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: 3087
Alaska resource data file: Tanana quadrangle Alaska resource data file: Tanana quadrangle
No abstract available.
Authors
David J. Szumigala, Garth E. Graham, Jennifer E. Athey
Recommendations for the use of mist nets for inventory and monitoring of bird populations Recommendations for the use of mist nets for inventory and monitoring of bird populations
We provide recommendations on the best practices for mist netting for the purposes of monitoring population parameters such as abundance and demography. Studies should be carefully thought out before nets are set up, to ensure that sampling design and estimated sample size will allow study objectives to be met. Station location, number of nets, type of nets, net placement, and schedule...
Authors
C. John Ralph, Erica H. Dunn, Will J. Peach, Colleen M. Handel
Sea otter research methods and tools Sea otter research methods and tools
Sea otters possess physical characteristics and life history attributes that provide both opportunity and constraint to their study. Because of their relatively limited diving ability they occur in nearshore marine habitats that are usually viewable from shore, allowing direct observation of most behaviors. Because sea otters live nearshore and forage on benthic invertebrates, foraging...
Authors
James L. Bodkin
Renewed unrest at Mount Spurr Volcano, Alaska Renewed unrest at Mount Spurr Volcano, Alaska
The Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO),a cooperative program of the U.S. Geological Survey, the University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute, and the Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys, has detected unrest at Mount Spurr volcano, located about 125 km west of Anchorage, Alaska, at the northeast end of the Aleutian volcanic arc. This activity consists of increased...
Authors
John A. Power
Identifying marine bird distribution and evaluating visitor impacts Identifying marine bird distribution and evaluating visitor impacts
No abstract available.
Authors
Mayumi L. Arimitsu, Marc D. Romano, John F. Piatt
Diminishing sea ice in the western Arctic Ocean Diminishing sea ice in the western Arctic Ocean
Since the advent of satellite passive microwave radiometry (1978), variations in sea ice extent and concentration have been carefully monitored from space. An estimated 7.4% decrease in sea ice extent has occurred in the last 25 yr (Johannessen et al. 2004), with recent record minima (e.g., Maslanik et al. 1999; Serreze et al. 2003) accounting for much of the decline. Comparisons between...
Authors
R. S. Stone, G. I. Belchansky, Sheldon Drobot, David C. Douglas
Ecological overview of Kenai Fjords National Park Ecological overview of Kenai Fjords National Park
The major drivers of Kenai Fjords ecosystems are tectonics and climate. In this overview, we describe how these forces have contributed to the shaping of the lands and ecosystems of Kenai Fjords. Physically, the park is comprised of several distinct components, set within a broader ecophysical framework that includes the Kenai Peninsula and coastal marine waters and islands. Squeezed...
Authors
Page Spencer, Gail V. Irvine
A quantitative approach to identifying predators from nest remains A quantitative approach to identifying predators from nest remains
Nesting success of Dusky Canada Geese (Branta canadensis occidentalis) has declined greatly since a major earthquake affected southern Alaska in 1964. To identify nest predators, we collected predation data at goose nests and photographs of predators at natural nests containing artificial eggs in 1997-2000. To document feeding behavior by nest predators, we compiled the evidence from...
Authors
R. Michael Anthony, J.B. Grand, T.F. Fondell, B.F. Manly
Reaction rim growth on olivine in silicic melts: Implications for magma mixing Reaction rim growth on olivine in silicic melts: Implications for magma mixing
Finely crystalline amphibole or pyroxene rims that form during reaction between silicic host melt and cognate olivine xenocrysts, newly introduced during magma mixing events, can provide information about the timing between mixing and volcanic eruptions. We investigated rim growth experimentally by placing forsteritic olivine in rhyolitic and rhyodacitic melts for times between 25 and...
Authors
Michelle L. Coombs, James E. Gardner
Phase II Report, Vital Signs Monitoring Plan, Southwest Alaska Network Phase II Report, Vital Signs Monitoring Plan, Southwest Alaska Network
No abstract available.
Authors
A.J. Bennett, K.L. Oakley, D.C. Mortenson
Interactions of brown bears, Ursus arctos, and gray wolves, Canis lupus, at Katmai National Park and Preserve, Alaska Interactions of brown bears, Ursus arctos, and gray wolves, Canis lupus, at Katmai National Park and Preserve, Alaska
We describe several encounters between Brown Bears (Ursus arctos) and Gray Wolves (Canis lupus) that were observed at Katmai National Park and Preserve in southwest Alaska. Katmai Brown Bears and Gray Wolves were observed interacting in a variety of behavioral modes that ranged from agonistic to tolerant. These observations provide additional insight regarding the behavioral plasticity...
Authors
Tom S. Smith, Steven T. Partridge, John W. Schoen
Early environment and recruitment of black brant (Branta bernicla nigricans) into the breeding population Early environment and recruitment of black brant (Branta bernicla nigricans) into the breeding population
In geese, growth regulates survival in the first year. We examined whether early growth, which is primarily governed by environmental conditions, also affects the probability that individuals that survive their first year enter the breeding population. We used logistic regression on a sample of Black Brant (Branta bernicla nigricans) that were weighed at a known age in their first summer...
Authors
James S. Sedinger, Mark P. Herzog, David H. Ward