Alaska Science Center Seminar Series
The USGS Alaska Science Center has a monthly seminar series that runs from October through May. This series highlights the multiple research programs that are taking place across all disciplines at the center.
Return to Media/Outreach
Join us for the 2026 Seminar Series
Talks will not be recorded because some of the information provided in these seminars is preliminary or provisional and is subject to revision. It is being provided to meet the need for timely best science. Some of the information has not received final approval by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and is provided on the condition that neither the USGS nor the U.S. Government shall be held liable for any damages resulting from the authorized or unauthorized use of the information.
Title: Remains of subsistence-harvested bowhead whales as supplementary and diversionary feeding for polar bears summering on land
Date: April 23, 2026
Time: 10:00 a.m. (Alaska Standard Time)
Presenters: Karyn Rode, Research Wildlife Biologist
About the Talk: The number of polar bears coming on land on the northern coast of Alaska has increased over the past two decades. These bears now spend an average of 60 days on land during the summer and fall, which is twice as long as in the past. On land, polar bears increasingly interact with people in and around three communities and the ~250 km coastline where industrial activities occur. They also lack access to their high fat, blubber-rich seal prey. Thus, land use has potential implications for human safety, subsistence harvest, and polar bear reproduction and survival.
Unlike most other areas of the Arctic, polar bears on the Beaufort Sea coast of Alaska have reliable access to remains from annual subsistence harvests of bowhead whales. Data from aerial surveys and satellite tagged bears have found that 70-80% of polar bears that summer on land visit bowhead whale remains at two sites. Although bears are attracted to whaling camps and local communities where remains occur, the remains may help to divert bears and mitigate conflict. Based on input from local community members in a USGS-led, interview-based study, this project investigates the role of whale remains as a nutritional supplement and diversionary food resource for polar bears. Results are intended to inform decisions on carcass management which could become an increasingly important management tool both in addressing polar bear-human conflict and in supplementing the nutritional demands of increasing numbers of bears on land.
Microsoft Teams:
Location: Leslie Holland-Bartels Conference Room, Glenn Olds Hall Building, 4210 University Drive, Anchorage (Click here for a map). Please park at the Carr-Gottstein Building.
Webinar information: A webinar will be available for all talks for those who cannot make it in person. For additional details or to be added to the electronic notification list, please contact Joe Eisaguirre.
2026 Schedule
(will update as information becomes available)
| Date | Title | Presenter |
|---|---|---|
| January 13, 2026 @ 10:00 a.m. | Close-kin mark-recapture (with comparisons to traditional mark-recapture) for estimating abundance of wildlife populations | Rebecca Taylor |
| February 25, 2026 @ 11:00 a.m. | U.S. Geological Survey monitoring of glacial lake outburst flooding in Juneau, Alaska | Jeff Conaway, Jamie Pierce |
| April 23, 2026 @ 10:00 a.m. | Remains of subsistence-harvested bowhead whales as supplementary and diversionary feeding for polar bears summering on land | Karyn Rode |