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
Field-based method for assessing duration of infectivity for influenza A viruses in the environment
Understanding influenza A virus (IAV) persistence in wetlands is limited by a paucity of field studies relating to the maintenance of infectivity over time. The duration of IAV infectivity in water has been assessed under variable laboratory conditions, but results are difficult to translate to more complex field conditions. We tested a field-based method to assess the viability of IAVs in an Alas
Authors
Andrew B. Reeves, Andrew M. Ramey, Joshua C. Koch, Rebecca L. Poulson, David E. Stallknecht
Turbidite stratigraphy in proglacial lakes: Deciphering trigger mechanisms using a statistical approach
Turbidites embedded in lacustrine sediment sequences are commonly used to reconstruct regional flood or earthquake histories. A critical step for this method to be successful is that turbidites and their trigger mechanisms are determined unambiguously. The latter is particularly challenging for prehistoric proglacial lake records in high-seismicity settings where both earthquake-generated and floo
Authors
Nore Praet, Maarten Van Daele, Tim Collart, J. Moernaut, Elke Vandekerkhove, P. Kempf, Peter J. Haeussler, M. De Batist
Early goose arrival increases soil nitrogen availability more than an advancing spring in coastal western Alaska
An understudied aspect of climate change-induced phenological mismatch is its effect on ecosystem functioning, such as nitrogen (N) cycling. Migratory herbivore arrival time may alter N inputs and plant–herbivore feedbacks, whereas earlier springs are predicted to increase N cycling rates through warmer temperatures. However, the relative importance of these shifts in timing and how they interact
Authors
Ryan T. Choi, Karen H. Beard, Katherine Kelsey, Joshua Leffler, Joel A. Schmutz, Jeffrey Welker
Spatial and temporal dynamics of Pacific capelin Mallotus catervarius in the Gulf of Alaska: Implications for ecosystem-based fisheries management
Pacific capelin Mallotus catervarius are planktivorous, small pelagic fish that serve an intermediate trophic role in marine food webs. Due to the lack of a directed fishery or monitoring of capelin in the Northeast Pacific, there is limited information on their distribution and abundance, and how spatio-temporal fluctuations in capelin density affects their availability as prey. To provide inform
Authors
David W. McGowan, Esther Goldstein, Mayumi L. Arimitsu, Alison Dreary, Olav Ormseth, Alex DeRobertis, John Horne, Lauren Rogers, Matt Wilson, Kenneth Coyle, Kris Holderied, John F. Piatt, W.T. Stockhausen, Stephani Zador
Focus areas for data acquisition for potential domestic resources of 11 critical minerals in Alaska—Aluminum, cobalt, graphite, lithium, niobium, platinum group elements, rare earth elements, tantalum, tin, titanium, and tungsten, chap. C of U.S. Geologic
Phase 2 of the Earth Mapping Resources Initiative (Earth MRI) focuses on geologic belts that are favorable for hosting mineral systems that may contain select critical minerals. Phase 1 of the Earth MRI program focused on rare earth elements (REE), and phase 2 adds aluminum, cobalt, graphite, lithium, niobium, platinum-group metals, tantalum, tin, titanium, and tungsten. This report describes the
Authors
Douglas C. Kreiner, James V. Jones
Using redundant primer sets to detect multiple native Alaskan fish species from environmental DNA
Accurate and timely data regarding freshwater fish communities is important for informed decision-making by local, state, tribal, and federal land and resource managers; however, conducting traditional gear-based fish surveys can be an expensive and time-consuming process, particularly in remote areas, like those that characterize much of Alaska. To help address this challenge, we developed and te
Authors
Damian M. Menning, Trey Simmons, Sandra L. Talbot
Monitoring boreal avian populations: How can we estimate trends and trajectories from noisy data?
Substantial effort has been dedicated to developing reliable monitoring schemes for North American bird populations, but our ability to monitor bird populations in the boreal forest remains limited because of the sparsity of long-term data sets, particularly in northerly regions. Given the importance of the boreal forest for many migratory birds, we set out to (1) summarize the main challenges ass
Authors
Christian Roy, Nicole L Michel, Colleen M. Handel, Steven Van Wilgenburg, Curtis Burkhalter, Kirsty A B Gurney, David Messmer, Karine Prince, Clark S Rushing, James E Saracco, Richard Schuster, Adam C. Smith, Paul A Smith, Peter Solymos, Lisa A Venier, Benjamin Zuckerberg
The US Geological Survey’s Earth Mapping Resources Initiative (Earth MRI)—Providing framework geologic, geophysical, and elevation data to the nation’s critical mineral-bearing regions
New detailed mapping of the geologic resources of the Nation has the potential to significantly close the gap in the essential data needed to fuel a modern era of economic development and technological innovation, while at the same time dramatically enhancing our understanding of the fundamental way geology impacts everyday life, from the domestic critical mineral resources that are necessary for
Authors
Warren C. Day, Benjamin J. Drenth, Anne E. McCafferty, Anjana K. Shah, David A. Ponce, James V. Jones, V. J. Grauch
Recovery planning in a dynamic system: Integrating uncertainty into a decision support tool for an endangered songbird
Along the Santa Clara River in California, populations of the federally and state-listed Least Bell's Vireo (Vireo bellii pusillus) are recovering from near extirpation. Habitat protection and restoration, as well as controlling rates of brood parasitism, are thought to be the primary drivers of this recovery. Continuing successful management of this population faces multiple challenges due to the
Authors
Jessica Stanton, Jenny Marek, Linnea S. Hall, Barbara E. Kus, Allison Alvarado, Bruce K. Orr, Eric Morrissette, Laura Riege, Wayne E. Thogmartin
Conservation status of the world’s swan populations, Cygnus sp. and Coscoroba sp.: a review of current trends and gaps in knowledge
Recent estimates of the world’s swan Cygnus sp. populations indicate that there are currently between 1.5–1.6 million birds in 8 species, including the Coscoroba Swan Coscoroba coscoroba as an honorary swan. Monitoring programmes in Europe and North America indicate that most populations increased following the introduction of national and international legislation to protect the species during th
Authors
Eileen Rees, Lei Cao, P. Clausen, J. M. Coleman, J. Cornely, O. Einarsson, Craig R. Ely, R. Kingsford, Ming Ma, C. E. Mitchell, S. Nagy, T. Shimada, Jeffrey Snyder, D. Solovyeva, W. Tijsen, Y. Vilna, R. Wlodarczyk, K. Brides
U.S. Geological Survey — Department of the Interior Region 11, Alaska—2019 annual science report
In keeping with our national mission, the USGS in Alaska provides timely and objective scientific information to help the Nation address issues and solve problems in five major topical areas (listed alphabetically):Energy and Minerals;Geospatial Mapping;Natural Hazards;Water Quality, Streamflow, and Ice Dynamics; andWildlife, Fish, and Habitat. The USGS in Alaska engages about 400 scientists and
National assessment of shoreline change — Historical shoreline change along the north coast of Alaska, Icy Cape to Cape Prince of Wales
Beach erosion is a persistent problem along most open-ocean shores of the United States. Along the Arctic coast of Alaska, coastal erosion is widespread and threatens communities, defense and energy-related infrastructure, and coastal habitat. As coastal populations continue to expand and infrastructure and habitat are increasingly threatened by erosion, there is increased demand for accurate info
Authors
Ann E. Gibbs, Alexander G. Snyder, Bruce M. Richmond