Publications
USGS research activities relevant to Alaska have yielded more than 9400 historical publications. This page features some of the most recent newsworthy research findings.
Filter Total Items: 2891
Modern erosion rates and loss of coastal features and sites, Beaufort Sea coastline, Alaska
This study presents modern erosion rate measurements based upon vertical aerial photography captured in 1955, 1979, and 2002 for a 100 km segment of the Beaufort Sea coastline. Annual erosion rates from 1955 to 2002 averaged 5.6 m a-1. However, mean erosion rates increased from 5.0 m a-1 in 1955-79 to 6.2 m a-1 in 1979-2002. Furthermore, from the first period to the second, erosion rates increased
Authors
Benjamin M. Jones, Kenneth M. Hinkel, C.D. Arp, Wendy R. Eisner
Experimental evidence of vocal recognition in young and adult black-legged kittiwakes
Individual recognition is required in most social interactions, and its presence has been confirmed in many species. In birds, vocal cues appear to be a major component of recognition. Curiously, vocal recognition seems absent or limited in some highly social species such as the black-legged kittiwake, Rissa tridactyla. Using playback experiments, we found that kittiwake chicks recognized their pa
Authors
Hervé Mulard, T. Aubin, J.F. White, Scott A. Hatch, E. Danchin
Modified method for external attachment of transmitters to birds using two subcutaneous anchors
Of the transmitter attachment techniques for birds, the subcutaneous anchor provides a secure attachment that yields relatively few secondary effects. However, the use of subcutaneous anchors has been limited by transmitter size and retention time. Using a modified method of attachment that utilized two subcutaneous anchors, we deployed 69 GPS transmitters, plus 13 VHF transmitters that were simil
Authors
Tyler Lewis, Paul L. Flint
Multiple deleterious effects of experimentally aged sperm in a monogamous bird
Sperm aging is known to be detrimental to reproductive performance. However, this apparently general phenomenon has seldom been studied in an evolutionary context. The negative impact of sperm aging on parental fitness should constitute a strong selective pressure for adaptations to avoid its effects. We studied the impact of sperm aging on black-legged kittiwakes (Rissa tridactyla), a monogamous
Authors
J. White, R.H. Wagner, F. Helfenstein, Scott A. Hatch, Hervé Mulard, L.C. Naves, E. Danchin
2006 volcanic activity in Alaska, Kamchatka, and the Kurile Islands: Summary of events and response of the Alaska Volcano Observatory
The Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO) responded to eruptions, possible eruptions, and volcanic unrest at or near nine separate volcanic centers in Alaska during 2006. A significant explosive eruption at Augustine Volcano in Cook Inlet marked the first eruption within several hundred kilometers of principal population centers in Alaska since 1992. Glaciated Fourpeaked Mountain, a volcano thought to
Authors
Christina A. Neal, Robert G. McGimsey, James P. Dixon, Alexander Manevich, Alexander Rybin
Forage fish of the Pacific Rim as revealed by diet of a piscivorous seabird: Synchrony and relationships with sea surface temperature
We tested the hypothesis of synchronous interannual changes in forage fish dynamics around the North Pacific Rim. To do this, we sampled forage fish communities using a seabird predator, the rhinoceros auklet (Cerorhinca monocerata), at six coastal study sites from Japan to California. We investigated whether take of forage fishes was related to local marine conditions as indexed by sea surface te
Authors
J.A. Thayer, D.F. Bertram, Scott A. Hatch, M.J. Hipfner, L. Slater, W.J. Sydeman, Y. Watanuki
Body mass of prefledging Emperor Geese Chen canagica: Large-scale effects of interspecific densities and food availability
We studied body mass of prefledging Emperor Geese Chen canagica at three locations across the Yukon–Kuskokwim Delta, Alaska, during 1990–2004 to investigate whether large‐scale variation in body mass was related to interspecific competition for food. From 1990 to 2004, densities of Cackling Geese Branta hutchinsii minima more than doubled and were c. 2–5× greater than densities of Emperor Geese, w
Authors
B.C. Lake, Joel A. Schmutz, M. S. Lindberg, Craig R. Ely, W.D. Eldridge, F.J. Broerman
Using climate information for fuels management
Climate has come to the forefront of wildfire discussions in recent years as research contributes to the general understanding of how climate influences fuels availability to burn, the occurrence of severe fire weather conditions and other wildfire parameters. This understanding has crossed over into wildfire management applications through the creation of tools like climate forecasts for wildfire
Authors
Crystal A. Kolden, Timothy J. Brown
Water Quality in the Tanana River Basin, Alaska, Water Years 2004-06
OVERVIEW
This report contains water-quality data collected from 84 sites in Tanana River basin during water years 2004 through 2006 (October 2003 through September 2006) as part of a cooperative study between the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation (ADEC) Alaska Monitoring and Assessment Program (AKMAP), supported in part through the U.S. Environmen
Authors
Edward H. Moran
Atlantic salmon genetics: Past, present and what's in the future?
No abstract available
Authors
Jennifer L. Nielsen
Supplemental materials for the analysis of capture-recapture data for polar bears in Western Hudson Bay, Canada, 1984-2004
Regehr and others (2007, Survival and population size of polar bears in western Hudson Bay in relation to earlier sea ice breakup: Journal of Wildlife Management, v. 71, no. 8) evaluated survival in relation to climatic conditions and estimated population size for polar bears (Ursus maritimus) in western Hudson Bay, Canada. Here, we provide supplemental materials for the analyses in Regehr and oth
Authors
Eric V. Regehr, Nicholas J. Lunn, Steven C. Amstrup, Ian Stirling
Geoscience for Alaska's D-1 lands: A preliminary report
Purpose of This Report This interim report follows from the June 2006 recommendations to Congress by the BLM concerning disposition of the d-1 lands. That report recommended lifting of a significant number of d-1 PLOs, through the ongoing land management process within the BLM (e.g. resource management planning areas), or through Congressional action. The strategic actions outlined in this documen
Authors
Jeanine M. Schmidt, B. M. Gamble, Keith A. Labay