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
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USGS research activities relevant to Alaska have yielded more than 9400 historical publications. This page features some of the most recent newsworthy research findings.
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Arctic Science for Decision Maker
2020 USGS Alaska Annual Science ReportRoosting behavior of premigratory Dunlins (Calidris alpina)
We studied roosting behavior of Dunlins (Calidris alpina) during late summer along the coast of the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, Alaska, in relation to tidal cycle, time of day, time of season, and occurrence of predators. Within Angyoyaravak Bay, peak populations of 70,000-100,000 Dunlins occur each year. The major diurnal roost sites were adjacent to...
Handel, Colleen M.; Gill, Robert E.Sedimentary history of the Tethyan margins of eastern Gondwana during the Mesozoic
A composite Mesozoic geological history for the Gondwana margins to the Eastern Tethys Ocean can be assembled from stratigraphic successions on the Australian and Himalayan margins and from drill sites of Ocean Drilling Program Legs 122 and 123. During the Triassic, this region drifted northwards, entering tropical paleolatitudes during the Late...
Duncan, Robert A.; Rea, David K.; Kidd, Robert B.; von Rad, Ulrich; Weissel, Jeffrey K.; Ogg, James G.; Gradstein, Felix; Dumoulin, Julie A.; Sarti, Massimo; Brown, PaulStructural evolution of an arc-basin: The Gravina Belt in central southeastern Alaska
The upper Middle Jurassic-Lower Cretaceous Gravina belt lies along the eastern margin of the Alexander terrane in southeastern Alaska. This group of turbidites and mafic to intermediate volcanic rocks was deformed during mid to Late Cretaceous time during the closing of a basin of unknown size between the Alexander terrane on the west and the...
Haeussler, Peter J.Suppression of guinea pig ileum induced contractility by plasma albumin of hibernators
Previous studies suggest that hibernation may be regulated by internal opioids and that the putative “hibernation induction trigger” (HIT) may itself be an opioid. This study examined the effect of plasma albumin (known to bind HIT) on induced contractility of the guinea pig ileum muscle strip. Morphine (400 nM) depressed contractility and 100 nM...
Bruce, David S.; Ambler, Douglas L.; Henschel, Timothy M.; Oeltgen, Peter R.; Nilekani, Sita P.; Amstrup, Steven C.Threshold foraging behavior of baleen whales
We conducted hydroacoustic surveys for capelin Mallotus villosus in Witless Bay, Newfoundland, Canada, on 61 days during the summers of 1983 to 1985. On 32 of those days in whlch capelin surveys were conducted, we observed a total of 129 baleen whales - Including 93 humpback Megaptera novaeangliae, 31 minke Balaenoptera acutorostrata and 5 fin...
Piatt, John F.; Methven, David A.Volcanoes of Alaska: Kupreanof (Stepovak Bay)
No abstract available.
Wood, Charles A.; Kienle, Juergen; Wilson, Frederic H.Breeding distribution of the Black Turnstone
Eighty-five percent of the world population of Black Turnstones (Arenaria melanocephala) nest on the central Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, Alaska, 65% concentrated in a narrow band of salt grass, graminoid, and dwarf shrub meadows within two km of the coast. An estimated 61,000 to 99,000 birds (95% CI), with a point estimate of 80,000 birds, breed on the...
Handel, Colleen M.; Gill, Robert E.Change-in-ratio estimators for populations with more than two subclasses
Change-in-ratio methods have been developed to estimate the size of populations with two or three population subclasses. Most of these methods require the often unreasonable assumption of equal sampling probabilities for individuals in all subclasses. This paper presents new models based on the weaker assumption that ratios of sampling...
Udevitz, Mark S.; Pollock, Kenneth H.A comparison of aerial and boat-based surveys for marbled murrelets in southeast Alaska, July 23-28, 1991
Aerial and boat-based surveys for Marbled Murrelets (Brachyramphus marmoratus) were conducted simultaneously over short transect distances (ca. 2 km) in three different areas of the Alexander Archipelago to assess the accuracy and variability of aerial counts compared to boat-based counts. Additional aerial surveys were conducted over a wider...
Piatt, John F.; Conant, Bruce; Iverson, ChrisThe distribution of seabirds and fish in relation to ocean currents in the southeastern Chukchi Sea
In late August 1988, we studied the distribution of seabirds in the southeastern Chukchi Sea, particularly in waters near a major seabird colony at Cape Thompson. Foraging areas were characterized using hydrographic data obtained from hydroacoustic surveys for fish. Murres (Uria spp.) and Black-legged Kitttiwakes Rissa tridactyla breeding at...
Montevecchi, W.A.; Gaston, A.J.; Piatt, John F.; Wells, John L.; MacCharles, Andrea; Fadely, Brian S.The velocity field along the San Andreas Fault in central and southern California
The velocity field within a 100‐km‐broad zone centered on the San Andreas fault between the Mexican border and San Francisco Bay has been inferred from repeated surveys of trilateration networks in the 1973–1989 interval. The velocity field has the appearance of a shear flow that remains parallel to the local strike of the fault even through such...
Lisowski, Michael; Savage, James C.; Prescott, W.H.A line transect model for aerial surveys
We employ a line transect method to estimate the density of the common and Pacific loon in the Yukon Flats National Wildlife Refuge from aerial survey data. Line transect methods have the advantage of automatically taking into account “visibility bias” due to detectability difference of animals at different distances from the transect line....
Quang, Pham Xuan; Lanctot, Richard B.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.