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: 2892
Continued studies on opiods and hibernation: Does the polar bear (Ursus maritimus) hibernate?
No abstract available.
Authors
David S. Bruce, Nancy K. Darling, Katheleen J. Seeland, Peter R. Oeltgen, Sita P. Nilekani, Steven C. Amstrup
Performance and utility of satellite telemetry during field studies of free-ranging polar bears in Alaska
Satellite telemetry technology has been used during field studies of polar bears in Alaska since 1985. A total of 109 Platform Transmitter Terminals (PTT) have been deployed on free-ranging female polar bears that seasonally inhabit waters adjacent to the Alaskan coast. The PTTs transmitted locational and sensor data to TIROS-N polar-orbiting satellites during a duty cycle of 12 hours on/60 hours
Authors
Gerald W. Garner, Steven C. Amstrup, David C. Douglas, Craig L. Gardner
Ethylene glycol (antifreeze) poisoning in a free-ranging polar bear
The bright, fluorescent pink-colored remains of a polar bear were found on an Alaskan island with the gravel and snow adjacent to the bear colored bright purple. Traces of fox urine and feces found nearby were also pink. The punk and purple colors were due to rhodamine B, and ethylene glycol (EG) was present in the soil under the carcass. Evidence is given to suggest the bear consumed a mixture of
Authors
Steven C. Amstrup, Craig L. Gardner, Kevin C. Myers, Frederick W. Oehme
Populations, productivity, and feeding habits of seabirds at Cape Thompson, Alaska: Final report
Investigations of seabird population sizes and breeding biology were conducted at Cape Thompson from 1959 to 1961 during pre-development studies associated with the Atomic through 1982, the Alaskan Program (OCSEAP) supported determine whether changes Energy Commission’s “Project Chariot.” From 1976 Outer Continental Shelf Environmental Assessment efforts to recensus seabirds at Cape Thompson and h
Authors
Brian S. Fadely, John F. Piatt, Scott A. Hatch, David G. Roseneau
Techniques for shipboard surveys of marine birds
We describe shipboard and small boat techniques used by the US Fish and Wildlife Service in Alaska to survey marine birds at sea. The basis is a 10-min, 300-m-wide, strip transect taken from a platform moving at a constant speed in a constant direction. Special routines, such as instantaneous counts of traveling birds, are explained to help reduce biases caused by factors such as varying flight pa
Authors
Patrick J. Gould, Douglas J. Forsell
Seasonal and annual variation in the diet of Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) in relation to the abundance of capelin (Mallotus villosus) off eastern Newfoundland, Canada
The importance of capelin as prey for cod has long been known (Thompson, 1943; and see Lilly (1987) for a review); however, no studies have been conducted on how the highly dynamic seasonal and yearly variations in capelin abundance affect cod diet. We studied the occurrence of capelin in cod stomachs in relation to the relative abundance of capelin at Witless Bay, Newfoundland (47°15’N 52°46’W),
Authors
David A. Methven, John F. Piatt
Impacts of petroleum development in the Arctic
In their article “Cumulative impacts of oil fields on northern Alaskan landscapes.” D. A. Walter et al. (1) document some direct and indirect impacts of petroleum development in the Arctic on selected portions of the Prudhoe Bay Oil field. While most of the kinds of impacts they discuss are valid points to consider in designing an arctic oil field, the magnitude of what they describe is not repres
Authors
Robertson S.B.
Attendance patterns of murres at breeding sites: Implications for monitoring
We studied attendance patterns (presence and absence at breeding sites) of common murres (Uria aalge) and thick-billed murres (U. lomvia) at a colony in the Semidi Islands, western Gulf of Alaska. The period from mid-laying through hatching was appropriate for censusing because counts were subject to the least amount of daily variation. Time of day and weather did not have large effects on the cou
Authors
Scott A. Hatch, Martha A. Hatch
Autumn use of Izembek Lagoon, Alaska, by brant from different breeding areas
Thirty-three adult brant (Branta bernicla) were radiomarked at 4 widely separated areas of the western Canadian arctic and 1 area in western Alaska during June-August 1987. Their use of the Izembek Lagoon on the Alaska Peninsula was monitored through the 1987 fall staging period (Sep-Dec). Eighty percent of the brant (n = 33), including ≥50% of individuals from each of the marking areas, were loca
Authors
Austin Reed, Robert A. Stehn, David H. Ward