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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

Identifying spawning behavior in Pacific halibut (Hippoglossus stenolepis) using electronic tags Identifying spawning behavior in Pacific halibut (Hippoglossus stenolepis) using electronic tags

Identifying spawning behavior in Pacific halibut, Hippoglossus stenolepis, is particularly challenging because they occupy a deep, remote environment during the spawning season. To identify spawning events, a method is needed in which direct observation by humans is not employed. Spawning behavior of seven other flatfish, species has been directly observed in their natural environment by
Authors
A.C. Seitz, Brenda L. Norcross, D. Wilson, J.L. Nielsen

Crossing the ultimate ecological barrier: Evidence for an 11,000-km-long non-stop flight from Alaska to New Zealand and Eastern Australia by Bar-tailed Godwits Crossing the ultimate ecological barrier: Evidence for an 11,000-km-long non-stop flight from Alaska to New Zealand and Eastern Australia by Bar-tailed Godwits

Populations of the Bar-tailed Godwit (Limosa lapponica; Scolopacidae) embark on some of the longest migrations known among birds. The baueri race breeds in western Alaska and spends the nonbreeding season a hemisphere away in New Zealand and eastern Australia; the menzbieri race breeds in Siberia and migrates to western and northern Australia. Although the Siberian birds are known to...
Authors
Robert E. Gill, Theunis Piersma, Gary Hufford, R. Servranckx, Adrian C. Riegen

Verification of sex from harvested sea otters using DNA testing Verification of sex from harvested sea otters using DNA testing

We used molecular genetic methods to determine the sex of 138 sea otters (Enhydra lutris) harvested from 3 regions of Alaska from 1994 to 1997, to assess the accuracy of post‐harvest field‐sexing. We also tested each of a series of factors associated with errors in field‐sexing of sea otters, including male or female bias, age‐class bias, regional bias, and bias associated with hunt
Authors
Kim T. Scribner, Ben A. Green, Carol Gorbics, James L. Bodkin

Spatial and temporal variations in the age structure of Arctic sea ice Spatial and temporal variations in the age structure of Arctic sea ice

Spatial and temporal variations in the age structure of Arctic sea ice are investigated using a new reverse chronology algorithm that tracks ice-covered pixels to their location and date of origin based on ice motion and concentration data. The Beaufort Gyre tends to harbor the oldest (>10 years old) sea ice in the western Arctic while direct ice advection pathways toward the Transpolar...
Authors
G. I. Belchansky, David C. Douglas, Nikita G. Platonov

Nonlinear dynamics in ecosystem response to climatic change: Case studies and policy implications Nonlinear dynamics in ecosystem response to climatic change: Case studies and policy implications

Many biological, hydrological, and geological processes are interactively linked in ecosystems. These ecological phenomena normally vary within bounded ranges, but rapid, nonlinear changes to markedly different conditions can be triggered by even small differences if threshold values are exceeded. Intrinsic and extrinsic ecological thresholds can lead to effects that cascade among...
Authors
Virginia R. Burkett, Douglas A. Wilcox, Robert Stottlemyer, Wylie Barrow, Dan Fagre, Jill Baron, Jeff Price, Jennifer L. Nielsen, Craig D. Allen, David L. Peterson, Greg Ruggerone, Thomas Doyle

Nomenclature of mitochondrial DNA haplotypes for Oncorhynchus mykiss Nomenclature of mitochondrial DNA haplotypes for Oncorhynchus mykiss

Congruence of genetic data is critical for comparative and collaborative studies on natural fish populations. A comprehensive list of reported mitochrondrial DNA haplotypes for Oncorhynchus mykiss generated using the S‐Phe/P2 primer set is presented as a resource for future investigations of this species.
Authors
Sara L. Graziano, K. H. Brown, Jennifer L. Nielsen

Oceanic Pb-isotopic sources of Proterozoic and Paleozoic volcanogenic massive sulfide deposits on Prince of Wales Island and vicinity, southeastern Alaska Oceanic Pb-isotopic sources of Proterozoic and Paleozoic volcanogenic massive sulfide deposits on Prince of Wales Island and vicinity, southeastern Alaska

Volcanogenic massive sulfide (VMS) deposits on Prince of Wales Island and vicinity in southeastern Alaska are associated with Late Proterozoic through Cambrian volcanosedimentary rocks of the Wales Group and with Ordovician through Early Silurian felsic volcanic rocks of the Moira Sound unit (new informal name). The massive sulfide deposits in the Wales Group include the Big Harbor...
Authors
Robert A. Ayuso, Susan M. Karl, John F. Slack, Peter J. Haeussler, Peter E. Bittenbender, Gregory A. Wandless, Anna Colvin

A signal for independent coastal and continental histories among North American wolves A signal for independent coastal and continental histories among North American wolves

Relatively little genetic variation has been uncovered in surveys across North American wolf populations. Pacific Northwest coastal wolves, in particular, have never been analysed. With an emphasis on coastal Alaska wolf populations, variation at 11 microsatellite loci was assessed. Coastal wolf populations were distinctive from continental wolves and high levels of diversity were found...
Authors
Byron V. Weckworth, Sandra L. Talbot, George K. Sage, David K. Person, Joseph Cook

Biology and conservation of Xantus's Murrelet: Discovery, taxonomy and distribution Biology and conservation of Xantus's Murrelet: Discovery, taxonomy and distribution

The biology of Xantus's Murrelets Synthliboramphus hypoleucus is similar in many respects to better-studied Ancient Murrelets S. antiquus, especially regarding morphology and the species' precocial mode of post-hatching development. It nests mainly in rock crevices but also under shrubs on islands in southern California, United States, and northwestern Baja California, Mexico (27oN to...
Authors
Harry R. Carter, Spencer G. Sealy, Esther E. Burkett, John F. Piatt

Prey consumption and energy transfer by marine birds in the Gulf of Alaska Prey consumption and energy transfer by marine birds in the Gulf of Alaska

We investigated prey consumption by marine birds and their contribution to cross-shelf fluxes in the northern Gulf of Alaska. We utilized data from the North Pacific Pelagic Seabird Database for modeling energy demand and prey consumption. We found that prey consumption by marine birds was much greater over the continental shelf than it was over the basin. Over the shelf, subsurface...
Authors
G.L. Hunt, G.S. Drew, J. Jahncke, John F. Piatt
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