USGS Scientists Podcast Interviews
By Alaska Science Center
November 6, 2023
In 2023, USGS Alaska Science Center scientists participated in a weekly radio program and podcast called Liquid Assets, airing on KTNA 88.9 FM, a community radio for the Susitna Valley in Alaska. Radio host Jenny Willoughby talks to experts about all things related to water.
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Streamgage number 15905100 at the Atigun River, Alaska. The Alyeska oil pipeline is in the background.
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details
Media
The timelapse imagery provided here shows the lower half of Wolverine Glacier from 2012 to 2022. This imagery gives an intuitive view of the scale of change happening at glaciers across Alaska. Wolverine Glacier is in the
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details
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Orange streams are increasingly common in the Brooks Range of northern Alaska. The orange stream color reflects oxidized iron, but also often indicates elevated heavy metal concentrations.
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details
| Podcast Episodes | Scientists | General Description |
| Episode 1: The Water Cycle | Heather Best | The water cycle, where water is found and how it moves around Alaska. |
| Episode 4: How Water Freezes | Heather Best | How lakes, moving water, and glacier fed rivers freeze. |
| Episode 5: Intro to Permafrost | Eva Stephani | How water interacts with permafrost, melt and thaw of permafrost, and types of permafrost. |
| Episode 8: Changing Glaciers | Louis Sass | Glaciers in Alaska and how they are changing over time. |
| Episode 10: Water Quality Sampling | Charlie Couvillion | How water quality samples are collected by USGS, and the equipment used year-round in Alaska. |
| Episode 19: Aquatic Invasive Species | Mike Carey | Elodea an aquatic invasive species in Alaska waters. |
| Episode 21: Historic Talkeetna Flooding | Jeff Conaway | USGS streamgages and how USGS collects flood data. |
| Episode 22: Macro-Invertebrates | Sarah Laske | Aquatic macro-invertebrates in streams and rivers, importance to humans and how they indicate good or poor water quality. |
| Episode 24: Erosion | Paul Schauer | Monitoring erosion of rivers and bridges and the importance to the public. |
| Episode 28: Rusting Rivers | Josh Koch |
A new project investigating the possible causes that may be contributing to discoloration of Arctic rivers by exposing iron-bearing minerals. |
| Episode 39: How Rivers Move | Janet Curran |
Channel migration in meandering and braided rivers and how climate change can affect the balance of water and sediment. |
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Streambed scour is the leading cause of bridge failure in the United States resulting in over 60 percent of all failures. The Alaska Science Center, in cooperation with the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities and the Alaska Railroad, is researching streambed scour through scour monitoring, hydraulic modeling, and data collection during high flows.
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