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: 3099
Juvenile groundfish habitat in Kachemak Bay, Alaska, during late summer Juvenile groundfish habitat in Kachemak Bay, Alaska, during late summer
We investigated the habitat of juvenile groundfishes in relation to depth, water temperature, and salinity in Kachemak Bay, Alaska. Stations ranging in depth from 10 to 70 m and with sand or mud-sand substrates were sampled with a small-meshed beam trawl in August-September of 1994 to 1999. A total of 8,201 fishes were captured, comprising at least 52 species. Most fishes (91%) had a...
Authors
Alisa A. Abookire, John F. Piatt, Brenda L. Norcross
Alaska resource data file: Goodnews Bay quadrangle Alaska resource data file: Goodnews Bay quadrangle
No abstract available.
Authors
Travis Hudson
Alaska resource data file: Stepovak Bay quadrangle Alaska resource data file: Stepovak Bay quadrangle
No abstract available.
Authors
S. H. Pilcher
Alaska resource data file: Cordova quadrangle Alaska resource data file: Cordova quadrangle
No abstract available.
Authors
S.W. Nelson
Seven-year phenological record of the Alaskan ecoregions derived from advanced very high resolution radiometer normalized difference vegetation index data Seven-year phenological record of the Alaskan ecoregions derived from advanced very high resolution radiometer normalized difference vegetation index data
Seasonal properties of vegetation covering northern boreal and arctic landscapes are considered important as input to numerous climate change studies. In this study, multitemporal phenological characteristics of Alaskan vegetation were studied for the State as a whole, and 19 of 20 ecoregions were studied using seasonally truncated, composited advanced very high resolution radiometer...
Authors
Carl J. Markon
Utility of stable isotope analysis in studying foraging ecology of herbivores: Examples from moose and caribou Utility of stable isotope analysis in studying foraging ecology of herbivores: Examples from moose and caribou
Recently, researchers emphasized that patterns of stable isotope ratios observed at the individual level are a result of an interaction between ecological, physiological, and biochemical processes. Isotopic models for herbivores provide additional complications because those mammals consume foods that have high variability in nitrogen concentrations. In addition, distribution of amino...
Authors
Merav Ben-David, Einav Shochat, Layne G. Adams
Corticosterone facilitates begging and affects resource allocation in the black-legged kittiwake Corticosterone facilitates begging and affects resource allocation in the black-legged kittiwake
Parent black-legged kittiwakes (Rissa tridactyla) and their dependent chicks respond to food shortages by increasing circulating levels of corticosterone. To examine the behavioral significance of corticosterone release, we experimentally increased levels of circulating corticosterone in parents and chicks up to the levels observed during food shortages. We found that corticosterone...
Authors
Alexander S Kitaysky, John C. Wingfield, John F. Piatt
Intraspecific variation in nutrient reserve use during clutch formation by Lesser Scaup Intraspecific variation in nutrient reserve use during clutch formation by Lesser Scaup
We studied nutrient reserve dynamics of female Lesser Scaup (Aythya affinis) to identify sources of intraspecific variation in strategies of nutrient acquisition for meeting the high nutritional and energetic costs of egg formation. We collected data from interior Alaska and combined these with data for Lesser Scaup from midcontinent breeding areas (Afton and Ankney 1991), allowing a...
Authors
Daniel Esler, J. Barry Grand, Alan D. Afton
Critical habitat for ovigerous Dungeness crabs Critical habitat for ovigerous Dungeness crabs
The Dungeness crab, Cancer magister, supports an important fishery in the northeastern Pacific Ocean, yet there is limited knowledge of ovigerous female brooding locations and brooding behavior. Our earlier research suggests that ovigerous crabs aggregate at the same brooding locations for many years. Within these locations, ovigerous females occur in high densities, with the majority of...
Authors
Karen Scheding, Thomas C. Shirley, Charles E. O’Clair, S. James Taggart
Alaska resource data files: Fairbanks quadrangle Alaska resource data files: Fairbanks quadrangle
No abstract available.
Authors
Curtis J. Freeman, Janet Schaefer
Areal distribution, thickness, mass, volume, and grain size of tephra-fall deposits from the 1992 eruptions of Crater Peak vent, Mt. Spurr Volcano, Alaska Areal distribution, thickness, mass, volume, and grain size of tephra-fall deposits from the 1992 eruptions of Crater Peak vent, Mt. Spurr Volcano, Alaska
The Crater Peak flank vent of Mount Spurr volcano erupted June 27, August 18, and September 16-17, 1992. The three eruptions were similar in intensity (vulcanian to subplinian eruption columns reaching up to 14 km Above Sea Level) and duration (3.5 to 4.0 hours) and produced tephra-fall deposits (12, 14, 15 x 106 m3 Dense Rock Equivalent [DRE]) discernible up to 1,000 km downwind. The...
Authors
Robert G. McGimsey, Christina A. Neal, Colleen M. Riley
Cost considerations for long-term ecological monitoring Cost considerations for long-term ecological monitoring
For an ecological monitoring program to be successful over the long-term, the perceived benefits of the information must justify the cost. Financial limitations will always restrict the scope of a monitoring program, hence the program's focus must be carefully prioritized. Clearly identifying the costs and benefits of a program will assist in this prioritization process, but this is...
Authors
L. Caughlan, K.L. Oakley