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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

Alaska resource data file: Valdez quadrangle Alaska resource data file: Valdez quadrangle

The data presented here are maintained as part of a statewide database on mines, prospects and mineral occurrences throughout Alaska.
Authors
Travis L. Hudson

Sea otter studies in Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve: annual report 2002 Sea otter studies in Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve: annual report 2002

Since 1995, the number of sea otters in Glacier Bay proper has increased from around 5 to more than 1200. Sea otter distribution is mostly limited to the Lower Bay, south of Sandy Cove, and is not continuous within that area. Concentrations occur in the vicinity of Sita Reef and Boulder Island and between Pt. Carolus and Rush Pt. on the west side of the Bay, although there have been...
Authors
James L. Bodkin, Kimberly A. Kloecker, George G. Esslinger, Daniel H. Monson, Heather A. Coletti, Janet Doherty

Mantle and Crustal Sources of Carbon, Nitrogen, and Noble gases in Cascade-Range and Aleutian-Arc Volcanic gases Mantle and Crustal Sources of Carbon, Nitrogen, and Noble gases in Cascade-Range and Aleutian-Arc Volcanic gases

Here we report anhydrous chemical (CO2, H2S, N2, H2, CH4, O2, Ar, He, Ne) and isotopic (3He/4He, 40Ar/36Ar, δ13C of CO2, δ13C of CH4, δ15N) compositions of virtually airfree gas samples collected between 1994 and 1998 from 12 quiescent but potentially restless volcanoes in the Cascade Range and Aleutian Arc (CRAA). Sample sites include ≤173°C fumaroles and springs at Mount Shasta, Mount...
Authors
Robert B. Symonds, Robert J. Poreda, William C. Evans, Cathy J. Janik, Beatrice E. Ritchie

Scrubbing masks magmatic degassing during repose at Cascade-Range and Aleutian-Arc volcanoes Scrubbing masks magmatic degassing during repose at Cascade-Range and Aleutian-Arc volcanoes

Between 1992 and 1998, we sampled gas discharges from ≤173°C fumaroles and springs at 12 quiescent but potentially restless volcanoes in the Cascade Range and Aleutian Arc (CRAA) including Mount Shasta, Mount Hood, Mount St. Helens, Mount Rainier, Mount Baker, Augustine Volcano, Mount Griggs, Trident, Mount Mageik, Aniakchak Crater, Akutan, and Makushin. For each site, we collected and...
Authors
Robert B. Symonds, C. J. Janik, William C. Evans, B.E. Ritchie, Dale Counce, R.J. Poreda, Mark Iven

Assessing chick growth from a single visit to a seabird colony Assessing chick growth from a single visit to a seabird colony

We tested an approach to the collection of seabird chick growth data that utilizes a one-time sampling of chick measurements obtained during a single visit to a seabird colony. We assessed the development of Black-legged Kittiwake Rissa tridactyla chicks from a sample of measurements made on a single day during six years and compared these results to linear growth rates (g/day)...
Authors
J. Benson, R.M. Suryan, John F. Piatt

Winter habitat use by female caribou in relation to wildland fires in interior Alaska Winter habitat use by female caribou in relation to wildland fires in interior Alaska

The role of wildland fire in the winter habitat use of caribou (Rangifer tarandus) has long been debated. Fire has been viewed as detrimental to caribou because it destroys the slow-growing climax forage lichens that caribou utilize in winter. Other researchers argued that caribou were not reliant on lichens and that fire may be beneficial, even in the short term. We evaluated the...
Authors
Kyle Joly, Bruce W. Dale, William B. Collins, Layne G. Adams

Phylogeography of Canada Geese (Branta canadensis) in western North America Phylogeography of Canada Geese (Branta canadensis) in western North America

Using molecular genetic markers that differ in mode of inheritance and rate of evolution, we examined levels and partitioning of genetic variation for seven nominal subspecies (11 breeding populations) of Canada Geese (Branta canadensis) in western North America. Gene trees constructed from mtDNA control region sequence data show that subspecies of Canada Geese do not have distinct mtDNA...
Authors
Kim T. Scribner, Sandra L. Talbot, John M. Pearce, Barbara J. Pierson, K.S. Bollinger, Dirk V. Derksen

Living on the edge: Distribution of Dungeness crab Cancer magister in a recently deglaciated fjord Living on the edge: Distribution of Dungeness crab Cancer magister in a recently deglaciated fjord

Glacier Bay, Alaska, has supported a productive Dungeness crab fishery, although the area where the fishery occurred was small relative to the remainder of the Bay. We hypothesized that 1 or more abiotic limiting factors prevented crabs from surviving in the upper Bay. We tested this hypothesis by systematically sampling for relative abundance of Dungeness crabs from the mouth to the...
Authors
S. James Taggart, P.N. Hooge, Jennifer Mondragon, Elizabeth Ross Hooge, A.G. Andrews

Large woody debris and flow resistance in step-pool channels, Cascade Range, Washington Large woody debris and flow resistance in step-pool channels, Cascade Range, Washington

Total flow resistance, measured as Darcy-Weisbach f, in 20 step-pool channels with large woody debris (LWD) in Washington, ranged from 5 to 380 during summer low flows. Step risers in the study streams consist of either (1) large and relatively immobile woody debris, bedrock, or roots that form fixed, or “forced,” steps, or (2) smaller and relatively mobile wood or clasts, or a mixture...
Authors
Janet H. Curran, Ellen E. Wohl

Unlocking the secrets of Lake Clark sockeye salmon Unlocking the secrets of Lake Clark sockeye salmon

Sockeye salmon are a cornerstone species in many Alaska watersheds. Each summer, adults lay eggs in rocky nests called “redds,” and they die soon after. In spring, their fry emerge from gravels and then rear in a nearby freshwater lake for one year or more before migrating as smolt to the sea. During this smolt phase, an olfactory map of their route is imprinted on their memories...
Authors
Carol Ann Woody

[Book Review] Biology of marine birds [Book Review] Biology of marine birds

A text devoted to the biology and ecology of marine birds has not been published in the last 15 years. Although a number of more taxa-specific texts have been produced during that period, there has not been a single publication that attempted to review our knowledge of all the major seabird orders since the works of Nelson (1979), Croxall (1987), and Furness and Monaghan (1987)...
Authors
Patrick G.R. Jodice, Daniel D. Roby, Michelle Antolos, Donald E. Lyons, Daniel Rizzolo, Sadie K. Wright, Cynthia D. Anderson, Scott K. Anderson, S. Kim Nelson, Adrian E. Gall, Liv Wennerberg
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