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
Glaciers and ice caps outside Greenland Glaciers and ice caps outside Greenland
No abstract available.
Authors
D. Burgess, G. Wolken, B. Wouters, L.M. Andreassen, Caitlyn Florentine, J. Kohler, B. Luks, F. Palsson, Louis C. Sass, L. Thomson, T. Thorsteinsson
Observing glacier elevation changes from spaceborne optical and radar sensors – an inter-comparison experiment using ASTER and TanDEM-X data Observing glacier elevation changes from spaceborne optical and radar sensors – an inter-comparison experiment using ASTER and TanDEM-X data
Observations of glacier mass changes are key to understanding the response of glaciers to climate change and related impacts, such as regional runoff, ecosystem changes, and global sea level rise. Spaceborne optical and radar sensors make it possible to quantify glacier elevation changes, and thus multi-annual mass changes, on a regional and global scale. However, estimates from a...
Authors
Livia Piermattei, Michael Zemp, Christian Sommer, Fanny Brun, Matthias Braun, Liss Andreassen, Joaquin Belart, Etienne Berthier, Atanu Bhattacharya, Laura Boehm Vock, Tobias Bolch, Amaury Dehecq, Ines Dussaillant, Daniel Falaschi, Caitlyn Florentine, Dana Floricioiu, Christian Ginzler, Gregoire Guillet, Romain Hugonnet, Andreas Kaab, Owen King, Christoph Klug, Friedrich Knuth, Lukas Krieger, Jeff La Frenierre, Robert McNabb, Christopher McNeil, Rainer Prinz, Louis C. Sass, Thorsten Seehaus, David Shean, Desiree Treichler, Anja Wendt, Ruitang Yang
Accelerating glacier volume loss on Juneau Icefield driven by hypsometry and melt-accelerating feedbacks Accelerating glacier volume loss on Juneau Icefield driven by hypsometry and melt-accelerating feedbacks
Globally, glaciers and icefields contribute significantly to sea level rise. Here we show that ice loss from Juneau Icefield, a plateau icefield in Alaska, accelerated after 2005 AD. Rates of area shrinkage were 5 times faster from 2015–2019 than from 1979–1990. Glacier volume loss remained fairly consistent (0.65–1.01 km3 a−1) from 1770–1979 AD, rising to 3.08–3.72 km3 a−1 from 1979...
Authors
Bethan Davies, Robert McNabb, Jacob Bendle, Jonathan Carrivick, Jeremy Ely, Tom Holt, Bradley Markle, Christopher J. McNeil, Lindsey Nicholson, Mauri Pelto
Impacts of convective storms on runoff, erosion, and carbon export in a continuous permafrost landscape Impacts of convective storms on runoff, erosion, and carbon export in a continuous permafrost landscape
Permafrost holds more than twice the amount of carbon currently in the atmosphere, but this large carbon reservoir is vulnerable to thaw and erosion under a rapidly changing Arctic climate. Convective storms are becoming increasingly common during Arctic summers and can amplify runoff and erosion. These extreme events, in concert with active layer deepening, may accelerate carbon loss...
Authors
Marisa Repasch, Josie Arcuri, Irina Overeem, Suzanne Anderson, Robert Anderson, Joshua Koch
Boulders modulate hillslope-channel coupling in the northern Alaska Range Boulders modulate hillslope-channel coupling in the northern Alaska Range
Active orogens balance tectonic rock uplift with erosion, commonly via river incision coupled to landslide denudation of “threshold” hillslopes, but sediment’s role in this feedback is unclear. We report fluvial geometry, and sediment size, prevalence, and mobility across two ≤600-m-tall gneissic northern Alaska Range anticlines that sustain steep landslide-clad hillslopes but differ 10×...
Authors
Adrian Bender, Richard Lease
Stratigraphy, paleoflora, and tectonic setting of the Paleogene Sheep Creek volcanic field, central Alaska Stratigraphy, paleoflora, and tectonic setting of the Paleogene Sheep Creek volcanic field, central Alaska
In this paper, we provide new information on the stratigraphy and paleoflora of the Sheep Creek volcanic field in the Alaska Range that bolsters our understanding of a key interval in the tectonic, paleoclimate, and paleoenvironmental history of the northern Cordillera. Although the distribution and basic stratigraphy of these rocks have been previously reported, here we document the...
Authors
Timothy White, David Sunderlin, Dwight Bradley
Testing megathrust rupture models using tsunami deposits Testing megathrust rupture models using tsunami deposits
The 26 January 1700 CE Cascadia subduction zone earthquake ruptured much of the plate boundary and generated a tsunami that deposited sand in coastal marshes from northern California to Vancouver Island. Although the depositional record of tsunami inundation is extensive in some of these marshes, few sites have been investigated in enough detail to map the inland extent of sand...
Authors
SeanPaul La Selle, Alan Nelson, Robert C. Witter, Bruce E. Jaffe, Guy Gelfenbaum, Jason Padgett
Repeated coseismic uplift of coastal lagoons above the Patton Bay Splay Fault System, Montague Island, Alaska, USA Repeated coseismic uplift of coastal lagoons above the Patton Bay Splay Fault System, Montague Island, Alaska, USA
Coseismic slip on the Patton Bay splay fault system during the 1964 Mw 9.2 Great Alaska Earthquake contributed to local tsunami generation and vertically uplifted shorelines as much as 11 m on Montague Island in Prince William Sound (PWS). Sudden uplift of 3.7–4.3 m caused coastal lagoons along the island's northwestern coast to gradually drain. The resulting change in depositional...
Authors
Jessica DePaolis, Tina Dura, Robert C. Witter, Peter J. Haeussler, Adrian Bender, Janet Curran, D. Reide Corbett
The dominance and growth of shallow groundwater resources in continuous permafrost environments The dominance and growth of shallow groundwater resources in continuous permafrost environments
Water is a limited resource in Arctic watersheds with continuous permafrost because freezing conditions in winter and the impermeability of permafrost limit storage and connectivity between surface water and deep groundwater. However, groundwater can still be an important source of surface water in such settings, feeding springs and large aufeis fields that are abundant in cold regions...
Authors
Joshua Koch, Craig Connolly, Carson Baughman, Marisa Repasch, Heather Best, Andrew G. Hunt
Metal mobilization from thawing permafrost to aquatic ecosystems is driving rusting of Arctic streams Metal mobilization from thawing permafrost to aquatic ecosystems is driving rusting of Arctic streams
Climate change in the Arctic is altering watershed hydrologic processes and biogeochemistry. Here, we present an emergent threat to Arctic watersheds based on observations from 75 streams in Alaska’s Brooks Range that recently turned orange, reflecting increased loading of iron and toxic metals. Using remote sensing, we constrain the timing of stream discoloration to the last 10 years, a...
Authors
Jonathan O’Donnell, Michael Carey, Joshua Koch, Carson Baughman, Kenneth Hill, Christian Zimmerman, Patrick F. Sullivan, Roman Dial, Timothy J. Lyons, David Cooper, Brett A. Poulin
Fairweather transform boundary Oligocene to present orogenesis: Fairweather Range vertical extrusion and rotation of the Yakutat microplate at ca. 3 Ma Fairweather transform boundary Oligocene to present orogenesis: Fairweather Range vertical extrusion and rotation of the Yakutat microplate at ca. 3 Ma
Oblique-slip along transform fault boundaries is often partitioned between a strike-slip system and thrust faults that accommodate contraction. However, topography along the Yakutat-North American transform (Fairweather fault), is asymmetric with low-terrain above active thrusts on the western, Yakutat side of the transform and high topography on the continental side with peaks >4500 m...
Authors
Jeff Benowitz, Richard Lease, Peter J. Haeussler, Terry Pavlis, Michael Mann
A great tsunami earthquake component of the 1957 Aleutian Islands earthquake A great tsunami earthquake component of the 1957 Aleutian Islands earthquake
The great 1957 Aleutian Islands earthquake ruptured ∼1200 km of the plate boundary along the Aleutian subduction zone and produced a destructive tsunami across Hawaiʻi. Early seismic and tsunami analyses indicated that large megathrust fault slip was concentrated in the western Aleutian Islands, but tsunami waves generated by slip in the west cannot explain the large observed runup in...
Authors
Yoshiki Yamazaki, Thorne Lay, Kwok Cheung, Robert C. Witter, SeanPaul La Selle, Bruce Jaffe