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: 3090
The Emperor Goose: An annotated bibliography The Emperor Goose: An annotated bibliography
This bibliography contains more than 500 published and unpublished references relevant to the emperor goose (Chen canagica). The referenced works date from the early exploration of Beringia and Alaska through the formal description of the species in 1802 to 1993.
Authors
Robert F. Rockwell, Margaret R. Petersen, Joel A. Schmutz
Migration, fidelity, and use of autumn staging grounds in Alaska by Cackling Canada Geese Branta canadensis minima Migration, fidelity, and use of autumn staging grounds in Alaska by Cackling Canada Geese Branta canadensis minima
Cackling Canada Geese were studied annually (1985-88) on autumn migration staging areas in Alaska during a period of rapid population growth. Geese concentrated at two estuaries (Ugashik Bay and Cinder Lagoon) along the north side of the Alaska Peninsula. Birds arrived on the staging areas in late September, numbers peaked during mid-October, and departure occurred by late October or...
Authors
Robert E. Gill, Christopher Babcock, Colleen M. Handel, William R. Butler, Dennis G. Raveling
Assessing variability and trends in Arctic sea ice distribution using satellite data Assessing variability and trends in Arctic sea ice distribution using satellite data
Trends in the annual minimum, minimum monthly-mean, and the sea ice extent at the end of August were investigated for the Barents and western Kara Seas and adjacent parts of the Arctic Ocean during 1966 to 1994 using data from Russian ice maps (1974-1994), Kosmos-Okean and ALMAZ SAR satellite series (1984-1994), and published literature. Four definitions of sea ice extent were examined...
Authors
G. I. Belchansky, Ilia N. Mordvintsev, David C. Douglas
Allocation of limited reserves to a clutch: A model explaining the lack of a relationship between clutch size and egg size Allocation of limited reserves to a clutch: A model explaining the lack of a relationship between clutch size and egg size
Lack (1967, 1968) proposed that clutch size in waterfowl is limited by the nutrients available to females when producing eggs. He suggested that if nutrients available for clutch formation are limited, then species producing small eggs would, on average, lay more eggs than species with large eggs. Rohwer (1988) argues that this model should also apply within species. Thus, the nutrition...
Authors
Paul L. Flint, J. Barry Grand, James S. Sedinger
Renesting ecology of northern pintails on the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, Alaska Renesting ecology of northern pintails on the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, Alaska
We used radio telemetry to study renesting by wild, free-ranging Northern Pintails (Anas acuta) on the coastal Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta in 1994 and 1995. Fifty-six percent of females (n = 39) renested at least once. Propensity to renest declined among females that initiated later first nests. Renesting interval was not related to female weight, year, or initiation date of first nests. Mean...
Authors
J. Barry Grand, Paul L. Flint
Evidence from cytochrome b sequences and allozymes for a new species of alcid: The long-billed murrelet (Brachyramphus perdix) Evidence from cytochrome b sequences and allozymes for a new species of alcid: The long-billed murrelet (Brachyramphus perdix)
Marbled Murrelets (Brachyramphus marmoratus) are coastal seabirds that breed predominantly in old-growth forest throughout the North Pacific. Presently they are classified into two phenotypically distinct subspecies: one in North America (B. m. marmoratus) and one in Asia (B. m. perdix). The Asian form was classified as a separate species in 1811, but was lumped with B. marmoratus during...
Authors
Vicki L. Friesen, John F. Piatt, Allan J. Baker
Alaska resource data file: Mount Michelson quadrangle Alaska resource data file: Mount Michelson quadrangle
No abstract available.
Authors
J. S. Kelly
Population, reproduction, and foraging of pigeon guillemots at Naked Island, Alaska, before and after the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Population, reproduction, and foraging of pigeon guillemots at Naked Island, Alaska, before and after the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill
After the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill in Prince William Sound, Alaska, we studied pigeon guillemots Cepphus columba breeding just 30 km from the grounding site. The postspill population was 43% smaller than the prespill population, but we could not attribute the entire decline to the spill because a decline in this guillemot population may have predated the spill. However, relative...
Authors
Karen L. Oakley, Kathy J. Kuletz
Sea birds as proxies of marine habitats and food webs in the western Aleutian Arc Sea birds as proxies of marine habitats and food webs in the western Aleutian Arc
We propose that ocean conditions of the Near Islands in the western Aleutian Arc mimic those of the shallow continental shelf of the eastern Bering Sea to the extent that the marine community, including assemblages of forage fishes and their avian predators, has distinctly coastal characteristics. In contrast, marine avifauna and their prey at neighbouring Buldir Island are distinctly...
Authors
Alan M. Springer, John F. Piatt, Gus B. Van Vliet
Demographic characteristics of molting black brant near Teshekpuk Lake, Alaska Demographic characteristics of molting black brant near Teshekpuk Lake, Alaska
Molting Brant in the Teshekpuk Lake Special Area (TLSA) on the Arctic Coastal Plain of Alaska were studied from 1987 to 1992 using capture-mark-recapture techniques to determine origin, age and sex composition, return rates and site fidelity. Brant originated from 10 nesting colonies in Canada and Alaska. The captured birds were 76% adults and 57% males. Ninety-one percent of
Authors
K.S. Bollinger, D.V. Derksen
Black brant from Alaska staging and wintering in Japan Black brant from Alaska staging and wintering in Japan
Black brant (Branta bernicla nigricans) nest in colonies in arctic Canada, Alaska, and Russia (Derksen and Ward 1993, Sedinger et al. 1993). Virtually the entire population stages in fall at Izembek Lagoon near the tip of the Alaska Peninsula (Bellrose 1976) before southward migration (Dau 1992) to winter habitats in British Columbia, Washington, Oregon, California, and Baja California
Authors
Dirk V. Derksen, K.S. Bollinger, David H. Ward, J.S. Sedinger, Y. Miyabayashi
Mass and body-dimension relationships of polar bears in northern Alaska Mass and body-dimension relationships of polar bears in northern Alaska
Models developed from morphometric parameters are useful for estimating body mass (M) of captured wild ursids. The accuracy of those models, however, may depend on sex, season, and geographic location of the population. We tested the suitability of reported models to predict mass of polar bears (Ursus maritimus) captured in northern Alaska, but found that models developed for other...
Authors
George M. Durner, Steven C. Amstrup