Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

USGS Alaska Q&A Series

Learn about USGS science through a series of Questions and Answers (Q&As)

Read More

Alaska Science Center Newsletter - Spring 2022

Read More

Video on the North Pacific Marine Heatwave

Highlighting women in science and their research and outreach on the impacts of the heatwave in Alaska

View Video

Video on 2022 Polar Bear Research Council Masterplan

Learn how polar bears in zoos are helping fill knowledge gaps that benefit wild populations

View Video

Arctic Rivers Project

Connecting Indigenous knowledge and western science to strengthen collective understanding of the changing Arctic

View StoryMap

Alaska Science Center

The mission of the Alaska Science Center is to provide objective and timely data, information, and research findings about the earth and its flora and fauna to Federal, State, and local resource managers and the public to support sound decisions regarding natural resources, natural hazards, and ecosystems in Alaska and circumpolar regions. We have offices in Anchorage, Juneau, and Fairbanks. 

Learn more about our science

In the Spotlight

Image: San Diego Zoo Polar Bear

Learn how polar bears in zoos are helping fill knowledge gaps that benefit wild populations. USGS recently collaborated on a Masterplan to prioritize future zoo research. The Masterplan identifies current zoo research and emerging scientific questions to benefit polar bears in the wild. 

View Publication

Current Water Conditions

Alaska view on the National Water Dashboard

Explore real-time Alaska streamflow, groundwater, and water-quality conditions and access data with our new interactive map application.

Current Conditions

ASC Quick Links

News

link

Alaska Science Center Newsletter - Spring 2022

link

Polar Bear Zoo Research Masterplan and Video

link

Video on the North Pacific Marine Heatwave

View All

Publications

Sensitivity of headwater streamflow to thawing permafrost and vegetation change in a warming Arctic

Climate change has the potential to impact headwater streams in the Arctic by thawing permafrost and subsequently altering hydrologic regimes and vegetation distribution, physiognomy and productivity. Permafrost thaw and increased subsurface flow have been inferred from the chemistry of large rivers, but there is limited empirical evidence of the impacts to headwater streams. Here we demonstrate h
By
Alaska Science Center

First juvenile Chum Salmon confirms successful reproduction for Pacific salmon in the North American Arctic

The distributional extent of Pacific salmon Oncorhynchus spp. in the North American Arctic is unresolved. While adult Pacific salmon have a recurring presence across the Alaskan North Slope and into the Canadian Arctic, it is uncertain if these fish are part of established Arctic populations, vagrants from outside sources reproducing unsuccessfully, or both. Here we present the first confirmed rec
By
Ecosystems, Alaska Science Center

Heterogeneous patterns of aged organic carbon export driven by hydrologic flow paths, soil texture, fire, and thaw in discontinuous permafrost headwaters

Climate change is thawing and potentially mobilizing vast quantities of organic carbon (OC) previously stored for millennia in permafrost soils of northern circumpolar landscapes. Climate-driven increases in fire and thermokarst may play a key role in OC mobilization by thawing permafrost and promoting transport of OC. Yet, the extent of OC mobilization and mechanisms controlling terrestrial-aquat
By
Water Resources, Alaska Science Center
View All

Science

link
A polar bear in a pool.

Q&A: Polar Bears and Zoos

Polar bears are found throughout the circumpolar Arctic and roam across miles of sea ice and land. They prefer to eat blubber, especially from seals that are also found on the sea ice. However, the sea ice habitat of polar bears is changing rapidly with substantial recent declines in the extent of sea ice in the Arctic. These changes are leading polar bears to spend more time on land in some areas...
By
Alaska Science Center
link

Q&A: Polar Bears and Zoos

Polar bears are found throughout the circumpolar Arctic and roam across miles of sea ice and land. They prefer to eat blubber, especially from seals that are also found on the sea ice. However, the sea ice habitat of polar bears is changing rapidly with substantial recent declines in the extent of sea ice in the Arctic. These changes are leading polar bears to spend more time on land in some areas...
Learn More
link
Image: Alaska Scenic View

USGS Alaska Q&A Series

USGS scientists and collaborators talk about their work in Alaska through a series of Questions and Answers (Q&As). The links below contain interviews, photos, and other information about the work and collaborations of the USGS Alaska Science Center.
By
Alaska Science Center
link

USGS Alaska Q&A Series

USGS scientists and collaborators talk about their work in Alaska through a series of Questions and Answers (Q&As). The links below contain interviews, photos, and other information about the work and collaborations of the USGS Alaska Science Center.
Learn More
link
Common Murres in their colony in Cook Inlet, Alaska. Adult touching bill to chick.

Q&A: Cook Inlet Seabird and Forage Fish Study

Alaska has over 6,500 miles of coastline and the marine areas off these coasts are some of the most productive in the world in terms of fish and the seabirds that often feed on those fish. Almost 100 million seabirds breed and nest along the rocky and grassy coastlines of Alaska. The status and population trends of fish and seabirds is of interest to many people in Alaska because their abundance...
By
Alaska Science Center
link

Q&A: Cook Inlet Seabird and Forage Fish Study

Alaska has over 6,500 miles of coastline and the marine areas off these coasts are some of the most productive in the world in terms of fish and the seabirds that often feed on those fish. Almost 100 million seabirds breed and nest along the rocky and grassy coastlines of Alaska. The status and population trends of fish and seabirds is of interest to many people in Alaska because their abundance...
Learn More
View All