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
Census methodologies of Black-legged Kittiwakes in Glacier Bay National Park Census methodologies of Black-legged Kittiwakes in Glacier Bay National Park
Black-legged Kittiwakes (Rissa tridactyla) have recently experienced widespread population declines and frequent colony failures throughout the North Pacific. At Glacier Bay National Park, the Margerie Glacier colony was censused visually in 1991 through 1993. In 1993 a new photographic census technique was also tested to assess its feasibility, accuracy, and ease of use, Three years of...
Authors
Elizabeth Ross Hooge
Clinical and clinical laboratory correlates in sea otters dying unexpectedly in rehabilitation centers following the Exxon Valdez oil spill Clinical and clinical laboratory correlates in sea otters dying unexpectedly in rehabilitation centers following the Exxon Valdez oil spill
Following the Exxon Valdez oil spill, 347 oiled sea otters (Enhydra lutris) were treated in rehabilitation centers. Of these, 116 died, 94 within 10 days of presentation. Clinical records of 21 otters dying during the first 10 days of rehabilitation were reviewed to define the laboratory abnormalities and clinical syndromes associated with these unexpected deaths. The most common...
Authors
A.H. Rebar, T.P. Lipscomb, R.K. Harris, Brenda E. Ballachey
Evidence of Emperor Geese breeding in Russia and staging in Alaska Evidence of Emperor Geese breeding in Russia and staging in Alaska
Emperor Geese (Chen canagica) breed primarily on the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, Alaska (Eisenhauer and Kirkpatrick 1977), but a small, poorly quantified proportion of the world's population is known to breed in the Russia Far East (Kistchinski 1976, 1988, Portenko 1981). Eisenhauer and Kirkpatrick (1977) stated that 80 to 90% of all Emperor Geese breed on the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, Alaska...
Authors
Joel A. Schmutz, Alexander V. Kondratyev
Characteristics of vegetation phenology over the Alaskan landscape using AVHRR time-series data Characteristics of vegetation phenology over the Alaskan landscape using AVHRR time-series data
Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) satellite data were acquired and composited into twice-a-month periods from 1 May 1991 to 15 October 1991 in order to map vegetation characteristics of the Alaskan landscape. Unique spatial and temporal qualities of the AVHRR data provide information that leads to a better understanding of regional biophysical characteristics of vegetation
Authors
Carl J. Markon, Michael D. Fleming, Emily F. Binnian
Influence of temperature on incubation rates of coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) from ten Washington populations Influence of temperature on incubation rates of coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) from ten Washington populations
Coho salmon from 10 Washington populations were incubated under controlled conditions to determine the levels of variation in time to hatch among populations and families within populations. The average incubation rate was somewhat slower than that estimated from a quantitative model derived from British Columbia populations, and was slightly faster than that predicted by a Washington...
Authors
John T. Konecki, Carol Ann Woody, Thomas P. Quinn
Population differentiation in Pacific salmon: local adaptation, genetic drift, or the environment? Population differentiation in Pacific salmon: local adaptation, genetic drift, or the environment?
Morphological, behavioral, and life-history differences between Pacific salmon (Oncorhynchus spp.) populations are commonly thought to reflect local adaptation, and it is likewise common to assume that salmon populations separated by small distances are locally adapted. Two alternatives to local adaptation exist: random genetic differentiation owing to genetic drift and founder events...
Authors
Milo D. Adkison
Pattern of shoreline spawning by sockeye salmon in a glacially turbid lake: evidence for subpopulation differentiation Pattern of shoreline spawning by sockeye salmon in a glacially turbid lake: evidence for subpopulation differentiation
Alaskan sockeye salmon typically spawn in lake tributaries during summer (early run) and along clear-water lake shorelines and outlet rivers during fall (late run). Production at the glacially turbid Tustumena Lake and its outlet, the Kasilof River (south-central Alaska), was thought to be limited to a single run of sockeye salmon that spawned in the lake's clear-water
Authors
C. V. Burger, J.E. Finn, L. Holland-Bartels
Wolf predation on caribou calves in Denali National Park, Alaska Wolf predation on caribou calves in Denali National Park, Alaska
During 1987-1991, 29 to 45 radio-collared caribou cows were monitored daily during calving each year and their calves were radio-collared (n = 147 calves) to investigate calf production and survival. We determined characteristics of wolf predation on caribou calves and, utilizing information from a companion wolf study, evaluated the role of spacing by caribou cows in minimizing wolf...
Authors
Layne G. Adams, B. Dale, L. David Mech
Release strategies for rehabilitated sea otters Release strategies for rehabilitated sea otters
According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services’ (USFWS) Response Plan for sea otters (USFWS, in preparation), in the event of an oil spill, the decision to release sea otters from rehabilitation centers following treatment will be linked to the decision on whether to capture sea otters for treatment. Assuming a scenario similar to the Exxon Valdez oil spill (EVOS), once the decision to...
Authors
Anthony R. DeGange, Brenda E. Ballachey, Keith Bayha
Winter wolf predation in a multiple ungulate prey system, Gates of the Arctic National Park, Alaska Winter wolf predation in a multiple ungulate prey system, Gates of the Arctic National Park, Alaska
We investigated patterns of winter wolf predation, including prey selection, prey switching, kill rates, carcass utilization, and consumption rates for four wolf packs during three different study periods (March 1989, March 1990, and November 1990) in Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve, Alaska. Wolves killed predominantly caribou (165 caribou, seven moose, and five Dall sheep...
Authors
Bruce W. Dale, Layne G. Adams, R. Terry Bowyer
Correlation of Ordovician rocks of northern Alaska Correlation of Ordovician rocks of northern Alaska
The Ordovician sequences presented in this report were chosen to cover a range of depositional and structural settings found in northern Alaska. Consequently, the quality of lithostratigraphic, paleontologic, and sedimentologic data is variable. Until 1982, Ordovician rocks in northern Alaska were known only from a few, widely separated localities. Since then, several hundred Ordovician...
Authors
Anita G. Harris, Julie A. Dumoulin, John E. Repetski, Claire Carter
Nearshore distribution and abundance of Dungeness crabs in Glacier Bay National Park, Alaska Nearshore distribution and abundance of Dungeness crabs in Glacier Bay National Park, Alaska
As part of an ongoing, multi-agency study to determine the effects of closure of the commercial fishery for Dungeness crabs, Cancer magister, on crab population structure we examined patterns of distribution and abundance of crabs in nearshore habitats at five locations in and near Glacier Bay National Park. Sampling was conducted in April and September 1992 and April 1993 prior to the...
Authors
Charles E. O’Clair, J. Lincoln Freese, Robert P. Stone, Thomas C. Shirley, Erica H. Leder, S. James Taggart, Gordon H. Kruse