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
A leg-hold noose capture method for Brent Geese Branta bernicla at staging or wintering sites
Effective and efficient capture methods are needed for marking and monitoring individuals in studies of demography, migration and habitat use. We describe a novel use of leg-hold nooses aligned on lines and mats to capture non-breeding Brent Geese Branta bernicla in water at a staging and wintering site in Japan. A total of 24 Brent Geese were caught in autumn 2017 and 2018. The traps, which were
Authors
Yusuke Sawa, Chieko Tamura, Toshio Ikeuchi, Kaoru Fujii, Aisa Ishioroshi, T. Shimada, David H. Ward
Drivers of landscape change in the northwest boreal region
The northwest boreal region (NWB) of North America is a land of extremes. Extending more than 1.3 million square kilometers (330 million acres), it encompasses the entire spectrum between inundated wetlands below sea level to the tallest peak in North America. Permafrost gradients span from nearly continuous to absent. Boreal ecosystems are inherently dynamic and continually change over decades to
Antibiotic resistant bacteria in wildlife: Perspectives on trends, acquisitions and dissemination, data gaps, and future directions
The proliferation of antibiotic resistant bacteria in the environment has potential negative economic and health consequences. Thus, previous investigations have targeted wild animals to understand the occurrence of antibiotic resistance in diverse environmental sources. In this critical review and synthesis, we summarize important concepts learned through the sampling of wildlife for antibiotic
Authors
Andrew M. Ramey, Christina Ahlstrom
Ground-motion amplification in Cook Inlet region, Alaska from intermediate-depth earthquakes, including the 2018 MW=7.1 Anchorage earthquake
We measure pseudospectral and peak ground motions from 44 intermediate‐depth Mw≥4.9 earthquakes in the Cook Inlet region of southern Alaska, including those from the 2018 Mw 7.1 earthquake near Anchorage, to identify regional amplification features (0.1–5 s period). Ground‐motion residuals are computed with respect to an empirical ground‐motion model for intraslab subduction earthquakes, and we
Authors
Morgan P. Moschetti, Eric M. Thompson, John Rekoske, Mike Hearne, Peter M. Powers, Daniel E. McNamara, Carl Tape
The sedimentary record of the 2018 Anchorage Earthquake in Eklutna Lake, Alaska: Calibrating the lacustrine seismograph
The 30 November 2018 Mw 7.1 Anchorage earthquake caused modified Mercalli intensities of V¼ to V½ at Eklutna Lake (south central Alaska). A few hours after the earthquake, a “dirt streak” was observed on the lake surface, followed by a peak in sediment turbidity values (∼80 times normal) at a drinking water facility, which receives water from the lake through a pipe. These observations hint towar
Authors
Maarten Van Daele, Peter J. Haeussler, Robert C. Witter, Nore Praet, Marc De Batist
Historical range and variation (HRV)
Fire-prone landscapes are experiencing rapid and potentially persistent changes as the result of complex and potentially novel interactions of anthropogenic climate changes, shifting fire regimes, exotic plant, insect, and pathogen invasions, and industrial, agricultural, and urban development. Are these landscapes fully departed from historical conditions? Should they be managed as novel environ
Authors
Robert Keane, Rachel A. Loehman
Temporal variation in genetic structure within the threatened spectacled eider
We examined the genetic structure of the threatened spectacled eider 14–18 years after the initial assessment to evaluate the influence of population recovery on diversity. Concordant with the initial assessment, spectacled eiders were highly structured at mitochondrial (mt) DNA and lacked differentiation at microsatellite loci. The degree and spatial pattern of structure has changed at mtDNA; a
Authors
Sarah A. Sonsthagen, Christy Haughey, Matthew G. Sexson, Diana V Solovyeva, Margaret R. Petersen, Abby Powell
Overhauling ocean spatial planning to improve marine megafauna conservation
Tracking data have led to evidence-based conservation of marine megafauna, but a disconnect remains between the many thousands of individual animals that have been tracked and the use of these data in conservation and management actions. Furthermore, the focus of most conservation efforts is within Exclusive Economic Zones despite the ability of these species to move thousands of kilometres across
Authors
Ana M. M. Sequeira, Graeme C. Hays, David W. Sims, Victor M. Eguíluz, Jorge P. Rodríguez, Michelle R. Heupel, Robert G. Harcourt, Hannah J. Calich, Nuno Queiroz, Daniel P. Costa, Juan Fernández-Gracia, Luciana C. Ferreira, Simon D. Goldsworthy, Mark Hindell, Mary-Anne Lea, Mark G. Meekan, Anthony M. Pagano, Scott A. Shaffer, Julia Reisser, Michele Thums, Michael J Weise, Carlos M. Duarte
1200 years of Upper Missouri River streamflow reconstructed from tree rings
Paleohydrologic records can provide unique, long-term perspectives on streamflow variability and hydroclimate for use in water resource planning. Such long-term records can also play a key role in placing both present day events and projected future conditions into a broader context than that offered by instrumental observations. However, relative to other major river basins across the western U
Authors
Justin Martin, Gregory T. Pederson, Connie A. Woodhouse, Edward R Cook, Gregory J. McCabe, Erika K. Wise, Patrick Erger, Larry Dolan, Marketa McGuire, Subhrendu Gangopadhyay, Katherine J. Chase, Jeremy Littell, Stephen Gray, Scott St. George, Jonathan M. Friedman, David J. Sauchyn, Jannine St. Jacques, John W. King
Surface water connectivity controls fish food web structure and complexity across local- and meta-food webs in Arctic Coastal Plain lakes
The need for theories that address food web assembly and complexity over multiple spatial scales are critical to understanding their stability and persistence. In a meta-food web – an integrated network of local food webs – spatial heterogeneity in physical processes may have profound effects on food web function and energy flow. In the Arctic, surface water connectivity plays a vital role in dete
Authors
Sarah M. Laske, Amanda E. Rosenberger, Mark S. Wipfli, Christian E. Zimmerman
Ground failure from the Anchorage, Alaska, earthquake of 30 November 2018
Investigation of ground failure triggered by the 2018 MwMw 7.1 Anchorage earthquake showed that landslides, liquefaction, and ground cracking all occurred and caused significant damage. Shallow rock falls and rock slides were the most abundant types of landslides, but they occurred in smaller numbers than global models that are based on earthquake magnitude predict; this might result from the 2018
Authors
Randall W. Jibson, Alex R. R. Grant, Robert C. Witter, Kate E. Allstadt, Eric M. Thompson, Adrian Bender
A ship's ballasting history as an indicator of foraminiferal invasion potential--An example from Prince William Sound, Alaska, USA
We investigated the potential role of ballast sediment from coastal and transoceanic oil tankers arriving and de-ballasting in Port Valdez as a vector for the introduction of invasive benthic foraminifera in Prince William Sound, Alaska. Forty-one ballast sediment samples were obtained in 1998-1999 from 11 oil tankers that routinely discharged their ballast in Prince William Sound after sailing fr
Authors
Mary McGann, Gregory M. Ruiz, Anson H. Hines, George D. Smith