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
Serologic evidence of influenza A (H14) virus introduction into North America Serologic evidence of influenza A (H14) virus introduction into North America
Although a diverse population of influenza A viruses (IAVs) is maintained among ducks, geese, shorebirds, and gulls, not all of the 16 avian hemagglutinin (HA) subtypes are equally represented (1). The 14th HA subtype, commonly known as the H14 subtype, was historically limited to isolates from the former Soviet Union in the 1980s (2) and was not subsequently detected until 2010, when...
Authors
Neus Latorre-Margalef, Andrew M. Ramey, Alinde Fojtik, David E. Stallknecht
Breeding ecology of Wandering Tattlers Tringa incana: a study from south-central Alaska Breeding ecology of Wandering Tattlers Tringa incana: a study from south-central Alaska
Montane-nesting shorebirds are arguably the least studied of the Charadriiformes, owing in part to the remoteness of their breeding areas, low nesting densities, and specialized behaviors. We studied a marked population of the Wandering Tattler Tringa incana, during a three-year period (1997–1999) on nesting grounds in south-central Alaska. Two aspects of our results stand out. First is...
Authors
Robert E. Gill, Pavel S. Tomkovich, Maksim N. Dementyev
Stratigraphic and microfossil evidence for a 4500-year history of Cascadia subduction zone earthquakes and tsunamis at Yaquina River estuary, Oregon, USA Stratigraphic and microfossil evidence for a 4500-year history of Cascadia subduction zone earthquakes and tsunamis at Yaquina River estuary, Oregon, USA
The Sallys Bend swamp and marsh area on the central Oregon coast onshore of the Cascadia subduction zone contains a sequence of buried coastal wetland soils that extends back ∼4500 yr B.P. The upper 10 of the 12 soils are represented in multiple cores. Each soil is abruptly overlain by a sandy deposit and then, in most cases, by greater than 10 cm of mud. For eight of the 10 buried soils...
Authors
Nicholas A Graehl, Harvey M. Kelsey, Robert C. Witter, Eileen Hemphill-Haley, Simon E. Engelhart
How are your berries? Perspectives of Alaska’s environmental managers on trends in wild berry abundance How are your berries? Perspectives of Alaska’s environmental managers on trends in wild berry abundance
Background: Wild berries are a valued traditional food in Alaska. Phytochemicals in wild berries may contribute to the prevention of vascular disease, cancer and cognitive decline, making berry consumption important to community health in rural areas. Little was known regarding which species of berries were important to Alaskan communities, the number of species typically picked in...
Authors
Jerry W. Hupp, Michael Brubaker, Kira S. Wilkinson, Jennifer Williamson
Oceanic and atmospheric forcing of Larsen C Ice-Shelf thinning Oceanic and atmospheric forcing of Larsen C Ice-Shelf thinning
The catastrophic collapses of Larsen A and B ice shelves on the eastern Antarctic Peninsula have caused their tributary glaciers to accelerate, contributing to sea-level rise and freshening the Antarctic Bottom Water formed nearby. The surface of Larsen C Ice Shelf (LCIS), the largest ice shelf on the peninsula, is lowering. This could be caused by unbalanced ocean melting (ice loss) or...
Authors
P. R. Holland, A. Brisbourne, H. F. J. Corr, Daniel Mcgrath, K. Purdon, J. Paden, H. A. Fricker, F. S. Paolo, A.H. Fleming
Historic and Contemporary Status of Sea Otters in the North Pacific Historic and Contemporary Status of Sea Otters in the North Pacific
Similar to other species that in recent centuries experienced unregulated human exploitation, sea otters were extirpated throughout large portions of their historic range in the North Pacific. For most of the twentieth century, with cessation of the fur trade and because of concerted efforts at conservation, sea otters recovered much of their historic range and abundance. Late in the...
Authors
James L. Bodkin
Challenges to sea otter recovery and conservation Challenges to sea otter recovery and conservation
Similar to other species that in recent centuries experienced unregulated human exploitation, sea otters were extirpated throughout large portions of their historic range in the North Pacific. For most of the twentieth century, with cessation of the fur trade and because of concerted efforts at conservation, sea otters recovered much of their historic range and abundance. Late in the...
Authors
Brenda E. Ballachey, James L. Bodkin
Ways to be different: Foraging adaptations that facilitate higher intake rates in a northerly wintering shorebird compared with a low-latitude conspecific Ways to be different: Foraging adaptations that facilitate higher intake rates in a northerly wintering shorebird compared with a low-latitude conspecific
At what phenotypic level do closely related subspecies that live in different environments differ with respect to food detection, ingestion and processing? This question motivated an experimental study on rock sandpipers (Calidris ptilocnemis). The species' nonbreeding range spans 20 deg of latitude, the extremes of which are inhabited by two subspecies: C. p. ptilocnemis that winters...
Authors
Daniel R. Ruthrauff, Anne Dekinga, Robert E. Gill, Jan A. van Gils, Theunis Piersma
Arctic biodiversity: Increasing richness accompanies shrinking refugia for a cold-associated tundra fauna Arctic biodiversity: Increasing richness accompanies shrinking refugia for a cold-associated tundra fauna
As ancestral biodiversity responded dynamically to late-Quaternary climate changes, so are extant organisms responding to the warming trajectory of the Anthropocene. Ecological predictive modeling, statistical hypothesis tests, and genetic signatures of demographic change can provide a powerful integrated toolset for investigating these biodiversity responses to climate change, and...
Authors
Andrew G. Hope, Eric Waltari, Jason L. Malaney, David C. Payer, J.A. Cook, Sandra L. Talbot
Spatial and temporal variation in marine birds in the north Gulf of Alaska: The value of marine bird monitoring within Gulf Watch Alaska Spatial and temporal variation in marine birds in the north Gulf of Alaska: The value of marine bird monitoring within Gulf Watch Alaska
Birds offer useful insights into marine ecosystems. Marine birds are responsive to spatial and temporal variation in the environment, that often originates with fluctuations in oceanographic and climatic drivers and permeates up through food webs to conspicuous top predators such as seabirds (Coyle and Pinchuk 2005, Speckman et al. 2005, Gonzales-Solis et al. 2009, Cushing et al., this...
Authors
Kathy J. Kuletz, Daniel Esler
Ursus maritimus Ursus maritimus
No abstract available.
Authors
Oystein Wiig, Steven C. Amstrup, Todd C. Atwood, Kristin L Kaidre, Nicholas J Lunn, Martyn E. Obbard, Eric V. Regehr, Gregory W. Thiemann
Strontium isotopes in otoliths of a non-migratory fish (slimy sculpin): Implications for provenance studies Strontium isotopes in otoliths of a non-migratory fish (slimy sculpin): Implications for provenance studies
Heterogeneity in 87Sr/86Sr ratios of river-dissolved strontium (Sr) across geologically diverse environments provides a useful tool for investigating provenance, connectivity and movement patterns of various organisms and materials. Evaluation of site-specific 87Sr/86Sr temporal variability throughout study regions is a prerequisite for provenance research, but the dynamics driving...
Authors
Sean R. Brennan, Diego P. Fernandez, Christian E. Zimmerman, Thure E. Cerling, Randy J. Brown, Matthew J. Wooller