Publications of the Volcano Hazards Program 2009
Manuel Nathenson
2011, Open-File Report 2011-1047
The Volcano Hazards Program of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is part of the Geologic Hazards Assessments subactivity as funded by congressional appropriation. Investigations are carried out in the USGS and with cooperators at the Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys, University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute, University of...
Limnological and water-quality data from Wonder Lake, Chilchukabena Lake, and Lake Minchumina, Denali National Park and Preserve and surrounding area, Alaska, June 2006-August 2008
D.A. Long, C.D. Arp
2011, Open-File Report 2010-1322
Growing visitor traffic and resource use, as well as natural and anthropogenic land and climatic changes, can place increasing stress on lake ecosystems in Denali National Park and Preserve. Baseline data required to substantiate impact assessment in this sub-arctic region is sparse to non-existent. The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation...
Geophysical investigation of Red Devil mine using direct-current resistivity and electromagnetic induction, Red Devil, Alaska, August 2010
Bethany L. Burton, Lyndsay B. Ball
2011, Open-File Report 2011-1035
Red Devil Mine, located in southwestern Alaska near the Village of Red Devil, was the state's largest producer of mercury and operated from 1933 to 1971. Throughout the lifespan of the mine, various generations of mills and retort buildings existed on both sides of Red Devil Creek, and the tailings...
2007 Volcanic activity in Alaska, Kamchatka, and the Kurile Islands: Summary of events and response of the Alaska Volcano Observatory
Robert G. McGimsey, Christina A. Neal, James P. Dixon, Nataliya Malik, Marina Chibisova
2011, Scientific Investigations Report 2010-5242
The Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO) responded to eruptions, possible eruptions, and volcanic unrest at or near nine separate volcanic centers in Alaska during 2007. The year was highlighted by the eruption of Pavlof, one of Alaska's most frequently active volcanoes. Glaciated Fourpeaked Mountain, a volcano thought to have been inactive...
Interspecific exchange of avian influenza virus genes in Alaska: The influence of trans-hemispheric migratory tendency and breeding ground sympatry
John M. Pearce, Andrew B. Reeves, Andrew M. Ramey, Jerry W. Hupp, S. Ip, M. Bertram, M.J. Petrula, B.D. Scotton, K.A. Trust, Brandt W. Meixell, J.A. Runstadler
2011, Molecular Ecology (20) 1015-1025
The movement and transmission of avian influenza viral strains via wild migratory birds may vary by host species as a result of migratory tendency and sympatry with other infected individuals. To examine the roles of host migratory tendency and species sympatry on the movement of Eurasian low-pathogenic avian influenza (LPAI)...
Gas hydrate characterization and grain-scale imaging of recovered cores from the Mount Elbert Gas Hydrate Stratigraphic Test Well, Alaska North Slope
Laura A. Stern, T.D. Lorenson, John C. Pinkston
2011, Marine and Petroleum Geology (28) 394-403
Using cryogenic scanning electron microscopy (CSEM), powder X-ray diffraction, and gas chromatography methods, we investigated the physical states, grain characteristics, gas composition, and methane isotopic composition of two gas-hydrate-bearing sections of core recovered from the BPXA–DOE–USGS Mount Elbert Gas Hydrate Stratigraphic Test Well situated on the Alaska North Slope. The...
National Assessment of Shoreline Change; historical shoreline change along the New England and Mid-Atlantic coasts
Cheryl J. Hapke, Emily A. Himmelstoss, Meredith G. Kratzmann, Jeffrey H. List, E. Robert Thieler
2011, Open-File Report 2010-1118
Beach erosion is a chronic problem along many open-ocean shores of the United States. As coastal populations continue to grow and community infrastructures are threatened by erosion, there is increased demand for accurate information regarding past and present trends and rates of shoreline movement. There is also a need for...
Alaska volcanoes guidebook for teachers
Jennifer N. Adleman
2011, General Information Product 99
Alaska’s volcanoes, like its abundant glaciers, charismatic wildlife, and wild expanses inspire and ignite scientific curiosity and generate an ever-growing source of questions for students in Alaska and throughout the world. Alaska is home to more than 140 volcanoes, which have been active over the last 2 million years. About...
Review of the origin of the Braid Scarp near the Pebble prospect, southwestern Alaska
Peter J. Haeussler, Christopher F. Waythomas
2011, Open-File Report 2011-1028
A linear geomorphic scarp, referred to as the 'Braid Scarp,' lies about 5 kilometers north of Iliamna Lake, Alaska, and has been identified as a possible seismically active fault. We examined the geomorphology of the area and an 8.5-meter-long excavation across the scarp. We conclude that the scarp was formed...
Evaluation of long-term gas hydrate production testing locations on the Alaska North Slope
Timothy Collett, Ray Boswell, Myung W. Lee, Brian J. Anderson, Kelly K. Rose, Kristen A. Lewis
2011, Conference Paper, OTC Arctic Technology Conference 2011
The results of short duration formation tests in northern Alaska and Canada have further documented the energy resource potential of gas hydrates and 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...
Use of large-scale, multi-species surveys to monitor gyrfalcon and ptarmigan populations
Jonathan Bart, Mark Fuller, Paul Smith, Leah Dunn
Richard T. Watson, Tom J. Cade, Mark Fuller, Grainger Hunt, Eugene Potapov, editor(s)
2011, Conference Paper
We evaluated the ability of three large-scale, multi-species surveys in the Arctic to provide information on abundance and habitat relationships of Gyrfalcons (Falco rusticolus) and ptarmigan. The Program for Regional and International Shorebird Monitoring (PRISM) has surveyed birds widely across the arctic regions of Canada and Alaska since 2001. The...
Detection probability of gyrfalcons and other cliff-nesting raptors during aerial surveys in Alaska
Travis L. Booms, Mark R. Fuller, Philip F. Schempf, Brian J. McCaffery, Mark S. Lindberg
Richard T. Watson, Tom J. Cade, Mark Fuller, Grainger Hunt, Eugene Potapov, editor(s)
2011, Conference Paper, Gyrfalcons and Ptarmigan in a Changing World
No abstract available....
Aqueous geochemical data from the analysis of stream-water samples collected in June and July 2006 — Taylor Mountains 1:250,000-scale quadrangle, Alaska
Bronwen Wang, Seth Mueller, Sarah Stetson, Elizabeth Bailey, Greg Lee
2011, Open-File Report 2011-1011
We report on the chemical analysis of water samples collected from the Taylor Mountains 1:250,000-scale quadrangle, Alaska. Parameters for which data are reported include pH, conductivity, water temperature, major cation and anion concentrations, trace-element concentrations, and dissolved organic-carbon concentrations. Samples were collected as part of a multiyear U.S. Geological Survey...
Seasonal variation in nutritional characteristics of the diet of greater white-fronted geese
Craig R. Ely, Dennis G. Raveling
2011, Journal of Wildlife Management (75) 78-91
We studied diet and habitat use of greater white-fronted geese (Anser albifrons) from autumn through spring on their primary staging and wintering areas in the Pacific Flyway, 1979–1982. There have been few previous studies of resource use and forage quality of wintering greater white-fronted geese in North America, and as...
Connection equation and shaly-sand correction for electrical resistivity
Myung W. Lee
2011, Scientific Investigations Report 2011-5005
Estimating the amount of conductive and nonconductive constituents in the pore space of sediments by using electrical resistivity logs generally loses accuracy where clays are present in the reservoir. Many different methods and clay models have been proposed to account for the conductivity of clay (termed the shaly-sand correction). In...
Mountain Glaciers and Ice Caps
Maria Ananichheva, Anthony Arendt, Jon-Ove Hagen, Regine Hock, Edward G. Josberger, R. Dan Moore, William Tad Pfeffer, Gabriel J. Wolken
2011, Book chapter, Snow, Water, Ice and Permafrost in the Arctic (SWIPA) 2011
In addition to the Greenland Ice Sheet, the Arctic contains a diverse array of smaller glaciers ranging from small cirque glaciers to large ice caps with areas up to 20 000 km 2 . Together, these glaciers cover an area of more than 400 000 km 2 , over half the global area of...
Seismic swarm associated with the 2008 eruption of Kasatochi Volcano, Alaska: earthquake locations and source parameters
Natalia G. Ruppert, Stephanie G. Prejean, Roger A. Hansen
2011, Journal of Geophysical Research (116)
An energetic seismic swarm accompanied an eruption of Kasatochi Volcano in the central Aleutian volcanic arc in August of 2008. In retrospect, the first earthquakes in the swarm were detected about 1 month prior to the eruption onset. Activity in the swarm quickly intensified less than 48 h prior to...
Time constraints in temperate-breeding species: Influence of growing season length on reproductive strategies
K. E. B. Gurney, Russell G. Clark, Stuart Slattery, N. V. Smith-Downey, Jordan I. Walker, L. M. Armstrong, S. E. Stephens, Michael J. Petrula, R. M. Corcoran, K. Martin, K. A. Degroot, Rodney W. Brook, Alan D. Afton, K. Cutting, J. M. Warren, M. Fournier, David N. Koons
2011, Ecography (34) 628-636
Organisms that reproduce in temperate regions have limited time to produce offspring successfully, and this constraint is expected to be more pronounced in areas with short growing seasons. Information concerning how reproductive ecology of endotherms might be influenced by growing season length (GSL) is rare, and species that breed over...
Migration And wintering areas Of Glaucous-winged Gulls From south-central Alaska
Scott A. Hatch, V.A. Gill, Daniel M. Mulcahy
2011, The Condor (113) 340-351
We used satellite telemetry to investigate the migration patterns and wintering areas of Glaucous-winged Gulls (Larus glaucescens) from Middleton Island, Alaska, where this species' population increased tenfold from the 1970s to the 1990s. Fall migration spanned 11 weeks, including numerous stopovers en route, apparently for feeding. Spring migration from wintering...
Fine scale movements and habitat use of black brant during the flightless Wing Molt in Arctic Alaska
Tyler L. Lewis, Paul L. Flint, Dirk V. Derksen, Joel A. Schmutz
2011, Waterbirds (34) 177-185
Thousands of Black Brant (Branta bernicla nigricans) migrate annually to the Teshekpuk Lake Special Area (TLSA), Alaska, to undergo the flightless wing molt on tundra lakes and wetlands. GPS transmitters were attached to Brant over two summers (2007–2008) to examine patterns of movement and habitat use of molting Brant, including...
Marine West Coast forests
Steven S. Perakis, Linda H. Geiser, Erik A. Lilleskov
Linda H. Pardo, Molly J. Robin-Abbott, Charles T. Driscoll, editor(s)
2011, General Technical Report NRS-80-9
No abstract available....
Attempted surgical correction of single- and multiyear post-ovulatory egg stasis in yellow and red Irish lords, Hemilepidotus jordani (Bean) and Hemilepidotus hemilepidotus (Tilesius)
C.E.C. Goertz, Daniel M. Mulcahy
2011, Journal of Fish Diseases (34) 75-79
Egg stasis ('egg-binding', 'post-ovulatory stasis') is a poorly characterized syndrome characterized by an inability of female fish to complete ovulation and to naturally expel mature eggs. Although it occurs in a variety of fish species, no definitive studies of the causation, prevalence, prevention and treatment have been done. The cause...
Long-term increases in young-of-the-year growth of Arctic cisco Coregonus autumnalis and environmental influences
Vanessa R. von Biela, Christian E. Zimmerman, L. L. Moulton
2011, Journal of Fish Biology (78) 39-56
Arctic cisco Coregonus autumnalis young-of-year (YOY) growth was used as a proxy to examine the long-term response of a high-latitude fish population to changing climate from 1978 to 2004. YOY growth increased over time (r2 = 0·29) and was correlated with monthly averages of the Arctic oscillation index, air temperature,...
Secular trends in the geologic record and the supercontinent cycle
Dwight Bradley
2011, Earth-Science Reviews (108) 16-33
Geologic secular trends are used to refine the timetable of supercontinent assembly, tenure, and breakup. The analysis rests on what is meant by the term supercontinent, which here is defined broadly as a grouping of formerly dispersed continents. To avoid the artificial pitfall of an all-or-nothing definition, quantitative measures of...
Potential shifts in dominant forest cover in interior Alaska driven by variations in fire severity
K. Barrett, A. David McGuire, E.E. Hoy, E.S. Kasischke
2011, Ecological Applications (21) 2380-2396
Large fire years in which >1% of the landscape burns are becoming more frequent in the Alaskan (USA) interior, with four large fire years in the past 10 years, and 79 000 km2 (17% of the region) burned since 2000. We modeled fire severity conditions for the entire area burned in large...
