Images

A smoke plume from a wildland fire rises above a spruce stand in the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge, AK

Meanders on the Agashashok River

A tributary at the arctic-boreal transition in the Agashashok River Watershed

Watersheds: A tributary at the arctic-boreal transition in the Agashashok River Watershed

A Semipalmated Sandpiper on the bow of a boat on the Colville River Delta in northern Alaska. This picture was taken during the Changing Arctic Ecosytems project.  The band recoveries of this species were from as far away as Peru.  These birds are only about 25 grams a piece.

Two Black Brant in a wetland near the Colville River Delta.

A Pacific Loon taking off from a small lake near the Colville River Delta in northern Alaska.

Canada Goose on the Colville River Delta

Two snow geese and a single black brant goose fight over nesting territories on the Colville River Delta in Alaska.

Black Brant flying near the Colville River, northern Alaska.

Near the top of the Tusuk Channel of the Pilgrim River.

Pre- and post-fire measurements of fire effects help ecologists, fire scientists, and managers determine how the severity of wildfires affects plants, animal habitat, and ecosystem services

Pre- and post-fire measurements of fire effects help ecologists, fire scientists, and managers determine how the severity of wildfires affects plants, animal habitat, and ecosystem services.

Reburns, or fires that burn more frequently than expected, are becoming more common in Alaska and can cause major changes in vegetation composition, wildlife habitat, and landscape resilience

Alaska Department of Fish and Games vessel Solstice carried USGS scientists for three weeks in May 2015 while they mapped 650 square kilometers of seafloor and features beneath the seafloor in fine detail.

Salcha River bridge near Salchaket

Nenana River sonar top near Windy

Mapping along the Queen Charlotte-Fairweather fault required several days aboard the Alaska Department of Fish and Game research vessel Solstice. Here, the boat sits in a marina near Cordova, Alaska.

Sea ice blocks pushed up in a pressure ridge of ice

An adult female polar bear on the sea ice wearing a GPS satellite video-camera collar. GPS video-camera collars were applied to solitary adult female polar bears for 8 - 12 days in April, 2014-2016. These collars enabled researchers to understand the movements, behaviors, and foraging success of polar bears on the sea ice.

A Black-capped Chickadee with a severely deformed beak where the upper beak is elongated and curved down while the lower beak is elongated and straight. Over the past 26 years, Alaskans have witnessed a startling increase of beak deformities among Black-capped Chickadees and other species of resident birds.