Unified Interior Regions
Region 11: Alaska
Alaska Science Center
4210 University Drive
Anchorage, AK 99508
Phone: (907) 786-7000
Volcano Science Center
4230 University Drive
Anchorage, AK 99508
Phone: (907) 786-7497
Climate Adaptation Science Center
4230 University Drive
Anchorage, AK 99508
Phone: 907-301-7830
Regions L2 Landing Page Tabs
Atmospheric deposition of glacial iron in the Gulf of Alaska impacted by the position of the Aleutian Low
Our understanding of glacial flour dust storm delivery of iron to the Gulf of Alaska (GoA) is limited. Here we interpret concurrent time series satellite, meteorological, and aerosol geochemical data from the GoA to examine how interannual variability in regional weather patterns impacts offshore aerosol glacial Fe deposition. In 2011, when a...
Schroth, Andrew W.; Crusius, John; Gasso, Santiago; Moy, Christopher M.; Buck, Nathan J.; Resing, Joseph A.; Campbell, Robert W. Declining survival of black brant from subarctic and arctic breeding areas
Since the mid 1990s, the number of black brant (Branta bernicla nigricans; brant) nests on the Yukon‐Kuskokwim Delta (YKD), Alaska, USA, the historically predominant breeding area of brant, has declined steadily. This has caused researchers and managers to question if arctic breeding populations can compensate for the reduction in brant nests on...
Leach, Alan G.; Ward, David H.; Sedinger, James S.; Lindberg, Mark S.; Boyd, W. Sean; Hupp, Jerry W.; Ritchie, Robert J. Population genetic structure and gene flow of Adélie penguins (Pygoscelis adeliae) breeding throughout the western Antarctic Peninsula
Adélie penguins (Pygoscelis adeliae) are responding to ocean–climate variability throughout the marine ecosystem of the western Antarctic Peninsula (WAP) where some breeding colonies have declined by 80%. Nuclear and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) markers were used to understand historical population genetic structure and gene flow given relatively...
Gorman, Kristen B.; Talbot, Sandra L.; Sonsthagen, Sarah A.; Sage, George K.; Gravley, Megan C.; Fraser, William R.; Williams, Tony D. Status of natural and human environments: Chapter 3
This report present the results of the 2017 AMAP Assessment of Adaptation Actions for a changing Arctic (AACA): Perspectives form the Bering-Chukchi-Beaufort Region. This is one of three pilot study regions included in the AACA project. AACA is the first AMAP assessment dealing with adaptation actions and how to meet possible Arctic futures in...
Thorsteinson, Lyman K.; Outridge, Peter; Klepikov, Alexander; Ananichheva, Maria; Antonov, Evgeny; Bashkirova, Valeria; Chaschin, Valery; Gaden, Ashley; Hughes, Layla; Jia, Gensuo; Kikuchi, Takashi; Kivka, Kirill; Lima, James; Muir, Magdalena; Nikitina, Elena; Poussenkova, Nina; Pozhilova, Natalia; Sergeeva, Valentina; Skean, Vanessa; Somov, Alexey; Stern, Gary; Valeeva, Vilena
Streambed scour evaluations and conditions at selected bridge sites in Alaska, 2013–15
Streambed scour potential was evaluated at 52 river- and stream-spanning bridges in Alaska that lack a quantitative scour analysis or have unknown foundation details. All sites were evaluated for stream stability and long-term scour potential. Contraction scour and abutment scour were calculated for 52 bridges, and pier scour was calculated for 11...
Beebee, Robin A.; Dworsky, Karenth L.; Knopp, Schyler J.
Lithium
Lithium, the lightest of all metals, is used in air treatment, batteries, ceramics, glass, metallurgy, pharmaceuticals, and polymers. Rechargeable lithium-ion batteries are particularly important in efforts to reduce global warming because they make it possible to power cars and trucks from renewable sources of energy (for example, hydroelectric,...
Schulz, Klaus J.; DeYoung,, John H.; Seal, Robert R.; Bradley, Dwight C.; Bradley, Dwight C.; Stillings, Lisa L.; Jaskula, Brian W.; Munk, LeeAnn; McCauley, Andrew D.
Zirconium and hafnium
Zirconium and hafnium are corrosion-resistant metals that are widely used in the chemical and nuclear industries. Most zirconium is consumed in the form of the main ore mineral zircon (ZrSiO4, or as zirconium oxide or other zirconium chemicals. Zirconium and hafnium are both refractory lithophile elements that have nearly identical charge, ionic...
Schulz, Klaus J.; DeYoung,, John H.; Seal, Robert R. ; Bradley, Dwight C.; Jones, James V.; Piatak, Nadine M.; Bedinger, George M. Evaluating methods to assess the body condition of female polar bears
An animal's body condition provides insight into its health, foraging success, and overall fitness. Measures of body composition including proportional fat content are useful indicators of condition. Isotopic dilution is a reliable non-destructive method for estimating the body composition of live mammals, but can require prolonged handling times...
Pagano, Anthony M.; Rode, Karyn D.; Atkinson, Stephen N. Tectonic evolution of the Central Andean Plateau and implications for the growth of plateaus
Current end-member models for the geodynamic evolution of orogenic plateaus predict (a) slow and steady rise during crustal shortening and ablative subduction (i.e., continuous removal) of the lower lithosphere or (b) rapid surface uplift following shortening, which is associated with punctuated removal of dense lower lithosphere and/or lower...
Garzione, Carmala N.; McQuarrie, Nadine; Perez, Nicholas D.; Ehlers, Todd A.; Beck, Susan L.; Kar, Nandini; Eichelberger, Nathan; Chapman, Alan D.; Ward, Kevin M.; Ducea, Mihai N.; Lease, Richard O.; Poulsen, Christopher J.; Wagner, Lara S.; Saylor, Joel E.; Zandt, George; Horton, Brian K. Attaching transmitters to waterbirds using one versus two subcutaneous anchors: Retention and survival trade-offs
A major challenge of wildlife telemetry is choosing an attachment technique that maximizes transmitter retention while minimizing negative side effects. For waterbirds, attachment of transmitters with subcutaneous anchors has been an effective and well-established technique, having been used on >40 species. This method was recently modified to...
Lewis, Tyler; Esler, Daniel N.; Uher-Koch, Brian D.; Dickson, Rian D.; Anderson, Eric M.; Evenson, Joseph R.; Hupp, Jerry W.; Flint, Paul L. Forecasting consequences of changing sea ice availability for Pacific walruses
The accelerating rate of anthropogenic alteration and disturbance of environments has increased the need for forecasting effects of environmental change on fish and wildlife populations. Models linking projections of environmental change with behavioral responses and bioenergetic effects can provide a basis for these forecasts. There is particular...
Udevitz, Mark S.; Jay, Chadwick V.; Taylor, Rebecca L.; Fischbach, Anthony S.; Beatty, William S.; Noren, Shawn R. Genetic implications of bottleneck effects of differing severities on genetic diversity in naturally recovering populations: An example from Hawaiian coot and Hawaiian gallinule
The evolutionary trajectory of populations through time is influenced by the interplay of forces (biological, evolutionary, and anthropogenic) acting on the standing genetic variation. We used microsatellite and mitochondrial loci to examine the influence of population declines, of varying severity, on genetic diversity within two Hawaiian endemic...
Sonsthagen, Sarah A.; Wilson, Robert E.; Underwood, Jared G.Browse a selection of videos, audio clips, images, and more from a wide range of science topics covered by USGS!
"Science for a Changing World" - watch the short film here!
Documentary on walruses here!
Watch the first-ever footage of a polar bear on Arctic sea ice!
Join USGS geologists as they collect lava samples from Kilauea Volcano.
Watch researchers in the Arctic!
Salmon River in Southeast Alaska
Salmon River is one of the transboundary watersheds of Southeast Alaska.
Kashwitna River sonar on a bridge
Kashwitna River sonar on a bridge
Dolly Varden and Arctic grayling in the Agashashok River
Underwater photo of a large school of Dolly Varden char and Arctic grayling in the Agashashok River. These fish were part of the Hydro-Ecology of Arctic Thawing (HEAT) project.
Polar bear walks across flooded barrier island during Arctic storm
Adult polar bear walking across a recently overwashed barrier island during a large Arctic storm in September 2016. The barrier island is offshore of Barter Island on Alaska’s north coast. Polar bears typically rest on the barrier islands during the day and transit to the "bone pile" on Barter Island in the evenings to feast on whale carcass remnants supplied by local
...
Coastal bluff study site prep
Two scientists on the Arctic coastal bluff preparing a study location with cameras that they hope will run continuously, collecting images.
Pacific Golden-Plover standing on rocks near Big Creek, Alaska
Pacific Golden-Plover standing on rocks near Big Creek, Alaska.
Agashashok River and Asik watershed
The Agashashok River and Asik watershed
Polar bear lazes in a field on Barter Island, Alaska
A polar bear rests in a field on Barter Island, Alaska.
GPR and Broadband Electromagnetic Induction
USGS scientists conduct field work in the foothills of the Brooks Range in Alaska. Hydrologist Eric White (left) is collecting ground-penetrating radar (GPR). Research Hydrologist Martin Briggs (right) is collecting broadband electromagnetic induction data. The flowing water visible in the background is groundwater discharging at a spring. (October 2016)
Tyndall Glacier in Taan Fiord, Alaska
Tyndall Glacier in Taan Fiord, Alaska, is a modern day remnant of the glaciers that once flowed over the Gulf of Alaska.
Example of thawing landscapes and thermokarst at our field sites
Example of thawing landscapes and thermokarst at our field sites
Soil tracer applied on burned hillslope
Brian Ebel pours a dye tracer into a pit to observe how water moves through soils on a burned hillslope.
Browse a collection of stories about prominent USGS scientists and projects in Alaska news.
A new study by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) shows that the Castle Mountain fault in south-central Alaska may be ready to produce a strong magnitude 6 to 7 earthquake. The study, which examined the ancient earthquake history of the Castle Mountain fault, was just published in the October issue of the Geological Society of America Bulletin.
The immediate threat of overflow of water from Russell Lake caused by the advance of Hubbard Glacier, North America’s largest tidewater glacier, is over, according to reports from Dennis Trabant, a glaciologist with the U.S. Geological Survey.
The immediate threat of overflow of water from Russell Lake caused by the advance of Hubbard Glacier, North America’s largest tidewater glacier, is over, according to reports from Dennis Trabant, a glaciologist with the U.S. Geological Survey
North America’s largest calving glacier, Hubbard Glacier, is advancing and is close to blocking the entrance to Russell Fiord near Yakutat, Alaska, according to reports from Dennis Trabant, a glaciologist with the U. S. Geological Survey (USGS).
North America’s largest calving glacier, Hubbard Glacier, is advancing and is close to blocking the entrance to Russell Fiord near Yakutat, Alaska, according to reports from Dennis Trabant, a glaciologist with the U. S. Geological Survey (USGS).
U.S. Geological Survey scientists have completed a four-year re-assessment of the undiscovered oil and gas resources of the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska (NPRA). The re-assessment includes an economic analysis of the undiscovered oil in the NPRA and shows that the federal part of NPRA contains significant volumes of technically recoverable oil and gas resources spread over a vast area.
U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) scientists have completed a four-year re-assessment of the undiscovered oil and gas resources of the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska (NPRA).
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) released today a summary report of more than 10 years of investigations on the biological resources of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in and near the 1002 Area, a region of about 1.5 million acres on the coastal plain in the northern part of the Arctic Refuge.
Of Alaska’s several-thousand valley glaciers, including nearly 700 that are named, fewer than 20 are advancing, according to a major study that U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) scientist Bruce F. Molnia will present at the American Geophysical Union Annual 2001 Fall Meeting, scheduled for Dec. 10-14 in San Francisco, CA.
Of Alaska’s several-thousand valley glaciers, including nearly 700 that are named, fewer than 20 are advancing, according to a major study that U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) scientist Bruce F. Molnia will present at the American Geophysical Union Annual 2001 Fall Meeting, scheduled for Dec. 10-14 in San Francisco, CA.
USGS scientist, Chris Potter, will summarize the USGS approach to hydrocarbon assessment in fold-thrust related structures beneath the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) coastal plain and the National Petroleum Reserve, foothills and coastal plain on Alaska’s North Slope.
Dr.William Seitz has assumed his duties as the U.S. Geological Survey’s (USGS) Deputy Regional Director for Alaska and the director of the Alaska Science Center.
Stay up-to-date with what is happening in the Alaska Region by checking out our different social media accounts. You can also contact Alaska Regional Office staff or Center Directors for more information.
Social Media
Locations
Alaska Climate Adaptation Science Center
Alaska Science Center
Phone: (907) 786-7000
Fax: (907) 786-7020
USGS Volcano Science Center
Phone: 360-993-8900
Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO)
http://www.avo.alaska.edu/contact.php
Phone: 907-786-7497
Yellowstone Volcano Observatory (YVO)
yvowebteam@usgs.gov
Phone: 360-993-8906
USGS Cascades Volcano Observatory (CVO)
vhpweb@usgs.gov
Phone: 360-993-8900
Fax: 360-993-8980
USGS California Volcano Observatory (CalVO package delivery)
askcalvo@usgs.gov
Phone: 650-329-5083
Hawaiian Volcano Observatory
askHVO@usgs.gov
Phone: (808) 967-7328
Fax: (808) 967-8890
Anchorage Field Office - Water
Phone: 907-786-7000
Fairbanks Field Office - Water
Phone: 907-479-5645
Juneau Field Office - Water
Phone: 907-586-7216
