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
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, the Climate Adaptation Science Center, & other partners operating in AK.
View Centers and ObservatoriesNews
Potential Landslide-Generated Tsunami in Prince William Sound’s Barry Arm Likely Less Severe than Previously Thought
Wave height could still be hazardous to nearshore communities
Christina Neal to Lead USGS Volcano Science Center
ANCHORAGE, Alaska — On May 9, 2021, Christina (Tina) Neal became the new director of the U.S. Geological Survey Volcano Science Center, home of the Alaska, California, Cascades, Hawaiian and Yellowstone volcano observatories.
USGS Releases Estimate of Natural Gas in Alaska's Western North Slope
USGS provides its first estimate of conventional natural gas resources in rock formations west of the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska. The rock formations in this region are believed to contain no recoverable oil deposits, so no assessment was made of those resources in this study.
Publications
Response of forage plants to alteration of temperature and spring thaw date: Implications for geese in a warming Arctic
Changes in summer temperatures in Arctic Alaska have led to longer and warmer growing seasons over the last three decades. Corresponding with these changes in climate, the abundance and distributions of geese have increased and expanded over the same period. We used an experimental approach to assess the response of goose forage plants to...
Flint, Paul L.; Meixell, Brandt W. Human-polar bear interactions
Human-wildlife interactions (HWI) are driven fundamentally by overlapping space and resources. As competition intensifies, the likelihood of interaction and conflict increases. In turn, conflict may impede conservation efforts by lowering social tolerance of wildlife, especially when human-wildlife conflict (HWC) poses a threat to human safety and...
Davis, Randall W.; Pagano, Anthony M.; Atwood, Todd C.; Wilder, James Diffusion modeling reveals effects of multiple release sites and human activity on a recolonizing apex predator
BackgroundReintroducing predators is a promising conservation tool to help remedy human-caused ecosystem changes. However, the growth and spread of a reintroduced population is a spatiotemporal process that is driven by a suite of factors, such as habitat change, human activity, and prey availability. Sea otters (Enhydra lutris) are apex predators...
Eisaguirre, Joseph M.; Willliams, Perry J.; Lu, Xinyi; Kissling, Michelle L.; Beatty, William S.; Esslinger, George G.; Womble, Jamie N.; Hooten, MevinUSGS in Alaska engages approximately 400 scientists and support staff working across 3 major centers with a combined annual science budget of about $65 million. In just the last 5 years, USGS in Alaska has produced scientific benefits resulting from over 1000 publications and about 250 Technical Reports.
Alaska North Slope LiDAR
High-resolution light detection and ranging (lidar) elevation data were acquired along the north coast of Alaska between 2009 and 2012. The lidar acquisition, from Icy Cape, Alaska to the United States/Canadian border, comprised approximately 11,000 km2. The airborne lidar data were acquired in support of the U.S. Geological Survey Coastal and Marine Geology Program. The purpose of...
Climate impacts to Arctic coasts
The Arctic region is warming faster than anywhere else in the nation. Understanding the rates and causes of coastal change in Alaska is needed to identify and mitigate hazards that might affect people and animals that call Alaska home.
Coastal Change Hazards
Natural processes such as waves, tides, and weather, continually change coastal landscapes. The integrity of coastal homes, businesses, and infrastructure can be threatened by hazards associated with event-driven changes, such as extreme storms and their impacts on beach and dune erosion, or longer-term, cumulative...
Tracking Data for Yellow-billed Loons (Gavia adamsii)
Available here are tracking data of Yellow-billed loons, a species that breeds in coastal areas of western and northern Alaska and adjacent regions of Russia and Canada. This species winters along the Pacific coasts of North America and Eurasia. These data were collected to better understand the patterns of migratory movements and seasonal use of different regions of Alaska
Assessment of Gas Hydrate Resources in the North Slope of Alaska, 2018
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has updated the previous 2008 assessment of undiscovered, technically recoverable gas hydrate resources beneath the North Slope of Alaska. This new 2018 assessment again indicates the existence of technically recoverable gas hydrate resources―that is, resources that can be discovered, developed, and produced using current technology. Using a geology-based...
Alaska North Slope 2018 Hydrate 01 Stratigraphic Test Well
The National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL), the Japan Oil, Gas and Metals National Corporation (JOGMEC), and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) are leading an effort to conduct an extended gas hydrate production test in northern Alaska.
M7.1 November 30, 2018 Anchorage Earthquake
A magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck north of Anchorage, Alaska, on November 30, 2018, at 8:29 a.m. local time (17:29:28 UTC).
Swan Research
USGS research on swans in Alaska has focused on pathogens, contaminants, and demographic rates in each of the different breeding areas of Alaska. The vastly different migration patterns of swans in Alaska means that there are multiple factors on the wintering grounds and during migration that may influence population size and trends.
Sitka, AK
On August 18, 2015, heavy rainfall triggered around 60 landslides in and around the city of Sitka, AK. The landslides moved downslope rapidly; several were damaging and one of these demolished a home on South Kramer Avenue killing three people.
Alaska
Probabilistic seismic hazard maps have been prepared for Alaska portraying ground motion values (peak ground acceleration and spectral amplitude at periods of 0.2, 0.3 and 1.0 seconds) at probabilities of exceedance of 2% and 10% in 50 years. Preparation of these maps followed the same general strategy as that followed for the U.S.G.S. seismic hazard maps of the contiguous United States,...
Beavers Impacting Tundra Ecosystems (BITE)
The range expansion of the North American beaver (Castor canadensis) has implications for water quality, aquatic ecosystems, and fisheries in Arctic streams.
Community Outreach and Engagement
It is critically important that Indigenous peoples, rural communities, and Alaska co-management councils are kept informed of USGS research activities and findings. Involvement of and collaboration with students also provides valuable perspectives to USGS science. This page offers information on how USGS communicates its activities and seeks opportunities to gain important perspectives from...
USGS produces objective, high-quality data that is relevant to decision-makers, resource managers, the scientific community, and the public. Access digital datasets, climate data & analysis tools, interactive maps for volcanic activity, and more!
AK Minerals Resource Data File
Climate Data and Analysis Tools
Search USGS Science Data Catalog
Alaska IfSAR Elevation Data
Radar data is being collected statewide for Alaska under direction of the USGS 3D Elevation Program (3DEP). The new data is vastly improving the accuracy and resolution of elevation data for the state, and is being collected using an airborne Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (IfSAR) sensor. USGS and the State of Alaska maintain web-based status maps and download services.
Elevation Data
The 3DEP products and services available through The National Map consist of lidar point clouds (LPC), standard digital elevation models (DEMs) at various horizontal resolutions, elevation source and associated datasets, an elevation point query service and bulk point query service. All 3DEP products are available, free of charge and without use restrictions.
Volcano Monitoring Data
Many volcanoes in the U.S. are monitored by arrays of several instruments that detect subtle movements within the earth and changes in gas and water chemistry. The Volcano Hazards Program streams this data to its Volcano Observatories and makes it available on volcano-specific websites.
Alaska Volcano Observatory Satellite Data
This is a new tool for understanding and communicating risks. The activities include the development of risk models and approaches to improve the situational awareness of communities and industries to natural hazards and reduce the uncertainty of those risk assessments.
Alaska Volcano Observatory - Is Ash Falling?
Reports of ash fall are important to us; we use your observations to assess the character and size of an eruption plume. We report these data to the National Weather Service so they can keep their Ashfall Advisories current. Additionally, reports of NO ashfall during an eruption with expected ashfall are also important to us.
The USGS is a world leader in producing and distributing maps and geospatial data, ranging from local to national and global scales. The Alaska Mapping Initiative supports the procurement of new topographic maps and data for the Alaska Region to levels commonly found in the rest of the contiguous United States. You can download Alaska US Topo maps for free here.
Alaska Geologic Map
All US and Foreign territory north of the Arctic Circle and all US terrritory north and west of the boundary formed by the Porcupine, Yukon, and Kuskokwim Rivers; all contiguous seas including the Arctic Ocean and the Beaufort, Bering and Chukchi Seas, and the Aleutian chain.
All US and Foreign territory north of the Arctic Circle and all US terrritory north and west of the boundary formed by the Porcupine, Yukon, and Kuskokwim Rivers; all contiguous seas including the Arctic Ocean and the Beaufort, Bering and Chukchi Seas, and the Aleutian chain.
Region: Alaska. All US and Foreign territory north of the Arctic Circle and all US terrritory north and west of the boundary formed by the Porcupine, Yukon, and Kuskokwim Rivers; all contiguous seas including the Arctic Ocean and the Beaufort, Bering and Chukchi Seas, and the Aleutian chain.
This map shows the provinces assessed by the USGS for undiscovered oil and gas resources.
This is an interactive version of the Alaska geologic map database which allows a user to view and access many features of the database and map through a standard web browser. In other words, there is no need for or knowledge of specialized GIS software.
The 3DEP products and services available through The National Map consist of standard digital elevation models (DEMs) at various horizontal resolutions, elevation source and associated datasets, an elevation point query service and bulk point query service. All 3DEP products are available, free of charge and without use restrictions.
Links to publications that contain maps of the sea floor or lake beds and the digital data used to create them.
New US Topo maps for Alaska are being produced statewide, with digital 7.5 minute 1:25,000-scale maps providing a comprehensive update to the 15-minute 1:63,360-scale printed maps produced nearly fifty years ago. You can view a status map showing where the new maps are available, and link to a site to download the maps.
On March 27, 1964 the largest recorded earthquake in U.S. history struck southcentral Alaska. Click on the photos or the numbers to take a tour.
USGS research activities relevant to Alaska have yielded more than 9400 historical publications. This page features some of the most recent newsworthy research findings.
Search USGS publications for Alaska
Arctic Science for Decision Maker
2020 USGS Alaska Annual Science Report Response of forage plants to alteration of temperature and spring thaw date: Implications for geese in a warming Arctic
Changes in summer temperatures in Arctic Alaska have led to longer and warmer growing seasons over the last three decades. Corresponding with these changes in climate, the abundance and distributions of geese have increased and expanded over the same period. We used an experimental approach to assess the response of goose forage plants to...
Flint, Paul L.; Meixell, Brandt W. Human-polar bear interactions
Human-wildlife interactions (HWI) are driven fundamentally by overlapping space and resources. As competition intensifies, the likelihood of interaction and conflict increases. In turn, conflict may impede conservation efforts by lowering social tolerance of wildlife, especially when human-wildlife conflict (HWC) poses a threat to human safety and...
Davis, Randall W.; Pagano, Anthony M.; Atwood, Todd C.; Wilder, James Diffusion modeling reveals effects of multiple release sites and human activity on a recolonizing apex predator
BackgroundReintroducing predators is a promising conservation tool to help remedy human-caused ecosystem changes. However, the growth and spread of a reintroduced population is a spatiotemporal process that is driven by a suite of factors, such as habitat change, human activity, and prey availability. Sea otters (Enhydra lutris) are apex predators...
Eisaguirre, Joseph M.; Willliams, Perry J.; Lu, Xinyi; Kissling, Michelle L.; Beatty, William S.; Esslinger, George G.; Womble, Jamie N.; Hooten, Mevin
GIS-based identification of areas that have resource potential for lode gold in Alaska
Several comprehensive, data-driven geographic information system (GIS) analyses were conducted to assess prospectivity for lode gold in Alaska. These analyses use available geospatial datasets of lithologic, geochemical, mineral occurrence, and geophysical data to build models for recognizing different types of gold deposits within physiographic...
Karl, Susan M.; Kreiner, Douglas C.; Case, George N.D.; Labay, Keith A.; Shew, Nora B.; Granitto, Matthew; Wang, Bronwen; Anderson, Eric D.
Chemical analysis of archived stream-sediment samples, Alaska
Geochemical data are presented for more than 1,500 archived stream-sediment samples and accompanying quality control samples. The archived sediments were reanalyzed to improve the stream geochemical dataset for Alaska and to support ongoing U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) studies. Sediment samples were primarily from the USGS Mineral Resources...
Wang, Bronwen; Case, George N.D.; Granitto, Mathew; Labay, Keith A.; Shew, Nora B.; Ingraham, Andrew D.; Azain, Jaime S.; Bueghly, Zachary C.; Karl, Susan M.; Kelley, Karen D. Comparison of historical water temperature measurements with landsat analysis ready data provisional surface temperature estimates for the Yukon River in Alaska
Water temperature is a key element of freshwater ecological systems and a critical element within natural resource monitoring programs. In the absence of in situ measurements, remote sensing platforms can indirectly measure water temperature over time and space. The Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center has processed archived...
Baughman, Carson; Conaway, Jeff Physiomorphic transformation in extreme endurance migrants: Revisiting the case of bar-tailed godwits preparing for trans-pacific flights
In a 1998 paper entitled “Guts don’t fly: small digestive organs in obese bar-tailed godwits,” Piersma and Gill (1998) showed that the digestive organs were tiny and the fat loads huge in individuals suspected of embarking on a non-stop flight from Alaska to New Zealand. It was suggested that prior to migratory departure, these godwits...
Piersma, Theunis; Gill, Robert E.; Ruthrauff, Daniel R. Translocations maintain genetic diversity and increase connectivity in sea otters, Enhydra lutris
Sea otters, Enhydra lutris, were once abundant along the nearshore areas of the North Pacific. The international maritime fur trade that ended in 1911 left 13 small remnant populations with low genetic diversity. Subsequent translocations into previously occupied habitat resulted in several reintroduced populations along the coast of North...
Larson, Shawn E.; Gagne, Roderick B.; Bodkin, James L.; Murray, Michael J.; Ralls, Katherine; Bowen, Lizabeth; Leblois, Raphael; Piry, Sylvain; Penedo, Maria Cecilia; Tinker, TIm M; Ernest, Holly B. Diet composition and body condition of polar bears (Ursus maritimus) in relation to sea ice habitat in the Canadian High Arctic
Polar bears (Ursus maritimus) rely on sea ice for hunting marine mammal prey. Declining sea ice conditions associated with climate warming have negatively affected polar bears, especially in the southern portion of their range. At higher latitudes, the transition from multi-year ice to thinner annual ice has been hypothesized to increase...
Florko, Katie R. N.; Thiemann, Gregory W.; Bromaghin, Jeffrey F.; Richardson, Evan S. Diverse patterns of migratory timing, site use, and site fidelity by Alaska-breeding Whimbrels
Birds that conduct long-distance migrations exhibit varied patterns of consistency in migratory timing and site use. Understanding variation in these traits among populations can help uncover mechanisms driving migratory behaviors and identify potential population threats. Whimbrels (Numenius phaeopus) are long-distance migratory shorebirds with a...
Ruthrauff, Daniel R.; Harwood, Christopher M.; Tibbitts, Lee; Warnock, Nils; Gill, Robert E. Willow drives changes in arthropod communities of northwestern Alaska: ecological implications of shrub expansion
Arthropods serve as complex linkages between plants and higher-level predators in Arctic ecosystems and provide key ecosystem services such as pollination and nutrient cycling. Arctic plant communities are changing as tall woody shrubs expand onto tundra, but potential effects on arthropod abundance and food web structure remain unclear. Changes...
McDermott, Molly E.; Doak, Patricia; Handel, Colleen M.; Breed, Greg A.; Mulder, Christa Willow drives changes in arthropod communities of northwestern Alaska: Ecological implications of shrub expansion
Arthropods serve as complex linkages between plants and higher-level predators in Arctic ecosystems and provide key ecosystem services such as pollination and nutrient cycling. Arctic plant communities are changing as tall woody shrubs expand onto tundra, but potential effects on arthropod abundance and food web structure remain unclear. Changes...
Mcdermott, Molly; Doak, Patricia; Handel, Colleen M.; Breed, Greg A.; Mulder, Christa
This R script will run one replicate of one scenario used by Weiser (in review) to quantify biases in estimates of nest survival when nests are not found at the beginning of the nesting interval (age 0). The script simulates nest monitoring histories based on input parameters, applies models with or without an age effect to estimate daily survival rates, and calculates nest survival (to the end of
This R script will run one example of the stochastic matrix models run by Weiser et al. (2020) to simulate shorebird populations. The model predicts population growth rates and elasticity values of vital rates. The example script is stand-alone and contains input values for one example species; input values for the other species are provided in the manuscript.
Bioinformatics software repository containing python scripts intended for search and download of genetic information obtained from GenBank NCBI genetics data resources in support of developing PCR primers, targeted genetic databases, genetic analyses, and data interpretation. Includes multiple functions to streamline this process.
Daily sea ice imagery and charting benefits logistics and navigational planning in the Alaskan Arctic waters, yet access to these data often requires high bandwidth data access and substantial GIS processing.
Cormack-Jolly-Seber (CJS) mark-recapture models are widely utilized in ecology, providing estimates of vital rates and abundance that are difficult to obtain using other means.
Quantitative fatty acid signature analysis (QFASA; Iverson et al. 2004) has become a common method of estimating diet composition, especially for marine mammals, but the performance of the method has received limited investigation.
The Pedestrian Evacuation Analyst is an ArcGIS extension that estimates how long it would take for someone to travel on foot out of a hazardous area that was threatened by a sudden event such as a tsunami, flash flood, or volcanic lahar. It takes into account the elevation changes and the different types of landcover that a person would encounter along the way.
Quantitative fatty acid signature analysis (QFASA) is a method of diet estimation introduced over a decade ago (Iverson et al. 2004).
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!
Tingmerkpuk Ridges
Jurassic rocks exposed in thurst-faulted structures near the southern limit of Western North Slope. In the subsurface farther north, these rocks may be reservoir rocks for natural gas.
Western North Slope Foothills
The Kukpowruk River cuts through folded Cretaceous rocks in the central North Slope. These rocks were assessed by the USGS in 2017 and lie above the rocks assessed in the USGS 2021 Western North Slope assessment.
Western North Slope Foothills
Geologist hikes across folded Cretaceous rocks in the central North Slope. These rocks were assessed by the USGS in 2017 and lie above the rocks assessed in the USGS 2021 Western North Slope assessment.
Tingmerkpuk Ridges
Geologists discuss the geology of Jurassic rocks in thurst-faulted structures near the southern limit of Western North Slope.
Kokolik River Oil Sand
Oil-saturated sandstone in the Nanushuk Formation in westernmost National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska (NPR-A). Oil in these rocks likely was generated beneath Western North Slope and migrated northeastward into NPR-A.
Kukpowruk Redwul
Faulted and folded petroleum source rocks in Jurassic and Cretaceous rocks (Kingak Shale, pebble shale unit, and gamma-ray zone of Hue Shale) in southern part of Western North Slope. Thermal maturity of these rocks are at the upper limit of oil preservations. Oil odor indicates that oil was generated from these rocks but it likely migrated to other rocks or was transformed
...
Kukpowruk Redwul
Geologist examines f Faulted and folded petroleum source rocks in Jurassic and Cretaceous rocks (Kingak Shale, pebble shale unit, and gamma-ray zone of Hue Shale) in southern part of Western North Slope. Thermal maturity of these rocks is at the upper limit of oil preservations. Oil odor indicates that oil was generated from these rocks but it likely migrated to other
...
Surprise Creek, Western North Slope of Alaska
Overview of folded Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous rocks in southern part of Western North Slope.
5 meter DEM - Recent Updates (Alaska only)
5 meter DEM - Recent Updates (Alaska only)
5 meter DEM - Availability (Alaska only)
5 meter DEM - Availability (Alaska only)
Ifsar Digital Surface Model - Availability (Alaska only)
Ifsar Digital Surface Model - Availability (Alaska only)
Dragonfly Mercury Project specimen collection in Glacier NP
Researchers instruct volunteers on how to collect dragonfly larvae in Glacier NP as a part of the Dragonfly Mercury Project.
Browse a collection of stories about prominent USGS scientists and projects in Alaska news.
Wave height could still be hazardous to nearshore communities
ANCHORAGE, Alaska — On May 9, 2021, Christina (Tina) Neal became the new director of the U.S. Geological Survey Volcano Science Center, home of the Alaska, California, Cascades, Hawaiian and Yellowstone volcano observatories.
USGS provides its first estimate of conventional natural gas resources in rock formations west of the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska. The rock formations in this region are believed to contain no recoverable oil deposits, so no assessment was made of those resources in this study.
Originally Published by: The Daily News
By: U.S. Geological Survey Director James Reilly
This article has been reprinted or reproduced with the permission of the The Daily News in Longview WA.
A total of $634,000 will fund new research and preserve important data across the Last Frontier.
The scarcity or overabundance of water presents some of the most dangerous, damaging and costly threats to human life, ecosystems and property in the form of drought, floods and debris flows.
Disasters and emergencies can happen at any time, often without warning. Natural hazards threaten thousands of lives and cause billions of dollars in damage every year throughout the nation.
USGS Mineral Resources Program Highlights for the Summer 2020 Edition of the USGS Energy Quarterly Newsletter
U.S. Geological Survey field crews are measuring flooding across the country as spring weather is in full swing. Warming temperatures, increased precipitation and snowmelt have caused moderate to major flooding in the upper Midwest, East Coast, Central Plains and the Southeast portions of the country.
Budget Focuses on Bringing Science, Facilities, and Infrastructure into the 21st Century
USGS continues its estimates of technically recoverable oil and gas in Alaska's North Slope.
Access to 3D seismic mapping, along with a greater understanding of gas hydrate reservoir properties, yields estimates that are more precise.
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.
Contacts
Locations
Alaska Science Center
Phone: (907) 786-7000
Fax: (907) 786-7020
Alaska Climate Adaptation Science Center
USGS Volcano Science Center
Phone: 360-993-8900
Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO)
http://www.avo.alaska.edu/contact.php
Phone: 907-786-7497
USGS California Volcano Observatory (CalVO package delivery)
askcalvo@usgs.gov
Phone: 650-329-5083
USGS Cascades Volcano Observatory (CVO)
vhpweb@usgs.gov
Phone: 360-993-8900
Fax: 360-993-8980
Yellowstone Volcano Observatory (YVO)
yvowebteam@usgs.gov
Phone: 360-993-8906
Anchorage Field Office - Water
Phone: 907-786-7000
Fairbanks Field Office - Water
Phone: 907-479-5645
Juneau Field Office - Water
Phone: 907-586-7216
Social Media
The Regional Office provides active input to a variety of external collaborations by:
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Serving on science advisory boards (eg. NPRB, AOOS, Alaska Sea Grant, NSSI, WMO);
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Serving on technical working groups for organizations (eg. AGC, IARPC, CAFF, and Arctic SDI);
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Providing frequent peer review for decisions by external institutions (eg. IPCC, Fulbright Scholar Program, NFWF, and regional journals).