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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: 3088

[Book review] The geochronology and evolution of Africa [Book review] The geochronology and evolution of Africa

This book was written 'to provide an up-to-date data bank from which those wishing to construct models concerned with the evolution of Africa .... can draw.' As such, it attempts a survey of 'integrated geology and geochronology' of the African continent throughout the Precambrian and into the Phanerozoic. Political and language divisions often hinder the synthesis of continent-wide data
Authors
Frederic H. Wilson

Winter diets of common murres and marbled murrelets in Kachemak Bay, Alaska Winter diets of common murres and marbled murrelets in Kachemak Bay, Alaska

Knowledge of the winter diets of seabirds in high latitudes like Alaskan waters has been an elusive aspect of their biology. Scanty information on winter diets of Common Murres (Uria aalge) are available from the Pribilof Islands (Preble and McAtee 1923), California (Baltz and Morejohn 1977), Kodiak Island (Kraznow and Sanger 1986), Newfoundland (Tuck 1960), and the North Sea (Blake 1984...
Authors
Gerald A. Sanger

Adult survival and productivity of Northern Fulmars in Alaska Adult survival and productivity of Northern Fulmars in Alaska

The population dynamics of Northern Fulmars (Fulmarus glacialis) were studied at the Semidi Islands in the western Gulf of Alaska. Fulmars occurred in a broad range of color phases, and annual survival was estimated from the return of birds in the rarer plumage classes. A raw estimate of mean annual survival over a 5-year period was 0.963, but a removal experiment indicated the raw value...
Authors
Scott A. Hatch

Common Murre (Uria aalge) attendance patterns at Cape St. Mary's, Newfoundland Common Murre (Uria aalge) attendance patterns at Cape St. Mary's, Newfoundland

Attendance patterns of common murres (Uria aalge) at Cape St. Mary's, Newfoundland, were observed during hatching to post-fledging periods of 1980 to 1984. Six study plots on breeding ledges (ca. 450 birds total) and a "club" on the water were monitored for seasonal fluctuations in numbers attending. Attendance on ledges was similar between years, being relatively stable from hatching...
Authors
John F. Piatt, Ruth L. McLagan

Infectious hematopoietic necrosis virus detected by separation and incubation of cells from salmonid cavity fluid. Infectious hematopoietic necrosis virus detected by separation and incubation of cells from salmonid cavity fluid.

Infectious hematopoietic necrosis (IHN) virus is usually detected by inoculating susceptible cell cultures with cavity ("ovarian") fluid (CF) from spawning females. We identified additional adult carriers of virus in spawning populations of steelhead trout (Salmo gairdneri) and sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) by collecting nonerythrocytic cells from CF samples by low-speed...
Authors
D. Mulcahy, W.N. Batts

Dehydration of seabird prey during transport to the colony: Effects on wet weight energy densities Dehydration of seabird prey during transport to the colony: Effects on wet weight energy densities

We present evidence to indicate that dehydration of prey transported by seabirds from capture sites at sea to chicks at colonies inflates estimates of wet weight energy densities. These findings and a comparison of wet and dry weight energy densities reported in the literature emphasize the importance of (i) accurate measurement of the fresh weight and water content of prey, (ii) use of...
Authors
W.A. Montevecchi, John F. Piatt

Cumulative impacts of oil fields on northern Alaskan landscapes Cumulative impacts of oil fields on northern Alaskan landscapes

Proposed further developments on Alaska's Arctic Coastal Plain raise questions about cumulative effects on arctic tundra ecosystems of development of multiple large oil fields. Maps of historical changes to the Prudhoe Bay Oil Field show indirect impacts can lag behind planned developments by many years and the total area eventually disturbed can greatly exceed the planned area of...
Authors
D.A. Walker, P.J. Webber, Emily F. Binnian, K.R. Everett, N.D. Lederer, E.A. Nordstrand, M.D. Walker

Autumn staging of cackling Canada geese on the Alaska Peninsula Autumn staging of cackling Canada geese on the Alaska Peninsula

Cackling Canada Geese Branta canadensis minima undergo a long (2,800 km) migration between their autumn staging areas on the Alaska Peninsula and wintering areas in Oregon and California. Adults and young lost an average of 543 g during this migratory flight. Weight gains between fledging and autumn migration are essential for the successful completion of the flight. Autumn staging is...
Authors
James S. Sedinger, Karen S. Bollinger

Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for a soluble antigen of Renibacterium salmoninarum, the causative agent for salmonid bacterial kidney disease Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for a soluble antigen of Renibacterium salmoninarum, the causative agent for salmonid bacterial kidney disease

A double-antibody enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for detection of a soluble fraction of Renibacterium salmoninarum was developed from components extracted from the supernatant of an R. salmoninarum broth culture. The Costar® Serocluster™ EIA microplate gave the highest absorbance and signal-to-noise ratios among seven types tested. Including Tween 80 in the wash buffer...
Authors
R.J. Pascho, D. Mulcahy

Tables showing analyses of semiquantitative spectrometry and atomic-absorption spectrophotometry of rock samples collected in the Ugashik, Bristol Bay, and western part of the Karluk quadrangles, Alaska Tables showing analyses of semiquantitative spectrometry and atomic-absorption spectrophotometry of rock samples collected in the Ugashik, Bristol Bay, and western part of the Karluk quadrangles, Alaska

The accompanying tables list chemical analyses of 337 rock samples that were collected in 1979, 1980, and 1981 in conjunction with geologic mapping in the Ugashik, Bristol Bay, and part of Karluk quadrangles. This work was conducted under the auspices of the Alaska Mineral Resource Assessment Program (AMRAP). This report is to accompany Wilson and O'Leary (1986) which inadvertently is...
Authors
Frederic H. Wilson, Richard M. O’Leary

Aggressive encounters between tundra swans and greater white-fronted geese during brood rearing Aggressive encounters between tundra swans and greater white-fronted geese during brood rearing

Interspecific aggression in waterfowl (Anatidae) is relatively common (McKinney 1965; Kear 1972; Savard 1982, 1984), but interactions leading to mortality of one of the combatants are rarely-observed in the wild. A recent debate (Livezey and Humphrey 1985a, 1985b; Nuechterlein and Storer 1985a, 1985b; Murray 1985) has centered on the proximate and ultimate causes of interspecific...
Authors
Craig R. Ely, David A. Budeau, Una G. Swain
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