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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

Continuous resistivity profiling data from the upper Neuse River Estuary, North Carolina, 2004-2005

The Neuse River Estuary in North Carolina has suffered impacts of eutrophication in recent years. As part of a larger project to better constrain nutrient budgets in the estuary, field investigations were performed to study occurrence and discharge of fresh and brackish ground water and nutrients beneath the estuary itself (fig. 1). A Continuous Resistivity Profiling (CRP) system (Manheim and othe
Authors
VeeAnn A. Cross, John F. Bratton, Emile M. Bergeron, Jeff K. Meunier, John Crusius, Dirk Koopmans

Alaska Resource Data File, Noatak Quadrangle, Alaska

This report gives descriptions of the mineral occurrences in the Noatak 1:250,000-scale quadrangle, Alaska. The data presented here are maintained as part of a statewide database on mines, prospects and mineral occurrences throughout Alaska.
Authors
Donald J. Grybeck, Julie A. Dumoulin

Alaska Resource Data File, Point Lay quadrangle, Alaska

This report gives descriptions of the mineral occurrences in the Point Lay 1:250,000-scale quadrangle, Alaska. The data presented here are maintained as part of a statewide database on mines, prospects and mineral occurrences throughout Alaska.
Authors
Donald J. Grybeck

Aqueous geochemical data from the analysis of stream-water samples collected in June and July 2005 — Taylor Mountains 1:250,000 scale quadrangle, Alaska

We report on the chemical analysis of water samples collected from the Taylor Mountains 1:250,000-scale quadrangle. Parameters for which data are reported include pH, conductivity, water temperature, major cation and anion concentrations, trace-element concentrations, and dissolved organic-carbon concentrations. Samples were collected as part of a multiyear U.S. Geological Survey project "Geologic
Authors
Bronwen Wang, Seth Mueller, Sarah Stetson, Elizabeth Bailey, Greg Lee

Major- and Trace-Element Concentrations in Rock Samples Collected in 2005 from the Taylor Mountains 1:250,000-scale Quadrangle, Alaska

The data consist of major- and minor-element concentrations for rock samples collected during 2005 by the U.S. Geological Survey. Samples were analyzed by fire assay (Au, Pd, Pt), cold vapor atomic absorption spectroscopy (Hg), and the inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICPMS) 10 and 42 element methods. For details of sample preparation and analytical techniques see USGS Open File Repor
Authors
Edward P. Klimasauskas, Marti L. Miller, Dwight Bradley, Tom K. Bundtzen, Travis L. Hudson

A Century of Retreat at Portage Glacier, South-Central Alaska

Introduction: The Portage Glacier, in south-central Alaska, is viewed by thousands of visitors annually who come to the U.S. Forest Service Begich, Boggs Visitor Center located on the road system between Anchorage and Whittier, Alaska. During the past century, the terminus of the glacier has retreated nearly 5 kilometers to its present location (fig. 1). Like other glaciers that terminate in water
Authors
Ben W. Kennedy, Dennis C. Trabant, Lawrence R. Mayo

Geothermal disruption of summit glaciers at Mount Spurr Volcano, 2004-6: An unusual manifestation of volcanic unrest

Mount Spurr, a 3,374-m-high stratovolcano in the Cook Inlet region of Alaska, showed signs of volcanic unrest beginning in 2004 and lasting through 2006. These signs included increases in heat flow, seismicity, and gas flux, which we interpret as the results of a magmatic intrusion in mid-2004. In response, debris-laden meltwater beneath the glacier in Mount Spurr's geothermally active summit basi
Authors
Michelle L. Coombs, Christina A. Neal, Rick L. Wessels, Robert G. McGimsey

Studies by the U.S. Geological Survey in Alaska, 2005

Summary The collection of papers that follows continues the series of U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) investigative reports in Alaska under the broad umbrella of the geologic sciences. This series represents new and sometimes-preliminary findings that are of interest to Earth scientists in academia, government, and industry; to land and resource managers; and to the general public. The reports prese
Authors
David W. Houseknecht, Kenneth J. Bird, Michelle L. Coombs, Christina A. Neal, Rick L. Wessels, Robert G. McGimsey, John F. Slack, W.C. Pat Shanks, Susan M. Karl, Pamela A. Gemery, Peter E. Bittenbender, W. Ian Ridley, W. Matthew Burns, Daniel O. Hayba, Elisabeth L. Rowan, Robert A. Ayuso, Peter J. Haeussler, Gregory A. Wandless, Anna Colvin

Polar Bear Population Status in the Southern Beaufort Sea

Polar bears depend entirely on sea ice for survival. In recent years, a warming climate has caused major changes in the Arctic sea ice environment, leading to concerns regarding the status of polar bear populations. Here we present findings from long-term studies of polar bears in the southern Beaufort Sea (SBS) region of the U.S. and Canada, which are relevant to these concerns. We applied open p
Authors
Eric V. Regehr, Steven C. Amstrup, Ian Stirling

Aqueous geochemical data from the analysis of stream water samples collected in August 2004: Taylor Mountains 1:250,000 scale quadrangle, Alaska

We report on the chemical analysis of water samples collected from the Taylor Mountains 1:250,000 quadrangle. Samples were collected as part of the multi-year U.S. Geological Survey's project -- Geologic and Mineral Deposit Data for Alaskan Economic Development. Data presented here are from water samples collected primarily in the northeastern part of the Taylor Mountains quadrangle. The data incl
Authors
Bronwen Wang, Seth Mueller, Elizabeth Bailey, Greg Lee

Oil and gas resources of the Arctic Alaska Petroleum Province

The Arctic Alaska Petroleum Province, encompassing all the lands and adjacent Continental Shelf areas north of the Brooks Range-Herald arch, is one of the most petroleum-productive areas in the United States, having produced about 15 billion bbl of oil. Seven unitized oil fields currently contribute to production, and three additional oil fields have been unitized but are not yet producing. Most k
Authors
David W. Houseknecht, Kenneth J. Bird

Water-Quality Conditions of Chester Creek, Anchorage, Alaska, 1998-2001

Between October 1998 and September 2001, the U.S. Geological Survey's National Water-Quality Assessment Program evaluated the water-quality conditions of Chester Creek, a stream draining forest and urban settings in Anchorage, Alaska. Data collection included water, streambed sediments, lakebed sediments, and aquatic organisms samples from urban sites along the stream. Urban land use ranged from l
Authors
Roy L. Glass, Robert T. Ourso