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: 3082
The Sedimentary Geochemistry and Paleoenvironments Project The Sedimentary Geochemistry and Paleoenvironments Project
Geobiology explores how Earth's system has changed over the course of geologic history and how living organisms on this planet are impacted by or are indeed causing these changes. For decades, geologists, paleontologists, and geochemists have generated data to investigate these topics. Foundational efforts in sedimentary geochemistry utilized spreadsheets for data storage and analysis...
Authors
Una Farrell, Rifaat Samawi, Savitha Anjanappa, Roman Klykov, Oyeleye Adeboye, Heda Agic, Anne-Sofie Ahm, Thomas Boag, Fred Bowyer, Jochen J. Brocks, Tessa Brunoir, Donald Canfield, Xiaoyan Chen, Meng Cheng, Matthew Clarkson, Devon B. Cole, David Cordie, Peter W. Crockford, Huan Cui, Tais Dahl, Lucas Del Mouro, Keith Dewing, Stephen Dornbos, Nadja Drabon, Julie A. Dumoulin, Jospeh Emmings, Cecilia R. Endringa, Tiffani A. Fraser, Robert R. Gaines, Richard M. Gaschnig, Timothy M. Gibson, Geoffrey J. Gilleaudeau, Benjamin C. Gill, Karin Goldberg, Romain Guilbaud, Galen P. Halverson, Emma U. Hammarlund, Kalev G. Hantsoo, Miles A. Henderson, Malcolm S. W. Hodgskiss, Tristan Horner, Jon M. Husson, Benjamin Johnson, Pavel Kabanov, C. Brenhin Keller, Julien Kimmig, Michael A. Kipp, Andrew H. Knoll, Timmu Kreitsmann, Marcus Kunzmann, Florian Kurzweil, Matthew A. LeRoy, Chao Li, Alex Lipp, David K. Loydell, Xinze Lu, Francis A. Macdonald, Joseph M. Magnall, Kaarel Mand, Akshay Mehra, Michael J. Melchin, Austin J. Miller, Chiza N. Mwinde, Brennan O’Connell, Lawrence M. Och, Frantz Ossa Ossa, Anais Pages, Kart Paiste, Camille A. Partin, Shanan Peters, Peter Petrov, Tiffany L. Playter, Stephanie Plaza-Torres, Susannah M. Porter, Simon W. Poulton, Sara B. Pruss, Sylvain Richoz, Samantha R. Ritzer, Alan D. Rooney, Swapan K. Sahoo, Shane D. Schoepfer, Judith A. Sclafani, Yanan Shen, Oliver Shorttle, Sarah P. Slotznick, Emily F. Smith, Sam Spinks, Richard G. Stockey, J. V. Strauss, Eva E. Stueken, Sabrina Tecklenburg, Danielle Thomson, N. J. Tosca, Gabriel J. Uhlein, Maoli N. Vizcaino, Huajian Wang, Tristan White, Philip R. Wilby, Christina R. Woltz, Rachel A. Wood, Lei Xiang, Inessa A. Yurchenko, Tianran Zhang, Noah J. Planavsky, Kimberly V. Lau, David T. Johnston, Erik A. Sperling
Human-polar bear interactions Human-polar bear interactions
Human-wildlife interactions (HWI) are driven fundamentally by overlapping space and resources. As competition intensifies, the likelihood of interaction and conflict increases. In turn, conflict may impede conservation efforts by lowering social tolerance of wildlife, especially when human-wildlife conflict (HWC) poses a threat to human safety and economic well-being. Thus, mitigating...
Authors
Todd C. Atwood, James Wilder
Sea otter foraging behavior Sea otter foraging behavior
Sea otters are marine specialists but diet generalists, which feed primarily on benthic mega-invertebrates (i.e., body dimension >1 cm). They locate and capture epibenthic and infaunal prey with their forepaws by relying on vision and tactile sensitivity during short-duration dives (generally
Authors
Randall W. Davis, James L. Bodkin
The petrologic and degassing behavior of sulfur and other magmatic volatiles from the 2018 eruption of Kīlauea, Hawaiʻi: Melt concentrations, magma storage depths, and magma recycling The petrologic and degassing behavior of sulfur and other magmatic volatiles from the 2018 eruption of Kīlauea, Hawaiʻi: Melt concentrations, magma storage depths, and magma recycling
Kīlauea Volcano’s 2018 lower East Rift Zone (LERZ) eruption produced exceptionally high lava effusion rates and record-setting SO2 emissions. The eruption involved a diverse range of magmas, including primitive basalts sourced from Kīlauea’s summit reservoirs. We analyzed LERZ matrix glasses, melt inclusions, and host minerals to identify melt volatile contents and magma storage depths...
Authors
Allan Lerner, Paul J. Wallace, Thomas Shea, Adrien Mourey, Peter J. Kelly, Patricia A. Nadeau, Tamar Elias, Christoph Kern, Laura E. Clor, Cheryl Gansecki, R. Lopaka Lee, Lowell Moore, Cynthia A. Werner
Alaska Landbird Conservation Plan Alaska Landbird Conservation Plan
Alaska is a land of extremes. The diversity of its avifauna reflects the heterogeneity of its landscape, with more than 500 species of birds recorded in the state. Species inhabiting primarily terrestrial habitats, known collectively as landbirds, constitute the largest and most ecologically diverse component of the Alaska avifauna. Habitats used by landbirds range from temperate...
Authors
Travis L. Booms, Melissa N. Cady, Cheryl A. Carrothers, Lucas H. DeCicco, Maureen L. de Zeeuw, Melanie J. Flamme, Julie Hagelin, Colleen M. Handel, James A. Johnson, Matthew D. Kirchoff, Michelle L. Kissling, Stephen B. Lewis, Steven M. Matsuoka, Debora A. Nigro, Deborah E. Perkins, Heather M. Renner, Susan E. Savage, Kristine M. Sowl, Susan M. Sharbaugh, Iain J Stenhouse, Caroline R. Van Hemert
The distribution of anadromy in steelhead / rainbow trout in the Eel River, northwestern California The distribution of anadromy in steelhead / rainbow trout in the Eel River, northwestern California
To inform management and conservation of the species, we investigated the distribution of anadromy and residency of steelhead/rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) in the Eel River of northwestern California. We determined maternal anadromy versus residency for 106 juvenile O. mykiss using otolith microchemistry. To attempt to relate patterns of anadromy with environmental factors known to...
Authors
Bret C. Harvey, Rodney J. Nakamoto, Adam J.R. Kent, Christian E. Zimmerman
Diffusion modeling reveals effects of multiple release sites and human activity on a recolonizing apex predator Diffusion modeling reveals effects of multiple release sites and human activity on a recolonizing apex predator
Background Reintroducing predators is a promising conservation tool to help remedy human-caused ecosystem changes. However, the growth and spread of a reintroduced population is a spatiotemporal process that is driven by a suite of factors, such as habitat change, human activity, and prey availability. Sea otters (Enhydra lutris) are apex predators of nearshore marine ecosystems that had...
Authors
Joseph M. Eisaguirre, Perry J. Willliams, Xinyi Lu, Michelle L. Kissling, William S. Beatty, George G. Esslinger, Jamie N. Womble, Mevin Hooten
GIS-based identification of areas that have resource potential for lode gold in Alaska GIS-based identification of areas that have resource potential for lode gold in Alaska
Several comprehensive, data-driven geographic information system (GIS) analyses were conducted to assess prospectivity for lode gold in Alaska. These analyses use available geospatial datasets of lithologic, geochemical, mineral occurrence, and geophysical data to build models for recognizing different types of gold deposits within physiographic units defined by stream drainage basins...
Authors
Susan M. Karl, Douglas C. Kreiner, George N.D. Case, Keith A. Labay, Nora B. Shew, Matthew Granitto, Bronwen Wang, Eric D. Anderson
Chemical analysis of archived stream-sediment samples, Alaska Chemical analysis of archived stream-sediment samples, Alaska
Geochemical data are presented for more than 1,500 archived stream-sediment samples and accompanying quality control samples. The archived sediments were reanalyzed to improve the stream geochemical dataset for Alaska and to support ongoing U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) studies. Sediment samples were primarily from the USGS Mineral Resources Program’s sample archive in Denver, Colorado...
Authors
Bronwen Wang, George N.D. Case, Mathew Granitto, Keith A. Labay, Nora B. Shew, Andrew D. Ingraham, Jaime S. Azain, Zachary C. Bueghly, Susan M. Karl, Karen D. Kelley
Comparison of historical water temperature measurements with landsat analysis ready data provisional surface temperature estimates for the Yukon River in Alaska Comparison of historical water temperature measurements with landsat analysis ready data provisional surface temperature estimates for the Yukon River in Alaska
Water temperature is a key element of freshwater ecological systems and a critical element within natural resource monitoring programs. In the absence of in situ measurements, remote sensing platforms can indirectly measure water temperature over time and space. The Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center has processed archived Landsat imagery into analysis ready data (ARD)
Authors
Carson Baughman, Jeff Conaway
Egg retention of high-latitude sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) in the Pilgrim River, Alaska, during the Pacific marine heatwave of 2014–2016 Egg retention of high-latitude sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) in the Pilgrim River, Alaska, during the Pacific marine heatwave of 2014–2016
Ocean and freshwater conditions can influence spawning success of Pacific salmon (Oncorhynchus spp.) by governing the energy content of fish at the start of and during the spawning migration. Ocean conditions determine the energy stores of fish at the freshwater entry, while freshwater conditions determine how quickly stored energy is depleted as individuals migrate to spawning grounds...
Authors
Michael P. Carey, Vanessa R. von Biela, Ashley Dunker, Kevin D. Keith, Merlyn Schelske, Charlie Lean, Christian E. Zimmerman
Physiomorphic transformation in extreme endurance migrants: Revisiting the case of bar-tailed godwits preparing for trans-pacific flights Physiomorphic transformation in extreme endurance migrants: Revisiting the case of bar-tailed godwits preparing for trans-pacific flights
In a 1998 paper entitled “Guts don’t fly: small digestive organs in obese bar-tailed godwits,” Piersma and Gill (1998) showed that the digestive organs were tiny and the fat loads huge in individuals suspected of embarking on a non-stop flight from Alaska to New Zealand. It was suggested that prior to migratory departure, these godwits would shrink the digestive organs used during fuel...
Authors
Theunis Piersma, Robert E. Gill, Daniel R. Ruthrauff