Publications

Basaltic glass grains from the submarine south flank of Kı̄lauea, Hawai′i, have Cl concentrations of 0.01–1.68 wt%, the latter being the highest Cl content yet recorded for a Hawaiian glass. The high-Cl glass grains are products of brine assimilation by tholeiite magma. The glasses are grains in a sandstone clast from bedded breccias draping the southwestern margin of Kı̄lauea’s...

St. Matthew Island (60°24' N, 172°42' W) is located in the north-central Bering Sea and is renowned for its distinctive Beringian flora and fauna. Because of its central position between the coasts of Russia and Alaska, St. Matthew Island and its nearby satellites, Hall and Pinnacle islands, support a mixture of Palearctic and Nearctic avifaunas. Of special interest to North American

The fundamental force behind population change is the balance between age-specific survival and reproductive rates. Thus, understanding population demographics is crucial when trying to interpret trends in population change over time. For many species, demographic rates change as the population’s status (i.e., relative to prey resources) varies. Indices of body condition indicative of...

The study of foraging ecology plays a central role in our understanding of animal populations and natural communities, and can also provide information necessary for the effective conservation of rare or endangered species. Sea otter researchers are interested in foraging ecology for many different reasons, but for heuristic purposes we identify three general types of research questions...

Concentrations of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in eggs of common and thick-billed murres (Uria aalge and U. lomvia) from five Alaskan nesting colonies were dominated by 4,4‘-DDE, total polychlorinated biphenyls (ΣPCBs; 46 congeners comprised mainly of PCB congeners 153, 118, 138, 99, and 151), hexachlorobenzene (HCB), β-hexachlorocyclohexane (β-HCH), and chlordane compounds (ΣCHL...

The objective of this paper is to review research conducted over the past decade on the application of multi-temporal remote sensing for monitoring changes of Arctic tundra lands. Emphasis is placed on results from the National Science Foundation Land–Air–Ice Interactions (LAII) program and on optical remote sensing techniques. Case studies demonstrate that ground-level sensors on...

Baird's Sandpipers Calidris bairdii were found nesting in alpine habitat in southwestern Alaska (60°48'N, 154°00'W), almost 250 km from the nearest known breeding site, and studied over three consecutive seasons, 1997-1999. The first birds arrived during the second week of May each spring with peak numbers recorded the third week of May. Most nests and newly hatched broods were found on...

No abstract available.

First-year survival has important implications for the structure and growth of populations. We examined variation in seasonal survival of first-year Pacific Black Brant (Branta bernicla nigricans) marked late in summer in Alaska at two brood-rearing areas on the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta (Tutakoke and Kokechik) and one area on the Arctic Coastal Plain to provide insight into the magnitude...

The Mw 7.9 Denali fault earthquake in central Alaska of 3 November 2002 triggered earthquakes across western North America at epicentral distances of up to at least 3660 km. We describe the spatial and temporal development of triggered activity in California and the Pacific Northwest, focusing on Mount Rainier, the Geysers geothermal field, the Long Valley caldera, and the Coso...

We studied reproductive costs of Black-legged Kittiwakes (Rissa tridactyla) in Prince William Sound, Alaska (USA) by removing entire clutches from randomly selected nests over four successive years, and then contrasting survival and fecundity of adults from manipulated and unmanipulated nests in each subsequent year. To elucidate mechanisms that lead to the expression of reproductive...

In 1996, we measured concentrations of arsenic, barium, cadmium, lead, mercury, and selenium in blood of adult king (Somateria spectabilis) and spectacled (Somateria fischeri) eiders and duckling spectacled eiders from northern Alaska, USA. Concentrations of selenium exceeded background levels in all adults sampled and 9 of 12 ducklings. Mercury was detected in all adult spectacled...