Publications

The annual cycle of Northern Fulmars (Fulmarus glacialis) in the western Gulf of Alaska includes about six months from mid-April to mid-October when birds are associated with land at the Semidi Islands. The pre-laying stage in five years was marked by recurrent peaks in attendance that included up to 90% of the population, and alternate periods of 2 to 12 days when the breeding ground...

A comparison involving both field and laboratory trials was performed to evaluate the utility of two continuous-flow centrifuges and a tangential-flow filtration system for dewatering suspended sediments for subsequent trace element analysis. Although recovery efficiencies for the various devices differ, the analytical results from the separated suspended sediments indicate that any of...

No abstract available.

This report contains brief descriptions of known mines, prospects, and mineral occurrences in the Port Moller and Stepovak Bay quadrangles on the Alaska Peninsula. These quadrangles, and the adjoining Simeonof Island quadrangle to the south were the subject of an Alaska Mineral Resource Assessment Program (AMRAP) mapping and mineral resource assessment project. This compilation of...

Seabird reproductive success, population size, and movements in the Pacific region responded dramatically to the 1982-83 El Niño – Southern Oscillation (ENSO). At sites within the North and South Pacific Gyres, the onset of seabird responses tracked oceanographic changes related to ENSO; to the north of the gyres, responses were delayed 1 yr. Reproductive failures and high adult...

A field camp was established at Kongkok Bay near the southwest cape of St. Lawrence Island and occupied continuously from 24 May to 2 September 1987. Permanent study plots were selected for both cliff and crevice-nesting species, and regular observations were made throughout the breeding season to document attendance patterns, breeding phenology, and success. Periodic collections of...

I measured the breeding success of Northern Fulmars (Fulmarus glacialis) in 6 consecutive years at a colony in the Semidi Islands, western Gulf of Alaska (56°N, 156°W). I tabulated the frequency distribution of the number of years successful for a sample of 224 nest sites at which breeding occurred in all 6 yr. A consistently higher probability of success occurred in some sites than in...

Migrant Whimbrels (Numenius phaeopus) and Bristle-thighed Curlews (N. tahitiensis) were recorded during five summers along coastal tundra of the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, Alaska. From June to September, 1975-1979, 358 flocks totalling 1,265 curlews were observed; an additional 54 flocks were identified by vocalization alone. Among the 359 flocks identified to species, 52% were of Whimbrels...

Northern Fulmars (Fulmar glacialis) fed on ice-associated macrofauna (probably gammarid amphipods) and pinniped offal concentrated by convergent flow at an eddy boundary near Northwest Cape on St. Lawrence Island, Alaska. The eddy was anticyclonic, measured approximately 1.5 by 2.25 km, and was generated by nearshore streaming induced by the cape’s topography during lesser flood stage of...

No abstract available.

This volume is a continuation of the annual United States Geological Survey (USGS) Circulars reporting results of work in progress on earth science investigations in Alaska. The series began in 1975 under the title "The United States Geological Survey in Alaska - Accomplishments during 19xx" and has continued since 1986 under the present title. The 40 short papers and the feature article...

Polar bears are long-lived, late-maturing carnivores that have relatively low rates of reproduction and natural mortality. Their populations are susceptible to disturbance from human activities, such as the exploration and development of mineral resources or hunting. Polar bear populations have been an important renewable resource available to coastal communities throughout the Arctic...