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Alaska Region

USGS in Alaska conducts science for decision-making in five major areas: natural hazards; energy & minerals; water quality, streamflow & ice; wildlife, fish & habitat; and geospatial mapping. The Alaska Regional Office provides management and strategic coordination among the Alaska Science Center, the Volcano Science Center, & other partners operating in AK.

News

Celebrating Black History: Meet Ric Wilson, A Pioneer of Alaskan Geo-Mapping

Celebrating Black History: Meet Ric Wilson, A Pioneer of Alaskan Geo-Mapping

Charismatic Wildlife and the Charismatic Women who Study Them

Charismatic Wildlife and the Charismatic Women who Study Them

Pesticides are likely impacting invertebrate life essential to our nation’s streams

Pesticides are likely impacting invertebrate life essential to our nation’s streams

Publications

A high-resolution, daily hindcast (1990-2021) of Alaskan river discharge and temperature from coupled and optimized physical models

Water quality and freshwater ecosystems are affected by river discharge and temperature. Models are frequently used to estimate river temperature on large spatial and temporal scales due to limited observations of discharge and temperature. In this study, we use physically based river routing and temperature models to simulate daily discharge and river temperature for rivers in 138 basins in Alask
Authors
Dylan Blaskey, Michael Gooseff, Yifan Cheng, Andrew Newman, Joshua C. Koch, Keith Musselman

A comparison of contemporary and historical hydrology and water quality in the foothills and coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Arctic Slope, northern Alaska

The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is a unique landscape in northern Alaska with limited water resources, substantial biodiversity of rare and threatened species, as well as oil and gas resources. The region has unique hydrology related to perennial springs, and the formation of large aufeis fields—sheets of ice that grow in the river channels where water reaches the surface in the winter and fre
Authors
Joshua C. Koch, Heather Best, Carson Baughman, Charles Couvillion, Michael P. Carey, Jeff Conaway

Seasonal and decadal subsurface thaw dynamics of an Aufeis feature investigated through numerical simulations

Aufeis (also known as icings) are large sheet-like masses of layered ice that form in river channels in arctic environments in the winter as groundwater discharges to the land surface and subsequently freezes. Aufeis are important sources of water for Arctic river ecosystems, bolstering late summer river discharge and providing habitat for caribou escaping insect harassment. The aim of this resear
Authors
Alexi Lainis, Roseanna M. Neupauer, Joshua C. Koch, Michael Gooseff

Science

Hydro-Ecology of Arctic Thawing (HEAT): Hydrology

The Arctic is warming at higher rates than much of the rest of the world. For Alaska, this results in changes in hydrology and ecosystems – permafrost is thawing, changing landscapes and releasing nutrients to soils and streams.
link

Hydro-Ecology of Arctic Thawing (HEAT): Hydrology

The Arctic is warming at higher rates than much of the rest of the world. For Alaska, this results in changes in hydrology and ecosystems – permafrost is thawing, changing landscapes and releasing nutrients to soils and streams.
Learn More

Polar Bear Research

Polar bears ( Ursus maritimus ) are one of 4 marine mammal species managed by the U.S. Department of Interior. The USGS Alaska Science Center leads long–term research on polar bears to inform local, state, national and international policy makers regarding conservation of the species and its habitat. Our studies, ongoing since 1985, are focused on population dynamics, health and energetics...
link

Polar Bear Research

Polar bears ( Ursus maritimus ) are one of 4 marine mammal species managed by the U.S. Department of Interior. The USGS Alaska Science Center leads long–term research on polar bears to inform local, state, national and international policy makers regarding conservation of the species and its habitat. Our studies, ongoing since 1985, are focused on population dynamics, health and energetics...
Learn More

Alaska Flood Staffs

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) uses observations of flooding to monitor coastal conditions and support research by the USGS and its partners into a variety of coastal processes and hazards in Alaska. Local observations of flooding at flood staffs are used to document flood elevations, improve flood modeling, and support floodplain management decisions.
link

Alaska Flood Staffs

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) uses observations of flooding to monitor coastal conditions and support research by the USGS and its partners into a variety of coastal processes and hazards in Alaska. Local observations of flooding at flood staffs are used to document flood elevations, improve flood modeling, and support floodplain management decisions.
Learn More