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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: 3079

Persistent organic pollutants in Alaskan murre (Uria spp.) eggs: Geographical, species, and temporal comparisons Persistent organic pollutants in Alaskan murre (Uria spp.) eggs: Geographical, species, and temporal comparisons

Concentrations of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in eggs of common and thick-billed murres (Uria aalge and U. lomvia) from five Alaskan nesting colonies were dominated by 4,4‘-DDE, total polychlorinated biphenyls (ΣPCBs; 46 congeners comprised mainly of PCB congeners 153, 118, 138, 99, and 151), hexachlorobenzene (HCB), β-hexachlorocyclohexane (β-HCH), and chlordane compounds (ΣCHL...
Authors
Stacy S. Vander Pol, Paul R. Becker, John R. Kucklick, Rebecca S. Pugh, David G. Roseneau, Kristin S. Simac

History and effects of hatchery salmon in the Pacific History and effects of hatchery salmon in the Pacific

There has been a long history of production of hatchery salmon along the Pacific coast - from California’s first efforts in the 1870s using eggs from chinook and rainbow trout to the recent large-scale production hatcheries for pink salmon in Japan and the Russian Far East. The rationale for this production has also varied from replacement of fish lost in commercial ocean harvests to...
Authors
Jennifer L. Nielsen

Determinants of reproductive costs in the long-lived Black-legged Kittiwake: A multiyear experiment Determinants of reproductive costs in the long-lived Black-legged Kittiwake: A multiyear experiment

We studied reproductive costs of Black-legged Kittiwakes (Rissa tridactyla) in Prince William Sound, Alaska (USA) by removing entire clutches from randomly selected nests over four successive years, and then contrasting survival and fecundity of adults from manipulated and unmanipulated nests in each subsequent year. To elucidate mechanisms that lead to the expression of reproductive...
Authors
Gregory H. Golet, Joel A. Schmutz, David B. Irons, James A. Estes

Additions to the avifauna of St Matthew Island, Bering Sea Additions to the avifauna of St Matthew Island, Bering Sea

St. Matthew Island (60°24' N, 172°42' W) is located in the north-central Bering Sea and is renowned for its distinctive Beringian flora and fauna. Because of its central position between the coasts of Russia and Alaska, St. Matthew Island and its nearby satellites, Hall and Pinnacle islands, support a mixture of Palearctic and Nearctic avifaunas. Of special interest to North American
Authors
James A. Johnson, Steven M. Matsuoka, Daniel R. Ruthrauff, Michael A. Litzow, Maksim N. Dementyev

Remotely triggered seismicity on the United States west coast following the Mw 7.9 Denali fault earthquake Remotely triggered seismicity on the United States west coast following the Mw 7.9 Denali fault earthquake

The Mw 7.9 Denali fault earthquake in central Alaska of 3 November 2002 triggered earthquakes across western North America at epicentral distances of up to at least 3660 km. We describe the spatial and temporal development of triggered activity in California and the Pacific Northwest, focusing on Mount Rainier, the Geysers geothermal field, the Long Valley caldera, and the Coso...
Authors
S. G. Prejean, D.P. Hill, E. E. Brodsky, S. E. Hough, M.J.S. Johnston, S. D. Malone, D. H. Oppenheimer, A. M. Pitt, K. B. Richards-Dinger

Density and success of bird nests relative to grazing on western Montana grasslands Density and success of bird nests relative to grazing on western Montana grasslands

Grassland birds are declining at a faster rate than any other group of North American bird species. Livestock grazing is the primary economic use of grasslands in the western United States, but the effects of this use on distribution and productivity of grassland birds are unclear. We examined nest density and success of ground-nesting birds on grazed and ungrazed grasslands in western...
Authors
Thomas F. Fondell, I.J. Ball

Diminishing sea ice in the western Arctic Ocean Diminishing sea ice in the western Arctic Ocean

Since the advent of satellite passive microwave radiometry (1978), variations in sea ice extent and concentration have been carefully monitored from space. An estimated 7.4% decrease in sea ice extent has occurred in the last 25 yr (Johannessen et al. 2004), with recent record minima (e.g., Maslanik et al. 1999; Serreze et al. 2003) accounting for much of the decline. Comparisons between...
Authors
R. S. Stone, G. I. Belchansky, Sheldon Drobot, David C. Douglas

Renewed unrest at Mount Spurr Volcano, Alaska Renewed unrest at Mount Spurr Volcano, Alaska

The Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO),a cooperative program of the U.S. Geological Survey, the University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute, and the Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys, has detected unrest at Mount Spurr volcano, located about 125 km west of Anchorage, Alaska, at the northeast end of the Aleutian volcanic arc. This activity consists of increased...
Authors
John A. Power

A quantitative approach to identifying predators from nest remains A quantitative approach to identifying predators from nest remains

Nesting success of Dusky Canada Geese (Branta canadensis occidentalis) has declined greatly since a major earthquake affected southern Alaska in 1964. To identify nest predators, we collected predation data at goose nests and photographs of predators at natural nests containing artificial eggs in 1997-2000. To document feeding behavior by nest predators, we compiled the evidence from...
Authors
R. Michael Anthony, J.B. Grand, T.F. Fondell, B.F. Manly
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