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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

Persistence of oiling in mussel beds after the Exxon Valdez oil spill

Persistence and weathering of Exxon Valdez oil in intertidal mussel (Mytilus trossulus) beds in Prince William Sound (PWS) and along the Gulf of Alaska was monitored from 1992 to 1995. Beds with significant contamination included most previously oiled areas in PWS, particularly within the Knight Island group and the Kenai Peninsula. In sediments, yearly mean concentrations of total petroleum hydro
Authors
M.G. Carls, M.M. Babcock, P.M. Harris, G.V. Irvine, J.A. Cusick, S.D. Rice

Polar bears in the Beaufort Sea: A 30-year mark-recapture case history

Knowledge of population size and trend is necessary to manage anthropogenic risks to polar bears (Ursus maritimus). Despite capturing over 1,025 females between 1967 and 1998, previously calculated estimates of the size of the southern Beaufort Sea (SBS) population have been unreliable. We improved estimates of numbers of polar bears by modeling heterogeneity in capture probability with covariates
Authors
Steven C. Amstrup, T. L. McDonald, I. Stirling

Cost considerations for long-term ecological monitoring

For an ecological monitoring program to be successful over the long-term, the perceived benefits of the information must justify the cost. Financial limitations will always restrict the scope of a monitoring program, hence the program's focus must be carefully prioritized. Clearly identifying the costs and benefits of a program will assist in this prioritization process, but this is easier said th
Authors
L. Caughlan, K.L. Oakley

Juvenile groundfish habitat in Kachemak Bay, Alaska, during late summer

We investigated the habitat of juvenile groundfishes in relation to depth, water temperature, and salinity in Kachemak Bay, Alaska. Stations ranging in depth from 10 to 70 m and with sand or mud-sand substrates were sampled with a small-meshed beam trawl in August-September of 1994 to 1999. A total of 8,201 fishes were captured, comprising at least 52 species. Most fishes (91%) had a total length
Authors
Alisa A. Abookire, John F. Piatt, Brenda L. Norcross

Shallow-storage conditions for the rhyolite of the 1912 eruption at Novarupta, Alaska

Recent studies have proposed contrasting models for the plumbing system that fed the 1912 eruption of Novarupta, Alaska. Here, we investigate the conditions under which the rhyolitic part of the erupted magma last resided in the crust prior to eruption. Geothermometry suggests that the rhyolite was held at ∼800-850 °C, and analyses of melt inclusions suggest that it was fluid saturated and contain
Authors
Michelle L. Coombs, James E. Gardner

Patterns of mammalian species richness and habitat associations in Pennsylvania

Landscape variables were employed as indices of habitat heterogeneity, fragmentation, and human influence on the environment to characterize constituent units of a 635 km2 grid covering the state of Pennsylvania. Species richness was determined by overlaying the distributions of all 60 terrestrial mammalian species found within the state. All landscape variables investigated were correlated with s
Authors
Kyle Joly, W.L. Myers

Sea otter studies in Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve: Aerial surveys, foraging observations, and intertidal clam sampling

Following translocations to the outer coast of Southeast Alaska in 1965, sea otters have been expanding their range and increasing in abundance. We began conducting surveys for sea otters in Cross Sound, Icy Strait and Glacier Bay, Alaska in 1994, following initial reports of their presence in Glacier Bay in 1993. Since 1995, the number of sea otters in Glacier Bay proper has increased from about
Authors
James L. Bodkin, Kimberly A. Kloecker, George G. Esslinger, Daniel H. Monson, J.D. DeGroot

Marine predator surveys in Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve

No abstract available.
Authors
James L. Bodkin, Kimberly A. Kloecker, H.A. Coletti, George G. Esslinger, Daniel H. Monson, Brenda E. Ballachey

Estimates of shorebird populations in North America

Estimates are presented for the population sizes of 53 species of Nearctic shorebirds occurring regularly in North America, plus four species that breed occasionally. Population estimates range from a few tens to several millions. Overall, population estimates most commonly fall in the range of hundreds of thousands, particularly the low hundreds of thousands; estimated population sizes for large
Authors
R. I. G. Morrison, Robert E. Gill, B. A. Harrington, S. K. Skagen, G. W. Page, C. L. Gratto-Trevor, S. M. Haig

Areal distribution, thickness, mass, volume, and grain size of tephra-fall deposits from the 1992 eruptions of Crater Peak vent, Mt. Spurr Volcano, Alaska

The Crater Peak flank vent of Mount Spurr volcano erupted June 27, August 18, and September 16-17, 1992. The three eruptions were similar in intensity (vulcanian to subplinian eruption columns reaching up to 14 km Above Sea Level) and duration (3.5 to 4.0 hours) and produced tephra-fall deposits (12, 14, 15 x 106 m3 Dense Rock Equivalent [DRE]) discernible up to 1,000 km downwind. The June 27 ash
Authors
Robert G. McGimsey, Christina A. Neal, Colleen M. Riley

Outcrop structural data from Wales Group and adjacent rocks, Dall and Prince of Wales islands, southeastern Alaska

This report presents a compilation of 3224 measurements of outcrop structures from Wales Group and adjacent strata on Dall and Prince of Wales Islands, southeastern Alaska. We collected 2230 measurements, an additional 344 were digitized from the map of Eberlein and others (1983), and an additional 650 come from the map of Herreid and others (1978). These data are listed in Excel spreadsheet, tab-
Authors
Peter J. Haeussler, Susan M. Karl, Keith A. Labay

Outcrop structural data from parts of the Petersburg and Sumdum 1:250,000-scale quadrangles, southeastern Alaska

This report presents a compilation of 4203 measurements of outcrop structures from part of the Petersburg 1:250,000-scale quadrangle in southeastern Alaska. We collected 1966 measurements, and an additional 2237 unpublished measurements were compiled from field notebooks a from a field mapping effort in the late 1970’s and early 1980’s. These data are listed in spreadsheet and derivative formats.
Authors
Peter J. Haeussler, Susan M. Karl