Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

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

Sustainable fisheries management: Pacific salmon Sustainable fisheries management: Pacific salmon

What has happened to the salmon resource in the Pacific Northwest? Who is responsible and what can be done to reverse the decline in salmon populations? The responsibly falls on everyone involved - fishermen, resource managers and concerned citizens alike - to take the steps necessary to ensure that salmon populations make a full recovery. This collection of papers examines the state of...

Surgical and immediate postrelease mortality of harlequin ducks (Histrionicus histrionicus) implanted with abdominal radio transmitters with percutaneous antennae Surgical and immediate postrelease mortality of harlequin ducks (Histrionicus histrionicus) implanted with abdominal radio transmitters with percutaneous antennae

Radiotelemetry is an essential tool in the study of free-ranging bird populations, and a variety of transmitter-attachment methods have been developed. A promising new method is abdominal implantation of a transmitter with a percutaneous antenna. Researchers using this technique should be concerned about and aware of mortality during surgery and during the immediate postrelease period...
Authors
Daniel M. Mulcahy, Daniel Esler

Reconnaissance geologic map of the Duncan Canal-Zarembo Island area, southeastern Alaska Reconnaissance geologic map of the Duncan Canal-Zarembo Island area, southeastern Alaska

The geologic map of the Duncan Canal-Zarembo Island area is the result of a multidisciplinary investigation of an area where an airborne geophysical survey was flown in the spring of 1997. The area was chosen for the geophysical survey because of its high mineral potential, a conclusion of the Petersburg Mineral Resource Assessment Project, conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey from...
Authors
Susan M. Karl, Peter J. Haeussler, Anne E. McCafferty

The epipelagic fish community of Beaufort Sea coastal waters, Alaska The epipelagic fish community of Beaufort Sea coastal waters, Alaska

A three-year study of epipelagic fishes inhabiting Beaufort Sea coastal waters in Alaska documented spatial and temporal patterns in fish distribution and abundance and examined their relationships to thermohaline features during summer. Significant interannual, seasonal, and geographical differences in surface water temperatures and salinities were observed. In 1990, sea ice was absent...
Authors
L. E. Jarvela, Lyman K. Thorsteinson

Multi-year persistence of oil mousse on high energy beaches distant from the Exxon Valdez spill origin Multi-year persistence of oil mousse on high energy beaches distant from the Exxon Valdez spill origin

For at least 5 yr after the Exxon Valdez spill, relatively unweathered oil mousse has persisted on the exposed rocky shores of Shelikof Strait 500 km from Prince William Sound, Alaska. Previously it was thought that oil would be rapidly removed from such geomorphic settings by wave action. Oil mousse persists at sites in Katmai National Park and Preserve (NP&P) where it was stranded high...
Authors
Gail V. Irvine, Daniel H. Mann, Jeffrey W. Short

Vocalizations of the Kittlitz's Murrelet Vocalizations of the Kittlitz's Murrelet

We present the first documentation of Kittlitz's Murrelet (Brachyramphus brevirostris) vocalizations, based on recordings made in Glacier Bay, Alaska, in 1994. We identified two apparently related types of calls: groan and quack. The Kittlitz's Murrelet calls were markedly different from the most common calls of the congeneric Marbled Murrelet (Brachyramphus marmoratus), but shared...
Authors
Thomas I. van Pelt, John F. Piatt, Gus B. Van Vliet

Behaviour and ecology of sea ducks Behaviour and ecology of sea ducks

In November 1995... a full-day symposium on the biology of sea ducks was held. The papers in this volume were presented at this symposium. It is hoped that by synthesizing this information, more informed management decisions for sea ducks may emerge. The symposium contents help to emphasize the seriousness of some conservation issues facing sea ducks, notably the possible endangerment of...
Authors
R. Ian Goudie, Margaret R. Petersen, Gregory J. Robertson

Geology of Unga Island and the northwestern part of Popof Island: Chapter 2 in A geological and geophysical study of the gold-silver vein system of Unga Island, Southwestern Alaska Geology of Unga Island and the northwestern part of Popof Island: Chapter 2 in A geological and geophysical study of the gold-silver vein system of Unga Island, Southwestern Alaska

The first geologic map of Unga Island was published by Atwood (1911; scale 1:250,000), who correctly inferred the middle Tertiary age of the volcanic rocks and made the important distinction between the lava flows and the intrusive domes. Although Burk's (1964) reconnaissance map of the Alaska Peninsula (scale 1:250,000) has been modified in some respects, it does correct Atwood's map by...
Authors
James R. Riehle, Frederic H. Wilson, Nora B. Shew, Willis H. White

Populations and productivity of seabirds at South Marble Island, Glacier Bay, Alaska, during May-July, 1999 Populations and productivity of seabirds at South Marble Island, Glacier Bay, Alaska, during May-July, 1999

In the course of directed research on glaucous-winged gulls, we investigated the numbers and activities of all breeding and non-breeding seabirds associated with South Marble Island in Glacier Bay, Alaska, during mid-May to late July, 1999. Most observations were made from the island; additional observations were made during transportation to and from the island. Data were collected on...
Authors
Stephani Zador, John F. Piatt

At-sea distribution of Spectacled Eiders: A 120-year-old mystery resolved At-sea distribution of Spectacled Eiders: A 120-year-old mystery resolved

The at-sea distribution of the threatened Spectacled Eider (Somateria fischeri) has remained largely undocumented. We identified migration corridors, staging and molting areas, and wintering areas of adult Spectacled Eiders using implanted satellite-transmitters in birds from each of the three extant breeding grounds (North Slope and Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta in Alaska and arctic Russia)...
Authors
Margaret R. Petersen, William W. Larned, David C. Douglas
Was this page helpful?