Photogrammetric monitoring of lava dome growth during the 2009 eruption of Redoubt Volcano
Angela K. Diefenbach, Katharine F. Bull, Rick Wessels, Robert G. McGimsey
2013, Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research (259) 308-316
The 2009 eruption of Redoubt Volcano, Alaska, began with a phreatic explosion on 15 March followed by a series of at least 19 explosive events and growth and destruction of at least two, and likely three, lava domes between 22 March and 4 April. On 4 April explosive activity...
Andesites of the 2009 eruption of Redoubt Volcano, Alaska
Michelle L. Coombs, Thomas W. Sisson, Heather A. Bleick, Sarah M. Henton, Christopher J. Nye, Allison Payne, Cheryl E. Cameron, Jessica F. Larsen, Kristi L. Wallace, Katharine F. Bull
2013, Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research (259) 349-372
Crystal-rich andesites that erupted from Redoubt Volcano in 2009 range from 57.5 to 62.5 wt.% SiO2 and have phenocryst and phenocryst-melt relations consistent with staging in the upper crust. Early explosive products are low-silica andesites (LSA, < 58 wt.% SiO2) that ascended from deeper crustal levels during or before the 6 months of precursory...
Lake trout otolith chronologies as multidecadal indicators of high-latitude freshwater ecosystems
B.A. Black, Vanessa R. von Biela, Christian E. Zimmerman, Randy J. Brown
2013, Polar Biology (36) 147-153
High-latitude ecosystems are among the most vulnerable to long-term climate change, yet continuous, multidecadal indicators by which to gauge effects on biology are scarce, especially in freshwater environments. To address this issue, dendrochronology (tree-ring analysis) techniques were applied to growth-increment widths in otoliths from lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) from the...
Temporal, spatial and ecological dynamics of speciation among amphi-Beringian small mammals
Andrew G. Hope, Naoki Takebayashi, Kurt E. Galbreath, Sandra L. Talbot, Joseph A. Cook
2013, Journal of Biogeography (40) 415-429
Quaternary climate cycles played an important role in promoting diversification across the Northern Hemisphere, although details of the mechanisms driving evolutionary change are still poorly resolved. In a comparative phylogeographical framework, we investigate temporal, spatial and ecological components of evolution within a suite of Holarctic small mammals. We test a...
Changes in size and trends of North American sea duck populations associated with North Pacific oceanic regime shifts
Paul L. Flint
2013, Marine Biology (160) 59-65
Broad-scale multi-species declines in populations of North American sea ducks for unknown reasons is cause for management concern. Oceanic regime shifts have been associated with rapid changes in ecosystem structure of the North Pacific and Bering Sea. However, relatively little is known about potential effects of these changes in oceanic...
Terrestrial and marine trophic pathways support young-of-year growth in a nearshore Arctic fish
Vanessa R. von Biela, Christian E. Zimmerman, Brian R. Cohn, Jeffrey M. Welker
2013, Polar Biology (36) 137-146
River discharge supplies nearshore communities with a terrestrial carbon source that is often reflected in invertebrate and fish consumers. Recent studies in the Beaufort Sea have documented widespread terrestrial carbon use among invertebrates, but only limited use among nearshore fish consumers. Here, we examine the carbon source and diet of...
Thermokarst lakes, drainage, and drained basins
Guido Grosse, Benjamin M. Jones, Christopher D. Arp
John F. Shroder, editor(s)
2013, Book chapter, Treatise on Geomorphology
Thermokarst lakes and drained lake basins are widespread in Arctic and sub-Arctic permafrost lowlands with ice-rich sediments. Thermokarst lake formation is a dominant mode of permafrost degradation and is linked to surface disturbance, subsequent melting of ground ice, surface subsidence, water impoundment, and positive feedbacks between lake growth and permafrost...
Sensitivity analysis of lake mass balance in discontinuous permafrost: the example of disappearing Twelvemile Lake, Yukon Flats, Alaska (USA)
S.M. Jepsen, C.I. Voss, Michelle Ann Walvoord, J.R. Rose, B. J. Minsley, B. D. Smith
2013, Hydrogeology Journal (21) 185-200
Many lakes in northern high latitudes have undergone substantial changes in surface area over the last four decades, possibly as a result of climate warming. In the discontinuous permafrost of Yukon Flats, interior Alaska (USA), these changes have been non-uniform across adjacent watersheds, suggesting local controls on lake water budgets....
New insights into the diets of harbor seals in the Salish Sea revealed by quantitative fatty acid signature analysis
Jeffrey F. Bromaghin, Monique M. Lance, Elizabeth W. Elliott, Steven J. Jeffries, Alejandro Acevedo-Gutierrez, John M. Kennish
2013, Fishery Bulletin (111) 13-26
Harbor seals (Phoca vitulina) are an abundant predator along the west coast of North America, and there is considerable interest in their diet composition, especially in regard to predation on valued fish stocks. Available information on harbor seal diets, primarily derived from scat analysis, suggests that adult salmon (Oncorhynchus spp.),...
Earthquake studies reveal the magmatic plumbing system of the Katmai volcanoes
Clifford Thurber, Rachel Murphy, Stephanie G. Prejean, Matthew M. Haney, Ninfa Bennington, Lee Powell, John F. Paskievitch
2012, Alaska Park Science (11)
The 1912 eruption of Novarupta was the largest of the 1900s (Fierstein and Hildreth 2001, Hildreth et al. 2003). A century later, fundamental questions remain regarding the source of the magma for that eruption. A previous seismic study of the Katmai area (Jolly et al. 2007) identified a single large...
Evaluation of long-term gas hydrate production testing locations on the Alaska North Slope
Timothy S. Collett, Ray Boswell, Myung W. Lee, Brian J. Anderson, Kelly K. Rose, Kristen A. Lewis
2012, SPE Reservoir Evaluation and Engineering (15) 243-264
The results of short-duration formation tests in northern Alaska and Canada have further documented the energy-resource potential of gas hydrates and have justified the need for long-term gas-hydrate-production testing. Additional data acquisition and long-term production testing could improve the understanding of the response of naturally occurring gas hydrate to depressurization-induced...
Long-distance swimming by polar bears (Ursus maritimus) of the southern Beaufort Sea during years of extensive open water
Anthony M. Pagano, George M. Durner, Kristin S. Simac, G.S. York, Steven C. Amstrup
2012, Canadian Journal of Zoology (90) 663-676
Polar bears (Ursus maritimus Phipps, 1774) depend on sea ice for catching marine mammal prey. Recent sea-ice declines have been linked to reductions in body condition, survival, and population size. Reduced foraging opportunity is hypothesized to be the primary cause of sea-ice-linked declines, but the costs of travel through a...
Testing the effect of water in crevasses on a physically based calving model
S. Cook, T. Zwinger, I.C. Rutt, Shad O’Neel, T. Murray
2012, Annals of Glaciology (53) 90-96
A new implementation of a calving model, using the finite-element code Elmer, is presented and used to investigate the effects of surface water within crevasses on calving rate. For this work, we use a two-dimensional flowline model of Columbia Glacier, Alaska. Using the glacier's 1993 geometry as a starting point,...
Physical Climate Forces
S.J. Williams, D. Atkinson, A. R. Byrd, H. Eicken, T. M. Hall, Thomas G. Huntington, Y. Kim, T.R. Knutson, J.P. Kossin, M. Lilly, J. M. Marra, J Obeysekera, A. Parris, J. Ratcliff, T. Ravens, D. Resio, P. Ruggiero, E. Robert Thieler, James G. Titus, T.V. Wamsley
2012, Book chapter, Coastal Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability: A Technical Input to the 2012 National Climate Assessment. Cooperative Report to the 2013 National Climate Assessment
Key FindingsThe coasts of the U.S. are home to many large urban centers and important infrastructure such seaports, airports, transportation routes, oil import and refining facilities, power plants, and military bases. All are vulnerable to varying degrees to impacts of global warming such as sea-level rise, storms, and flooding. High Confidence.Physical observations collected...
Peralkaline- and calc-alkaline-hosted volcanogenic massive sulfide deposits of the Bonnifield District, East-Central Alaska
Cynthia Dusel-Bacon, Nora K. Foley, John E. Slack, Alan E. Koenig, Robert L. Oscarson
2012, Economic Geology (107) 1403-1432
Volcanogenic massive sulfide (VMS) Zn-Pb-Cu-Ag-Au deposits of the Bonnifield mining district formed during Late Devonian-Early Mississippian magmatism along the western edge of Laurentia. The largest deposits, Dry Creek and WTF, have a combined resource of 5.7 million tonnes at 10% Zn, 4% Pb, 0.3% Cu, 300 grams per tonne (g/t)...
Geology of the Prince William Sound and Kenai Peninsula region, Alaska: Including the Kenai, Seldovia, Blying Sound, Cordova, and Middleton Island 1:250,000-scale quadrangles
Frederic H. Wilson, Chad P. Hults
2012, Scientific Investigations Map 3110
The Prince William Sound and Kenai Peninsula region includes a significant part of one of the world’s largest accretionary complexes and a small part of the classic magmatic arc geology of the Alaska Peninsula. Physiographically, the map area ranges from the high glaciated mountains of the Alaska and Aleutian Ranges...
Local-area-enhanced, 2.5-meter resolution natural-color and color-infrared satellite-image mosaics of the Tourmaline mineral district in Afghanistan: Chapter J in Local-area-enhanced, high-resolution natural-color and color-infrared satellite-image mosaics of mineral districts in Afghanistan
Philip A. Davis, Laura E. Cagney, Scott A. Arko, Michelle L. Harbin
2012, Data Series 709-J
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Defense Task Force for Business and Stability Operations, prepared databases for mineral-resource target areas in Afghanistan. The purpose of the databases is to (1) provide useful data to ground-survey crews for use in performing detailed assessments of the...
Local-area-enhanced, 2.5-meter resolution natural-color and color-infrared satellite-image mosaics of the Kharnak-Kanjar mineral district in Afghanistan: Chapter K in Local-area-enhanced, high-resolution natural-color and color-infrared satellite-image mosaics of mineral districts in Afghanistan
Philip A. Davis, Scott A. Arko, Michelle L. Harbin
2012, Data Series 709-K
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Defense Task Force for Business and Stability Operations, prepared databases for mineral-resource target areas in Afghanistan. The purpose of the databases is to (1) provide useful data to ground-survey crews for use in performing detailed assessments of the...
Local-area-enhanced, 2.5-meter resolution natural-color and color-infrared satellite-image mosaics of the Dusar-Shaida mineral district in Afghanistan: Chapter I in Local-area-enhanced, high-resolution natural-color and color-infrared satellite-image mosaics of mineral districts in Afghanistan
Philip A. Davis, Scott A. Arko, Michelle L. Harbin
2012, Data Series 709-I
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Defense Task Force for Business and Stability Operations, prepared databases for mineral-resource target areas in Afghanistan. The purpose of the databases is to (1) provide useful data to ground-survey crews for use in performing detailed assessments of the...
Local-area-enhanced, 2.5-meter resolution natural-color and color-infrared satellite-image mosaics of the Kundalyan mineral district in Afghanistan: Chapter H in Local-area-enhanced, high-resolution natural-color and color-infrared satellite-image mosaics of mineral districts in Afghanistan
Philip A. Davis, Laura E. Cagney, Scott A. Arko, Michelle L. Harbin
2012, Data Series 709-H
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Defense Task Force for Business and Stability Operations, prepared databases for mineral-resource target areas in Afghanistan. The purpose of the databases is to (1) provide useful data to ground-survey crews for use in performing detailed assessments of the...
The occurrence of trace elements in bed sediment collected from areas of varying land use and potential effects on stream macroinvertebrates in the conterminous western United States, Alaska, and Hawaii, 1992-2000
Angela P. Paul, Nicholas V. Paretti, Dorene E. MacCoy, Anne M.D. Brasher
2012, Scientific Investigations Report 2012-5272
As part of the National Water-Quality Assessment Program of the U.S. Geological Survey, this study examines the occurrence of nine trace elements in bed sediment of varying mineralogy and land use and assesses the possible effects of these trace elements on aquatic-macroinvertebrate community structure. Samples of bed sediment and macroinvertebrates...
Advanced earthquake monitoring system for U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs medical buildings--instrumentation
Erol Kalkan, Krishna Banga, Hasan S. Ulusoy, Jon Peter B. Fletcher, William S. Leith, Shahneam Reza, Timothy Cheng
2012, Open-File Report 2012-1241
In collaboration with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), the National Strong Motion Project (NSMP; http://nsmp.wr.usgs.gov/) of the U.S. Geological Survey has been installing sophisticated seismic systems that will monitor the structural integrity of 28 VA hospital buildings located in seismically active regions of the conterminous United...
A state-based national network for effective wildlife conservation
Vicky J. Meretsky, Lynn A. Maguire, Frank W. Davis, David M. Stoms, J. Michael Scott, Dennis Figg, Dale D. Goble, Brad Griffith, Scott E. Henke, Jacqueline Vaughn, Steven L. Yaffee
2012, BioScience (62) 970-976
State wildlife conservation programs provide a strong foundation for biodiversity conservation in the United States, building on state wildlife action plans. However, states may miss the species that are at the most risk at rangewide scales, and threats such as novel diseases and climate change increasingly act at regional and...
A remote-sensing, GIS-based approach to identify, characterize, and model spawning habitat for fall-run chum salmon in a sub-arctic, glacially fed river
Lisa Wirth, Amanda Rosenberger, Anupma Prakash, Rudiger Gens, F. Joseph Margraf, Toshihide Hamazaki
2012, Transactions of the American Fisheries Society (141) 1349-1363
At northern limits of a species’ distribution, fish habitat requirements are often linked to thermal preferences, and the presence of overwintering habitat. However, logistical challenges and hydrologic processes typical of glacial systems could compromize the identification of these habitats, particularly in large river environments. Our goal was to identify and...
Stable isotopes identify dietary changes associated with beak deformities in Black-Capped Chickadees (Poecile atricapillus)
Caroline R. Van Hemert, Colleen M. Handel, Diane M. O’Brien
2012, The Auk (129) 460-466
A large number of beak deformities of unknown etiology have recently been reported in Black-capped Chickadees (Poecile atricapillus) and other resident avian species in Alaska. We investigated the potential association between diet and beak deformities. We analyzed carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) isotopes in whole blood of Black-capped Chickadees captured...
