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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

Marine mammals

No abstract available.
Authors
Lloyd L. Lowry, James L. Bodkin

Microbe concentrations, laser particle counts, and stable hydrogen and oxygen isotope ratios in samples from a riverbank filtration study, Platte River, Nebraska, 2002 to 2004

No abstract available.
Authors
J. R. Vogel, S.I. Harris, T. B. Coplen, E.W. Rice, Ingrid M. Verstraeten

Seafloor habitat mapping and classification in Glacier Bay, Alaska: Phase 1 & 2 1996-2004

Glacier Bay is a diverse fjord ecosystem with multiple sills, numerous tidewater glaciers and a highly complex oceanographic system. The Bay was completely glaciated prior to the 1700’s and subsequently experienced the fastest glacial retreat recorded in historical times. Currently, some of the highest sedimentation rates ever observed occur in the Bay, along with rapid uplift (up to 2.5 cm/year)
Authors
Philip N. Hooge, Paul R. Carlson, Jennifer Mondragon, Lisa L. Etherington, G.R. Cochran

Using Forward Looking Infrared (FLIR) imagery to detect polar bear maternal dens: Operations manual

Recent research has shown that Forward Looking Infia-Red (FLIR) imagery can detect polar bear dens despite total snow cover over their deming habitat. FLIR imagers detect a AT or difference in temperature between objects in the imager's field of view. During the Arctic winter, the groundlsnow surface is typically cold, providing a dark background in the FLIR imager. Sources of heat appear as light
Authors
Geoffrey S. York, Steven C. Amstrup, Kristin S. Simac

Testing archival tag technology in coho salmon

Archive tags with temperature and light-geolocation sensors will be monitored for post-smolt coho salmon in Cook Inlet. Light/location relationships specific to the Gulf of Alaska developed under Project 00478 will be applied in this study of movement and migration paths for coho salmon during maturation in ocean environments in Cook Inlet. Salmon for this study will be reared in captivity (at the
Authors
Jennifer L. Nielsen, Philip Richards, Thor Tingey, Derek Wilson, Christian E. Zimmerman

Alaska resource data file, Iditarod Quadrangle, Alaska

No abstract available.
Authors
Thomas K. Bundtzen, Marti L. Miller, Charles C. Hawley

Water quality in the Cook Inlet Basin Alaska, 1998-2001

This report contains the major findings of a 1998?2001 assessment of water quality in the Cook Inlet Basin. It is one of a series of reports by the National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Program that present major findings in 51 major river basins and aquifer systems across the Nation. In these reports, water quality is discussed in terms of local, State, and regional issues. Conditions
Authors
Roy L. Glass, Timothy P. Brabets, Steven A. Frenzel, Matthew S. Whitman, Robert T. Ourso

Ground-nesting marine birds and potential for human disturbance in Glacier Bay National Park

Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve contains a diverse assemblage of marine birds that use the area for nesting, foraging and molting. The abundance and diversity of marine bird species in Glacier Bay is unmatched in the region, due in part to the geomorphic and successional characteristics that result in a wide array of habitat types (Robards and others, 2003). The opportunity for proactive ma
Authors
Mayumi L. Arimitsu, Marc D. Romano, John F. Piatt

Interactions of brown bears, Ursus arctos, and gray wolves, Canis lupus, at Katmai National Park and Preserve, Alaska

We describe several encounters between Brown Bears (Ursus arctos) and Gray Wolves (Canis lupus) that were observed at Katmai National Park and Preserve in southwest Alaska. Katmai Brown Bears and Gray Wolves were observed interacting in a variety of behavioral modes that ranged from agonistic to tolerant. These observations provide additional insight regarding the behavioral plasticity associated
Authors
Tom S. Smith, Steven T. Partridge, John W. Schoen

Relatedness and nesting dispersion within breeding populations of Greater White-fronted Geese

We studied patterns of relatedness and nesting dispersion in female Pacific Greater White-fronted Geese (Anser albifrons frontalis) in Alaska. Female Greater White-fronted Geese are thought to be strongly philopatric and are often observed nesting in close association with other females. Analysis of the distribution of nests on the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta in 1998 indicated that nests were significan
Authors
A. C. Fowler, J.M. Eadie, Craig R. Ely

Winter ecology of Spectacled Eiders: Environmental characteristics and population change

We described characteristics of the wintering area used by Spectacled Eiders (Somateria fischeri) in the Bering Sea, Alaska, and evaluated these characteristics in relation to long-term population trends. Remoteness, limited daylight, and extreme weather conditions precluded direct observations, so we derived the location of the wintering area from satellite telemetry, ice conditions from remotely
Authors
Margaret R. Petersen, David C. Douglas

Use of digital multispectral videography to assess seagrass distribution in San Quintin Bay, Baja California, Mexico

Apparent threats to the spatial distribution of seagrass in San Quintín Bay prompted us to make a detailed assessment of habitats in the bay. Six coastal habitats and three seagrass subclasses were delineated using airborne digital multispectral videography (DMSV). Eelgrass, Zostera marina, was the predominant seagrass and covered 40% (1949 ha) of the areal extent of the bay in 1999. Eelgrass grew
Authors
David H. Ward, T. Lee Tibbitts, Alexandra Morton, Eduardo Carrera-Gonzalez, R. Kempka