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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

One Northwest community - People, salmon, rivers, and the sea: Towards sustainable salmon fisheries One Northwest community - People, salmon, rivers, and the sea: Towards sustainable salmon fisheries

Pacific salmon management is in crisis. Throughout their range, salmon and steelhead populations are being adversely affected by human activities. Without coordinated, effective, and timely action, the future of the Pacific salmon resource is most certainly in doubt. To address the challenges that are currently facing salmon management, concerned citizens representing a diverse array of...
Authors
Donald D. MacDonald, Cleveland R. Steward, E. Eric Knudsen

Evaluations of plastic mesh tubes for protecting conifer seedling from pocket gophers in three western states Evaluations of plastic mesh tubes for protecting conifer seedling from pocket gophers in three western states

The efficacy of plastic mesh tubes for protecting conifer seedlings from pocket gopher damage was evaluated on three national forest lands in three states. In each area, cohorts of 640 protected seedlings and 640 unprotected seedlings (3,840 total) were individually monitored for damage, survival, and growth twice each summer for 5 yr after planting. Substantial differences were found...
Authors
Richard M. Engeman, Richard M. Anthony, Victor G. Barnes, Heather W. Krupa, James Evans

Changes in proximate composition and somatic energy content for Pacific sand lance (Ammodytes hexapterus) from Kachemak Bay, Alaska relative to maturity and season Changes in proximate composition and somatic energy content for Pacific sand lance (Ammodytes hexapterus) from Kachemak Bay, Alaska relative to maturity and season

Mean dry-weight energy values of adult Pacific sand lance (Ammodytes hexapterus) peaked in spring and early summer (20.91 kJg−1 for males, 21.08 kJg−1 for females), then declined by about 25% during late summer and fall (15.91 kJg−1 for males, 15.74 kJg−1 for females). Late summer declines in energy density paralleled gonadal development. Gender differences in energy density (males
Authors
Martin D. Robards, Jill A. Anthony, George A. Rose, John F. Piatt

Discovery of a new Kittlitz's murrelet nest: Clues to habitat selection and nest-site fidelity Discovery of a new Kittlitz's murrelet nest: Clues to habitat selection and nest-site fidelity

On 13 June 1993, a new Kittlitz's murrelet (Brachyramphus brevirostris) nest was discovered near Red Mountain on the Kenai Peninsula, Alaska. The nest was on a 22° slope at about 900 m elevation with a northeast aspect, and contained a 60.2 × 40.6 mm egg that weighed 49.0 g. Downy feathers and weathered fecal material found at the nest indicated re-use from a previous year, suggesting...
Authors
John F. Piatt, Nancy L. Naslund, Thomas I. van Pelt

Carboniferous and older carbonate rocks: Lithofacies, extent, and reservoir quality: Chapter CC in The oil and gas resource potential of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge 1002 area, Alaska Carboniferous and older carbonate rocks: Lithofacies, extent, and reservoir quality: Chapter CC in The oil and gas resource potential of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge 1002 area, Alaska

Carboniferous and older carbonate rocks are potential hydrocarbon reservoir facies for four plays in the 1002 area of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. These rocks include several units in the pre-Carboniferous basement and the Carboniferous Lisburne Group. Data from exploratory wells west of the 1002 area, outcrops south of the 1002 area, seismic lines, and well logs are synthesized...
Authors
Julie A. Dumoulin

Community reorganization in the Gulf of Alaska following ocean climate regime shift Community reorganization in the Gulf of Alaska following ocean climate regime shift

A shift in ocean climate during the late 1970s triggered a reorganization of community structure in the Gulf of Alaska ecosystem, as evidenced in changing catch composition on long-term (1953 to 1997) small-mesh trawl surveys. Forage species such as pandalid shrimp and capelin declined because of recruitment failure and predation, and populations have not yet recovered. Total trawl catch...
Authors
P.J. Anderson, John F. Piatt

Annotated bibliography Annotated bibliography

This bibliography contains over 1,700 published and unpublished references on the family Ammodytidae with an emphasis on the genus Ammodytes. The references are alphabetical by author and then by year of publication. Abstracts and summaries are included for the references we have seen and those provided electronically by others. Abstracts written by the original authors are within...
Authors
Robert H. Armstrong, Mary F. Willson, Martin D. Robards, John F. Piatt

Population demographics and genetic diversity in remnant and translocated populations of sea otters Population demographics and genetic diversity in remnant and translocated populations of sea otters

The effects of small population size on genetic diversity and subsequent population recovery are theoretically predicted, but few empirical data are available to describe those relations. We use data from four remnant and three translocated sea otter ( Enhydra lutris) populations to examine relations among magnitude and duration of minimum population size, population growth rates, and...
Authors
James L. Bodkin, Brenda E. Ballachey, M. A. Cronin, K.T. Scribner

Alaska resource data file: McGrath quadrangle Alaska resource data file: McGrath quadrangle

The unnamed occurrence was investigated by the reporter in 1978 during a 1:63,360 scale geologic mapping effort for the Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys in the McGrath quadrangle (Bundtzen and Laird, 1983). Two grab samples from the mineralized zone contained up to 222 ppm copper, 0.6 grams/tonne silver, and 100 ppm lead.
Authors
Thomas K. Bundtzen

The needs of salmon and steelhead in balancing their conservation and use The needs of salmon and steelhead in balancing their conservation and use

Over the past 100 years, Pacific salmon Oncorhynchus spp. and steelhead trout O. mykiss populations in the Pacific Northwest have experienced dramatic declines as a result of human population growth and associated development of the region's natural resources. Any strategy to reverse those declines will depend on achieving consensus among a diverse group of stakeholders willing to (1)...
Authors
Carl V. Burger

Preliminary volcano-hazard assessment for Iliamna Volcano, Alaska Preliminary volcano-hazard assessment for Iliamna Volcano, Alaska

Iliamna Volcano is a 3,053-meter-high, ice- and snow-covered stratovolcano in the southwestern Cook Inlet region about 225 kilometers southwest of Anchorage and about 100 kilometers northwest of Homer. Historical eruptions of Iliamna Volcano have not been positively documented; however, the volcano regularly emits steam and gas, and small, shallow earthquakes are often detected beneath...
Authors
Christopher F. Waythomas, Thomas P. Miller

Modeling variability in replicated surveys at aggregation sites Modeling variability in replicated surveys at aggregation sites

Surveys of aggregation sites can provide unbiased estimates of annual trends in population size if the proportion of the population counted at these sites does not vary systematically among years. However, counts at these sites tend to be highly variable and resulting trend estimates typically have poor precision. I developed an index based on a simple parametric model for counts of...
Authors
Mark S. Udevitz
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