Pacific Lamprey responses to stressors: Dewatering and electrofishing
Theresa L. Liedtke, Lisa K. Weiland, Joe Skalicky, Julie Harris, Monica R. Blanchard, Ann B. Grote, Ann E. Gray, Brian K. Ekstrom
2024, Report
The Pacific Lamprey Conservation Initiative (PLCI) is a collaboration of Tribes, Federal, and State agencies working together to protect and restore Pacific Lamprey (Entosphenus tridentatus) and other native lampreys (i.e., Lampetra spp.) in Alaska, Washington, Oregon, California, and Idaho. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service hosts and facilitates the PLCI,...
Impacts of convective storms on runoff, erosion, and carbon export in a continuous permafrost landscape
Marisa Repasch, Josie Arcuri, Irina Overeem, Suzanne P. Anderson, Robert G. Anderson, Joshua C. Koch
2024, Conference Paper
Permafrost holds more than twice the amount of carbon currently in the atmosphere, but this large carbon reservoir is vulnerable to thaw and erosion under a rapidly changing Arctic climate. Convective storms are becoming increasingly common during Arctic summers and can amplify runoff and erosion. These extreme events, in concert...
Assessing the utility of uncrewed aerial system photogrammetrically derived point clouds for land cover classification in the Alaska North Slope
Jung-Kuan Liu, Rongjun Qin, Samantha T. Arundel
2024, Photogrammetric Engineering and Remote Sensing (PE&RS) (90) 405-414
Uncrewed aerial systems (UASs) have been used to collect “pseudo field plot” data in the form of large-scale stereo imagery to supplement and bolster direct field observations to monitor areas in Alaska. These data supplement field data that is difficult to collect in such...
Predicting the response of a long-distance migrant to changing environmental conditions in winter
Richard A. Stillman, E.M. Rivers, W. Gilkerson, K. A. Wood, P. Clausen, C. Deane, David H. Ward
2024, Ecology and Evolution (14)
Access to high-quality food is critical for long-distance migrants to provide energy for migration and arrival at breeding grounds in good condition. We studied effects of changing abundance and availability of a marine food, common eelgrass (Zostera marina L.), on an arctic-breeding, migratory goose, black brant (Brant bernicla nigricans Lawrence 1846), at...
A fire-use decision model to improve the United States’ wildfire management and support climate change adaptation
Aaron Daniel Russell, Nina Fontana, Tyler Hoecker, Alyssa Kamanu, Reetam Majumder, Jilmarie Stephens, Adam Young, Amanda E. Cravens, Christian Giardina, Kevin Hiers, Jeremy S. Littell, Adam Terando
2024, Cell Reports Sustainability (1)
The US faces multiple challenges in facilitating the safe, effective, and proactive use of fire as a landscape management tool. This intentional fire use exposes deeply ingrained communication challenges and distinct but overlapping strategies of prescribed fire, cultural burning, and managed wildfire. We argue for a new conceptual model that...
Boulders modulate hillslope-channel coupling in the northern Alaska Range
Adrian Bender, Richard O. Lease
2024, Geology (52) 695-699
Active orogens balance tectonic rock uplift with erosion, commonly via river incision coupled to landslide denudation of “threshold” hillslopes, but sediment’s role in this feedback is unclear. We report fluvial geometry, and sediment size, prevalence, and mobility across two ≤600-m-tall gneissic northern Alaska...
Understanding sea otter population change in southeast Alaska
Joseph Michael Eisaguirre, Toshio D. Matsuoka, George G. Esslinger, Benjamin P Weitzman, Paul A. Schuette, Jamie N. Womble
2024, Fact Sheet 2024-3007
IntroductionThe Southeast Alaska (SE) stock of northern sea otters (Enhydra lutris kenyoni) ranges from Cape Yakataga on the north to the Dixon Entrance on the south. During the maritime fur trade, sea otters were commercially harvested to near extinction in SE for their pelts and were presumed unlikely to naturally...
Alaskan glacial dust is an important iron source to surface waters of the Gulf of Alaska
John Crusius, Carsten Lao, Thomas M. Holmes, J. W. Murray
2024, Geophysical Research Letters (51)
This work evaluates glacial dust as a source of sediment, and associated iron (Fe), to the Fe-limited Gulf of Alaska (GoA). A reanalysis of GoA sediment data, using rare earth elements and thorium as provenance tracers, suggests a flux to the ocean surface of Copper River (AK) glacial dust, and...
Thermal and hydrological limitations on modeling carbon dynamics at wetland sites of discontinuous and continuous permafrost extent
Benjamin C. Maglio, Ruth Rutter, Tobey Carman, Colin W. Edgar, Eugénie S. Euskirchen, Hélène Genet, Andrew Mullen, Valeria Briones, Elchin Jafarov, Kristen L. Manies
2024, Conference Paper, Proceedings of the 12th International Conference on Permafrost
Accurate representation of cryohydrological processes is fundamental for biosphere models, particularly at high-latitudes, given their influence on carbon and permafrost dynamics in carbon-rich peatlands and wetlands. This study analyzes site-level simulations in moist and wet drainage conditions in continuous or discontinuous permafrost regions, using a terrestrial ecosystem model DVM-DOS-TEM. Functional...
Earthquake effects surveyed during the nineteenth century as ecological features of Chinookan tidelands
Brian F. Atwater, David K. Yamaguchi, Jessie K. Pearl
2024, Northwest Science (97) 78-98
Lasting effects of a Cascadia earthquake in 1700 were documented during surveys of Chinookan tidelands near the mouth of the Columbia River between 1805 and 1868. The effects resemble estuarine consequences, near Anchorage, of the 1964 Alaska earthquake: fatal drowning of subsided meadows and forests by post-earthquake tides, rebirth of...
Development of an 8K SNP chip to assess adaptive diversity and hybridization in polar bears
Joshua D. Miller, Rene Malenfant, L. Ruth Rivkin, Todd C. Atwood, Steven Baryluk, Erik W. Born, Rune Dietz, Kristen L. Laidre, Jodie Pongracz, Evan Richardson, Øystein Wiig, Corey Davis
Kristin L. Laidre, editor(s)
2024, Conservation Genetics Resources (16) 237-249
The polar bear (Ursus maritimus) is a species particularly vulnerable to the effects of climate change. As the climate warms, polar bears will be forced to move to more suitable habitats which are likely to shrink, adapt to the new conditions, or decline in population size. However, the genomic diversity...
A circumpolar study unveils a positive non-linear effect of temperature on arctic arthropod availability that may reduce the risk of warming-induced trophic mismatch for breeding shorebirds
Aurelie Chagnon-Lafortune, Eliane Duchesne, Pierre Legagneux, Laura McKinnon, Jeroen Reneerkens, Nicolas Casajus, Kenneth F. Abraham, Elise Bolduc, Glen S. Brown, Stephen C. Brown, H. River Gates, Olivier Gilg, Marie-Andrée Giroux, Kirsty Gurney, Steve Kendall, Eunbi Kwon, Richard B. Lanctot, David B. Lank, Nicolas Lecomte, Maria Leung, Joe Liebezeit, R.I.G. Morrison, Erica Nol, David C. Payer, Donald Reid, Daniel R. Ruthrauff, Sarah T. Saalfeld, Brett K. Sandercock, Paul Smith, Niels Martin Schmidt, Ingrid Tulp, David H. Ward, Toke Thomas Hoye, Dominique Berteaux, Joel Bety
2024, Global Change Biology (30)
Seasonally abundant arthropods are a crucial food source for many migratory birds that breed in the Arctic. In cold environments, the growth and emergence of arthropods are particularly tied to temperature. Thus, the phenology of arthropods is anticipated to undergo a rapid change in response to a warming climate, potentially...
Earthquake scenario development in conjunction with the 2023 USGS National Seismic Hazard Model
Robert Edward Chase, Kishor S. Jaiswal, Mark D. Petersen
2024, Earthquake Spectra (40) 1818-1844
We present earthquake scenarios developed to accompany the release of the 2023 update to the US Geological Survey National Seismic Hazard Model (NSHM). Scenarios can serve a range of local and regional needs, from developing proactive-targeted mitigation strategies for minimizing impending risk to aiding emergency management planning. These deterministic scenarios...
Mechanisms by which marine heatwaves impact seabirds
John F. Piatt, Mayumi L. Arimitsu, Sarah Ann Thompson, Rob Suryan, Rory Wilson, Kyle Elliott, W.J. Sydeman
2024, MEPS (737) 1-8
Marine heatwaves (MHWs) are characterized by periods of extreme warming of local to basin-scale marine habitat. Effects of MHWs on some seabirds (e.g. mass die-offs) are well documented, but mechanisms by which seabirds respond to MHWs remain poorly understood. Following from a symposium at the 3rd World Seabird Conference, this Theme...
Assessing the sustainability of Pacific walrus harvest in a changing environment
Devin Johnson, Joseph Michael Eisaguirre, Rebecca L. Taylor, Erik Andersen, Joel Garlich-Miller
2024, Preprint
Harvest sustainability is a primary goal of wildlife management and conservation, and in a changing world it is increasingly important to consider environmental drivers of population dynamics alongside harvest in cohesive management plans. This is particularly pertinent for harvested species that are acutely experiencing effects of climate change. The Pacific...
Stratigraphy, paleoflora, and tectonic setting of the Paleogene Sheep Creek volcanic field, central Alaska
Timothy White, David Sunderlin, Dwight Bradley
2024, Professional Paper 1814-G
In this paper, we provide new information on the stratigraphy and paleoflora of the Sheep Creek volcanic field in the Alaska Range that bolsters our understanding of a key interval in the tectonic, paleoclimate, and paleoenvironmental history of the northern Cordillera. Although the distribution and basic stratigraphy of these rocks...
A phylogeographical study of the discontinuously distributed Harlequin Duck (Histrionicus histrionicus)
Kim T Scribner, Sandra Talbot, Barbara J. Pierson, John D Robinson, Richard B. Lanctot, Daniel Esler, Kathryn Dickson
2024, Ibis (166) 1218-1240
Species distributions are often indicative of historical biogeographical events and contemporary spatial biodiversity patterns. The Harlequin Duck Histrionicus histrionicus is a sea duck of conservation concern that has a disjunct distribution, with discrete portions of its range associated with northern Pacific and Atlantic Ocean basins. Movement...
Testing megathrust rupture models using tsunami deposits
SeanPaul La Selle, Alan R. Nelson, Robert C. Witter, Bruce E. Jaffe, Guy Gelfenbaum, Jason Scott Padgett
2024, JGR Earth Surface (129)
The 26 January 1700 CE Cascadia subduction zone earthquake ruptured much of the plate boundary and generated a tsunami that deposited sand in coastal marshes from northern California to Vancouver Island. Although the depositional record of tsunami inundation is extensive in some of these marshes, few sites...
Does the extent of glacial cover across watersheds and discharge periods affect dietary resource use of nearshore fishes in the Northern Gulf of Alaska?
Lindsey Stadler, Kristen Gorman, Vanessa R. von Biela, Andrew C. Seitz, Katrin Iken
2024, Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology (577)
Northern high-latitude glaciers impact nearshore marine ecosystems through the discharge of cold and fresh waters, including nutrients and organic matter. Fishes are important integrators of ecosystem processes and hold key positions in the transfer of energy to higher trophic positions...
Earthquake relocations delineate discrete a fault network and deformation corridor throughout Southeast Alaska and Southwest Yukon
Katherine M. Biegel, Jeremy M. Gosselin, Jan Dettmer, Maurice Colpron, Eva Enkelmann, Jonathan Saul Caine
2024, Tectonics (43)
Deformation in southeastern Alaska and southwest Yukon is governed by the subduction and translation of the Pacific-Yakutat plates relative to the North American plate in the St. Elias region. Despite notable historical seismicity and major regional faults, studies of the region between the Fairweather and Denali faults are complicated by glacial...
Why do avian responses to change in Arctic green-up vary?
Eveling A. Tavera, David B. Lank, David C. Douglas, Brett K. Sandercock, Richard B. Lanctot, Niels M. Schmidt, Jeroen Reneerkens, David H. Ward, Joël Bêty, Eunbi Kwon, Nicolas Lecomte, Cheri L Gratto-Trevor, Paul A. Smith, Willow B. English, Sarah T. Saalfeld, Stephen C. Brown, H. River Gates, Erica Nol, Joseph R. Liebezeit, Rebecca L. McGuire, Laura McKinnon, Steve Kendall, Martin D. Robards, Megan Boldenow, David C. Payer, Jennie Rausch, Mikhail Soloviev, Diana V. Solovyeva, Steve Zack, Jordyn Stalwick, Kirsty E. B. Gurney
2024, Article
Global climate change has altered the timing of seasonal events (i.e., phenology) for a diverse range of biota. Within and among species, however, the degree to which alterations in phenology match climate variability differ substantially. To better understand factors driving these differences, we evaluated...
Repeated coseismic uplift of coastal lagoons above the Patton Bay Splay Fault System, Montague Island, Alaska, USA
Jessica DePaolis, Tina Dura, Robert C. Witter, Peter J. Haeussler, Adrian Bender, Janet H. Curran, D. Reide Corbett
2024, JGR Solid Earth (129)
Coseismic slip on the Patton Bay splay fault system during the 1964 Mw 9.2 Great Alaska Earthquake contributed to local tsunami generation and vertically uplifted shorelines as much as 11 m on Montague Island in Prince William Sound (PWS). Sudden uplift of 3.7–4.3 m caused coastal lagoons along the island's northwestern coast to...
The dominance and growth of shallow groundwater resources in continuous permafrost environments
Joshua C. Koch, Craig T. Connolly, Carson Baughman, Marisa Repasch, Heather Best, Andrew G. Hunt
2024, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (121)
Water is a limited resource in Arctic watersheds with continuous permafrost because freezing conditions in winter and the impermeability of permafrost limit storage and connectivity between surface water and deep groundwater. However, groundwater can still be an important source of surface water in such settings, feeding springs...
Metal mobilization from thawing permafrost to aquatic ecosystems is driving rusting of Arctic streams
Jonathan A. O’Donnell, Michael P. Carey, Joshua C. Koch, Carson Baughman, Kenneth Hill, Christian E. Zimmerman, Patrick F. Sullivan, Roman J. Dial, Timothy J. Lyons, David J. Cooper, Brett A. Poulin
2024, Communications Earth and Environment (5)
Climate change in the Arctic is altering watershed hydrologic processes and biogeochemistry. Here, we present an emergent threat to Arctic watersheds based on observations from 75 streams in Alaska’s Brooks Range that recently turned orange, reflecting increased loading of iron and toxic metals. Using remote sensing,...
Infectivity of wild-bird origin Influenza A viruses in Minnesota wetlands across seasons
Rebecca L. Poulson, Andrew B. Reeves, Christina Ahlstrom, Laura Celeste Scott, Laura E. Hubbard, Alinde Fojtik, Deborah L. Carter, David E. Stallknecht, Andrew M. Ramey
2024, Pathogens (13)
The environmental tenacity of influenza A viruses (IAVs) in the environment likely plays a role in their transmission; IAVs are able to remain infectious in aquatic habitats and may have the capacity to seed outbreaks when susceptible wild bird hosts utilize these same environments months or even seasons later....
