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: 3091
Summary of wildlife-related research on the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Alaska, 2002–17 Summary of wildlife-related research on the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Alaska, 2002–17
We summarize recent (2002–17) publicly available information from studies within the 1002 Area of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge as well as terrestrial and coastal ecosystems elsewhere on the Arctic Coastal Plain that are relevant to the 1002 Area. This report provides an update on earlier research summaries on caribou (Rangifer tarandus), forage quality and quantity, polar bears...
Authors
John M. Pearce, Paul L. Flint, Todd C. Atwood, David C. Douglas, Layne G. Adams, Heather E. Johnson, Stephen M. Arthur, Christopher J. Latty
International migration patterns of Red-throated Loons (Gavia stellata) from four breeding populations in Alaska International migration patterns of Red-throated Loons (Gavia stellata) from four breeding populations in Alaska
Identifying post-breeding migration and wintering distributions of migratory birds is important for understanding factors that may drive population dynamics. Red-throated Loons (Gavia stellata) are widely distributed across Alaska and currently have varying population trends, including some populations with recent periods of decline. To investigate population differentiation and the...
Authors
Sarah E. McCloskey, Brian D. Uher-Koch, Joel A. Schmutz, Thomas F. Fondell
The Polar WRF downscaled historical and projected twenty-first century climate for the coast and foothills of Arctic Alaska The Polar WRF downscaled historical and projected twenty-first century climate for the coast and foothills of Arctic Alaska
Climate change is most pronounced in the northern high latitude region. Yet, climate observations are unable to fully capture regional-scale dynamics due to the sparse weather station coverage, which limits our ability to make reliable climate-based assessments. A set of simulated data products was therefore developed for the North Slope of Alaska through a dynamical downscaling approach...
Authors
Lei Cai, Vladimir A Alexeev, Christopher D. Arp, Benjamin M. Jones, Anna K. Liljedahl, Anne Gadeke
Nutrient dynamics in partially drained arctic thaw lakes Nutrient dynamics in partially drained arctic thaw lakes
Thaw lakes are ubiquitous on arctic coastal plains (ACPs). While many thaw lakes have steep banks, stable water levels, and static surface areas, others only partially fill their basins and vary in area over the summer. These partially drained lakes (PDLs) are hydrologically connected to the wetlands immediately surrounding them. Heat and nutrient availability limit aquatic productivity...
Authors
Joshua C. Koch, Tom F. Fondell, Joel A. Schmutz, Sarah M. Laske
Effects of environmental conditions on reproductive effort and nest success of Arctic‐breeding shorebirds Effects of environmental conditions on reproductive effort and nest success of Arctic‐breeding shorebirds
The Arctic is experiencing rapidly warming conditions, increasing predator abundance, and diminishing population cycles of keystone species such as lemmings. However, it is still not known how many Arctic animals will respond to a changing climate with altered trophic interactions. We studied clutch size, incubation duration and nest survival of 17 taxa of Arctic‐breeding shorebirds at...
Authors
Emily L. Weiser, Stephen C. Brown, Richard B. Lanctot, H. River Gates, Kenneth F. Abraham, Rebecca L. Bentzen, Joël Bêty, Megan L. Boldenow, Rodney W. Brook, Tyrone F. Donnelly, Willow B. English, Scott A. Flemming, Samantha E. Franks, H. Grant Gilchrist, Marie-Andree Giroux, Andrew C. Johnson, Steve Kendall, Lisa V. Kennedy, Laura Koloski, Eunbi Kwon, Jean-François Lamarre, David B. Lank, Christopher J. Latty, Nicolas Lecomte, Joseph R. Liebezeit, Laura McKinnon, Erica Nol, Johanna Perz, Jennie Rausch, Martin D. Robards, Sarah T. Saalfeld, Nathan R. Senner, Paul A. Smith, Mikhail Soloviev, Diana V. Solovyeva, David H. Ward, Paul F. Wood, Brett K. Sandercock
Data quality from a community-based, water-quality monitoring project in the Yukon River basin Data quality from a community-based, water-quality monitoring project in the Yukon River basin
This paper examines the quality of data collected by the Indigenous Observation Network, a community-based water-quality project in the Yukon River Basin of Alaska and Canada. The Indigenous Observation Network relies on community technicians to collect surface-water samples from as many as fifty locations to achieve their goals of monitoring the quality of the Yukon River and major...
Authors
Nicole M. Herman-Mercer, Ronald C. Antweiler, Nicole J. Wilson, Edda A. Mutter, Ryan C. Toohey, Paul F. Schuster
Patterns and controls of mercury accumulation in sediments from three thermokarst lakes on the Arctic Coastal Plain of Alaska Patterns and controls of mercury accumulation in sediments from three thermokarst lakes on the Arctic Coastal Plain of Alaska
The biogeochemical cycle of mercury will be influenced by climate change, particularly at higher latitudes. Investigations of historical mercury accumulation in lake sediments inform future predictions as to how climate change might affect mercury biogeochemistry; however, in regions with a paucity of data, such as the thermokarst-rich Arctic Coastal Plain of Alaska (ACP), the trajectory...
Authors
Samantha M. Burke, Christian E. Zimmerman, Brian A. Branfireun, Joshua C. Koch, Heidi K. Swanson
Demography of the Pacific walrus (Odobenus rosmarus divergens) in a changing Arctic Demography of the Pacific walrus (Odobenus rosmarus divergens) in a changing Arctic
The Pacific walrus (Odobenus rosmarus divergens) is a candidate to be listed as an endangered species under United States law, in part, because of climate change‐related concerns. While the population was known to be declining in the 1980s and 1990s, its recent status has not been determined. We developed Bayesian models of walrus population dynamics to assess the population by...
Authors
Rebecca L. Taylor, Mark S. Udevitz, Chadwick V. Jay, John J. Citta, Lori T. Quakenbush, Patrick R. Lemons, Jonathan A. Snyder
Environmental and ecological conditions at Arctic breeding sites have limited effects on true survival rates of adult shorebirds Environmental and ecological conditions at Arctic breeding sites have limited effects on true survival rates of adult shorebirds
Many Arctic shorebird populations are declining, and quantifying adult survival and the effects of anthropogenic factors is a crucial step toward a better understanding of population dynamics. We used a recently developed, spatially explicit Cormack–Jolly–Seber model in a Bayesian framework to obtain broad-scale estimates of true annual survival rates for 6 species of shorebirds at 9...
Authors
Emily L. Weiser, Richard B. Lanctot, Stephen C. Brown, H. River Gates, Rebecca L. Bentzen, Joel Bety, Megan L. Boldenow, Willow B. English, Samantha E. Franks, Laura Koloski, Eunbi Kwon, Jean-François Lamarre, David B. Lank, Joseph R. Liebezeit, Laura McKinnon, Erica Nol, Jennie Rausch, Sarah T. Saalfeld, Nathan R. Senner, David H. Ward, Paul F. Wood, Brett K. Sandercock
The nitrogen window for arctic herbivores: plant phenology and protein gain of migratory caribou (Rangifer tarandus) The nitrogen window for arctic herbivores: plant phenology and protein gain of migratory caribou (Rangifer tarandus)
Terrestrial plants are often limited by nitrogen (N) in arctic systems, but constraints of N supply on herbivores are typically considered secondary to those of energy. We tested the hypothesis that forage N is more limiting than energy for arctic caribou by collecting key forages (three species of graminoids, three species of woody browse, and one genus of forb) over three summers in...
Authors
Perry S. Barboza, Lindsay L. Van Someren, David D. Gustine, M. Syndonia Bret-Harte
Permafrost-related processes and recent response to climatic changes Permafrost-related processes and recent response to climatic changes
Permafrost-related processes have direct and indirect consequences to northern environments, but the impacts are affected by complex interactions involving positive and negative feedbacks at the surface (Jorgenson et al. 2010), climatic trends and fluctuations (Romanovsky et al. 2010; Konishchev 2011), and terrain and ground ice conditions (French and Shur 2010, Ukraintseva et al. 2012...
Authors
Marina Leibman, Alexandr Kizyakov, Guido Grosse, Benjamin M. Jones, M. Torre Jorgenson, Mikhail Z. Kanevskiy
Population genetic structure and gene flow of Adélie penguins (Pygoscelis adeliae) breeding throughout the western Antarctic Peninsula Population genetic structure and gene flow of Adélie penguins (Pygoscelis adeliae) breeding throughout the western Antarctic Peninsula
Adélie penguins (Pygoscelis adeliae) are responding to ocean–climate variability throughout the marine ecosystem of the western Antarctic Peninsula (WAP) where some breeding colonies have declined by 80%. Nuclear and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) markers were used to understand historical population genetic structure and gene flow given relatively recent and continuing reductions in sea ice...
Authors
Kristen B. Gorman, Sandra L. Talbot, Sarah A. Sonsthagen, George K. Sage, Megan C. Gravley, Tony D. Williams, William R. Fraser