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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: 3111

Polar bear research in the Beaufort Sea 2005 Polar bear research in the Beaufort Sea 2005

No abstract available.
Authors
Steven C. Amstrup, George M. Durner, E.V. Regehr, G.S. York, T. S. Smith, Steven T. Partridge, David C. Douglas

Population genetic structure and conservation of marbled murrelets (Brachyramphus marmoratus) Population genetic structure and conservation of marbled murrelets (Brachyramphus marmoratus)

Marbled murrelets (Brachyramphus marmoratus) are coastal seabirds that nest from California to the Aleutian Islands. They are declining and considered threatened in several regions. We compared variation in the mitochondrial control region, four nuclear introns and three microsatellite loci among 194 murrelets from throughout their range except Washington and Oregon. Significant...
Authors
Vicki L. Friesen, T.P. Birt, John F. Piatt, R.T. Golightly, S. H. Newman, P.N. Hebert, B.C. Congdon, G. Gissing

The adrenocortical response of tufted puffin chicks to nutritional deficits The adrenocortical response of tufted puffin chicks to nutritional deficits

In several seabirds, nutritional state of a nest-bound chick is negatively correlated with the activity of its hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. Increased corticosterone (cort) secretion has been shown to facilitate changes in behavior that allow hungry chicks to obtain more food from parents. However, if parents are not willing/able to buffer their young from temporary food...
Authors
A.S. Kitaysky, Marc D. Romano, John F. Piatt, J.C. Wingfield, M. Kikuchi

Succession on subalpine placer mine spoil: Effects of revegetation with Alnus viridis, Alaska, U.S.A. Succession on subalpine placer mine spoil: Effects of revegetation with Alnus viridis, Alaska, U.S.A.

Alnus viridis seedlings were planted on placer mine spoil in an Alaskan subalpine watershed to bypass a seedling establishment bottleneck for A. viridis, and to evaluate the interaction between A. viridis and the dominant riparian woody plants, Salix alaxensis and Populus balsamifera. The study area was divided into 11 replicate blocks, each on a homogeneous recontoured spoil pile...
Authors
Roseann V. Densmore

Annual survival and site fidelity of northern pintails banded on the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, Alaska Annual survival and site fidelity of northern pintails banded on the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, Alaska

We banded northern pintails (Anas acuta; n = 13,645) at a single site on the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta (YKD), Alaska, USA, from 1990 to 2001. We used recaptures from our site in combination with hunter recoveries to model annual survival, recovery rates, and fidelity to our capture location. Most recoveries (>90%) occurred in the Pacific Flyway with 64% reported from California's Central...
Authors
Christopher A. Nicolai, Paul L. Flint, Michael L. Wege

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

Serosurvey of selected zoonotic agents in polar bears (Ursus maritimus) Serosurvey of selected zoonotic agents in polar bears (Ursus maritimus)

Between 1982 and 1999 blood samples were collected from 500 polar bears (Ursus maritimus) captured in the Beaufort and Chukchi seas, to determine the seroprevalence of Brucella species, Toxoplasma gondii, and Trichinella species infections. The bears were classified into four age groups, cubs, yearlings, subadults and adults. Brucella and Toxoplasma antibodies were detected by...
Authors
H. Rah, B.B. Chomel, Erich H. Follmann, R.W. Kasten, C.H. Hew, T.B. Farver, G.W. Garner, Steven C. Amstrup

New constraints on mechanisms of remotely triggered seismicity at Long Valley Caldera New constraints on mechanisms of remotely triggered seismicity at Long Valley Caldera

Regional-scale triggering of local earthquakes in the crust by seismic waves from distant main shocks has now been robustly documented for over a decade. Some of the most thoroughly recorded examples of repeated triggering of a single site from multiple, large earthquakes are measured in geothermal fields of the western United States like Long Valley Caldera. As one of the few natural...
Authors
E. E. Brodsky, S. G. Prejean

Movements of walruses radio-tagged in Bristol Bay, Alaska Movements of walruses radio-tagged in Bristol Bay, Alaska

Satellite radio-location data from 57 adult male Pacific walruses (Odobenus rosmarus divergens) were used to estimate haul-out fidelity, broadly describe seasonal foraging distributions, and determine the approximate timing of autumn migration from Bristol Bay, Alaska. Data were collected intermittently during 1987–91 and 1995–2000, primarily during the period from May to October...
Authors
Chadwick V. Jay, Susan Hills

Circumpolar variation in morphological characteristics of Greater White-fronted Geese Anser albifrons Circumpolar variation in morphological characteristics of Greater White-fronted Geese Anser albifrons

Capsule: Greater White-fronted Geese show significant variation in body size from sampling locations throughout their circumpolar breeding range. Aims: To determine the degree of geographical variation in body size of Greater White-fronted Geese and identify factors contributing to any apparent patterns in variation. Methods: Structural measures of >3000 geese from 16 breeding areas...
Authors
Craig R. Ely, A.D. Fox, R.T. Alisauskas, A. Andreev, R.G. Bromley, Andrei G. Degtyarev, B. Ebbinge, E.N. Gurtovaya, R. Kerbes, Alexander V. Kondratyev, I. Kostin, A.V. Krechmar, K.E. Litvin, Y. Miyabayashi, J.H. Moou, R.M. Oates, D.L. Orthmeyer, Yutaka Sabano, S. Gay Simpson, D.V. Solovieva, Michael A. Spindler, Y.V. Syroechkovsky, John Y. Takekawa, A. Walsh

Survival of Western Sandpiper broods on the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, Alaska Survival of Western Sandpiper broods on the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, Alaska

The rate of chick growth in high-latitude breeding shorebirds is rapid, but little is known about the effect of chick mass, growth, and brood movements on subsequent brood survival. To address these topics, we monitored chick growth patterns, daily brood movements, and survival of Western Sandpipers (Calidris mauri) on the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, Alaska. We assessed the effect of chick...
Authors
Daniel R. Ruthrauff, Brian J. McCaffery
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