Rusting Rivers: Heavy Metals and Visible Color Changes
Rapid lake growth due to glacier retreat in Alaska
Geochemical Data Portal of the United States and Territories
Q&A: USGS Ecosystems Provides Objective Science to Manage Lands, Fish, and Wildlife
Alaska Critical Mineral Resource Assessments
Alaska has potential for a wide range of critical minerals including, but not limited to, graphite, lithium, tin, tungsten, rare earth elements, and platinum-group elements.
Alaska has potential for a wide range of critical minerals including, but not limited to, graphite, lithium, tin, tungsten, rare earth elements, and platinum-group elements.
Alaska Science Center
The mission of the Alaska Science Center (ASC) is to provide objective and timely data, information, and research findings about the earth and its flora and fauna to Federal, State, and local resource managers and the public to support sound decisions regarding natural resources, natural hazards, and ecosystems in Alaska and circumpolar regions. We have offices in Anchorage, Juneau, and Fairbanks.
Science Spotlight
Science Spotlight
Glaciers and Landscape Change
The USGS Benchmark Glacier Project is aimed at solving complex scientific problems in snow and ice across North America to promote enhanced monitoring, analysis, and prediction of mountain glacier change.
News
Alaska Park Science: USGS and National Park Service Partners in Research
Alaska Park Science: USGS and National Park Service Partners in Research
USGS Wildlife Health Awareness Day: Implications of highly pathogenic avian influenza to ecosystem health
USGS Wildlife Health Awareness Day: Implications of highly pathogenic avian influenza to ecosystem health
Alaska Science Center Newsletter - 2025 Yearly Review
Alaska Science Center Newsletter - 2025 Yearly Review
Publications
Global glacier mass change in 2025 Global glacier mass change in 2025
Glaciers lost 408 ± 132 Gt of mass during the hydrological year 2025, equivalent to 1.1 ± 0.4 mm sea-level rise. Since 1975, glacier mass loss has totalled 9,583 ± 1,211 Gt, equivalent to 26.4 ± 3.3 mm of sea-level rise, with six of the highest mass-loss years on record occurring in the past seven years.
The collective application of shorebird tracking data to conservation The collective application of shorebird tracking data to conservation
Addressing urgent conservation issues, such as the drastic declines of North American migratory birds, requires creative, evidence-based, efficient, and collaborative approaches. The abundance of over 50% of monitored North American shorebird populations has declined by over 50% since 1980. To address these declines, we developed a partnership of scientists and practitioners called the...
Intertidal community responses to perturbations along Alaska park coastlines Intertidal community responses to perturbations along Alaska park coastlines
Nearshore ecosystems are highly productive zones with strong connections to both terrestrial and open ocean ecosystems. The rocky intertidal is a highly dynamic ecosystem and changes over a variety of spatial and temporal scales depending on the factors contributing to the change. Here we summarize how nearshore communities and species responded to several perturbations to intertidal...
Science
2025 USGS Benchmark Glaciers Executive Summary
2025 Data Now Available: Explore how the USGS Benchmark Glaciers have changed in 2025
Tracing Mercury Through Lake Food Webs
Mercury concentrations in fish likely reflect different energy sources in lake food webs. Species, populations, or individuals may contain higher and variable concentrations of mercury, which may relate directly to prey mercury content, diets of fish, and fish foraging strategies.
Fish and Aquatic Ecology
Fish and aquatic habitats in Alaska support important commercial, sport, and subsistence fisheries and provide forage fish that support wildlife populations. The USGS Alaska Science Center conducts interdisciplinary research to inform local, state, federal, and international policy makers regarding conservation of fish, aquatic species, and their habitats. We work collaboratively with hydrologists...
