Publications

Investigations of seabird population sizes and breeding biology were conducted at Cape Thompson from 1959 to 1961 during pre-development studies associated with the Atomic through 1982, the Alaskan Program (OCSEAP) supported determine whether changes Energy Commission’s “Project Chariot.” From 1976 Outer Continental Shelf Environmental Assessment efforts to recensus seabirds at Cape...

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...

No abstract available.

In their article “Cumulative impacts of oil fields on northern Alaskan landscapes.” D. A. Walter et al. (1) document some direct and indirect impacts of petroleum development in the Arctic on selected portions of the Prudhoe Bay Oil field. While most of the kinds of impacts they discuss are valid points to consider in designing an arctic oil field, the magnitude of what they describe is...

No abstract available.

Thirty-three adult brant (Branta bernicla) were radiomarked at 4 widely separated areas of the western Canadian arctic and 1 area in western Alaska during June-August 1987. Their use of the Izembek Lagoon on the Alaska Peninsula was monitored through the 1987 fall staging period (Sep-Dec). Eighty percent of the brant (n = 33), including ≥50% of individuals from each of the marking areas...

Adult greater white-fronted geese (Anser albifrons frontalis) wintering in southern Oregon and California increased or maintained body weight in autumn, lost weight from autumn through winter, and rapidly increased in weight before spring migration in late April. We documented significant annual differences in body weights for both sexes. We related seasonal changes in body weight to...

The 8-month cytopathologic progression of viral erythrocytic necrosis (VEN) disease in chum salmon Oncorhynchus keta is described. Single to multiple acidophilic, cytoplasmic viral inclusion bodies developed first in mature erythrocytes and then, within 1–2 months, all morphologically identifiable hemopoietic cell types contained VEN inclusions. Cytologic analysis indicated that...

Remote sensing techniques such as radar altimetry, synthetic aperture radar, coastal zone color scanning, and infrared radiometry provide effective, instantaneous, and relatively inexpensive means for characterizing critical habitats of marine birds. In order to make optimal use of satellite-derived data, the rationale for marine habitat classification is presented, and advantages and...

The nesting biology of Pacific Loons, Gavia pacifica, was studied from 1973 to 1975 on the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, Alaska. Loons maintained territories on ponds throughout the pre-nesting period. Both adults incubated eggs and raised the young. Males incubated more than females during early incubation, and females more than males during late incubation. The female assumes much of the...

The annual cycle of Northern Fulmars (Fulmarus glacialis) in the western Gulf of Alaska includes about six months from mid-April to mid-October when birds are associated with land at the Semidi Islands. The pre-laying stage in five years was marked by recurrent peaks in attendance that included up to 90% of the population, and alternate periods of 2 to 12 days when the breeding ground...

The Resurrection Peninsula forms the east side of Resurrection Bay (fig. 3). Relief ranges from 437 m (1,434 ft) at the southern end of the peninsula to more than 1,463 m (4,800 ft) opposite the head of the bay. All rock units composing the informally named Resurrection Peninsula ophiolite of Nelson and others (1987) are visible or accessible by boat. "Ophiolite" has been a geologic term...