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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: 3087

A synthesis of ten years of chemical contaminant monitoring data in National Park Service - Southeast and southwest Alaska networks A synthesis of ten years of chemical contaminant monitoring data in National Park Service - Southeast and southwest Alaska networks

With the exception of PAHs and trace metals, which were detected at 100% of the sites, all of the other contaminants were detected at varying frequencies. PBBs, Mirex and Endosulfans were not detected in any of the samples and Chlorpyrifos was only detected in five samples across four sites. Chlordanes were present at 79% of the sites while Butyltins were only detected at 20% of the...
Authors
Mary Rider, Dennis Apeti, Annie Jacob, Kimani L. Kimbrough, Erik Davenport, Michael R. Bower, Heather A Colletti, Daniel Esler

Radiocarbon dating of tsunami and storm deposits Radiocarbon dating of tsunami and storm deposits

Radiocarbon age determinations can be an expedient and accurate means to assign age to deposits of tsunami or storm origin. Essential to the process of incorporating radiocarbon age determinations in tsunami or coastal storm investigations is an awareness on the part of the investigator that a sample will always return an age from a laboratory, but only carefully selected samples inform...
Authors
Harvey M. Kelsey, Robert C. Witter

Lake trout growth is sensitive to spring temperature in southwest Alaska lakes Lake trout growth is sensitive to spring temperature in southwest Alaska lakes

In high‐latitude lakes, air temperature is an important driver of ice cover thickness and duration, which in turn influence water temperature and primary production supporting lake consumers and predators. In lieu of multidecadal observational records necessary to assess the response of lakes to long‐term warming, we used otolith‐based growth records from a long‐lived resident lake fish...
Authors
Vanessa R. von Biela, Bryan A. Black, Daniel Young, Peter van der Sleen, Krista K. Bartz, Christian E. Zimmerman

Ancient rivers and critical minerals in eastern Alaska Ancient rivers and critical minerals in eastern Alaska

No abstract available.
Authors
Adrian Bender, Richard O. Lease, James V. Jones, Douglas C. Kreiner

Citizen science collaboration with the U.S. Geological Survey in Alaska Citizen science collaboration with the U.S. Geological Survey in Alaska

Citizen science is science undertaken by the public, usually in collaboration with professional scientific institutions. It encourages citizens to tackle real-world scientific problems and augments traditional science by expanding the coverage of data collection and by reducing costs of fieldwork in remote locations. Information collected by volunteers enables us all to gain a deeper...
Authors
Elizabeth Powers, Dee Williams

DNA metabarcoding of feces to infer summer diet of Pacific walruses DNA metabarcoding of feces to infer summer diet of Pacific walruses

Environmental conditions in the Chukchi Sea are changing rapidly and may alter the abundance and distribution of marine species and their benthic prey. We used a metabarcoding approach to identify potentially important prey taxa from Pacific walrus (Odobenus rosmarus divergens) fecal samples (n = 87). Bivalvia was the most dominant class of prey (66% of all normalized counts) and...
Authors
Sarah A. Sonsthagen, Chadwick V. Jay, Robert S. Cornman, Anthony S. Fischbach, Jacqueline M. Grebmeier, Sandra L. Talbot

Late Cenozoic climate change paces landscape adjustments to Yukon River capture Late Cenozoic climate change paces landscape adjustments to Yukon River capture

Late Cenozoic cooling and changes in glacial–interglacial cycle tempo are thought to increase global rates of erosion starting ~3 million years ago (Ma). Bedrock rivers set rates and patterns of erosion in most landscapes, but constraints on river response to late Cenozoic climate change remain elusive. Here, we determine cosmogenic isotope and luminescence ages of well-preserved bedrock...
Authors
Adrian Bender, Richard O. Lease, Lee B. Corbett, Paul R. Bierman, Marc Caffee, Tammy M. Rittenour

Wildfire-initiated talik development exceeds current thaw projections: Observations and models from Alaska's continuous permafrost zone Wildfire-initiated talik development exceeds current thaw projections: Observations and models from Alaska's continuous permafrost zone

As the Arctic warms and wildfire occurrence increases, talik formation in permafrost regions is projected to expand and affect the cycling of water and carbon. Yet, few unified field and modeling studies have examined this process in detail, particularly in areas of continuous permafrost. We address this gap by presenting multimethod, multiseasonal geophysical measurements of permafrost...
Authors
David M. Rey, Michelle A. Walvoord, Burke J. Minsley, Brian A. Ebel, Clifford I. Voss, Kamini Singha

Fish growth rates and lake sulphate explain variation in mercury levels in ninespine stickleback (Pungitius pungitius) on the Arctic Coastal Plain of Alaska Fish growth rates and lake sulphate explain variation in mercury levels in ninespine stickleback (Pungitius pungitius) on the Arctic Coastal Plain of Alaska

Mercury concentrations in freshwater food webs are governed by complex biogeochemical and ecological interactions that spatially vary and are often mediated by climate. The Arctic Coastal Plain of Alaska (ACP) is a heterogeneous, lake-rich landscape where variability in mercury accumulation is poorly understood. Earlier research indicated that the level of catchment influence on lakes...
Authors
Samantha M. Burke, Christian E. Zimmerman, Sarah M. Laske, Joshua C. Koch, Allison M. Derry, Stephanie Guernon, Brian A. Branfireun, Heidi K. Swanson

After-hatch and hatch year Buff-breasted Sandpipers (Calidris subruficollis) can be sexed accurately using morphometric measures After-hatch and hatch year Buff-breasted Sandpipers (Calidris subruficollis) can be sexed accurately using morphometric measures

Determining the sex of birds quickly in the field can help in studies of behavior and distribution, and when selecting particular sexes for deploying tracking devices or collecting samples. However, discerning males from females is difficult in species that are plumage monomorphic and have overlapping sexual-size dimorphism, as in Buff-breasted Sandpipers Calidris subruficollis. We...
Authors
Juliana Bose de Almeida, Iara F. Lopes, Lewis Oring, T. Lee Tibbitts, Lisa M. Pajot, Richard B. Lanctot

Mate fidelity improves survival and breeding propensity of a long‐lived bird Mate fidelity improves survival and breeding propensity of a long‐lived bird

Evolutionary and behavioural ecologists have long been interested in factors shaping the variation in mating behaviour observed in nature. Although much of the research on this topic has focused on the consequences of mate choice and mate change on annual reproductive success, studies of a potential positive link between mate fidelity and adult demographic rates have been comparatively...
Authors
Alan G. Leach, Thomas V. Riecke, James S. Sedinger, David H. Ward, Sean Boyd

Mitochondrial genome diversity and population mitogenomics of Polar cod (Boreogadus saida) and Arctic dwelling gadoids Mitochondrial genome diversity and population mitogenomics of Polar cod (Boreogadus saida) and Arctic dwelling gadoids

High-latitude fish typically exhibit a narrow thermal tolerance window, which may pose challenges when coping with temperatures that shift outside of a species’ range of tolerance. Due to its role in aerobic metabolism and energy balance, the mitochondrial genome is likely critical for the acclimation and adaptation to differing temperature regimes in marine ectotherms. As oceans...
Authors
Robert E. Wilson, Sarah A. Sonsthagen, Noel Sme, Anthony J. Gharrett, Andrew Majewski, Kate Wedemeyer, R. John Nelson, Sandra L. Talbot
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