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
Concordance of seabird population parameters: Analytical methods and interpretation Concordance of seabird population parameters: Analytical methods and interpretation
In an ecological context, concordance may be defined as the tendency for paired values of some parameter, such as the annual productivity of bird species, to show similar directions and magnitudes of deviation from the mean. Where concordance among populations is high, there is an implied similarity of the ecological factors affecting performance. Conversely, if populations behave...
Authors
Scott A. Hatch
Dunlin (Calidris alpina) Dunlin (Calidris alpina)
No abstract available
Authors
Nils Warnock, Robert E. Gill
Stratigraphic framework of the Alaska Peninsula Stratigraphic framework of the Alaska Peninsula
No abstract available.
Authors
Robert L. Detterman, J. E. Case, J. W. Miller, Frederic H. Wilson, M. E. Yount
Volcanic activity in Alaska: Summary of events and response of the Alaska Volcano Observatory 1993 Volcanic activity in Alaska: Summary of events and response of the Alaska Volcano Observatory 1993
During 1993, the Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO) responded to episodes of eruptive activity or false alarms at nine volcanic centers in the state of Alaska. Additionally, as part of a formal role in KVERT (the Kamchatkan Volcano Eruption Response Team), AVO staff also responded to eruptions on the Kamchatka Peninsula, details of which are summarized in Miller and Kurianov (1993). In...
Authors
Christina A. Neal, Robert G. McGimsey, Michael P. Doukas
Overview of studies to determine injury caused by the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill to marine mammals Overview of studies to determine injury caused by the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill to marine mammals
Marine mammal damage assessment studies after the Exxon Valdez oil spill concentrated on sea otters, harbor seals, Steller sea lions, killer whales, and humpback whales. Sea otter and harbor seals were the most affected marine mammal; it was estimated that several thousand otters and several hundred harbor seals died within months of the spill. Steller sea lion, harbor seal
Authors
Thomas R. Loughlin, Brenda E. Ballachey, B.A. Wright
Alaska resource data file: Unalaska quadrangle Alaska resource data file: Unalaska quadrangle
No abstract available.
Authors
Frederic H. Wilson
The Emperor Goose: An annotated bibliography The Emperor Goose: An annotated bibliography
This bibliography contains more than 500 published and unpublished references relevant to the emperor goose (Chen canagica). The referenced works date from the early exploration of Beringia and Alaska through the formal description of the species in 1802 to 1993.
Authors
Robert F. Rockwell, Margaret R. Petersen, Joel A. Schmutz
Migration, fidelity, and use of autumn staging grounds in Alaska by Cackling Canada Geese Branta canadensis minima Migration, fidelity, and use of autumn staging grounds in Alaska by Cackling Canada Geese Branta canadensis minima
Cackling Canada Geese were studied annually (1985-88) on autumn migration staging areas in Alaska during a period of rapid population growth. Geese concentrated at two estuaries (Ugashik Bay and Cinder Lagoon) along the north side of the Alaska Peninsula. Birds arrived on the staging areas in late September, numbers peaked during mid-October, and departure occurred by late October or...
Authors
Robert E. Gill, Christopher Babcock, Colleen M. Handel, William R. Butler, Dennis G. Raveling
Assessing variability and trends in Arctic sea ice distribution using satellite data Assessing variability and trends in Arctic sea ice distribution using satellite data
Trends in the annual minimum, minimum monthly-mean, and the sea ice extent at the end of August were investigated for the Barents and western Kara Seas and adjacent parts of the Arctic Ocean during 1966 to 1994 using data from Russian ice maps (1974-1994), Kosmos-Okean and ALMAZ SAR satellite series (1984-1994), and published literature. Four definitions of sea ice extent were examined...
Authors
G. I. Belchansky, Ilia N. Mordvintsev, David C. Douglas
Allocation of limited reserves to a clutch: A model explaining the lack of a relationship between clutch size and egg size Allocation of limited reserves to a clutch: A model explaining the lack of a relationship between clutch size and egg size
Lack (1967, 1968) proposed that clutch size in waterfowl is limited by the nutrients available to females when producing eggs. He suggested that if nutrients available for clutch formation are limited, then species producing small eggs would, on average, lay more eggs than species with large eggs. Rohwer (1988) argues that this model should also apply within species. Thus, the nutrition...
Authors
Paul L. Flint, J. Barry Grand, James S. Sedinger
Renesting ecology of northern pintails on the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, Alaska Renesting ecology of northern pintails on the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, Alaska
We used radio telemetry to study renesting by wild, free-ranging Northern Pintails (Anas acuta) on the coastal Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta in 1994 and 1995. Fifty-six percent of females (n = 39) renested at least once. Propensity to renest declined among females that initiated later first nests. Renesting interval was not related to female weight, year, or initiation date of first nests. Mean...
Authors
J. Barry Grand, Paul L. Flint
Evidence from cytochrome b sequences and allozymes for a new species of alcid: The long-billed murrelet (Brachyramphus perdix) Evidence from cytochrome b sequences and allozymes for a new species of alcid: The long-billed murrelet (Brachyramphus perdix)
Marbled Murrelets (Brachyramphus marmoratus) are coastal seabirds that breed predominantly in old-growth forest throughout the North Pacific. Presently they are classified into two phenotypically distinct subspecies: one in North America (B. m. marmoratus) and one in Asia (B. m. perdix). The Asian form was classified as a separate species in 1811, but was lumped with B. marmoratus during...
Authors
Vicki L. Friesen, John F. Piatt, Allan J. Baker