Detection probability of cliff-nesting raptors during helicopter and fixed-wing aircraft surveys in western Alaska
T.L. Booms, P.F. Schempf, B. J. McCaffery, M. S. Lindberg, M.R. Fuller
2010, Journal of Raptor Research (44) 175-187
We conducted repeated aerial surveys for breeding cliff-nesting raptors on the Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge (YDNWR) in western Alaska to estimate detection probabilities of Gyrfalcons (Falco rusticolus), Golden Eagles (Aquila chrysaetos), Rough-legged Hawks (Buteo lagopus), and also Common Ravens (Corvus corax). Using the program PRESENCE, we modeled detection histories...
The nearshore benthic community of Kasatochi Island, one year after the 2008 volcanic eruption
S.C. Jewett, James L. Bodkin, H. Chenelot, George G. Esslinger, M.K. Hoberg
2010, Arctic, Antarctic, and Alpine Research (42) 315-324
A description is presented of the nearshore benthic community of Kasatochi Island 10–12 months after a catastrophic volcanic eruption in 2008. The eruption extended the coastline of the island approximately 400 m offshore, mainly along the south, southeast, and southwest shores, to roughly the 20 m isobath. Existing canopy kelp of Eualaria (Alaria) fistulosa, as well...
Impacts of precipitation seasonality and ecosystem types on evapotranspiration in the Yukon River Basin, Alaska
W. Yuan, S. Liu, H. Liu, J. T. Randerson, G. Yu, L.L. Tieszen
2010, Water Resources Research (46) 1-16
Evapotranspiration (ET) is the largest component of water loss from terrestrial ecosystems; however, large uncertainties exist when estimating the temporal and spatial variations of ET because of concurrent shifts in the magnitude and seasonal distribution of precipitation as well as differences in the response of ecosystem ET to environmental variabilities....
Active remote sensing of snow using NMM3D/DMRT and comparison with CLPX II airborne data
X. Xu, D. Liang, L. Tsang, K.M. Andreadis, E.G. Josberger, D.P. Lettenmaier, D.W. Cline, S.H. Yueh
2010, IEEE Journal of Selected Topics in Applied Earth Observations and Remote Sensing (3) 689-697
We applied the Numerical Maxwell Model of three-dimensional simulations (NMM3D) in the Dense Media Radiative Theory (DMRT) to calculate backscattering coefficients. The particles' positions are computer-generated and the subsequent Foldy-Lax equations solved numerically. The phase matrix in NMM3D has significant cross-polarization, particularly when the particles are densely packed. The NMM3D...
Do common eiders nest in kin groups? Microgeographic genetic structure in a philopatric sea duck
Sarah A. Sonsthagen, Sandra L. Talbot, Richard B. Lanctot, Kevin G. McCracken
2010, Molecular Ecology (19) 647-657
We investigated local genetic associations among female Pacific common eiders (Somateria mollissima v-nigrum) nesting in a stochastic Arctic environment within two groups of barrier islands (Simpson Lagoon and Mikkelsen Bay) in the Beaufort Sea, Alaska. Nonrandom genetic associations were observed among nesting females using regional spatial autocorrelation analyses for distance...
Population-level resource selection by sympatric brown and American black bears in Alaska
Jerrold L. Belant, Brad Griffith, Yingte Zhang, Erich H. Follmann, Layne G. Adams
2010, Polar Biology (33) 31-40
Distribution theory predicts that for two species living in sympatry, the subordinate species would be constrained from using the most suitable resources (e.g., habitat), resulting in its use of less suitable habitat and spatial segregation between species. We used negative binomial generalized linear mixed models with fixed effects to estimate...
Individual and colony-specific wintering areas of Pacific northern fulmars (Fulmarus glacialis)
Scott A. Hatch, Verena A. Gill, Daniel M. Mulcahy
2010, Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences (67) 386-400
Seabird mortality associated with longline fishing in the eastern Bering Sea occurs mainly from September to May, with northern fulmars (Fulmarus glacialis) comprising the majority (60%) of the bycatch. Along the west coast of North America, winter dieoffs of fulmars may be increasing in frequency and magnitude, the most severe...
The role of soil drainage class in carbon dioxide exchange and decomposition in boreal black spruce (Picea mariana) forest stands
K.P. Wickland, J. C. Neff, J.W. Harden
2010, Canadian Journal of Forest Research (40) 2123-2134
Black spruce (Picea mariana (Mill.) B.S.P.) forest stands range from well drained to poorly drained, typically contain large amounts of soil organic carbon (SOC), and are often underlain by permafrost. To better understand the role of soil drainage class in carbon dioxide (CO2) exchange and decomposition, we measured soil respiration...
Sexually transmitted bacteria affect female cloacal assemblages in a wild bird
Joel White, Pascal Mirleau, Etienne Danchin, Herve Mulard, Scott A. Hatch, Phillipp Heeb, Richard H. Wagner
2010, Ecology Letters (13) 1515-1524
Sexual transmission is an important mode of disease propagation, yet its mechanisms remain largely unknown in wild populations. Birds comprise an important model for studying sexually transmitted microbes because their cloaca provides a potential for both gastrointestinal pathogens and endosymbionts to become incorporated into ejaculates. We experimentally demonstrate in a...
A late-Middle Pleistocene (Marine Isotope Stage 6) vegetated surface buried by Old Crow tephra at the Palisades, interior Alaska
A.V. Reyes, B.J.L. Jensen, G.D. Zazula, T. A. Ager, S. Kuzmina, Farge C. La, D.G. Froese
2010, Quaternary Science Reviews (29) 801-811
A 40??cm thick primary bed of Old Crow tephra (131??????11??ka), an important stratigraphic marker in eastern Beringia, directly overlies a vegetated surface at Palisades West, on the Yukon River in central Alaska. Analyses of insect, bryophyte, and vascular plant macrofossils from the buried surface and underlying organic-rich silt suggest the...
The geomorphology of an Aleutian volcano following a major eruption: The 7-8 August 2008 eruption of Kasatochi Volcano, Alaska, and its aftermath
C. F. Waythomas, W. E. Scott, C.J. Nye
2010, Arctic, Antarctic, and Alpine Research (42) 260-275
Analysis of satellite images of Kasatochi volcano and field studies in 2008 and 2009 have shown that within about one year of the 78 August 2008 eruption, significant geomorphic changes associated with surface and coastal erosion have occurred. Gully erosion has removed 300,000 to 600,000 m3 of mostly fine-grained volcanic...
Incubation behavior of king eiders on the coastal plain of Northern Alaska
R.L. Bentzen, A.N. Powell, Laura M. Phillips, R.S. Suydam
2010, Polar Biology (33) 1075-1082
Incubating birds balance their energetic demands during incubation with the needs of the developing embryos. Incubation behavior is correlated with body size; larger birds can accumulate more endogenous reserves and maintain higher incubation constancy. King eiders (Somateria spectabilis) contend with variable and cold spring weather, little nesting cover, and low...
August 2008 eruption of Kasatochi volcano, Aleutian Islands, Alaska-resetting an Island Landscape
William E. Scott, Christopher J. Nye, Christopher F. Waythomas, Christina A. Neal
2010, Arctic, Antarctic, and Alpine Research (42) 250-259
Kasatochi Island, the subaerial portion of a small volcano in the western Aleutian volcanic arc, erupted on 7-8 August 2008. Pyroclastic flows and surges swept the island repeatedly and buried most of it and the near-shore zone in decimeters to tens of meters of deposits. Several key seabird rookeries in...
Soil organic carbon stocks in Alaska estimated with spatial and pedon data
Norman B. Bliss, J. Maursetter
2010, Soil Science Society of America Journal (74) 565-579
Temperatures in high-latitude ecosystems are increasing faster than the average rate of global warming, which may lead to a positive feedback for climate change by increasing the respiration rates of soil organic C. If a positive feedback is confirmed, soil C will represent a source of greenhouse gases that is...
Intercontinental reassortment and genomic variation of low pathogenic avian influenza viruses isolated from northern pintails (Anas acuta) in Alaska: examining the evidence through space and time
Andrew M. Ramey, John M. Pearce, Paul L. Flint, S. Ip, Dirk V. Derksen, J. Christian Franson, Michael J. Petrula, Bradley D. Scotton, Kristine M. Sowl, Michael L. Wege, Kimberly A. Trust
2010, Virology (401) 179-189
Migration and population genetic data for northern pintails (Anas acuta) and phylogenetic analysis of low pathogenic avian influenza (LPAI) viruses from this host in Alaska suggest that northern pintails are involved in ongoing intercontinental transmission of avian influenza. Here, we further refine this conclusion through phylogenetic analyses which demonstrate that...
At-sea observations of marine birds and their habitats before and after the 2008 eruption of Kasatochi volcano, Alaska
G.S. Drew, Donald E. Dragoo, M. Renner, John F. Piatt
2010, Arctic, Antarctic, and Alpine Research (42) 325-334
Kasatochi volcano, an island volcano in the Aleutian chain, erupted on 7-8 August 2008. The resulting ash and pyroclastic flows blanketed the island, covering terrestrial habitats. We surveyed the marine environment surrounding Kasatochi Island in June and July of 2009 to document changes in abundance or distribution of nutrients, fish,...
Characterization of pyroclastic deposits and pre-eruptive soils following the 2008 eruption of Kasatochi Island Volcano, Alaska
B. Wang, G. Michaelson, C.-L. Ping, G. Plumlee, P. Hageman
2010, Arctic, Antarctic, and Alpine Research (42) 276-284
The 78 August 2008 eruption of Kasatochi Island volcano blanketed the island in newly generated pyroclastic deposits and deposited ash into the ocean and onto nearby islands. Concentrations of water soluble Fe, Cu, and Zn determined from a 1:20 deionized water leachate of the ash were sufficient to provide short-term...
Limited evidence of trans-hemispheric movement of avian influenza viruses among contemporary North American shorebird isolates
John M. Pearce, Andrew M. Ramey, S. Ip, Robert E. Gill Jr.
2010, Virus Research (148) 44-50
Migratory routes of gulls, terns, and shorebirds (Charadriiformes) are known to cross hemispheric boundaries and intersect with outbreak areas of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI). Prior assessments of low pathogenic avian influenza (LPAI) among species of this taxonomic order found some evidence for trans-hemispheric movement of virus genes. To specifically...
Post-eruption legacy effects and their implications for long-term recovery of the vegetation on Kasatochi Island, Alaska
Stephen S. Talbot, Sandra Looman Talbot, Lawrence R. Walker
2010, Arctic, Antarctic, and Alpine Research (42) 285-296
We studied the vegetation of Kasatochi Island, central Aleutian Islands, to provide a general field assessment regarding the survival of plants, lichens, and fungi following a destructive volcanic eruption that occurred in 2008. Plant community data were analyzed using multivariate methods to explore the relationship between pre- and post-eruption plant...
Sustained increase in food supplies reduces broodmate aggression in black-legged kittiwakes
J. White, S. Leclaire, M. Kriloff, Herve Mulard, Scott A. Hatch, E. Danchin
2010, Animal Behaviour (79) 1095-1100
The amount of food ingested by chicks has often been suggested as being the main proximate factor controlling broodmate aggression in facultatively siblicidal species. Although several experiments have demonstrated that short-term food deprivation causes a temporary increase in aggression, no study has, to our knowledge, experimentally manipulated overall food supplies and considered long-term...
Lake temperature and ice cover regimes in the Alaskan Subarctic and Arctic: Integrated monitoring, remote sensing, and modeling
C.D. Arp, Benjamin M. Jones, Matthew Whitman, A. Larsen, F.E. Urban
2010, Journal of the American Water Resources Association (46) 777-791
Lake surface regimes are fundamental attributes of lake ecosystems and their interaction with the land and atmosphere. High latitudes may be particularly sensitive to climate change, however, adequate baselines for these lakes are often lacking. In this study, we couple monitoring, remote sensing, and modeling techniques to generate baseline datasets...
Sikuliqiruq: Ice dynamics of the Meade river - Arctic Alaska, from freezeup to breakup from time-series ground imagery
R.A. Beck, A.J. Rettig, C. Ivenso, Wendy R. Eisner, Kenneth M. Hinkel, Benjamin M. Jones, C.D. Arp, G. Grosse, D. Whiteman
2010, Polar Geography (33) 115-137
Ice formation and breakup on Arctic rivers strongly influence river flow, sedimentation, river ecology, winter travel, and subsistence fishing and hunting by Alaskan Natives. We use time-series ground imagery ofthe Meade River to examine the process at high temporal and spatial resolution. Freezeup from complete liquid cover to complete ice...
Complete mitochondrial genome of a Pleistocene jawbone unveils the origin of polar bear
Charlotte Lindqvist, Stephan C. Schuster, Yazhou Sun, Sandra L. Talbot, Ji Qi, Aakrosh Ratan, Lynn P. Tomsho, Lindsay Kasson, Eve Zeyl, Jon Aars, Webb Miller, Olafur Ingolfsson, Lutz Bachmann, Øystein Wiig
2010, PNAS (107) 5053-5057
The polar bear has become the flagship species in the climate-change discussion. However, little is known about how past climate impacted its evolution and persistence, given an extremely poor fossil record. Although it is undisputed from analyses of mitochondrial (mt) DNA that polar bears constitute a lineage within the genetic...
Reduced body size and cub recruitment in polar bears associated with sea ice decline
Karyn D. Rode, Steven C. Amstrup, Eric V. Regehr
2010, Ecological Applications (20) 768-782
Rates of reproduction and survival are dependent upon adequate body size and condition of individuals. Declines in size and condition have provided early indicators of population decline in polar bears (Ursus maritimus) near the southern extreme of their range. We tested whether patterns in body size, condition, and cub recruitment...
Temporal and spatial shifts in habitat use by Black Brant immediately following flightless molt
Tyler L. Lewis, Paul L. Flint, Joel A. Schmutz, Dirk V. Derksen
2010, Wilson Journal of Ornithology (122) 484-493
Each year thousands of Pacific Black Brant (Branta bernicla nigricans) undergo flightless wing molt in the Teshekpuk Lake Special Area (TLSA), Alaska, in two distinct habitats: inland, freshwater lakes and coastal, brackish wetlands. Brant lose body mass during wing molt and likely must add reserves upon regaining flight to help...
