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: 3087
Is the grass always greener? Land surface phenology reveals differences in peak and season-long vegetation productivity responses to climate and management Is the grass always greener? Land surface phenology reveals differences in peak and season-long vegetation productivity responses to climate and management
Vegetation phenology—the seasonal timing and duration of vegetative phases—is controlled by spatiotemporally variable contributions of climatic and environmental factors plus additional potential influence from human management. We used land surface phenology derived from the Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer and climate data to examine variability in vegetation productivity and
Authors
David J. A. Wood, Scott Powell, Paul C. Stoy, Lindsey Thurman, Erik A. Beever
Response of forage plants to alteration of temperature and spring thaw date: Implications for geese in a warming Arctic Response of forage plants to alteration of temperature and spring thaw date: Implications for geese in a warming Arctic
Changes in summer temperatures in Arctic Alaska have led to longer and warmer growing seasons over the last three decades. Corresponding with these changes in climate, the abundance and distributions of geese have increased and expanded over the same period. We used an experimental approach to assess the response of goose forage plants to simulated environmental change. We subjected...
Authors
Paul L. Flint, Brandt W. Meixell
Managing for RADical ecosystem change: Applying the Resist-Accept-Direct (RAD) framework Managing for RADical ecosystem change: Applying the Resist-Accept-Direct (RAD) framework
Ecosystem transformation involves the emergence of persistent ecological or social–ecological systems that diverge, dramatically and irreversibly, from prior ecosystem structure and function. Such transformations are occurring at increasing rates across the planet in response to changes in climate, land use, and other factors. Consequently, a dynamic view of ecosystem processes that...
Authors
Abigail J. Lynch, Laura Thompson, Erik A. Beever, Augustin C. Engman, Cat Hawkins Hoffman, Stephen T. Jackson, Trevor J. Krabbenhoft, David J Lawrence, Douglas Limpinsel, Robert T. Magill, Tracy Melvin, John M. Morton, Robert Newman, Jay Peterson, Mark T. Porath, Frank J. Rahel, Gregor Schuurman, Suresh Sethi, Jennifer L. Wilkening
Factors influencing distributional shifts and abundance at the range core of a climate-sensitive mammal Factors influencing distributional shifts and abundance at the range core of a climate-sensitive mammal
Species are frequently responding to contemporary climate change by shifting to higher elevations and poleward to track suitable climate space. However, depending on local conditions and species’ sensitivity, the nature of these shifts can be highly variable and difficult to predict. Here, we examine how the American pika (Ochotona princeps), a philopatric, montane lagomorph, responds to...
Authors
Peter D Billman, Erik A. Beever, Dave B. McWethy, Lindsey Thurman, Kenny C Wilson
Predicting wildfire impacts on the prehistoric archaeological record of the Jemez Mountains, New Mexico, USA Predicting wildfire impacts on the prehistoric archaeological record of the Jemez Mountains, New Mexico, USA
Wildfires of uncharacteristic severity, a consequence of climate changes and accumulated fuels, can cause amplified or novel impacts to archaeological resources. The archaeological record includes physical features associated with human activity; these exist within ecological landscapes and provide a unique long-term perspective on human–environment interactions. The potential for fire...
Authors
Megan Friggens, Rachel A. Loehman, Connie Constan, Rebekah Kneifel
The Sedimentary Geochemistry and Paleoenvironments Project The Sedimentary Geochemistry and Paleoenvironments Project
Geobiology explores how Earth's system has changed over the course of geologic history and how living organisms on this planet are impacted by or are indeed causing these changes. For decades, geologists, paleontologists, and geochemists have generated data to investigate these topics. Foundational efforts in sedimentary geochemistry utilized spreadsheets for data storage and analysis...
Authors
Una Farrell, Rifaat Samawi, Savitha Anjanappa, Roman Klykov, Oyeleye Adeboye, Heda Agic, Anne-Sofie Ahm, Thomas Boag, Fred Bowyer, Jochen J. Brocks, Tessa Brunoir, Donald Canfield, Xiaoyan Chen, Meng Cheng, Matthew Clarkson, Devon B. Cole, David Cordie, Peter W. Crockford, Huan Cui, Tais Dahl, Lucas Del Mouro, Keith Dewing, Stephen Dornbos, Nadja Drabon, Julie A. Dumoulin, Jospeh Emmings, Cecilia R. Endringa, Tiffani A. Fraser, Robert R. Gaines, Richard M. Gaschnig, Timothy M. Gibson, Geoffrey J. Gilleaudeau, Benjamin C. Gill, Karin Goldberg, Romain Guilbaud, Galen P. Halverson, Emma U. Hammarlund, Kalev G. Hantsoo, Miles A. Henderson, Malcolm S. W. Hodgskiss, Tristan Horner, Jon M. Husson, Benjamin Johnson, Pavel Kabanov, C. Brenhin Keller, Julien Kimmig, Michael A. Kipp, Andrew H. Knoll, Timmu Kreitsmann, Marcus Kunzmann, Florian Kurzweil, Matthew A. LeRoy, Chao Li, Alex Lipp, David K. Loydell, Xinze Lu, Francis A. Macdonald, Joseph M. Magnall, Kaarel Mand, Akshay Mehra, Michael J. Melchin, Austin J. Miller, Chiza N. Mwinde, Brennan O’Connell, Lawrence M. Och, Frantz Ossa Ossa, Anais Pages, Kart Paiste, Camille A. Partin, Shanan Peters, Peter Petrov, Tiffany L. Playter, Stephanie Plaza-Torres, Susannah M. Porter, Simon W. Poulton, Sara B. Pruss, Sylvain Richoz, Samantha R. Ritzer, Alan D. Rooney, Swapan K. Sahoo, Shane D. Schoepfer, Judith A. Sclafani, Yanan Shen, Oliver Shorttle, Sarah P. Slotznick, Emily F. Smith, Sam Spinks, Richard G. Stockey, J. V. Strauss, Eva E. Stueken, Sabrina Tecklenburg, Danielle Thomson, N. J. Tosca, Gabriel J. Uhlein, Maoli N. Vizcaino, Huajian Wang, Tristan White, Philip R. Wilby, Christina R. Woltz, Rachel A. Wood, Lei Xiang, Inessa A. Yurchenko, Tianran Zhang, Noah J. Planavsky, Kimberly V. Lau, David T. Johnston, Erik A. Sperling
Human-polar bear interactions Human-polar bear interactions
Human-wildlife interactions (HWI) are driven fundamentally by overlapping space and resources. As competition intensifies, the likelihood of interaction and conflict increases. In turn, conflict may impede conservation efforts by lowering social tolerance of wildlife, especially when human-wildlife conflict (HWC) poses a threat to human safety and economic well-being. Thus, mitigating...
Authors
Todd C. Atwood, James Wilder
Sea otter foraging behavior Sea otter foraging behavior
Sea otters are marine specialists but diet generalists, which feed primarily on benthic mega-invertebrates (i.e., body dimension >1 cm). They locate and capture epibenthic and infaunal prey with their forepaws by relying on vision and tactile sensitivity during short-duration dives (generally
Authors
Randall W. Davis, James L. Bodkin
The petrologic and degassing behavior of sulfur and other magmatic volatiles from the 2018 eruption of Kīlauea, Hawaiʻi: Melt concentrations, magma storage depths, and magma recycling The petrologic and degassing behavior of sulfur and other magmatic volatiles from the 2018 eruption of Kīlauea, Hawaiʻi: Melt concentrations, magma storage depths, and magma recycling
Kīlauea Volcano’s 2018 lower East Rift Zone (LERZ) eruption produced exceptionally high lava effusion rates and record-setting SO2 emissions. The eruption involved a diverse range of magmas, including primitive basalts sourced from Kīlauea’s summit reservoirs. We analyzed LERZ matrix glasses, melt inclusions, and host minerals to identify melt volatile contents and magma storage depths...
Authors
Allan Lerner, Paul J. Wallace, Thomas Shea, Adrien Mourey, Peter J. Kelly, Patricia A. Nadeau, Tamar Elias, Christoph Kern, Laura E. Clor, Cheryl Gansecki, R. Lopaka Lee, Lowell Moore, Cynthia A. Werner
Alaska Landbird Conservation Plan Alaska Landbird Conservation Plan
Alaska is a land of extremes. The diversity of its avifauna reflects the heterogeneity of its landscape, with more than 500 species of birds recorded in the state. Species inhabiting primarily terrestrial habitats, known collectively as landbirds, constitute the largest and most ecologically diverse component of the Alaska avifauna. Habitats used by landbirds range from temperate...
Authors
Travis L. Booms, Melissa N. Cady, Cheryl A. Carrothers, Lucas H. DeCicco, Maureen L. de Zeeuw, Melanie J. Flamme, Julie Hagelin, Colleen M. Handel, James A. Johnson, Matthew D. Kirchoff, Michelle L. Kissling, Stephen B. Lewis, Steven M. Matsuoka, Debora A. Nigro, Deborah E. Perkins, Heather M. Renner, Susan E. Savage, Kristine M. Sowl, Susan M. Sharbaugh, Iain J Stenhouse, Caroline R. Van Hemert
The distribution of anadromy in steelhead / rainbow trout in the Eel River, northwestern California The distribution of anadromy in steelhead / rainbow trout in the Eel River, northwestern California
To inform management and conservation of the species, we investigated the distribution of anadromy and residency of steelhead/rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) in the Eel River of northwestern California. We determined maternal anadromy versus residency for 106 juvenile O. mykiss using otolith microchemistry. To attempt to relate patterns of anadromy with environmental factors known to...
Authors
Bret C. Harvey, Rodney J. Nakamoto, Adam J.R. Kent, Christian E. Zimmerman
Diffusion modeling reveals effects of multiple release sites and human activity on a recolonizing apex predator Diffusion modeling reveals effects of multiple release sites and human activity on a recolonizing apex predator
Background Reintroducing predators is a promising conservation tool to help remedy human-caused ecosystem changes. However, the growth and spread of a reintroduced population is a spatiotemporal process that is driven by a suite of factors, such as habitat change, human activity, and prey availability. Sea otters (Enhydra lutris) are apex predators of nearshore marine ecosystems that had...
Authors
Joseph M. Eisaguirre, Perry J. Willliams, Xinyi Lu, Michelle L. Kissling, William S. Beatty, George G. Esslinger, Jamie N. Womble, Mevin Hooten