Anchor River at Anchor Point
USGS has 24 river webcams in AK. Here is one river's data, photos, and timelapse video.
USGS has 24 river webcams in AK. Here is one river's data, photos, and timelapse video.
Q&A: New Drone-Based Method Helps Monitor Walrus Health
Like you going to the doctor’s office - USGS is doing this with walruses!
Like you going to the doctor’s office - USGS is doing this with walruses!
Collecting High-Resolution Geophysical Data Focused on Areas with Potential for Critical Mineral Resources in Alaska
Rusting Rivers Videos
Orange streams are increasingly common in the Brooks Range of northern Alaska
Orange streams are increasingly common in the Brooks Range of northern Alaska
Alaska Forage Fish Database (AFFD)
A powerful tool for examining trends and distribution of forage fish across large marine ecosystems of the North Pacific and the Arctic
A powerful tool for examining trends and distribution of forage fish across large marine ecosystems of the North Pacific and the Arctic
USGS Science is a Critical Piece of the One Health Puzzle
The health of people is connected to healthy ecosystems
The health of people is connected to healthy ecosystems
Direct Measurements of Firn Density Evolution at Wolverine Glacier Alaska
Firn is the transitional material between seasonal snow and glacier ice
Firn is the transitional material between seasonal snow and glacier ice
Alaska Science Center
The mission of the Alaska Science Center 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.
In the Spotlight
In the Spotlight
Exploring Alaska Through Our Science - Check out our online fact sheet!
Alaska is a critical area for natural resource science. The Alaska Science Center research areas include Ecosystems, Energy and Minerals, Geology, Landscape Science, Natural Hazards, and Water.
Current Water Conditions
Current Water Conditions
Explore real-time Alaska streamflow, groundwater, and water-quality conditions and access data with our new interactive map application.
News
Sixty-seven years and still digging! A brief history of the USGS Benchmark Glacier Project
Sixty-seven years and still digging! A brief history of the USGS Benchmark Glacier Project
Alaska Science Center Newsletter – 2024 Yearly Review
Alaska Science Center Newsletter – 2024 Yearly Review
USGS invests $3.6 million in Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding to map critical minerals across Alaska
USGS invests $3.6 million in Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding to map critical minerals across Alaska
Publications
Bait trapping of waterfowl increases the environmental contamination of avian influenza virus (AIV)
Highly pathogenic avian influenza virus (HPAIV) H5Nx clade 2.3.4.4b has circulated in North America since late 2021, resulting in higher rates of morbidity and mortality in wild birds than observed in this region before. The objective of this study was to determine whether baiting, which is widely conducted in Canada and the United States as part of waterfowl management practices (e.g...
Forecasting sea otter recolonization: Insights from isotopic analysis of modern and zooarchaeological populations
Retrospective datasets offer essential context for conservation by revealing species’ ecological roles before industrial-era human impacts. We analysed isotopic compositions of pre-industrial and modern sea otters (Enhydra lutris) to reconstruct pre-extirpation ecology and offer insights for management. Our study focuses on southeast Alaska (SEAK), where sea otters are recolonizing, and...
The importance of method selection when estimating diet composition with quantitative fatty acid signature analysis
Quantitative fatty acid signature analysis (QFASA) is a common method of estimating the composition of prey species in the diets of consumers from polar and temperate ecosystems in which lipids are an important source of energy. A key characteristic of QFASA is that the large number of fatty acids that typically comprise lipids permits the dietary contributions of a correspondingly large...
Science
Changing Arctic Ecosystems
Arctic regions of Alaska are important for cultural and economic sustainability and host a wide variety of wildlife species, many of which are of conservation and management interest to the U.S. Department of the Interior. The USGS and collaborators provide information about Arctic ecosystems that are used by Arctic residents, management agencies, and industry.
Ecosystems Analytics
Ecosystems Analytics is a group of quantitative biologists and research statisticians with a diverse range of expertise and experience (summarized below). We collaborate with internal and external partners to answer challenging ecological questions that are a high priority of the U.S. Geological Survey Alaska Science Center, sister agencies within the Department of the Interior (DOI), and various...
USGS Alaska Streamgage Datum to North American Vertical Datum of 1988 Conversion Table
To obtain stream water-surface elevation values in NAVD88 add the following conversion factor to gage height values.