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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: 3110

Response of staging brant to disturbance at Izembek Lagoon, Alaska Response of staging brant to disturbance at Izembek Lagoon, Alaska

Human disturbance of migrating waterfowl concerns managers of wildlife populations and refuges. Human disturbance may reduce food intake through interruption of foraging bouts or by displacement from feeding areas (Madsen 1985, Belanger and Bedard 1989), and it may increase energy expenditure from additional time in flight (Korschgen et al., 1985). Reduced food intake and increased...
Authors
David H. Ward, Robert A. Stehn, Dirk V. Derksen

The adaptive significance of hatching synchrony of waterfowl eggs The adaptive significance of hatching synchrony of waterfowl eggs

We estimated the amount of incubation time that first laid Black Brent eggs received before completion of the clutch. First laid eggs received up to 48 hours of incubation before the last egg was laid in Brent clutches. Waterfowl clutches usually hatch within a period of 24 hours, suggesting that some mechanism reduces developmental asynchrony during incubation. The combination of...
Authors
Paul L. Flint, Mark S. Lindberg, Margaret C. MacCluskie, James S. Sedinger

[Book review] The Ancient Murrelet. A natural history in the Queen Charlotte Islands [Book review] The Ancient Murrelet. A natural history in the Queen Charlotte Islands

Leadership in ecological research on north-temperate-zone seabirds has long been associated with the region of the northeastern Atlantic, which enjoys a tradition of detailed, innovative work spanning several decades. Although the temperate North Pacific is home to several of the same species that figure prominently in the Atlantic and also has a host of interesting species found nowhere...
Authors
Scott A. Hatch

Shorebirds in western North America: Late 1800s to late 1900s Shorebirds in western North America: Late 1800s to late 1900s

Only anecdotal information is available to assess whether populations of the 47 shorebird species that breed or winter west of the Rocky Mountains changed in size or distribution during the past century. Unregulated hunting from 1870 to 1927 reduced populations of several species, at least temporarily, and was a factor in bringing the Eskimo Curlew (Numenius borealis) close to extinction...
Authors
Gary W. Page, Robert E. Gill

Experimental recovery of sea otter carcasses at Kodiak Island, Alaska, following the Exxon Valdez oil spill Experimental recovery of sea otter carcasses at Kodiak Island, Alaska, following the Exxon Valdez oil spill

ound, Alaska, spilling approximately 11 million barrels of crude oil. Oil was deposited on beaches nearly 700 km from the spill site (Galt and Payton 1990, Piatt et al. 1990), affecting thousands of hectares of sea otter (Enhydra lutris) habitat. Two of the principal limitations in determining the initial effects of the Exxon Valdez oil spill on sea
Authors
Anthony R. DeGange, Angela M. Doroff, Daniel H. Monson

Environmental variability facilitates coexistence within an alcid community at sea Environmental variability facilitates coexistence within an alcid community at sea

We examined coexistence at sea among 7 taxa of diving, wing-propelled seabirds (Alcidae) in the genera Aethia, Uria, Cepphus, and Fratercula. Species abundances were measured simultaneously with a suite of environmental factors in the northern Bering Sea, Alaska, USA; data from 260 adjacent and non-adjacent sites occupied by alcids foraging offshore near breeding colonies were then...
Authors
J. Christopher Haney, Amy E.S. Schauer

Seasonal and annual survival of emperor geese Seasonal and annual survival of emperor geese

Population levels of emperor geese (Chen canagica) in Alaska in 1993 were about half that estimated in the 1960s. Survival information is necessary for managers to decide how to best enhance recovery of this species to former levels. We calculated seasonal and annual estimates of emperor goose survival from resightings of neck-collared birds. Geese were neck collared in 1988-90 on their...
Authors
Joel A. Schmutz, Susan E. Cantor, Margaret R. Petersen

Geology of Seward Peninsula and Saint Lawrence Island Geology of Seward Peninsula and Saint Lawrence Island

Seward Peninsula (Fig. 1) may be divided into two geologic terranes (Fig. 2) on the basis of stratigraphy, structure, and metamorphic history. The Seward terrane, an area 150 by 150 km in the central and eastern peninsula, is dominated by Precambrian(?) and early Paleozoic blueschist-, greenschist-, and amphibolite-facies schist and marble, and intruded by three suites of granitic rocks...
Authors
Alison B. Till, Julie A. Dumoulin

Map and table showing isotopic age data in Alaska Map and table showing isotopic age data in Alaska

The source of the data reported here is a compilation of radiometric ages maintained in conjunction with the Alaska Mineral Resource Assessment Program (AMRAP) studies for Alaska. The symbol shape plotted at each location is coded for rock type, whether igneous, metamorphic, or other; the color of the symbol shows the geologic era or period for the Sample(s) at each locale. A list of...
Authors
Frederic H. Wilson, Nora B. Shew, G.D. DuBois

Blood sampling in juvenile buff-breasted sandpipers: Movement, weight change and survival Blood sampling in juvenile buff-breasted sandpipers: Movement, weight change and survival

The effect of blood sampling on juvenile Buff-breasted Sandpipers (Tryngites subruficollis) was evaluated by comparing movements, mass, and survival of 10 broods (37 chicks) that were bled and eight broods (31 chicks) that were not bled. Blood was sampled from the jugular vein of chicks when they weighed 9.1 ± 0.9 g (x̄ ± SD) on or within 1 d of hatch. Chicks showed few short-term...
Authors
Richard B. Lanctot

Geology of south-central Alaska Geology of south-central Alaska

South-central Alaska is defined as the region bounded by the Kuskokwim Mountains to the northwest, the basins north of the Alaska Range to the north, the Canadian border to the east, and the Chugach Mountains to the south (Fig. 1). This region, hereafter called the study area, includes the Alaska Range, the Wrangell, Nutzotin, and Talkeetna mountains, the Copper River and the Susitna...
Authors
Warren J. Nokleberg, George Plafker, Frederic H. Wilson

Using stable isotopes to determine seabird trophic relationships Using stable isotopes to determine seabird trophic relationships

1. The stable isotopes of nitrogen (δ15N) and carbon (δ13C) were analysed in 22 species of marine birds from coastal waters of the northeast Pacific Ocean. Analyses confirm that stable nitrogen isotopes can predict seabird trophic positions. 2. Based on δ15N analyses, seabird trophic-level inferences generally agree with those of conventional dietary studies, but suggest that lower...
Authors
Keith A. Hobson, John F. Piatt, Jay Pitocchelli
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