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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: 3084

Intraspecific variation in nutrient reserve use during clutch formation by Lesser Scaup Intraspecific variation in nutrient reserve use during clutch formation by Lesser Scaup

We studied nutrient reserve dynamics of female Lesser Scaup (Aythya affinis) to identify sources of intraspecific variation in strategies of nutrient acquisition for meeting the high nutritional and energetic costs of egg formation. We collected data from interior Alaska and combined these with data for Lesser Scaup from midcontinent breeding areas (Afton and Ankney 1991), allowing a...
Authors
Daniel Esler, J. Barry Grand, Alan D. Afton

Fine-scale population structure in Atlantic salmon from Maine's Penobscot River drainage Fine-scale population structure in Atlantic salmon from Maine's Penobscot River drainage

We report a survey of micro satellite DNA variation in Atlantic salmon from the unimpounded lower reaches of Maine's Penobscot River. Our analysis indicates that Atlantic salmon in the Penobscot River are distinct from other populations that have little or no history of human-mediated repopulation, including two of its tributaries, Cove Brook and Kenduskeag Stream, another Maine river...
Authors
A.P. Spidle, Schill W. Bane, B.A. Lubinski, T.L. King

Corticosterone facilitates begging and affects resource allocation in the black-legged kittiwake Corticosterone facilitates begging and affects resource allocation in the black-legged kittiwake

Parent black-legged kittiwakes (Rissa tridactyla) and their dependent chicks respond to food shortages by increasing circulating levels of corticosterone. To examine the behavioral significance of corticosterone release, we experimentally increased levels of circulating corticosterone in parents and chicks up to the levels observed during food shortages. We found that corticosterone...
Authors
Alexander S Kitaysky, John C. Wingfield, John F. Piatt

Utility of stable isotope analysis in studying foraging ecology of herbivores: Examples from moose and caribou Utility of stable isotope analysis in studying foraging ecology of herbivores: Examples from moose and caribou

Recently, researchers emphasized that patterns of stable isotope ratios observed at the individual level are a result of an interaction between ecological, physiological, and biochemical processes. Isotopic models for herbivores provide additional complications because those mammals consume foods that have high variability in nitrogen concentrations. In addition, distribution of amino...
Authors
Merav Ben-David, Einav Shochat, Layne G. Adams

Persistence of oiling in mussel beds after the Exxon Valdez oil spill Persistence of oiling in mussel beds after the Exxon Valdez oil spill

Persistence and weathering of Exxon Valdez oil in intertidal mussel (Mytilus trossulus) beds in Prince William Sound (PWS) and along the Gulf of Alaska was monitored from 1992 to 1995. Beds with significant contamination included most previously oiled areas in PWS, particularly within the Knight Island group and the Kenai Peninsula. In sediments, yearly mean concentrations of total...
Authors
M.G. Carls, M.M. Babcock, P.M. Harris, G.V. Irvine, J.A. Cusick, S.D. Rice

Cost considerations for long-term ecological monitoring Cost considerations for long-term ecological monitoring

For an ecological monitoring program to be successful over the long-term, the perceived benefits of the information must justify the cost. Financial limitations will always restrict the scope of a monitoring program, hence the program's focus must be carefully prioritized. Clearly identifying the costs and benefits of a program will assist in this prioritization process, but this is...
Authors
L. Caughlan, K.L. Oakley

Seven-year phenological record of the Alaskan ecoregions derived from advanced very high resolution radiometer normalized difference vegetation index data Seven-year phenological record of the Alaskan ecoregions derived from advanced very high resolution radiometer normalized difference vegetation index data

Seasonal properties of vegetation covering northern boreal and arctic landscapes are considered important as input to numerous climate change studies. In this study, multitemporal phenological characteristics of Alaskan vegetation were studied for the State as a whole, and 19 of 20 ecoregions were studied using seasonally truncated, composited advanced very high resolution radiometer...
Authors
Carl J. Markon

Use of Landsat MSS and TM imagery to improve reconnaissance geologic mapping in the Ruby quadrangle, west-central Alaska: A section in Geological studies in Alaska by the U.S. Geological Survey, 1999 Use of Landsat MSS and TM imagery to improve reconnaissance geologic mapping in the Ruby quadrangle, west-central Alaska: A section in Geological studies in Alaska by the U.S. Geological Survey, 1999

By using Multispectral Scanner (MSS) and Thematic Mapper (TM) satellite images, the spatial relation of units JMtu (mafic, ultramafic, and sedimentary rocks, undivided) and PzZrqs (pelitic and quartzitic schist) of Wilson and others (1998) from the northeastern portion of the Ruby 1:250,000-scale quadrangle geologic map was further defined. The MSS image was first analyzed using spectral
Authors
Keith A. Labay, Frederic H. Wilson, Kuuipo A. Burleigh

Outcrop structural data from parts of the Petersburg and Sumdum 1:250,000-scale quadrangles, southeastern Alaska Outcrop structural data from parts of the Petersburg and Sumdum 1:250,000-scale quadrangles, southeastern Alaska

This report presents a compilation of 4203 measurements of outcrop structures from part of the Petersburg 1:250,000-scale quadrangle in southeastern Alaska. We collected 1966 measurements, and an additional 2237 unpublished measurements were compiled from field notebooks a from a field mapping effort in the late 1970’s and early 1980’s. These data are listed in spreadsheet and derivative...
Authors
Peter J. Haeussler, Susan M. Karl

Stratigraphy and lithofacies of Lisburne Group carbonate rocks (Carboniferous - Permian) in the National Petroleum Reserve - Alaska Stratigraphy and lithofacies of Lisburne Group carbonate rocks (Carboniferous - Permian) in the National Petroleum Reserve - Alaska

Carbonate rocks of the Lisburne Group (Carboniferous-Permian) occur widely throughout northern Alaska. In the NPRA, seismic mapping and well penetrations show that the Lisburne occurs throughout the subsurface except in northernmost NPRA where it is missing by depositional onlap. Lisburne strata encountered in 11 exploratory wells in the northern part of the NPRA are essentially...
Authors
Julie A. Dumoulin, Kenneth J. Bird
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