Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

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

Comparative phytosociological investigation of subalpine alder thickets in southwestern Alaska and the North Pacific

We present the first vegetation analysis of subalpine alder (Alnus viridis) thickets in southwestern Alaska. The data are primarily from mesic, hilly and mountainous sites ranging from the westernmost tip of the Alaska Peninsula to the northern Kenai Peninsula, spanning 1,000 km on an E–W gradient and 700 km on a N–S gradient. 127 relevés from 18 sites represent the range of structural and composi
Authors
Stephen S. Talbot, Sandra L. Talbot, F. J. A. Daniëls

The bear that never was

From campfire stories to sensational books detailing gory attacks, Alaska's bears have long been maligned as deadly marauders capable of acquiring a taste for human flesh. Tall tales make for good storytelling but force bad reputations on the bears. When myth is compared to fact, the three North American's leading bear experts show that Alaska's three bear species are not the huge, unpredictable m
Authors
T. S. Smith, Steven C. Amstrup, Stephen Herrero

Effects of dietary selenium exposure in captive American common eiders

We conducted two studies of Se exposure in captive common eiders (Somateria mollissima). In Study 1, eiders were fed diets with added Se (as L-selenomethionine) in concentrations increasing from 10 ppm to 80 ppm. In Study 2, eiders received control, low exposure (20 ppm Se), and high exposure (60 ppm Se) diets. One duck in the high exposure group in Study 2 died after 36 days. Remaining high expos
Authors
J. C. Franson, D. J. Hoffman, A. M. Wells-Berlin, M. C. Perry, V. S. Bochsler, D.L. Finley, Paul L. Flint, T. Hollmen

Oceanic Pb-isotopic sources of Proterozoic and Paleozoic volcanogenic massive sulfide deposits on Prince of Wales Island and vicinity, southeastern Alaska

Volcanogenic massive sulfide (VMS) deposits on Prince of Wales Island and vicinity in southeastern Alaska are associated with Late Proterozoic through Cambrian volcanosedimentary rocks of the Wales Group and with Ordovician through Early Silurian felsic volcanic rocks of the Moira Sound unit (new informal name). The massive sulfide deposits in the Wales Group include the Big Harbor, Copper City, C
Authors
Robert A. Ayuso, Susan M. Karl, John F. Slack, Peter J. Haeussler, Peter E. Bittenbender, Gregory A. Wandless, Anna Colvin

Water resources data, Alaska, water year 2004

Water resources data for the 2004 water year for Alaska consist of records of stage, discharge, and water quality of streams; stages of lakes; and water levels and water quality of ground water. This volume contains records for water discharge at 115 gaging stations; stage or contents only at 3 gaging stations; water quality at 39 gaging stations; and water levels for 26 observation wells. Also in
Authors
D. F. Meyer, H.R. Best, R.H. Host, R.P. Murray, G. L. Solin

Alaska resource data file, Naknek quadrangle, Alaska

No abstract available.
Authors
Frederic H. Wilson, Stan E. Church, Damon P. Bickerstaff

Water quality and ground-water/surface-water interactions along the John River near Anaktuvuk Pass, Alaska, 2002-2003

The headwaters of the John River are located near the village ofAnaktuvuk Pass in the central Brooks Range of interior Alaska. With the recent construction of a water-supply system and a wastewater-treatment plant, most homes in Anaktuvuk Pass now have modern water and wastewater systems. The effluent from the treatment plant discharges into a settling pond near a tributary of the John River. The
Authors
Edward H. Moran, Timothy P. Brabets

North American Brant: Effects of changes in habitat and climate on population dynamics

We describe the importance of key habitats used by four nesting populations of nearctic brant (Branta bernicla) and discuss the potential relationship between changes in these habitats and population dynamics of brant. Nearctic brant, in contrast to most geese, rely on marine habitats and native intertidal plants during the non-breeding season, particularly the seagrass, Zostera, and the macroalga
Authors
David H. Ward, Austin Reed, James S. Sedinger, Jeffrey M. Black, Dirk V. Derksen, Paul M. Castelli

Population genetic structure and conservation of marbled murrelets (Brachyramphus marmoratus)

Marbled murrelets (Brachyramphus marmoratus) are coastal seabirds that nest from California to the Aleutian Islands. They are declining and considered threatened in several regions. We compared variation in the mitochondrial control region, four nuclear introns and three microsatellite loci among 194 murrelets from throughout their range except Washington and Oregon. Significant population genetic
Authors
Vicki L. Friesen, T.P. Birt, John F. Piatt, R.T. Golightly, S. H. Newman, P.N. Hebert, B.C. Congdon, G. Gissing

Parallel structure among environmental gradients and three trophic levels in a subarctic estuary

We assessed spatial and temporal variability in the physical environment of a subarctic estuary, and examined concurrent patterns of chlorophyll α abundance (fluorescence), and zooplankton and forage fish community structure. Surveys were conducted in lower Cook Inlet, Alaska, during late July and early August from 1997 through 1999. Principle components analysis (PCA) revealed that spatial hetero
Authors
Suzann G. Speckman, John F. Piatt, C. V. Minte-Vera, Julia K. Parrish

The adrenocortical response of tufted puffin chicks to nutritional deficits

In several seabirds, nutritional state of a nest-bound chick is negatively correlated with the activity of its hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. Increased corticosterone (cort) secretion has been shown to facilitate changes in behavior that allow hungry chicks to obtain more food from parents. However, if parents are not willing/able to buffer their young from temporary food shortages, in
Authors
A.S. Kitaysky, Marc D. Romano, John F. Piatt, J.C. Wingfield, M. Kikuchi

Succession on subalpine placer mine spoil: Effects of revegetation with Alnus viridis, Alaska, U.S.A.

Alnus viridis seedlings were planted on placer mine spoil in an Alaskan subalpine watershed to bypass a seedling establishment bottleneck for A. viridis, and to evaluate the interaction between A. viridis and the dominant riparian woody plants, Salix alaxensis and Populus balsamifera. The study area was divided into 11 replicate blocks, each on a homogeneous recontoured spoil pile. Blocks were div
Authors
Roseann V. Densmore