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: 3096
Assessment of undiscovered gas resources in Upper Devonian to Lower Cretaceous strata of the western North Slope, Alaska, 2021 Assessment of undiscovered gas resources in Upper Devonian to Lower Cretaceous strata of the western North Slope, Alaska, 2021
Using a geology-based assessment methodology, the U.S. Geological Survey estimated a mean of 1,407 billion (1.4 trillion) cubic feet of gas in conventional accumulations in Upper Devonian to Lower Cretaceous strata of the western North Slope, Alaska.
Authors
David W. Houseknecht, Tracey J. Mercier, Christopher J. Schenk, Thomas E. Moore, William A. Rouse, Julie A. Dumoulin, William H. Craddock, Richard O. Lease, Palma J. Botterell, Margaret M. Sanders, Rebecca A. Smith, Christopher D. Connors, Christopher P. Garrity, Katherine J. Whidden, Jared T. Gooley, John W. Counts, Joshua H. Long, Christina A. DeVera
Red-throated loon (Gavia stellata) use of nearshore marine habitats—Results from a 2019 pilot study in northern Alaska Red-throated loon (Gavia stellata) use of nearshore marine habitats—Results from a 2019 pilot study in northern Alaska
Red-throated loons (Gavia stellata) are a species of conservation concern in Alaska due to recent evidence of a population decline on the Arctic Coastal Plain (ACP) in northern Alaska. In 2019, the U.S. Geological Survey and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service conducted a pilot study to evaluate diet and use of nearshore foraging areas as possible drivers of the population decline. We...
Authors
Brian D. Uher-Koch, Christopher J. Latty, Joel A. Schmutz
Abundance of a recently discovered Alaskan rhodolith bed in a shallow, seagrass-dominated lagoon Abundance of a recently discovered Alaskan rhodolith bed in a shallow, seagrass-dominated lagoon
Rhodoliths are important foundation species of the benthic photic zone but are poorly known and rarely studied in Alaska. A bed of Lithothamnion soriferum rhodoliths was discovered in 2008 in Kinzarof Lagoon, Alaska, a shallow-water embayment dominated by eelgrass (Zostera marina). Rhodolith presence and biomass were estimated to assess trends and environmental factors that may influence
Authors
David H. Ward, Courtney Amundson, Patrick Fitzmorris, Damian M. Menning, Joel Markis, Kristine M. Sowl, Sandra C. Lindstrom
Metabarcoding of environmental samples suggest wide distribution of eelgrass (Zostera marina) pathogens in the north Pacific Metabarcoding of environmental samples suggest wide distribution of eelgrass (Zostera marina) pathogens in the north Pacific
Seagrass meadows provide important ecological services to the marine environment but are declining worldwide. Although eelgrass meadows in the north Pacific are thought to be relatively healthy, few studies have assessed the presence of known disease pathogens in these meadows. In a pilot study to test the efficacy of the methods and to provide foundational disease biodiversity data in...
Authors
Damian M. Menning, Hunter A Gravley, Melissa N. Cady, Daniel J Pepin, Sandy Wyllie-Echeverria, David H. Ward, Sandra L. Talbot
Effects of midazolam on corticosterone and blood gases in spectacled eiders prior to transmitter implantation Effects of midazolam on corticosterone and blood gases in spectacled eiders prior to transmitter implantation
Stress and physical exertion may affect the physiology and behavior of wildlife during and after capture, and consequently, survival following release. Such effects may reduce the quality and quantity of the data obtained from captured wildlife. We captured spectacled eiders (Somateria fischeri), a species listed as threatened under the United States Endangered Species Act, in western...
Authors
Maria Spriggs, Daniel Rizzolo, Kate Martin, Gwen E. Myers, Matthew G. Sexson
The extent and variability of storm‐induced temperature changes in lakes measured with long‐term and high‐frequency data The extent and variability of storm‐induced temperature changes in lakes measured with long‐term and high‐frequency data
The intensity and frequency of storms are projected to increase in many regions of the world because of climate change. Storms can alter environmental conditions in many ecosystems. In lakes and reservoirs, storms can reduce epilimnetic temperatures from wind‐induced mixing with colder hypolimnetic waters, direct precipitation to the lake's surface, and watershed runoff. We analyzed 18...
Authors
Jonathan P. Doubek, Orlane Anneville, Gael Dur, Aleksandra M. Lewandowska, Vijay P. Patil, James A. Rusak, Nico Salmaso, Christian T. Seltmann, Dietmar Straile, Pablo Urrutia-Cordero, Patrick Venail, Rita Adrian, Maria B. Alfonso, Curtis L. DeGasperi, Elvira de Eyto, Heidrun Feuchtmayr, Evelyn Gaiser, Scott F Girdner, Jennifer L. Graham, Hans-Peter Grossart, Josef Hejzlar, Stephan Jacquet, Georgiy Kirillin, Maria E. Llames, Shin-Ichiro S. Matsuzaki, Emily Nodine, Maria Cintia Piccolo, Donald C. Pierson, Alon Rimmer, Lars G. Rudstam, Steven Sadro, Hilary M. Swain, Stephen J. Thackeray, Wim Thiery, Piet Verburg, Tamar Zohary, Jason D. Stockwell
Water reliability in the west -- SECURE Water Act Section 9503(C) Water reliability in the west -- SECURE Water Act Section 9503(C)
No abstract available.
Authors
Marketa McGuire, Subhrendu Gangopadhyay, Justin T. Martin, Gregory T. Pederson, Connie A. Woodhouse, Jeremy S. Littell
Biological correlates of sea urchin recruitment in kelp forest and urchin barren habitats Biological correlates of sea urchin recruitment in kelp forest and urchin barren habitats
Shifts between the alternate stable states of sea urchin barren grounds and kelp forests correspond to sea urchin density. In the Aleutian Archipelago, green sea urchins Strongylocentrotus polyacanthus are the dominant herbivores that graze kelp forests. Sea urchin recruitment is an important driver that influences sea urchin density, particularly in the absence of top-down control from...
Authors
Ben Weitzman, Brenda H. Konar
U.S. Geological Survey Arctic ecosystem assessments U.S. Geological Survey Arctic ecosystem assessments
The U.S Geological Survey (USGS) conducts natural hazard and resource assessments of the Earth’s ecosystems and the response of those ecosystems to environmental change, human activities, and land use. Arctic regions of Alaska are important for cultural and economic sustainability and host a wide variety of wildlife species, many of which are of conservation and management interest to...
Authors
John M. Pearce, Caroline R. Van Hemert
Investigation of algal toxins in a multispecies seabird die-off in the Bering and Chukchi seas Investigation of algal toxins in a multispecies seabird die-off in the Bering and Chukchi seas
Between 2014 and 2017, widespread seabird mortality events were documented annually in the Bering and Chukchi seas, concurrent with dramatic reductions of sea ice, warmer than average ocean temperatures, and rapid shifts in marine ecosystems. Among other changes in the marine environment, harmful algal blooms (HABs) that produce the neurotoxins saxitoxin (STX) and domoic acid (DA) have...
Authors
Caroline R. Van Hemert, Robert J. Dusek, Matthew M. Smith, Robert Kaler, Gay Sheffield, Lauren M. Divine, Kathy J. Kuletz, Susan Knowles, Julia S. Lankton, D. Ransom Hardison, R. Wayne Litaker, Timothy Jones, Hillary K. Burgess, Julia K. Parrish
Whole‐genome resequencing reveals persistence of forest‐associated mammals in Late Pleistocene refugia along North America’s North Pacific Coast Whole‐genome resequencing reveals persistence of forest‐associated mammals in Late Pleistocene refugia along North America’s North Pacific Coast
Aim Numerous glacial refugia have been hypothesized along North America's North Pacific Coast that may have increased divergence of refugial taxa, leading to elevated endemism and subsequently clustered hybrid zones following deglaciation. The locations and community composition of these ice‐free areas remains controversial, but whole‐genome sequences now enable detailed analysis of the...
Authors
Jocelyn P. Colella, Tianying Lan, Sandra L. Talbot, Charlotte Lindqvist, Joseph A. Cook
Ecosystem response persists after a prolonged marine heatwave Ecosystem response persists after a prolonged marine heatwave
Some of the longest and most comprehensive marine ecosystem monitoring programs were established in the Gulf of Alaska following the environmental disaster of the Exxon Valdez oil spill over 30 years ago. These monitoring programs have been successful in assessing recovery from oil spill impacts, and their continuation decades later has now provided an unparalleled assessment of...
Authors
Robert M. Suryan, Mayumi L. Arimitsu, Heather A. Coletti, Russell R. Hopcroft, Mandy Lindeberg, Steven J. Barbeaux, Sonia Batten, William J. Burt, Mary Anne Bishop, James L. Bodkin, R. Brenner, Robert W. Campbell, Daniel A. Cushing, Seth L. Danielson, Martin W. Dorn, Brie Drummond, Daniel Esler, Thomas S. Gelatt, Dana H. Hanselman, Katrin Iken, David B. Irons, Scott A. Hatch, Stormy Haught, Kris Holderied, David G. Kimmel, Brenda H. Konar, Kathy J. Kuletz, Arthur B. Kettle, Benjamin J. Laurel, John M. Maniscalco, Daniel Monson, Craig O. Matkin, Caitlin McKinstry, John Moran, D. Olsen, John F. Piatt, Wayne A. Palsson, W. Scott Pegau, Lauren A. Rogers, Nora A. Rojek, Anne Schaefer, Ingrid B. Spies, J.M. Straley, Suzanne L. Strom, Marysia Szymkowiak, Kathryn L. Sweeney, Ben P. Weitzman, Ellen M. Yasumiishi, Stephanie Zador