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: 3110
Extensive glacier loss in the coterminous United States Extensive glacier loss in the coterminous United States
Glaciers populate the mountain ranges of the western conterminous United States and despite their importance to alpine hydrology, their area and volume change have never been comprehensively evaluated. Since the mid-Twentieth Century about one-quarter of the glaciers have disappeared and the overall area and volume are reduced by one-third. The pattern of glacier shrinkage suggests most...
Authors
Andrew G. Fountain, Bryce Glenn, Christopher McNeil, Brian Menounos
Landscape controls river continuum dissolved organic carbon in northeastern Alaska Landscape controls river continuum dissolved organic carbon in northeastern Alaska
Rivers draining continuous permafrost landscapes on the North Slope of Alaska span from the mountains to the coast, integrating gradients in vegetation, soil organic matter, and hydrologic flow. We investigated how these landscape transitions influence dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentrations, radiocarbon ages, and export along the river continuum over seasonal timeframes in...
Authors
Craig T. Connolly, Joshua C. Koch, Jim McClelland, Mike Rawlins, Marisa Repasch
DRIFteRS: A dataset of drift invertebrate densities in streams and rivers across western North America, 1997–2024 DRIFteRS: A dataset of drift invertebrate densities in streams and rivers across western North America, 1997–2024
Prey availability is among the most influential and highly variable determinants of fish growth and freshwater habitat carrying capacity, yet it remains understudied compared to physical habitat variables (Ouellet et al., 2025; Rosenfeld et al., 2014; Weber et al., 2017). We often lack a clear understanding of how much food is available to fishes, how it varies spatially and temporally...
Authors
Elsa K. Toskey, Toshio Matsuoka, Peter M. Kiffney, Sean M. Naman, Martin C. Liermann, Javan Bailey, David Beauchamp, J. Ryan Bellmore, Christopher A. Binckley, Steven C. Blumenshine, Timothy J. Caldwell, Michael P. Carey, Shannon Claeson, Chelsea Clawson, Rosa Cox, Cromwell. Kara J., Robert J. Danehy, Michael J. Dodrill, Jeffrey J. Duda, Jason B. Fellman, Adrianne Z. Grimm, Tyson B. Hallbert, Chris E. Jordan, Ernest R. Keeley, Brian P. Kennedy, Theodore Kennedy, Andre E. Kohler, Erin D. Lowery, Kate H Macneale, Kyle D. Martens, Sarah A. Morley, Jeffrey Muehlbauer, Jason B. Neuswanger, Alison O'Dowd, Shelley Pneh, Mary E. Power, Suzanne J. Rhoades, Jordan Rosenfeld, Gabriel Rossi, Beth L. Sanderson, Katy K. Shelby, Thomas Starky-Owens, Jamie N. Thompson, Carol Volk, Jasmine S. Williamshen, Robert W. Wisseman
Biomarkers of mortality risks in Yukon Chinook salmon Biomarkers of mortality risks in Yukon Chinook salmon
Premature mortality of spawning adult Pacific salmon (Oncorhynchus species) can strongly influence population dynamics and complicate escapement-based management. Heat stress and Ichthyophonus infections have been identified as probable drivers of premature mortality in Yukon River Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) and likely contributors to low spawning abundance. We leveraged a
Authors
Vanessa R. von Biela, Lizabeth Bowen, Amy M. Regish, Jayde A Ferguson, Zachary W Liller, Stephen D. McCormick, Paul Hershberger, Stan Zuray, Morag Clinton, Michael P. Carey
Climate change vulnerability assessment for guiding ecosystem restoration in fire-prone landscapes of the western U.S. Climate change vulnerability assessment for guiding ecosystem restoration in fire-prone landscapes of the western U.S.
Climate-driven alterations to fire regimes challenges forest management and restoration in the western United States, where increased wildfire severity threatens ecosystem integrity and resilience. In this study, we demonstrate the application of the FireCLIME (Fire-Climate-Landscape Interactions in Montane Ecosystems) Vulnerability Assessment (VA) as a decision-support tool for...
Authors
Megan Friggens, Rachel A. Loehman, Stephanie Mueller, William T. Flatley, Andrea E. Thode
Potential warming-induced changes in stream water sources between proglacial and non-glacial streams, south-central Alaska Potential warming-induced changes in stream water sources between proglacial and non-glacial streams, south-central Alaska
Snow and ice-melt are essential for global water resources. Rising air temperatures are causing vegetation encroachment and shrubification of previously snow- and ice-covered landscapes, and precipitation regimes are changing. Collectively, these changes will likely affect the hydrology of mountain environments, although the exact ways in which the hydrology will change are poorly...
Authors
Hannah Kristen Richardson, Anna Bergstrom, Joshua C. Koch, Zanden Arthur Frederick, James B. Shanley, Emily H. Baker
Integrating detrital magnetite geochemistry and (U-Th)/He chronometry as a sediment provenance tool in geologic and metallogenic terranes Integrating detrital magnetite geochemistry and (U-Th)/He chronometry as a sediment provenance tool in geologic and metallogenic terranes
Magnetite is ubiquitous in porphyry Cu systems and in sediment sourcing both barren and mineralized regions, with potential as an indicator mineral in concealed and coarsely-mapped terranes. We develop and test a workflow for integrated geochemistry and (U–Th)/He (He) dating for inferring detrital magnetite (DMt) provenance in these settings. The ca. 70 Ma Taurus porphyry Cu–Mo(–Au)...
Authors
Robert Gregory McDermott, Douglas C. Kreiner, James V. Jones, Sean P. Regan, James R. Metcalf, Rebecca M. Flowers
Testing the efficacy of industrial mitigation measures for caribou in the Arctic Testing the efficacy of industrial mitigation measures for caribou in the Arctic
1. Mitigation measures are commonly employed to reduce the negative effects of industrial development on wildlife but are not often evaluated for their efficacy. For example, oil fields in the Arctic typically incorporate design features intended to increase permeability for migratory, barren-ground caribou (Rangifer tarandus), even though there is limited empirical evidence of the...
Authors
Heather E. Johnson, John P. Severson
Apatite (U-Th)/He thermochronology from Marsh Creek anticline reconciles Cenozoic and Holocene strain patterns and elucidates the Cenozoic canning displacement zone of Arctic Alaska Apatite (U-Th)/He thermochronology from Marsh Creek anticline reconciles Cenozoic and Holocene strain patterns and elucidates the Cenozoic canning displacement zone of Arctic Alaska
The northeastern Brooks Range is a vast fold-thrust belt that records the northernmost expression of Cenozoic deformation in Alaska, likely with complex dynamic linkages to distant tectonic elements. The principal focus of this manuscript is the Marsh Creek anticline (MCA), which is a large and recently active structure within the broader northeastern Brooks Range. The MCA is a complex...
Authors
William H. Craddock, Julie C Fosdick, Christopher D. Connors, Richard O. Lease, David W. Houseknecht, Megan Mueller, Andrew R C Kylander-Clark
Can a physics-based fire behavior model predict burn severity and post-fire debris flow hazard? Can a physics-based fire behavior model predict burn severity and post-fire debris flow hazard?
Post-wildfire flooding and debris flows pose a threat to ecosystems and infrastructure. As the frequency and size of severe wildfires increase, there is a growing need for predictive debris flow hazard modeling in unburned but fire-prone landscapes. However, no crosswalks have been established between physics-based models of fire behavior and the remotely sensed burn severity inputs...
Authors
Niko J. Tutland, Rachel A. Loehman, Jason W. Kean
Erosional and hydrological controls on the age and thermochemical stability of particulate organic carbon in an Arctic river Erosional and hydrological controls on the age and thermochemical stability of particulate organic carbon in an Arctic river
Understanding the mechanisms that drive the mobilization and fate of organic carbon (OC) in Arctic landscapes is important for modeling the feedbacks among permafrost thaw, carbon cycling, and climate change. While significant progress has been made toward measuring in situ OC decomposition in permafrost soils and bulk particulate organic carbon (POC) export from Arctic rivers, few...
Authors
Marisa Repasch, Suzanne P. Anderson, Robert S. Anderson, Josie Arcuri, Valier Galy, Joshua C. Koch, Irina Overeem
Refinement of a framework for Moving Aircraft River Velocimetry (MARV) and application to particle tracking along Alaskan rivers Refinement of a framework for Moving Aircraft River Velocimetry (MARV) and application to particle tracking along Alaskan rivers
Information on river velocities enhances understanding flood hazards, evaluating habitat conditions, and predicting the transport of floating materials. In this follow-up study, we used data from two new sites, one with a more complex morphology and the other with a lower suspended sediment concentration, to provide further evidence that Moving Aircraft River Velocimetry (MARV) can yield...
Authors
Carl J. Legleiter, Paul J. Kinzel, Mark Laker, Jeff Conaway