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: 3090
Epithermal mercury-antimony and gold-bearing vein lodes of southwestern Alaska Epithermal mercury-antimony and gold-bearing vein lodes of southwestern Alaska
Epithermal mineral deposits and occurrences of southwestern Alaska consist of Hg-Sb and gold- and sulfide-bearing vein lodes. Numerous Hg-Sb lodes are located throughout a region measuring several tens of thousands of square kilometers in and surrounding the Kuskokwim River basin in southwestern Alaska. The Hg-Sb lodes are hosted in sedimentary rocks of the Cretaceous Kuskokwim Group...
Authors
John E. Gray, Carol A. Gent, Lawrence W. Snee, Frederic H. Wilson
Exposure of Spectacled Eiders and other diving ducks to lead in western Alaska Exposure of Spectacled Eiders and other diving ducks to lead in western Alaska
Lead poisoning, resulting from ingestion of spent shot, has been identified as a cause of mortality in Spectacled Eiders (Somateria fischeri) on the Yukon–Kuskokwim Delta, Alaska. We examined lead-exposure rates of adult and juvenile Spectacled Eiders and other diving ducks, using atomic absorption spectrophotometry of blood samples. Additionally, we X-rayed birds in the field to...
Authors
Paul L. Flint, Margaret R. Petersen, J. Barry Grand
Survival of spectacled eider adult females and ducklings during brood rearing Survival of spectacled eider adult females and ducklings during brood rearing
We studied survival of adult female and duckling spectacled eiders (Somateria fischeri) during brood rearing on the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, Alaska from 1993 to 1995. Duckling survival to 30 days of age averaged 34% with a 95% confidence interval from 25 to 47%. Half (49%) of radiomarked adult females had lost all their ducklings by 30 days after hatch. Most (74%) duckling mortality...
Authors
Paul L. Flint, J. Barry Grand
Kinderhookian (Lower Mississippian) calcareous rocks of the Howard Pass quadrangle, western Brooks Range: A section in Geologic studies in Alaska by the U.S. Geological Survey, 1995 Kinderhookian (Lower Mississippian) calcareous rocks of the Howard Pass quadrangle, western Brooks Range: A section in Geologic studies in Alaska by the U.S. Geological Survey, 1995
Calcareous rocks of Kinderhookian (early Early Mississippian) age are widely distributed across the Howard Pass quadrangle in the western Brooks Range. Most occur in the lower part of the Lisburne Group (herein called the Rough Mountain Creek unit) and the upper part of the Endicott Group (Kayak Shale) in two sequences (Key Creek and Aniuk River) of the Endicott Mountains allochthon...
Authors
Julie A. Dumoulin, Anita G. Harris
Distribution of autumn-staging Lesser Snow Geese on the northeast coastal plain of Alaska Distribution of autumn-staging Lesser Snow Geese on the northeast coastal plain of Alaska
We conducted aerial surveys of Lesser Snow Geese (Chen caerulescens caerulescens) during autumn staging on the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) in northeast Alaska from late August through September, 1982 - 1993. We evaluated numbers and distribution of Snow Geese that staged on the ANWR, compared abundance of birds among 5 x 5-km cells used frequently (5 - 8...
Authors
Donna G. Robertson, Alan W. Brackney, Michael A. Spindler, Jerry W. Hupp
Hydrocarbons in hair, livers, and intestines of sea otters (Enhydra lutris) found dead along the path of the Exxon Valdez oil spill Hydrocarbons in hair, livers, and intestines of sea otters (Enhydra lutris) found dead along the path of the Exxon Valdez oil spill
No abstract available.
Authors
Brenda E. Ballachey, Kimberly A. Kloecker
Collection and analysis of traditional ecological knowledge about a population of arctic tundra caribou Collection and analysis of traditional ecological knowledge about a population of arctic tundra caribou
Aboriginal peoples want their ecological knowledge used in the management of wildlife populations. To accomplish this, management agencies will need regional summaries of aboriginal knowledge about long-term changes in the distribution and abundance of wildlife populations and ecological factors that influence those changes. Between 1983 and 1994, we developed a method for collecting...
Authors
Michael A.D. Ferguson, Francois Messier
Effect of vegetation management for reducing damage to lodgepole pine seedlings from northern pocket gophers Effect of vegetation management for reducing damage to lodgepole pine seedlings from northern pocket gophers
The effects of vegetation management on northern pocket gopher (Thomomys talpoides) activity and damage to lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta) seedlings were studied using 2,4-D herbicide to alter the habitat. Treatments were applied to a large (8.1 ha) treatment unit and observed effects were compared with an untreated control unit of the same size. The greatly reduced forb and grass cover...
Authors
Richard M. Engeman, Victor G. Barnes, Richard M. Anthony, Heather W. Krupa
Long-term changes in diets and populations of piscivorous birds and mammals in Prince William Sound, Alaska Long-term changes in diets and populations of piscivorous birds and mammals in Prince William Sound, Alaska
No abstract available.
Authors
K.J. Kuletz, D.B. Irons, B.A. Agler, John F. Piatt, D.C. Duffy
Habitat use by nesting and brood rearing northern pintails on the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, Alaska Habitat use by nesting and brood rearing northern pintails on the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, Alaska
We studied habitat use by nesting and brood-rearing northern pintails (Anas acuta) on the coastal Yukon-Kuskokwim (Y-K) Delta, 1991-93. We used a digital habitat map constructed from color infrared aerial photos to assign habitat types to nest and brood locations and estimate habitat availability. Sixty-nine percent of females nested on slough banks in highly saline, tidally influenced...
Authors
J. Barry Grand, Paul L. Flint, Patricia J. Heglund
Mass-mortality of guillemots (Uria aalge) in the Gulf of Alaska in 1993 Mass-mortality of guillemots (Uria aalge) in the Gulf of Alaska in 1993
During the first six months of 1993, about 3500 dead and moribund guillemots (Uria aalge) were observed throughout the northern Gulf of Alaska coast (ca 1800 km range). Mortality peaked during March. Highest numbers were observed in western Prince William Sound and along the south coast of the Kenai Peninsula. Large flocks of live guillemots gathered in nearshore waters, in contrast to...
Authors
John F. Piatt, Thomas I. van Pelt