsunamis
More than three-quarters of the state’s population live in areas susceptible to earthquakes. Our research provides objective science that helps stakeholders prepare for and mitigate the effects of future earthquakes and tsunamis, which bolsters the economic health and well-being of Alaska and the Nation.
The ASC Earthquake and Tsunami Hazards team conducts research that examines earthquake hazards that contribute to societal risk in Alaska and beyond, including earthquake ground motion, fault slip, surface deformation, landslides and liquefaction triggered by strong ground shaking, and tsunamis.
Alaska has more large earthquakes than the rest of the United States combined. More than three-quarters of the state’s population live in an area that can experience a magnitude 7 earthquake.
Water - Hydrologic Monitoring, Glaciers, Bridge Scour, and Transboundary Rivers
The Alaska Science Center monitors streamflow at 111 stations across Alaska, providing valuable and up-to-date information for water resource planners, engineers, managers, and the public to protect life and property, design and monitor infrastructure, and manage aquatic resources.
The ASC operates super gages on four transboundary rivers that originate in Canada and flow into Southeast Alaska. All five of these rivers support customary and traditional, recreational, and commercial salmon fisheries. Portions of these watersheds are in what is known at the Golden Triangle, containing some of the richest gold ore bodies in the world. Water quality data collected at the super gages contributes to a comprehensive understanding of current conditions which will serve as a reference (baseline). This information can then be used to monitor the long-term water quality during the operation of large-scale mines in the Canadian portion of the watersheds.
Scientists with the USGS Benchmark Glacier Project study the process and impacts of glacier change, including water resources, environmental hazards, and ecosystem links. Since the 1960s we have collected annual mass balance measurements at five glaciers in the United States. The project also integrates remotely sensed data to enhance our understanding of how glaciers respond to changes in climate. When paired with weather, streamflow and geochemical data, this research helps managers prepare for local, regional, and global impacts of glacier change.
Streambed scour is the leading cause of bridge failure in the United States resulting in over 60 percent of all failures. Costs associated with repair and the societal repercussions associated with failures are amplified in Alaska where alternate ground transportation routes between many cities do not exist. ASC is researching streambed scour through scour monitoring, hydrodynamic modeling, and data collection during high flows.
Landscape Science - Fire Ecology, Permafrost, and Hydrology
Landscape Science focuses on the integration of field studies, remote sensing observations, and modeling to characterize and document landscape changes occurring in terrestrial, aquatic, and coastal ecosystems in Alaska. The Arctic is warming at higher rates than much of the rest of the world. For Alaska, this results in changes in hydrology and ecosystems – permafrost is thawing, changing landscapes and releasing nutrients to soils and streams.
Our research is critical because it can quantitatively describe the processes underlying observed environmental conditions and change and provides the fundamental understanding necessary for predicting future conditions.
- Climate changes and interacting disturbances such as wildfires, insect and disease outbreaks, and erosion and flooding can perturb and reorganize ecosystems.
- Mountain glaciers, particularly in Alaska, contribute significantly to sea level rise and its global implications. Before reaching the sea, glacier melt provides freshwater for human consumption, agriculture, recreation, and hydropower. Glacier change also affects mountain hazards.
- Arctic – boreal catchment studies focus on the movement of water and solutes from landscapes to waterbodies and addresses how catchment hydrology is influenced by permafrost presence and thaw.