Images

Photo of young of the year walleye pollock, Prince William Sound, Alaska. Although adults are targeted in one of the largest commercial fisheries in the world, young of the year walleye pollock are important in diets of many marine predators.

Pacific herring in Prince William Sound, Alaska

Caitlin Marsteller (USGS) and April Sturgess (USGS) throw the cod end of the modified herring trawl overboard on the USGS R/V Alaskan Gyre during the Fall Integrated Predator-Prey survey in Prince William Sound, Alaska.

Keychain developed for USGS outreach activities about bird banding and reporting in Yup'ik and English. Yup'ik translation provided by Jakob Sipary, Alaska Native Science and Engineering Program (ANSEP).

Laura Hubbard of the USGS Upper Midwest Water Science Center takes water chemistry measures on the Alaska Peninsula as part of research to understand how long influenza viruses remain viable in the environment.  

Harbor seals poking their heads above water near shore in Russell Creek, Cold Bay, Alaska.

Pacific walruses resting in the water on the eastern shore of the Chukchi Sea (Photo taken during USGS research efforts permitted under US Fish and Wildlife Service Permit No. MA801652-7.)

Pacific walruses resting on the beach of the eastern shore of the Chukchi Sea (Photo taken during USGS research efforts permitted under US Fish and Wildlife Service Permit No. MA801652-7.)

Pacific walruses jousting with their tusks on the eastern shore of the Chukchi Sea (Photo taken during USGS research efforts permitted under US Fish and Wildlife Service Permit No. MA801652-7.)

Pacific walruses jousting with their tusks on the eastern shore of the Chukchi Sea (Photo taken during USGS research efforts permitted under US Fish and Wildlife Service Permit No. MA801652-7.)

Solitary walrus calf with skin lesions resting on the eastern shore of the Chukchi Sea, Alaska (Photo taken during USGS research efforts permitted under US Fish and Wildlife Service Permit No. MA801652-7.)

Solitary walrus calf with skin lesions resting on the eastern shore of the Chukchi Sea, Alaska (Photo taken during USGS research efforts permitted under US Fish and Wildlife Service Permit No. MA801652-7.)

Pacific walruses resting on the beach of the eastern shore of the Chukchi Sea (Photo taken during USGS research efforts permitted under US Fish and Wildlife Service Permit No. MA801652-7.)

Pacific walruses hauled out on the beach of the eastern shore of the Chukchi Sea (Photo taken during USGS research efforts permitted under US Fish and Wildlife Service Permit No. MA801652-7.)

Pacific walruses resting on the beach of the eastern shore of the Chukchi Sea (Photo taken during USGS research efforts permitted under US Fish and Wildlife Service Permit No. MA801652-7.)

Pacific walruses resting on the beach of the eastern shore of the Chukchi Sea (Photo taken during USGS research efforts permitted under US Fish and Wildlife Service Permit No. MA801652-7.)

Photo equipment used to take pictures of fall staging migratory geese at Izembek Lagoon, Alaska. Scientists from the USGS Alaska Science Center and the U.S.

Aerial view of a large walrus haulout on the northwestern shores of Alaska. The image was taken using an unoccupied aerial system, commonly referred to as a survey drone. This survey was flown to collect imagery of walruses resting on shore for purposes of estimating the abundance of walruses that use the U.S. Chukchi Sea waters during the autumn.

The Sadlerochit Spring is one of a handful of small springs that provides liquid water to the North Slope of Alaska year round. Given that most other water sources in this region are frozen in the winter, springs provide critical habitat for fish and macroinvertebrates, and may play an outsized role in the regions hydrologic cycle.

USGS wildlife biologist, Anthony Fischbach, piloting an unmanned aerial system (UAS) for use in surveying walruses while they rest on shore.  The UAS is flown above 300 feet altitude such that it enables survey data collection with minimal risk to the walruses.

Pacific walruses resting on the beach of the eastern shore of the Chukchi Sea (Photo taken during USGS research efforts permitted under US Fish and Wildlife Service Permit No. MA801652-7.)