Images

Orcas (Orcinus orca) of the AD8 pod search for schools of salmon in Amalik Bay. Orca populations have declined significantly since the Exxon Valdez oil spill in 1989. By collecting photos of saddle patches and dorsal fin notches, scientists are able to identify unique individual whales.

Male orca (Orcinus orca) AD37 "Brit" of pod AD8, swims next to a scientific research skiff in Amalik Bay. Orca populations have declined significantly since the Exxon Valdez oil spill in 1989. By collecting photos of saddle patches and dorsal fin notches, scientists are able to identify unique individual whales.

A typical rocky intertidal monitoring site within Katmai National Park and Preserve. An annual assessment of estimate percent cover and densities of intertidal invertebrates and algae is used to quantitatively assess change in communities from sheltered rocky shorelines.

A bright red Pacific blood star (Henricia leviuscula) rests among the algae, barnacles, and limpets at low tide in Kalfia Bay. Beginning in 2014, a marine heat wave prompted the spread of Sea Star Wasting Syndrome throughout the Gulf of Alaska region.

A pair of Black Katy Chiton (Katharina tunicate) at one of five rocky intertidal sampling sites in Katmai National Park and Preserve. An annual assessment of chiton density allows scientists to quantify change in communities from sheltered rocky shorelines.

A mottled sea star (Evasterias troschelii) rests among the algae, barnacles, and limpets at low tide in Kalfia Bay. Beginning in 2014, a marine heat wave prompted the spread of Sea Star Wasting Syndrome throughout the Gulf of Alaska region. The symptoms of the syndrome included twisted arms, white lesions, deflated arms, arm loss, and body disintegration.

Katmai National Park and Preserve supports a large population of Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus). In summer, eagles are commonly observed scavenging on fish carcasses along beaches and streams.

Katmai National Park and Preserve is home to over 2,200 brown bears (Ursus arctos). Bears that live along the Katmai coast are known to swim several miles across the ocean in search of marine mammal carcasses, marine invertebrates, and beach grasses. 

A Black-footed Albatross (Phoebastria nigripes) carcass lies on the beach of Hallo Bay. Since the massive die-off of Common Murres in the Gulf of Alaska during 2015-2016, coastal communities across Alaska have annually reported dead and dying seabirds on their beaches.

A crew of scientists walk the rocky beaches of Nukshak Island in Katmai National Park and Preserve looking for sea otter carcasses and skulls.

This is a community flyer for distribution in Point Lay, Alaska, to alert community members of USGS activities in the area. A collaborative team of USGS, the North Slope Borough, University of Alaska Fairbanks, and Point Lay residents will assist in surveys of walrus carcasses at a remote coastal haulout that has been used by hundreds of thousands of walruses e

Katmai National Park and Preserve is home to over 2,200 brown bears (Ursus arctos). Brown bears are omnivores that frequently "graze" in meadows along the Katmai coast until the salmon runs start in late July.  

A Black Oystercatcher (Haematopus bachmani) chick hides in a rock crevice on one of the Shakun Islets of Katmai National Park and Preserve. Unlike their name suggests, Black Oystercatchers rarely consume oysters, but rather intertidal marine invertebrates such as limpets, whelks and chitons, as well as crabs, sea urchins, barnacles, and isopods.

Glory of Russia Cape, named by Russian Polar explorer, Gavril Sarychev, is the northernmost point of St. Matthew Island. The cape is best know for the 1989 shipwreck of the Greek ship "Milos Reefer". The rusted and battered haul is still visible below the rocky cliffs.

Pair of Pelagic Cormorant (Urile pelagicus) nest along the sea cliffs of a grotto on St. Matthew Island. The island is home to over 1.6 million nesting seabirds, including murres, kittiwakes, puffins and auklets. 

Pair of Horned Puffins (Fratercula corniculata) rest along the lichen-covered sea cliffs of a grotto on St. Matthew Island, Alaska. The island is home to over 1.6 million nesting seabirds, including murres, kittiwakes, puffins and auklets.

Pair of Thick-billed Murres (Uria lomvia) nest along the sea cliffs of a grotto on St. Matthew Island, Alaska. The island is home to over 1.6 million nesting seabirds, including cormorants, kittiwakes, puffins and auklets.

Pairs of Common Murre (Uria aalge; chocolate-colored hue) and Thick-billed Murre (Uria lomvia; black-colored hue) nest along the sea cliffs of a grotto on St. Matthew Island. The island is home to over 1.6 million nesting seabirds, including cormorants, kittiwakes, puffins and auklets. 

R/V Tiglax deckhand, Patrick, transports scientists from the ship to Hall Island, in order to conduct distance-sampling surveys for Rock Sandpiper and McKay's Bunting. 

Woolly lousewort (Pedicularis lanata), also known as "bumble-bee flower" are native to the alpine regions of Alaska, Canada, and Greenland. This compact and hardy plant can withstand even the strongest Bering Sea winds. The "wool", as it is known, is a layer of fuzzy insulation, which wraps around the steam of the plant, protecting it from wind and cold.

The lower jawbone of an adult male walrus rests on the sandy shore of St. Matthew Island, Alaska. The Pacific Walrus (Odobenus rosmarus) is a large pinniped that occurs within the Bering and Chukchi Sea regions. Although more commonly observed on the mainland coast of western Alaska, walrus "haulouts" have been observed on St.