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: 3088

Reproductive performance of Rio Grande wild turkeys Reproductive performance of Rio Grande wild turkeys

Frequency, magnitude, and timing of reproduction in Rio Grande Wild Turkey (Meleagris gallopavo intermedia) hens were studied in northeastern Colorado in 1986 and 1987. All adults (n = 12) and 95% (n = 20) of yearlings were known to attempt nesting. Adults initiated first nest attempts earlier than yearlings in 1987 but not 1986. Adults and yearlings did not differ in clutch size or...
Authors
Joel A. Schmutz, Clait E. Braun

Baleen whales and their prey in a coastal environment Baleen whales and their prey in a coastal environment

Patterns of abundance of humpback (Megaptera novaeangliae), fin (Balaenoptera physalus), and minke (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) whales are described in relation to the abundance of their primary prey, capelin (Mallotus villosus), during 1982–1985 at Witless Bay, Newfoundland. The abundance ratio of the three whale species was 10:1:3.5, respectively. Abundance of all whale species was...
Authors
John F. Piatt, David A. Methven, Alan E. Burger, Ruth L. McLagan, Vicki Mercer, Elizabeth Creelman

A comparison of instrumental dewatering methods for the separation and concentration of suspended sediment for subsequent trace element analysis A comparison of instrumental dewatering methods for the separation and concentration of suspended sediment for subsequent trace element analysis

A comparison involving both field and laboratory trials was performed to evaluate the utility of two continuous-flow centrifuges and a tangential-flow filtration system for dewatering suspended sediments for subsequent trace element analysis. Although recovery efficiencies for the various devices differ, the analytical results from the separated suspended sediments indicate that any of...
Authors
A. J. Horowitz, K. A. Elrick, R.C. Hooper

Techniques for shipboard surveys of marine birds Techniques for shipboard surveys of marine birds

We describe shipboard and small boat techniques used by the US Fish and Wildlife Service in Alaska to survey marine birds at sea. The basis is a 10-min, 300-m-wide, strip transect taken from a platform moving at a constant speed in a constant direction. Special routines, such as instantaneous counts of traveling birds, are explained to help reduce biases caused by factors such as varying...
Authors
Patrick J. Gould, Douglas J. Forsell

Exxon Valdez bird toll Exxon Valdez bird toll

No abstract available.
Authors
John F. Piatt, Calvin J. Lensink

Summer production of coho salmon stocked in Mount St. Helens streams 3-6 years after the 1980 eruption Summer production of coho salmon stocked in Mount St. Helens streams 3-6 years after the 1980 eruption

We monitored habitat use and summer production of stocked underyearling coho salmon Oncorhynchus kisutch from 1983 to 1986 in three streams affected by the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens, Washington. Two streams were in the blast area and one was on a volcanic mudflow terrace, Midsummer water temperatures frequently exceeded presumed stressful thresholds and occasionally surpassed the...
Authors
P.A. Bisson, J.L. Nielsen, J.W. Ward

Channel hydraulics, habitat use, and body form of juvenile coho salmon, steelhead, and cutthroat trout in streams Channel hydraulics, habitat use, and body form of juvenile coho salmon, steelhead, and cutthroat trout in streams

Habitat use by juvenile coho salmon Oncorhynchus kisutch, steelhead Salmo gairdneri, and the coastal subspecies of cutthroat trout Salmo clarki clarki in small streams in western Washington was influenced by hydraulic characteristics of different types of channel units. Coho salmon preferred pools with average velocities less than 20 cm/s; very few fish were found in riffles with high...
Authors
P.A. Bisson, K. Sullivan, J.L. Nielsen

Testing for individual variation in breeding success Testing for individual variation in breeding success

I measured the breeding success of Northern Fulmars (Fulmarus glacialis) in 6 consecutive years at a colony in the Semidi Islands, western Gulf of Alaska (56°N, 156°W). I tabulated the frequency distribution of the number of years successful for a sample of 224 nest sites at which breeding occurred in all 6 yr. A consistently higher probability of success occurred in some sites than in...
Authors
Scott A. Hatch

Foraging by northern fulmars (Fulmarus glacialis) at a nearshore, anticyclonic tidal eddy in the northern Bering Sea, Alaska Foraging by northern fulmars (Fulmarus glacialis) at a nearshore, anticyclonic tidal eddy in the northern Bering Sea, Alaska

Northern Fulmars (Fulmar glacialis) fed on ice-associated macrofauna (probably gammarid amphipods) and pinniped offal concentrated by convergent flow at an eddy boundary near Northwest Cape on St. Lawrence Island, Alaska. The eddy was anticyclonic, measured approximately 1.5 by 2.25 km, and was generated by nearshore streaming induced by the cape’s topography during lesser flood stage of...
Authors
J. Christopher Haney

Geologic studies in Alaska by the U.S. Geological Survey during 1987 Geologic studies in Alaska by the U.S. Geological Survey during 1987

This volume is a continuation of the annual United States Geological Survey (USGS) Circulars reporting results of work in progress on earth science investigations in Alaska. The series began in 1975 under the title "The United States Geological Survey in Alaska - Accomplishments during 19xx" and has continued since 1986 under the present title. The 40 short papers and the feature article...
Was this page helpful?