Publications
USGS research activities relevant to Alaska have yielded more than 9400 historical publications. This page features some of the most recent newsworthy research findings.
Filter Total Items: 3065
Observational, virological, and serological data provide insights into an outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza among wild birds on the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, Alaska in 2022 Observational, virological, and serological data provide insights into an outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza among wild birds on the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, Alaska in 2022
In 2021–22, clade 2.3.4.4b highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) viruses were introduced by wild birds into North America, leading to geographically widespread disease. In response to HPAI outbreaks throughout late 2021 and early 2022, we recorded observations of sick and dead birds, estimated abundance of carcasses, collected swab and sera samples to detect viruses, and monitored...
Authors
Bryan Daniels, Erik Osnas, Megan Boldenow, Robert Gerlach, Christina Ahlstrom, Sarah Coburn, Michael Brook, Michael Brubaker, Julian Fischer, David Koons, Angela Matz, Marin Murphy, Daniel Rizzolo, Laura Scott, David Sinnett, Jordan Thompson, Juliana Lenoch, Mia Kim Torchetti, David E. Stallknecht, Rebecca L. Poulson, Andrew Ramey
Reply to the discussion by Pilfold “Polar bear mass change confirms hyperphagia follows ringed seal whelping” Reply to the discussion by Pilfold “Polar bear mass change confirms hyperphagia follows ringed seal whelping”
The spring is a critical period when polar bears (Ursus maritimus Phipps, 1774) are thought to have peak access to seals and acquire the majority of their annual energy requirements during a period of hyperphagia. Pagano et al. (Pagano A.M., Atkinson S.N., and Archer L.C. 2025. Arctic Science.11:1-14. doi:10.1139/as-2024-0051) examined the intra-seasonal changes in body mass of 31 polar...
Authors
Anthony Pagano, Stephen Atkinson, Louise Archer
Deformation mechanisms in quartz veins and shear zones elucidate the origin of gold mineralization at Pogo, Alaska Deformation mechanisms in quartz veins and shear zones elucidate the origin of gold mineralization at Pogo, Alaska
Pogo is a quartz vein hosted, ca. 8 Moz gold deposit. Although it has similarities to orogenic and magmatic-hydrothermal deposits, its origin remains enigmatic. Observations from surface exposures, underground workings, and drill core provide new constraints on quartz vein origins with implications for mineralization. Abundant, largely barren metamorphic segregation quartz veins are...
Authors
Jonathan Caine, Douglas Kreiner, Heather Lowers
Evidence for offset of Cretaceous plutons by the Tintina fault in eastern Alaska: Implications for regional metallogeny Evidence for offset of Cretaceous plutons by the Tintina fault in eastern Alaska: Implications for regional metallogeny
Cretaceous magmatism in eastern interior Alaska is voluminous, but temporally and spatially diverse – suggestive of varying sources and drivers. More than 150 new U-Pb zircon and more than 500 geochemical analyses of Cretaceous plutonic units allow for the grouping of distinct plutonic suites. Magmatism was continuous from 120-66 Ma but can be grouped into temporally distinct pulses from...
Authors
Douglas Kreiner, Erin Todd, James Jones, Christopher S. Holm-Denoma, Laura Pianowski, Paul O’Sullivan
Speleothem evidence for Late Miocene extreme Arctic amplification – An analogue for near-future anthropogenic climate change? Speleothem evidence for Late Miocene extreme Arctic amplification – An analogue for near-future anthropogenic climate change?
The Miocene provides an excellent climatic analogue for near-future runaway anthropogenic warming, with atmospheric CO2 concentrations and global average temperatures similar to those projected for the coming century under extreme-emissions scenarios. However, the magnitude of Miocene Arctic warming remains unclear due to the scarcity of reliable proxy data. Here we use stable oxygen...
Authors
Stuart Umbo, Franziska Lechleitner, Thomas Opel, Sevasti Modestou, Tobias Braun, Anton Vaks, Gideon Henderson, Pete Scott, Alexander Osintzev, Alexander Kononov, Irina Adrian, Yuri Dublyansky, Alena Maria Giesche, Sebastian Breitenbach
Warming Alaskan rivers affect first-year growth in critical northern food fishes Warming Alaskan rivers affect first-year growth in critical northern food fishes
Arctic and subarctic rivers are warming rapidly, with unknown consequences for migratory fishes and the human communities dependent on them. To date, few studies have provided a comprehensive assessment of possible climate change impacts on the hydrology and temperature of Arctic rivers at the regional scale, and even fewer have connected those changes to multiple fish species with input...
Authors
Peyton Thomas, Dylan Blaskey, Yifan Cheng, Michael Carey, Heidi Swanson, Andrew Newman, Cassandra Brooks, Nicole Herman-Mercer, Keith Musselman
Selected special conditions affecting peak streamflow and extreme floods in Alaska through water year 2022 Selected special conditions affecting peak streamflow and extreme floods in Alaska through water year 2022
The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities, inventoried selected special conditions for annual peak flows and identified extreme floods at streamgages in Alaska through water year 2022 to facilitate hydrologic analysis. Special conditions identified from U.S. Geological Survey gaging records and basin characteristics...
Authors
Janet Curran
Constraining snow water equivalent of wet snowpacks in southeast Alaska Constraining snow water equivalent of wet snowpacks in southeast Alaska
Quantifying snow water equivalent (SWE) with ground-penetrating radar (GPR) in a warming climate is complicated by the incidence and variability of liquid water in snow. Snow surveys conducted during the melt season serve as a valuable analog to conditions under future warming. Here, we determine the variability of wet snowpack properties (relative permittivity and density) to quantify...
Authors
Mikaila Mannello, Scott Braddock, Seth Campbell, Emma Erwin, Kristin Schild, Christopher McNeil
Identifying presence or absence of grizzly and polar bear cubs from the movements of adult females with machine learning Identifying presence or absence of grizzly and polar bear cubs from the movements of adult females with machine learning
BackgroundInformation on reproductive success is crucial to understanding population dynamics but can be difficult to obtain, particularly for species that birth while denning. For grizzly (Ursus arctos) and polar bears (U. maritimus), den visits are impractical because of safety and logistical considerations. Reproduction is typically documented through direct observation, which can be...
Authors
Erik Andersen, Justin Clapp, Milan Vinks, Todd Atwood, Daniel D. Bjornlie, Cecily M. Costello, David Gustine, Mark Haroldson, Lori Roberts, Karyn Rode, Frank van Manen, Ryan Wilson
Arctic speleothems reveal nearly permafrost-free Northern Hemisphere in the Late Miocene Arctic speleothems reveal nearly permafrost-free Northern Hemisphere in the Late Miocene
Arctic warming is happening at nearly four times the global average rate. Long-term trends of permafrost dynamics cannot be estimated directly from monitoring of present-day thaw processes, requiring paleoclimate-proxy information. Here we use cave carbonates (speleothems) from a northern Siberian cave to determine when the Northern Hemisphere was mostly permafrost-free. At present...
Authors
Anton Vaks, Andrew Mason, Sebastian F.M. Breitenbach, Alena Maria Giesche, Alexander Osinzev, Irina Adrian, Aleksandr Kononov, Stuart Umbo, Franziska A. Lechleitner, Marcelo Rosensaft, Gideon M. Henderson
Permafrost–wildfire interactions: active layer thickness estimates for paired burned and unburned sites in northern high latitudes Permafrost–wildfire interactions: active layer thickness estimates for paired burned and unburned sites in northern high latitudes
As the northern high-latitude permafrost zone experiences accelerated warming, permafrost has become vulnerable to widespread thaw. Simultaneously, wildfire activity across northern boreal forest and Arctic/subarctic tundra regions impacts permafrost stability through the combustion of insulating organic matter, vegetation, and post-fire changes in albedo. Efforts to synthesis the...
Authors
Anna Talucci, Michael M. Loranty, Jean E. Holloway, Brendan Rogers, Heather Alexander, Natalie Baillargeon, Jennifer Baltzer, Logan T. Berner, Amy Breen, Leya Brodt, Brian Buma, Jacqueline Dean, Clement J.F. Delcourt, Lucas R. Diaz, Catherine M. Dieleman, Thomas Douglas, Gerald Frost, Benjamin V. Gaglioti, Rebecca Hewitt, Teresa N. Hollingsworth, M. Torre Jorenson, Mark Lara, Rachel Loehman, Michelle Mack, Kristen Manies, Christina Minions, Susan M. Natali, Jonathan O’Donnell, David Olefeldt, Alison K. Paulson, Adrian V. Rocha, Lisa B. Saperstein, T.A. Shestakova, Seeta Sistla, Oleg Sizov, Andrey Soromotin, Merritt R. Turetksy, Sander Veraverbeke, Michelle Walvoord
Observing northern high-latitude river systems to understand changes in a warming Arctic Observing northern high-latitude river systems to understand changes in a warming Arctic
Purpose of ReviewStreams and rivers are undergoing rapid change as the Arctic warms and thaws. We review recent observations in Arctic stream systems to identify ubiquitous changes and the most useful tools for observing change and exploring the underlying processes.Recent FindingsRecent literature indicates increasingly significant trends in river hydrology and chemistry due to...
Authors
Joshua Koch, J. O’Donnell