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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

Growth history of Kilauea inferred from volatile concentrations in submarine-collected basalts

Major-element and volatile (H2O, CO2, S) compositions of glasses from the submarine flanks of Kilauea Volcano record its growth from pre-shield into tholeiite shield-stage. Pillow lavas of mildly alkalic basalt at 2600–1900 mbsl on the upper slope of the south flank are an intermediate link between deeper alkalic volcaniclastics and the modern tholeiite shield. Lava clast glasses from the west fla
Authors
Michelle L. Coombs, Thomas W. Sisson, Peter W. Lipman

Breeding and moulting locations and migration patterns of the Atlantic population of Steller's eiders Polysticta stelleri as determined from satellite telemetry

This study was designed to determine the spring, summer, autumn, and early winter distribution, migration routes, and timing of migration of the Atlantic population of Steller's eiders Polysticta stelleri. Satellite transmitters were implanted in 20 eiders captured in April 2001 at Vads??, Norway, and their locations were determined from 5 May 2001 to 6 February 2002. Regions where birds concentra
Authors
Margaret R. Petersen, Jan O. Bustnes, Geir H. Systad

Genetic structure of eelgrass Zostera marina meadows in an embayment with restricted water flow

Genetic structure of the seagrass Zostera marina in a coastal lagoon with restricted water flow, and with heterogeneous water residence times and oceanographic characteristics, was assessed using 8 polymorphic microsatellite loci. Analyses of genetic differentiation (θ) and Bayesian clustering suggested that the Z. marina population in San Quintin Bay (SQB) is genetically substructured, with at le
Authors
Raquel Muñiz-Salazar, Sandra L. Talbot, George K. Sage, David H. Ward, Alejandro Cabello-Pasini

Predator functional response and prey survival: Direct and indirect interactions affecting a marked prey population

1. Predation plays an integral role in many community interactions, with the number of predators and the rate at which they consume prey (i.e. their functional response) determining interaction strengths. Owing to the difficulty of directly observing predation events, attempts to determine the functional response of predators in natural systems are limited. Determining the forms that predator func
Authors
David A. Miller, J.B. Grand, T.F. Fondell, M. Anthony

Murre eggs (Uria aalge and Uria lomvia) as indicators of mercury contamination in the Alaskan marine environment

Sixty common murre (Uria aalge) and 27 thick-billed murre (Uria lomvia) eggs collected by the Seabird Tissue Archival and Monitoring Project (STAMP) in 1999−2001 from two Gulf of Alaska and three Bering Sea nesting colonies were analyzed for total mercury (Hg) using isotope dilution cold vapor inductively coupled mass spectrometry. Hg concentrations (wet mass) ranged from 0.011 μg/g to 0.357 μg/g
Authors
Russel D. Day, Stacy S. Vander Pol, Steven J. Christopher, W.C. Davis, Rebecca S. Pugh, Kristin S. Simac, David G. Roseneau, P.R. Becker

Minding the gap: Frequency of indels in mtDNA control region sequence data and influence on population genetic analyses

Insertions and deletions (indels) result in sequences of various lengths when homologous gene regions are compared among individuals or species. Although indels are typically phylogenetically informative, occurrence and incorporation of these characters as gaps in intraspecific population genetic data sets are rarely discussed. Moreover, the impact of gaps on estimates of fixation indices, such as
Authors
John M. Pearce

Effects of abdominally implanted radiotransmitters with percutaneous antennas on migration, reproduction, and survival of Canada geese

Abdominally implanted radiotransmitters with percutaneous antennas are increasingly used to monitor movements, survival, and reproduction of waterbirds. However, there has been relatively little assessment of the effects of such radios on avian demographic parameters or migration. We implanted either a 26- or 35-g abdominal transmitter with percutaneous antenna in 198 adult female lesser Canada ge
Authors
Jerry W. Hupp, John M. Pearce, Daniel M. Mulcahy, David A. Miller

Genetic and demographic criteria for defining population units for conservation: The value of clear messages

In a recent paper on Harlequin Duck (Histrionicus histrionicus) interannual site fidelity (Iverson et al. 2004), we concluded that wintering populations were demographically structured at a finer geographic scale than that at which genetic differentiation was observed and that conservation efforts should recognize this degree of demographic independence. In a critique of our study, Pearce and Talb
Authors
Daniel Esler, S. A. Iverson, D.J. Rizzolo

Traversing a boreal forest landscape: Summer movements of Tule Greater White-fronted Geese

We monitored the movement, distribution and site affinities of radio-marked Tule Greater White-fronted Geese (Anser albifrons elgasi) during spring and summer in Alaska, 1994-1997 and 2004. Our assessment of summer movements was comprehensive, as locations were obtained during prenesting, nesting, and molt for over 90% of geese with active radios captured during winter or the previous summer in Al
Authors
Craig R. Ely, K.S. Bollinger, Jerry W. Hupp, D.V. Derksen, J. Terenzi, John Y. Takekawa, D.L. Orthmeyer, T.C. Rothe, M.J. Petrula, D.R. Yparraguirre

Colony mapping: A new technique for monitoring crevice-nesting seabirds

Monitoring populations of auklets and other crevice-nesting seabirds remains problematic, although numerous methods have been attempted since the mid-1960s. Anecdotal evidence suggests several large auklet colonies have recently decreased in both abundance and extent, concurrently with vegetation encroachment and succession. Quantifying changes in the geographical extent of auklet colonies may be
Authors
H.M. Renner, M. Renner, J.H. Reynolds, A.M.A. Harping, I.L. Jones, D.B. Irons, G.V. Byrd

A mechanistic link between chick diet and decline in seabirds?

A climatic regime shift during the mid-1970s in the North Pacific resulted in decreased availability of lipidrich fish to seabirds and was followed by a dramatic decline in number of kittiwakes breeding on the Pribilof Islands. Although production of chicks in the mid-1970s was adequate to sustain kittiwake populations in the early 1980s, the disappearance of birds from breeding colonies apparentl
Authors
A.S. Kitaysky, E.V. Kitaiskaia, John F. Piatt, J.C. Wingfield

Genetic characterization of Zostera asiatica on the Pacific Coast of North America

We gathered sequence information from the nuclear 5.8S rDNA gene and associated internal transcribed spacers, ITS-1 and ITS-2 (5.8S rDNA/ITS), and the chloroplast maturase K (matK) gene, from Zostera samples collected from subtidal habitats in Monterey and Santa Barbara (Isla Vista) bays, California, to test the hypothesis that these plants are conspecific with Z. asiatica Miki of Asia. Sequences
Authors
Sandra L. Talbot, S. Wyllie-Echeverria, David H. Ward, Jolene R. Rearick, George K. Sage, B. Chesney, R. C. Phillips