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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

Wolf predation on caribou calves in Denali National Park, Alaska

During 1987-1991, 29 to 45 radio-collared caribou cows were monitored daily during calving each year and their calves were radio-collared (n = 147 calves) to investigate calf production and survival. We determined characteristics of wolf predation on caribou calves and, utilizing information from a companion wolf study, evaluated the role of spacing by caribou cows in minimizing wolf predation on
Authors
Layne G. Adams, B. Dale, L. David Mech

Release strategies for rehabilitated sea otters

According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services’ (USFWS) Response Plan for sea otters (USFWS, in preparation), in the event of an oil spill, the decision to release sea otters from rehabilitation centers following treatment will be linked to the decision on whether to capture sea otters for treatment. Assuming a scenario similar to the Exxon Valdez oil spill (EVOS), once the decision to capture s
Authors
Anthony R. DeGange, Brenda E. Ballachey, Keith Bayha

Polar bear research in the Beaufort Sea

Current research is designed to determine the status of the polar bear population in the Beaufort Sea and adjacent areas. One goal is to determine how polar bears are distributed relative to each other and habitat features, and to define population boundaries. Another goal is to determine the population size and trend, and assess how present and future management issues may affect thetrend. Specif
Authors
Steven C. Amstrup, George M. Durner

Winter wolf predation in a multiple ungulate prey system, Gates of the Arctic National Park, Alaska

We investigated patterns of winter wolf predation, including prey selection, prey switching, kill rates, carcass utilization, and consumption rates for four wolf packs during three different study periods (March 1989, March 1990, and November 1990) in Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve, Alaska. Wolves killed predominantly caribou (165 caribou, seven moose, and five Dall sheep) even whe
Authors
Bruce W. Dale, Layne G. Adams, R. Terry Bowyer

Correlation of Ordovician rocks of northern Alaska

The Ordovician sequences presented in this report were chosen to cover a range of depositional and structural settings found in northern Alaska. Consequently, the quality of lithostratigraphic, paleontologic, and sedimentologic data is variable. Until 1982, Ordovician rocks in northern Alaska were known only from a few, widely separated localities. Since then, several hundred Ordovician conodont c
Authors
Anita G. Harris, Julie A. Dumoulin, John E. Repetski, Claire Carter

Ecology and conservation of the Marbled Murrelet in North America: An overview

Over the past decade, the Marbled Murrelet has become a focus of much controversy. It was listed as threatened in Washington, Oregon, and California by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in February 1993. In order to aid the various agencies with management, the Marbled Murrelet Conservation Assessment was formed to bring together scientists, managers, and others to gather all the available data o
Authors
C. John Ralph, George L. Hunt, Martin G. Raphael, John F. Piatt

Western North American shorebirds

Shorebirds are a diverse group that includes oystercatchers, stilts, avocets, plovers, and sandpipers. They are familiar birds of seashores, mudflats, tundra, and other wetlands, but they also occur in deserts, high mountains, forests, and agricultural fields. Widespread loss and alteration of these habitats, especially wetlands and grasslands during the past 150 years, coupled with unregulated sh
Authors
Robert E. Gill, Colleen M. Handel, Gary W. Page

Habitat correlates of Pacific halibut and other groundfish species in Glacier Bay National Park

Originally conceived as a modified Schnabel (1938) design mark-recapture study, the unique random sampling regime of this long line tagging study has allowed us to describe habitat correlates of Pacific halibut (Hippoglossus stenolepis) and other demersal fishes. Pacific halibut and other fish were captured by longline sets of constant length and hook number distributed in a random stratified fash
Authors
Gretchen H. Bishop, Philip N. Hooge, S. James Taggart

California sea otters

Information on the size, distribution, and productivity of the California sea otter population is broadly relevant to two federally mandated goals: removing the population’s listing as threatened under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and obtaining an “optimal sustainable population” under the Marine Mammal Protection Act.  Except for the population in central California, sea otters (Enhydra lutri
Authors
James A. Estes, Ronald J. Jameson, James L. Bodkin, David Carlson

Nearshore distribution and abundance of Dungeness crabs in Glacier Bay National Park, Alaska

As part of an ongoing, multi-agency study to determine the effects of closure of the commercial fishery for Dungeness crabs, Cancer magister, on crab population structure we examined patterns of distribution and abundance of crabs in nearshore habitats at five locations in and near Glacier Bay National Park. Sampling was conducted in April and September 1992 and April 1993 prior to the anticipated
Authors
Charles E. O'Clair, J. Lincoln Freese, Robert P. Stone, Thomas C. Shirley, Erica H. Leder, S. James Taggart, Gordon H. Kruse

Prey preference of Pacific halibut (Hippoglossus stenolepis) in Glacier Bay National Park

Stomach contents were collected from sport-caught halibut in Glacier Bay National Park. Stomach samples containing a combination of fish and invertebrate species were observed less frequently than expected. Small, subtidal, noncommercial crab and cod-like fish (Gadidae) appear to be the most important prey items. In thc dict of Pacific halibut. Preliminary findings suggested that dict changes dram
Authors
Liz Chilton, Philip N. Hooge, S. James Taggart

Census methodologies of Black-legged Kittiwakes in Glacier Bay National Park

Black-legged Kittiwakes (Rissa tridactyla) have recently experienced widespread population declines and frequent colony failures throughout the North Pacific. At Glacier Bay National Park, the Margerie Glacier colony was censused visually in 1991 through 1993. In 1993 a new photographic census technique was also tested to assess its feasibility, accuracy, and ease of use, Three years of monitoring
Authors
Elizabeth Ross Hooge