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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

Book review: Ducks, geese, and swans of North America

As pointed out in the book’s introduction by Richard McCabe, very few books deserve being called a classic. First published in 1942, the various editions of Ducks, Geese, and Swans of North America—authored by Francis K. Kortright (1942), Frank C. Bellrose (1976, 1981), and this new edition by Guy Baldassarre (2014)—are deservedly placed in that category among the waterfowl literature. This book h
Authors
Robert E. Wilson

Sex-specific energetics of Pacific walruses (Odobenus rosmarus divergens) during the nursing interval

Habitat use and activity patterns of Pacific walruses (Odobenus rosmarus divergens) have changed with climate-induced reductions in sea ice. Increases in the time active in water could result in negative energy balance, precluding females from sustaining lactation, which could impact population demographics. Little is known about lactation costs in walruses. We examined the energetics of 0–2-yr-ol
Authors
Shawn R. Noren, Mark S. Udevitz, Chadwick V. Jay

Seasonal flows of international British Columbia-Alaska rivers: The nonlinear influence of ocean-atmosphere circulation patterns

The northern portion of the Pacific coastal temperate rainforest (PCTR) is one of the least anthropogenically modified regions on earth and remains in many respects a frontier area to science. Rivers crossing the northern PCTR, which is also an international boundary region between British Columbia, Canada and Alaska, USA, deliver large freshwater and biogeochemical fluxes to the Gulf of Alaska an
Authors
Sean W. Fleming, Eran Hood, Helen Dalhke, Shad O'Neel

Techniques for monitoring Brachyramphus murrelets: A comparison of radar, autonomous acoustic recording and audio‐visual surveys

Conditions in Alaska, USA, pose a challenge for monitoring populations of Brachyramphus murrelets using standard survey methods, because of strong winds, 2 sympatric species, short nights, and variable nesting habitat. We tested 3 methods for monitoring Brachyramphus murrelets breeding in the Kodiak Archipelago, Alaska, in 2010–2012. In addition to standard audio‐visual and radar methods, we teste
Authors
J.L. Cragg, Alan E. Burger, John F. Piatt

Fertility of the early post-eruptive surfaces of Kasatochi Island volcano

In the four years after the 2008 eruption and burial of Kasatochi Island volcano, erosion and the return of bird activity have resulted in new and altered land surfaces and initiation of ecosystem recovery. We examined fertility characteristics of the recently deposited pyroclastic surfaces, patches of legacy pre-eruptive surface soil (LS), and a post-eruptive surface with recent bird roosting act
Authors
G. J. Michaelson, Bronwen Wang, C. L. Ping

Interacting effects of latitude, mass, age, and sex on winter survival of Surf Scoters (Melanitta perspicillata): Implications for differential migration

We quantified variation in winter survival of Surf Scoters (Melanitta perspicillata (L., 1758)) across nearly 30° of latitude on the Pacific coast of North America to evaluate potential effects on winter distributions, including observed differential distributions of age and sex classes. We monitored fates of 297 radio-marked Surf Scoters at three study sites: (1) near the northern periphery of th
Authors
Brian D. Uher-Koch, Daniel Esler, Samuel A. Iverson, David H. Ward, Sean Boyd, Molly Kirk, Tyler L. Lewis, Corey S. VanStratt, Katherine M. Brodhead, Jerry W. Hupp, Joel A. Schmutz

The impacts of human recreation on brown bears (Ursus arctos): A review and new management tool

Increased popularity of recreational activities in natural areas has led to the need to better understand their impacts on wildlife. The majority of research conducted to date has focused on behavioral effects from individual recreations, thus there is a limited understanding of the potential for population-level or cumulative effects. Brown bears (Ursus arctos) are the focus of a growing wildlife
Authors
Jennifer Fortin-noreus, Karyn D. Rode, Grant V. Hilderbrand, James Wilder, Sean Farley, Carole Jorgensen, Bruce G. Marcot

Circumpolar Biodiversity Monitoring Programme coastal biodiversity monitoring background paper

In 2014, the United States (U.S.) and Canada agreed to act as co-lead countries for the initial development of the Coastal Expert Monitoring Group (CEMG) as part of the Circumpolar Biodiversity Monitoring Program (CBMP, www. cbmp.is) under the Arctic Council’s Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna (CAFF, www.caff.is) working group. The CAFF Management Board approved Terms of Reference for the CEM
Authors
Donald McLennan, Rebecca Anderson, S. Wegeberg, Maria Pettersvik Arvnes, Liudmila Sergienko, Carolina Behe, Pitseolak Moss-Davies, S. Fritz, Carl J. Markon, T. Christensen, T. Barry, C. Price

Circumpolar Biodiversity Monitoring Programme: Coastal Expert Workshop meeting summary

The Coastal Expert Workshop brought together a diverse group of coastal experts with the common goal of developing a biodiversity monitoring program for coastal ecosystems across the circumpolar Arctic. Meeting participants, including northern residents, industry and Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) representatives, scientists, and government regulators from across the circumpolar Arctic, gathe
Authors
L. Thomson, Donald McLennan, Rebecca Anderson, S. Wegeberg, Maria Pettersvik Arvnes, Liudmila Sergienko, Carolina Behe, Pitseolak Moss-Davies, S. Fritz, T. Christensen, C. Price

Arctic Research Plan: FY2017-2021

The United States is an Arctic nation—Americans depend on the Arctic for biodiversity and climate regulation and for natural resources. America’s Arctic—Alaska—is at the forefront of rapid climate, environmental, and socio-economic changes that are testing the resilience and sustainability of communities and ecosystems. Research to increase fundamental understanding of these changes is needed to i
Authors
Sandy Starkweather, Martin O Jeffries, Simon Stephenson, Rebecca Anderson, Benjamin M. Jones, Rachel A. Loehman, Vanessa R. von Biela

Optimizing surveillance for South American origin influenza A viruses along the United States Gulf Coast through genomic characterization of isolates from blue-winged teal (Anas discors)

Relative to research focused on intercontinental viral exchange between Eurasia and North America, less attention has been directed towards understanding the redistribution of influenza A viruses (IAVs) by wild birds between North America and South America. In this study, we genomically characterized 45 viruses isolated from blue-winged teal (Anas discors) along the Texas and Louisiana Gulf Coast
Authors
Andrew M. Ramey, Patrick Walther, Paul Karl Link, Rebecca L. Poulson, Benjamin R. Wilcox, George M. Newsome, Erica Spackman, J. Brown, David E. Stallknecht

Influence of basin- and local-scale environmental conditions on nearshore production in the northeast Pacific Ocean

Nearshore marine habitats are productive and vulnerable owing to their connections to pelagic and terrestrial landscapes. To understand how ocean basin- and local-scale conditions may influence nearshore species, we developed an annual index of nearshore production (spanning the period 1972–2010) from growth increments recorded in otoliths of representative pelagic-feeding (Black Rockfish Sebastes
Authors
Vanessa R. von Biela, Christian E. Zimmerman, Gordon H. Kruse, Franz J. Mueter, Bryan A. Black, David C. Douglas, James L. Bodkin