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: 3084
From critical minerals to food security, the benefits of data collaboration From critical minerals to food security, the benefits of data collaboration
The volume of data in the public geoscience sphere is rapidly and continually expanding. At Geoscience Australia (GA) we saw an over 500% increase in data points within our relational databases between 2018 and 2024, over the life of the Exploring for the Future (EFTF) program. With the Resourcing Australia’s Prosperity initiative, a continued increase in data quantity will be seen for...
Authors
Steph G. Hawkins, K Waltenberg, Catherine A. Stuart, Evgeniy Bastrakov, George N.D. Case, Jagoda Crawford, Lian Flick, Geoff Fraser, Christoph Gerber, Garth E. Graham, Kristin Guerin, Albert H. Hofstra, Cath Hughes, David L. Huston, Chris J.M. Lawley, Nina Welti, Bronwen Wang, Aaron Sedgmen, Vladimir A. Lisistin, Paul Abhijit, Tim Stobaus, Axel Suckow
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 F.M. Breitenbach
Interacting sea-level rise, sea-ice loss, storm flooding, erosion, and permafrost thaw threaten ecosystems, wildlife, and communities on the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta Interacting sea-level rise, sea-ice loss, storm flooding, erosion, and permafrost thaw threaten ecosystems, wildlife, and communities on the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta
The Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta has the largest intertidal wetland in North America, is a globally critical breeding area for waterbirds, and is home to the largest regional indigenous population in the Arctic. Here, coastal tundra ecosystems, wildlife, and indigenous communities are highly vulnerable to sea-ice loss in the Bering Sea, sea-level rise, storm flooding, erosion, and collapsing...
Authors
M. Torre Jorgenson, James S. Sedinger, Craig Ely, Ann Fienup-Riordan, David E. Atkinson, James Ayuluk, Dana Brown, Gerald V. Frost, Benjamin M. Jones, Janet C. Jorgenson, Frank Keim, Rachel A. Loehman, Matthew J. Macander, Alice Rearden
Refining the earthquake history of south-central Alaska through lake records Refining the earthquake history of south-central Alaska through lake records
The Alaska–Aleutian subduction zone (AASZ) is one of the world's most seismically active plate boundaries and the source of the 1964 Mw 9.2 Great Alaska earthquake–the second largest instrumentally recorded earthquake in the world. Understanding the nature and frequency of such earthquakes is necessary for seismic and tsunami hazard assessment, but instrumental and historical records...
Authors
Nore Praet, Maarten Van Daele, Katleen Wils, Peter J. Haeussler, Robert C. Witter, Nicholas P. McKay, Britta J.L. Jensen, Jasper Moernaut, Marc De Batist
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 P. Carey, Heidi K. Swanson, Andrew J. Newman, Cassandra M. Brooks, Nicole M. Herman-Mercer, Keith N. 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 H. 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
Background Information 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 C. Atwood, Daniel D. Bjornlie, Cecily M. Costello, David Gustine, Mark A. Haroldson, Lori L. Roberts, Karyn D. Rode, Frank T. van Manen, Ryan H. 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 M. Rogers, Heather D. Alexander, Natalie Baillargeon, Jennifer L. Baltzer, Logan T. Berner, Amy Breen, Leya Brodt, Brian Buma, Jacqueline Dean, Clement J.F. Delcourt, Lucas R. Diaz, Catherine M. Dieleman, Thomas A. Douglas, Gerald Frost, Benjamin V. Gaglioti, Rebecca E. Hewitt, Teresa N. Hollingsworth, M. Torre Jorenson, Mark J. Lara, Rachel A. Loehman, Michelle C. Mack, Kristen L. Manies, Christina Minions, Susan M. Natali, Jonathan A. 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 A. Walvoord
Evaluating slash piles as habitat for a threatened salamander Evaluating slash piles as habitat for a threatened salamander
Background Amplified wildfire activity in forests of the western United States threatens biodiversity. Fuel treatments can reduce fire severity, modify fire behavior, and restore forest structure and composition, yet impacts of some treatments, including slash piling and burning, on wildlife have received little attention. Piling of residual woody material may create habitable...
Authors
Rachel A. Loehman, Nancy E Karraker
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 Review Streams 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 Findings Recent literature indicates increasingly significant trends in river hydrology and chemistry due to...
Authors
Joshua C. Koch, J. A. O’Donnell