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Alaska Region

USGS in Alaska conducts science for decision-making in five major areas: natural hazards; energy & minerals; water quality, streamflow & ice; wildlife, fish & habitat; and geospatial mapping. The Alaska Regional Office provides management and strategic coordination among the Alaska Science Center, the Volcano Science Center, & other partners operating in AK.

News

U.S. Geological Survey marks progress tracking nation's supply of critical minerals

U.S. Geological Survey marks progress tracking nation's supply of critical minerals

USGS invests $3.6 million in Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding to map critical minerals across Alaska

USGS invests $3.6 million in Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding to map critical minerals across Alaska

Revisiting the 1957 Aleutian Earthquake: New Insights into Tsunami Hazards for Hawaiʻi

Revisiting the 1957 Aleutian Earthquake: New Insights into Tsunami Hazards for Hawaiʻi

Publications

Increased flood exposure in the Pacific Northwest following earthquake-driven subsidence and sea-level rise

Climate-driven sea-level rise is increasing the frequency of coastal flooding worldwide, exacerbated locally by factors like land subsidence from groundwater and resource extraction. However, a process rarely considered in future sea-level rise scenarios is sudden (over minutes) land subsidence associated with great (>M8) earthquakes, which can exceed 1 m. Along the Washington, Oregon...
Authors
Tina Dura, William Chilton, David Small, Andra Garner, Andrea D. Hawkes, Diego Melgar, Simon E. Engelhart, Lydia M. Staisch, Robert C. Witter, Alan Nelson, Harvey Kelsey, Jonathan Allan, David S. Bruce, Jessica DePaolis, Mike Priddy, Richard W. Briggs, Robert Weiss, SeanPaul La Selle, Michael J. Willis, Benjamin P. Horton

Automated snow cover detection on mountain glaciers usingspaceborne imagery and machine learning

Tracking the extent of seasonal snow on glaciers over time is critical for assessing glacier vulnerability and the response of glacierized watersheds to climate change. Existing snow cover products do not reliably distinguish seasonal snow from glacier ice and firn, preventing their use for glacier snow cover detection. Despite previous efforts to classify glacier surface facies using...
Authors
Rainey Aberle, Ellyn Enderlin, Shad O'Neel, Caitlyn Florentine, Louis C. Sass, Adam Dickson, Hans-Peter Marshall, Alejandro Flores

Equilibrium line altitudes, accumulation areas, and the vulnerability of glaciers in Alaska

The accumulation area ratio (AAR) of a glacier reflects its current state of equilibrium, or disequilibrium, with climate and its vulnerability to future climate change. Here, we present an inventory of glacier-specific annual accumulation areas and equilibrium line altitudes (ELAs) for over 3000 glaciers in Alaska and northwest Canada (88% of the regional glacier area) from 2018 to 2022...
Authors
Lucas Zeller, Daniel Mcgrath, Louis Sass, Caitlyn Florentine, Jacob Downs

Science

Wildlife Disease and Environmental Health in Alaska

Environmental health is defined by connections between the physical environment, ecological health, and human health. Current research within the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) recognizes the importance of this integrated research philosophy, which includes study of disease and pollutants as they pertain to both wildlife and humans. Due to its key geographic location and significant wildlife...
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Wildlife Disease and Environmental Health in Alaska

Environmental health is defined by connections between the physical environment, ecological health, and human health. Current research within the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) recognizes the importance of this integrated research philosophy, which includes study of disease and pollutants as they pertain to both wildlife and humans. Due to its key geographic location and significant wildlife...
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Goose Research

The USGS Alaska Science Center has had a focus on addressing science questions related to geese in Alaska for decades. Information on these species is critical because all are important resources for subsistence and sport hunters in the state and outside of Alaska where these birds spend the winter. The large majority of goose populations in Alaska breed on national wildlife refuges (managed by...
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Goose Research

The USGS Alaska Science Center has had a focus on addressing science questions related to geese in Alaska for decades. Information on these species is critical because all are important resources for subsistence and sport hunters in the state and outside of Alaska where these birds spend the winter. The large majority of goose populations in Alaska breed on national wildlife refuges (managed by...
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Assessing heat stress in migrating Yukon River Chinook Salmon

We will examine evidence of heat stress in Yukon River Chinook salmon ( Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) using heat shock proteins and gene expression.
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Assessing heat stress in migrating Yukon River Chinook Salmon

We will examine evidence of heat stress in Yukon River Chinook salmon ( Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) using heat shock proteins and gene expression.
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