Images

Canada Goose on the Colville River Delta

Two snow geese and a single black brant goose fight over nesting territories on the Colville River Delta in Alaska.

Black Brant flying near the Colville River, northern Alaska.

Near the top of the Tusuk Channel of the Pilgrim River.

Pre- and post-fire measurements of fire effects help ecologists, fire scientists, and managers determine how the severity of wildfires affects plants, animal habitat, and ecosystem services

Pre- and post-fire measurements of fire effects help ecologists, fire scientists, and managers determine how the severity of wildfires affects plants, animal habitat, and ecosystem services.

Reburns, or fires that burn more frequently than expected, are becoming more common in Alaska and can cause major changes in vegetation composition, wildlife habitat, and landscape resilience

Scientists collecting snow core samples on Sperry Glacier in Glacier National Park, Montana.

Salcha River bridge near Salchaket

Nenana River sonar top near Windy

Karyn Rode examines a polar bear in the Chukchi Sea in April of 2015. On sea ice off the northwest coast of Alaska in the Chukchi Sea.

Researchers use ground penetrating radar to determine the depth of the snow on Wolverine Glacier in Alaska.

Sea ice blocks pushed up in a pressure ridge of ice

An adult female polar bear on the sea ice wearing a GPS satellite video-camera collar. GPS video-camera collars were applied to solitary adult female polar bears for 8 - 12 days in April, 2014-2016. These collars enabled researchers to understand the movements, behaviors, and foraging success of polar bears on the sea ice.

Spring fieldwork on the Benchmark Glaciers involves digging deep snow pits to measure the density profile of the surface snowpack. 

A Black-capped Chickadee with a severely deformed beak where the upper beak is elongated and curved down while the lower beak is elongated and straight. Over the past 26 years, Alaskans have witnessed a startling increase of beak deformities among Black-capped Chickadees and other species of resident birds.

A Black-capped Chickadee with a severely deformed beak where the upper beak is elongated and curved down while the lower beak is  elongated and straight

Lemon Creek Glacier is located in the high-latitude maritime region of Alaska, at the southernmost tip of the Juneau Icefield. Glacier observations began at this site in 1953.

USGS scientist Karyn Rode and USFWS biologist Michelle St Martin collect body condition data on a polar bear on the Chukchi Sea spring sea ice. USGS and FWS have collaborated on polar bear research in the Chukchi Sea since 2008 providing new insights into the status and health of the population and responses to changing sea ice conditions.

A Blue-winged Teal flying over an sampling area in Texas.  Researchers were taking genetic samples for the Alaska Science Center.

Tufted Puffin with a meal flying over the Aleutian Islands