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: 3111
Male traits, mating tactics and reproductive success in the buff-breasted sandpiper, Tryngites subruficollis Male traits, mating tactics and reproductive success in the buff-breasted sandpiper, Tryngites subruficollis
Buff-breasted sandpipers use a variety of mating tactics to acquire mates, including remaining at a single lek for most of the breeding season, attending multiple leks during the season, displaying solitarily or displaying both on leks and solitarily. We found that differences in body size, body condition, fluctuating asymmetry scores, wing coloration, territory location and behaviour...
Authors
Richard B. Lanctot, Patrick J. Weatherhead, Bart Kempenaers, Kim T. Scribner
Effect of implanted satellite transmitters on the nesting behavior of Murres Effect of implanted satellite transmitters on the nesting behavior of Murres
We implanted 6 Common Murres (Uria aalge) and 10 Thick-billed Murres (Uria lomvia) with satellite transmitters and compared subsequent presence at the colony, nesting status, and provisioning to a control group that underwent a simple surgical procedure. In the 10 days following implantation, we resighted 10 of 11 control birds at the colony and 6 of 16 implanted birds. Of the birds that...
Authors
P.M. Meyers, Scott A. Hatch, D.M. Mulcahy
Selection of forage-fish schools by Murrelets and Tufted Puffins in Prince William Sound, Alaska Selection of forage-fish schools by Murrelets and Tufted Puffins in Prince William Sound, Alaska
We collected hydroacoustic and bird-observation data simultaneously along transects in three areas in Prince William Sound, Alaska, 21 July-11 August 1995. The probability of the association of fish schools with Marbled Murrelets (Brachyramphus marmoratus) and Tufted Puffins (Fratercula cirrhata) was determined through the use of resource selection functions based on logistic regression...
Authors
William D. Ostrand, Kenneth O. Coyle, Gary S. Drew, John M. Maniscalco, David B. Irons
Forage site selection by lesser snow geese during autumn staging on the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Alaska Forage site selection by lesser snow geese during autumn staging on the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Alaska
Lesser snow geese (Chen caerulescens caerulescens) of the Western Canadian Arctic Population feed intensively for 2-4 weeks on the coastal plain of the Beaufort Sea in Canada and Alaska at the beginning of their autumn migration. Petroleum leasing proposed for the Alaskan portion of the staging area on the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) could affect staging habitats and their use...
Authors
Jerry W. Hupp, Donna G. Robertson
Density-dependent effects on growth, body size, and clutch size in Black Brant Density-dependent effects on growth, body size, and clutch size in Black Brant
We documented gosling size in late summer, adult body size, and clutch size of known-age Black Brant (Branta bernicla nigricans) females nesting on the Tutakoke River colony between 1986 and 1995. During this period, the colony increased from 1,100 to >5,000 nesting pairs. Gosling mass at 30 days of age declined from 764 ± SE of 13 g and 723 ± 15 g for males and females, respectively, in...
Authors
James S. Sedinger, Mark S. Lindberg, Brian T. Person, Michael W. Eichholz, Mark P. Herzog, Paul L. Flint
A drift experiment to assess the influence of wind on recovery of oiled seabirds on St Paul Island, Alaska A drift experiment to assess the influence of wind on recovery of oiled seabirds on St Paul Island, Alaska
We used wooden blocks to estimate the proportion of oiled seabird carcasses that were likely to be recovered on beaches of St Paul Island, Alaska following a near-shore oil spill. We released a total of 302 blocks 6 km north of the island in 1997 at the site of a 17 II 1996 oil spill. We used a paired design and released half the blocks when the winds were onshore and released the second...
Authors
Paul L. Flint, A. C. Fowler
Caribou distribution during the post-calving period in relation to infrastructure in the Prudhoe Bay oil field, Alaska Caribou distribution during the post-calving period in relation to infrastructure in the Prudhoe Bay oil field, Alaska
There is concern that caribou (Rangifer tarandus) may avoid roads and facilities (i.e., infrastructure) in the Prudhoe Bay oil field (PBOF) in northern Alaska, and that this avoidance can have negative effects on the animals. We quantified the relationship between caribou distribution and PBOF infrastructure during the post-calving period (mid-June to mid-August) with aerial surveys from...
Authors
Matthew A. Cronin, Steven C. Amstrup, George M. Durner, Lynn E. Noel, Trent L. McDonald, Warren B. Ballard
Paleozoic orogens in New England, USA Paleozoic orogens in New England, USA
Stratigraphy and isotope geochronology in the crystalline core of the Appalachians suggest revised interpretations of the extent, nature and timing of Paleozoic orogens in New England. Five major episodes of magmatism, deformation, and high-grade regional metamorphism are recognized: Taconian (455-442 Ma), Acadian (423-385 Ma), Neo-Acadian (366-350 Ma), Late Pennsylvanian (300-290 Ma)...
Authors
Peter Robinson, Robert D. Tucker, Dwight Bradley, H. N. Berry, P. H. Osberg
Birds of the Indigirka River Delta, Russia: Historical and biogeographic comparisons Birds of the Indigirka River Delta, Russia: Historical and biogeographic comparisons
We documented the breeding status and relative abundance of all avian species on the coastal portion of the Indigirka River Delta during spring and summer 1993-95. Data on avifaunal composition were then compared to data from adjacent areas from Eastern Siberia to the Chukotka Peninsula to evaluate how species composition changes longitudinally within the arctic and typical tundra zones...
Authors
John M. Pearce, Daniel Esler, Andrei G. Degtyarev
Polar bears of the Severnaya Zemlya Archipelago of the Russian Arctic Polar bears of the Severnaya Zemlya Archipelago of the Russian Arctic
No abstract available.
Authors
Stanislav Belikov, G.W. Garner, O. Wiig, Andrei N. Boltunov, Y.A. Gorbunov
Serum biochemistry of captive and free-ranging gray wolves (Canis lupus) Serum biochemistry of captive and free-ranging gray wolves (Canis lupus)
Normal serum biochemistry values are frequently obtained from studies of captive sedentary (zoo) or free-ranging (wild) animals. It is frequently assumed that values from these two populations are directly referable to each other. We tested this assumption using 20 captive gray wolves (Canis lupus) in Minnesota, USA, and 11 free-ranging gray wolves in Alaska, USA. Free-ranging wolves had...
Authors
Peter Constable, Ken Hinchcliff, Nick Demma, Margaret Callahan, B.W. Dale, Kevin Fox, Layne G. Adams, Ray Wack, Lynn Kramer
Timing and synchrony of parturition in Alaska caribou Timing and synchrony of parturition in Alaska caribou
Timing of parturition of caribou (Rangifer tarandus) varies within populations, but the relative influences of nutritional condition of females during the autumn breeding season and during gestation on that variation is not known. We determined timing of parturition of caribou in Denali National Park, Alaska, during 1984–1995, which had wide variation in snowfall that influenced...
Authors
Layne G. Adams, Bruce W. Dale