Scaling the Teflon Peaks: Rock type and the generation of extreme relief in the glaciated western Alaska Range
Dylan J. Ward, Robert S. Anderson, Peter J. Haeussler
2012, Journal of Geophysical Research F: Earth Surface (117)
Parts of the Alaska Range (Alaska, USA) stand in prominent exception to the “glacial buzzsaw hypothesis,” which postulates that terrain raised above the ELA is rapidly denuded by glaciers. In this paper, we discuss the role of a strong contrast in rock type in the development of this exceptional terrain....
The Novarupta-Katmai eruption of 1912 - largest eruption of the twentieth century; centennial perspectives
Wes Hildreth, Judy Fierstein
2012, Professional Paper 1791
The explosive outburst at Novarupta (Alaska) in June 1912 was the 20th century's most voluminous volcanic eruption. Marking its centennial, we illustrate and document the complex eruptive sequence, which was long misattributed to nearby Mount Katmai, and how its deposits have provided key insights about volcanic and magmatic processes. It...
Reconciling estimates of the contemporary North American carbon balance among terrestrial biosphere models, atmospheric inversions, and a new approach for estimating net ecosystem exchange from inventory-based data
Daniel J. Hayes, David P. Turner, Graham Stinson, A. David McGuire, Yaxing Wei, Tristram O. West, Linda S. Heath, Bernardus de Jong, Brian G. McConkey, Richard A. Birdsey, Werner A. Kurz, Andrew R. Jacobson, Deborah N. Huntzinger, Yude Pan, W. Mac Post, Robert B. Cook
2012, Global Change Biology (18) 1282-1299
We develop an approach for estimating net ecosystem exchange (NEE) using inventory-based information over North America (NA) for a recent 7-year period (ca. 2000–2006). The approach notably retains information on the spatial distribution of NEE, or the vertical exchange between land and atmosphere of all non-fossil fuel sources and sinks...
Avian mortality associated with a volcanic gas seep at Kiska Island, Aleutian Islands, Alaska
Alexander L. Bond, William C. Evans, Ian L. Jones
2012, Wilson Journal of Ornithology (124) 146-151
We identified natural pits associated with avian mortality at the base of Kiska Volcano in the western Aleutian Islands, Alaska in 2007. Living, moribund, and dead birds were regularly found at low spots in a canyon between two lava flows during 2001–2006, but the phenomenon was attributed to natural trapping...
Spatially telescoping measurements for improved characterization of groundwater-surface water interactions
Colin Kikuchi, Ty P.A. Ferre, Jeffery M. Welker
2012, Journal of Hydrology (446-447) 1-12
The suite of measurement methods available to characterize fluxes between groundwater and surface water is rapidly growing. However, there are few studies that examine approaches to design of field investigations that include multiple methods. We propose that performing field measurements in a spatially telescoping sequence improves measurement flexibility and accounts...
Monitoring glacier surface seismicity in time and space using Rayleigh waves
T. D. Mikesell, K. Van Wijk, Matthew M. Haney, J.H. Bradford, Hans P. Marshall, J. T. Harper
2012, Journal of Geophysical Research F: Earth Surface (117) 1-12
Sliding glaciers and brittle ice failure generate seismic body and surface wave energy characteristic to the source mechanism. Here we analyze continuous seismic recordings from an array of nine short-period passive seismometers located on Bench Glacier, Alaska (USA) (61.033°N, 145.687°W). We focus on the arrival-time and amplitude information of the...
Estimations of evapotranspiration and water balance with uncertainty over the Yukon River Basin
Wenping Yuan, Shuguang Liu, Shunlin Liang, Zhengxi Tan, Heping Liu, Claudia Young
2012, Water Resources Management (26) 2147-2157
In this study, the revised Remote Sensing-Penman Monteith model (RS-PM) was used to scale up evapotranspiration (ET) over the entire Yukon River Basin (YRB) from three eddy covariance (EC) towers covering major vegetation types. We determined model parameters and uncertainty using a Bayesian-based method in the three EC sites. The...
Reconstruction of past methane availability in an Arctic Alaska wetland indicates climate influenced methane release during the past ~12,000 years
Matthew J. Wooller, John W. Pohlman, Benjamin V. Gaglioti, Peter Langdon, Miriam Jones, Katey M. Walter Anthony, Kevin W. Becker, Kai-Uwe Hinrichs, Marcus Elvert
2012, Journal of Paleolimnology (48) 27-42
Atmospheric contributions of methane from Arctic wetlands during the Holocene are dynamic and linked to climate oscillations. However, long-term records linking climate variability to methane availability in Arctic wetlands are lacking. We present a multi-proxy ~12,000 year paleoecological reconstruction of intermittent methane availability from a radiocarbon-dated sediment core (LQ-West) taken...
Geologic map of Mount Gareloi, Gareloi Island, Alaska
Michelle L. Coombs, Robert G. McGimsey, Brandon L. Browne
2012, Scientific Investigations Map 3145
Gareloi Island (lat 51.7° N., long 178.8° W.) is located in the Delarof Islands group of the Aleutian Islands, approximately 2,000 km west-southwest of Anchorage and 150 km west of Adak, the westernmost town in Alaska. This small (~8- x 10-km diam), uninhabited island is constructed exclusively of eruptive products...
National assessment of shoreline change: Historical shoreline change in the Hawaiian Islands
Charles H. Fletcher, Bradley M. Romine, Ayesha S. Genz, Matthew M. Barbee, Matthew Dyer, Tiffany R. Anderson, S. Chyn Lim, Sean Vitousek, Christopher Bochicchio, Bruce M. Richmond
2012, Open-File Report 2011-1051
Sandy beaches of the United States are some of the most popular tourist and recreational destinations. Coastal property constitutes some of the most valuable real estate in the country. Beaches are an ephemeral environment between water and land with unique and fragile natural ecosystems that have evolved in equilibrium with...
Geologic and environmental characteristics of porphyry copper deposits with emphasis on potential future development in the Bristol Bay Watershed, Alaska (Appendix H)
Robert R. Seal II
2012, Report, An assessment of potential mining impacts on salmon ecosystems of Bristol Bay, Alaska: EPA 910-R-14-001A-C
This report is prepared in cooperation with the Bristol Bay Watershed Assessment being conducted by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The goal of the assessment is to help understand how future large-scale development in this watershed may affect water quality and the salmon fishery. Mining has been identified as a...
Evidence for competition at sea between Norton Sound chum salmon and Asian hatchery chum salmon
Gregory T. Ruggerone, B.A. Agler, Jennifer L. Nielsen
2012, Environmental Biology of Fishes (94) 149-163
Increasing production of hatchery salmon over the past four decades has led to concerns about possible density-dependent effects on wild Pacific salmon populations in the North Pacific Ocean. The concern arises because salmon from distant regions overlap in the ocean, and wild salmon populations having low productivity may compete for...
Migrated hydrocarbons in exposure of Maastrichtian nonmarine strata near Saddle Mountain, lower Cook Inlet, Alaska
D. L. LePain, P. G. Lillis, K. P. Helmold, R. G. Stanley
2012, Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys Report of Investigation 2012-1
Magoon and others (1980) described an 83-meter- (272-foot-) thick succession of Maastrichtian (Upper Cretaceous) conglomerate, sandstone, mudstone, and coal exposed on the south side of an unnamed drainage, approximately 3 kilometers (1.8 miles) east of Saddle Mountain in lower Cook Inlet (figs. 1 and 2). The initial significance of this...
Tsunami hazards to U.S. coasts from giant earthquakes in Alaska
Holly F. Ryan, Roland E. von Huene, Dave Scholl, Stephen Kirby
2012, Eos, Transactions, American Geophysical Union (93) 185-186
In the aftermath of Japan's devastating 11 March 2011Mw 9.0 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami, scientists are considering whether and how a similar tsunami could be generated along the Alaskan-Aleutian subduction zone (AASZ). A tsunami triggered by an earthquake along the AASZ would cross the Pacific Ocean and cause extensive damage...
Climatic changes and effect on wild sheep habitat
Edwin L. Pfeifer, Wayne Heimer, Gretchen Roffler, Raul Valdez, Megan Gahl
2012, Fact Sheet 2012-3060
Wild sheep are sensitive to environmental change and may be an effective indicator species of climate change in arctic and high mountain ecosystems. To understand the effects of climatic changes on Dall sheep habitat, U.S. Geological Survey scientists have been studying selected areas in Alaska since 2007. The research focus...
Preliminary observations of voluminous ice-rich and water-rich lahars generated during the 2009 eruption of Redoubt, Alaska
Christopher F. Waythomas, Thomas C. Pierson, Jon J. Major, William E. Scott
2012, Open-File Report 2012-1078
Redoubt Volcano in south-central Alaska began erupting on March 15, 2009, and by April 4, 2009, had produced at least 20 explosive events that generated plumes of ash and lahars. The 3,108-m high, snow- and -ice-clad stratovolcano has an ice-filled summit crater that is breached to the north. The volcano...
Studying ocean acidification in the Arctic Ocean
Lisa Robbins
2012, Fact Sheet 2012-3058
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) partnership with the U.S. Coast Guard Ice Breaker Healey and its United Nations Convention Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) cruises has produced new synoptic data from samples collected in the Arctic Ocean and insights into the patterns and extent of ocean acidification. This framework of...
Alaska Geochemical Database - Mineral Exploration Tool for the 21st Century - PDF of presentation
Matthew Granitto, Jeanine M. Schmidt, Keith A. Labay, Nora B. Shew, Bruce M. Gamble
2012, Open-File Report 2012-1060
The U.S. Geological Survey has created a geochemical database of geologic material samples collected in Alaska. This database is readily accessible to anyone with access to the Internet. Designed as a tool for mineral or environmental assessment, land management, or mineral exploration, the initial version of the Alaska Geochemical Database...
Shifts in identity and activity of methanotrophs in arctic lake sediments in response to temperature changes
Ruo He, Matthew J. Wooller, John W. Pohlman, John Quensen, James M. Tiedje, Mary Beth Leigh
2012, Applied and Environmental Microbiology (78) 4715-4723
Methane (CH4) flux to the atmosphere is mitigated via microbial CH4 oxidation in sediments and water. As arctic temperatures increase, understanding the effects of temperature on the activity and identity of methanotrophs in arctic lake sediments is important to predicting future CH4 emissions. We used DNA-based stable-isotope probing (SIP), quantitative PCR (Q-PCR),...
Estimating survival rates with time series of standing age‐structure data
Mark S. Udevitz, Peter J. Gogan
2012, Ecology (93) 726-732
It has long been recognized that age‐structure data contain useful information for assessing the status and dynamics of wildlife populations. For example, age‐specific survival rates can be estimated with just a single sample from the age distribution of a stable, stationary population. For a population that is...
Identification of metapopulation dynamics among Northern Goshawks of the Alexander Archipelago, Alaska, and Coastal British Columbia
Sarah A. Sonsthagen, Erica L. McClaren, Frank I. Doyle, K. Titus, George K. Sage, Robert E. Wilson, Judy R. Gust, Sandra L. Talbot
2012, Conservation Genetics (13) 1045-1057
Northern Goshawks occupying the Alexander Archipelago, Alaska, and coastal British Columbia nest primarily in old-growth and mature forest, which results in spatial heterogeneity in the distribution of individuals across the landscape. We used microsatellite and mitochondrial data to infer genetic structure, gene flow, and fluctuations in population demography through evolutionary...
Bibliography of groundwater resources of the glacial aquifer systems in Washington, Idaho, and northwestern Montana, 1905-2011
Sue C. Kahle, Zoe O. Futornick
2012, Open-File Report 2012-1053
The U.S. Geological Survey Groundwater Resources Program is undertaking a series of regional groundwater availability studies to improve our understanding of groundwater availability in major aquifers across the Nation. One of the objectives of the Glacial Principal Aquifers study (proposed) is to provide information on the occurrence of groundwater in...
Calculation of hydrocarbon-in-place in gas and gas-condensate reservoirs - Carbon dioxide sequestration
Mahendra K. Verma
2012, Open-File Report 2012-1033
The Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (Public Law 110-140) authorized the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) to conduct a national assessment of geologic storage resources for carbon dioxide (CO2), requiring estimation of hydrocarbon-in-place volumes and formation volume factors for all the oil, gas, and gas-condensate reservoirs within the U.S....
The regional abundance and size distribution of lakes and reservoirs in the United States and implication for estimates of global lake extent
Cory P. McDonald, Jennifer Rover, Edward G. Stets, Robert G. Striegl
2012, Limnology and Oceanography (57) 597-606
We analyzed complete geospatial data for the 3.5 million lakes and reservoirs larger than 0.001 km2, with a combined surface area of 131,000 km2, in the contiguous United States (excluding the Laurentian Great Lakes) and identified their regional distribution characteristics. For Alaska, we also analyzed (1) incomplete data that suggest...
Database for volcanic processes and geology of Augustine Volcano, Alaska
Jacqueline McIntire, David W. Ramsey, Evan Thoms, Richard B. Waitt, James E. Beget
2012, Data Series 677
Augustine Island (volcano) in lower Cook Inlet, Alaska, has erupted repeatedly in late-Holocene and historical times. Eruptions typically beget high-energy volcanic processes. Most notable are bouldery debris avalanches containing immense angular clasts shed from summit domes. Coarse deposits of these avalanches form much of Augustine's lower flanks. This geologic map...
