Can kittiwakes smell? Experimental evidence in a larid species
S. Leclaire, Herve Mulard, R.H. Wagner, Scott A. Hatch, E. Danchin
2009, Ibis (151) 584-587
Birds have long been thought to have a poor sense of smell, although they have the proper anatomical and neurological structures for detecting olfactory cues (Roper 1999). However, in the past decade several bird species have been shown to use smell in various contexts, such as foraging (Nevitt et al. 1995), navigation (Wallraff...
Diverse lavas from closely spaced volcanoes drawing from a common parent: Emmons Lake Volcanic Center, Eastern Aleutian Arc
M. Mangan, T. Miller, C. Waythomas, F. Trusdell, A. Calvert, P. Layer
2009, Earth and Planetary Science Letters (287) 363-372
Emmons Lake Volcanic Center (ELVC) on the lower Alaskan Peninsula is one of the largest and most diverse volcanic centers in the Aleutian Arc. Since the Middle Pleistocene, eruption of ~ 350 km3 of basalt through rhyolite has produced a 30 km, arc front chain of nested calderas and overlapping...
Modeling haul-out behavior of walruses in Bering Sea ice
Mark S. Udevitz, Chadwick V. Jay, Anthony S. Fischbach, J. L. Garlich-Miller
2009, Canadian Journal of Zoology (87) 1111-1128
Understanding haul-out behavior of ice-associated pinnipeds is essential for designing and interpreting popula-tion surveys and for assessing effects of potential changes in their ice environments. We used satellite-linked transmitters to obtain sequential information about location and haul-out state for Pacific walruses, Odobenus rosmarus divergens (Il-liger, 1815), in the Bering Sea...
Increase in the rate and uniformity of coastline erosion in Arctic Alaska
Benjamin M. Jones, C.D. Arp, M.T. Jorgenson, Kenneth M. Hinkel, Joel A. Schmutz, Paul L. Flint
2009, Geophysical Research Letters (36)
Analysis of a 60 km segment of the Alaskan Beaufort Sea coast using a time‐series of aerial photography revealed that mean annual erosion rates increased from 6.8 m a−1(1955 to 1979), to 8.7 m a−1 (1979 to 2002), to 13.6 m a−1 (2002 to 2007). We also observed that spatial patterns of...
Tracking magma volume recovery at Okmok Volcano using GPS and an unscented kalman filter
T. Fournier, Jeffrey T. Freymueller, Peter Cervelli
2009, Journal of Geophysical Research B: Solid Earth (114)
Changes beneath a volcano can be observed through position changes in a GPS network, but distinguishing the source of site motion is not always straightforward. The records of continuous GPS sites provide a favorable data set for tracking magma migration. Dense campaign observations usually provide a better spatial picture...
Russian eruption warning systems for aviation
Christina A. Neal, Olga Girina, Sergey Senyukov, Alexander Rybin, Jeffery M. Osiensky, Pavel Izbekov, Gail Ferguson
2009, Natural Hazards (51) 245-262
More than 65 potentially active volcanoes on the Kamchatka Peninsula and the Kurile Islands pose a substantial threat to aircraft on the Northern Pacific (NOPAC), Russian Trans-East (RTE), and Pacific Organized Track System (PACOTS) air routes. The Kamchatka Volcanic Eruption Response Team (KVERT) monitors and reports on volcanic hazards to...
Strategies for nest-site selection by king eiders
R.L. Bentzen, A.N. Powell, R.S. Suydam
2009, Journal of Wildlife Management (73) 932-938
Nest site selection is a critical component of reproduction and has presumably evolved in relation to predation, local resources, and microclimate. We investigated nest-site choice by king eiders (Somateria spectabilis) on the coastal plain of northern Alaska, USA, 2003-2005. We hypothesized that nest-site selection is driven by predator avoidance and...
Lesser scaup breeding probability and female survival on the yukon flats, Alaska
K. H. Martin, M. S. Lindberg, Joel A. Schmutz, M.R. Bertram
2009, Journal of Wildlife Management (73) 914-923
Information on the ecology of waterfowl breeding in the boreal forest is lacking, despite the boreal region's importance to continental waterfowl populations and to duck species that are currently declining, such as lesser scaup (Aythya affinis). We estimated breeding probability and breeding season survival of female lesser scaup on the...
Ecological factors regulating brood attendance patterns of the western sandpiper calidris mauri
Daniel R. Ruthrauff, J.N. Keller, D.J. Rizzolo
2009, Ibis (151) 523-534
Parental brood attendance patterns vary greatly among shorebird species. For monogamous calidridine species, biparental care with female-first brood departure is most common. It is believed that adult sandpipers balance potential individual survival costs associated with extended parental care against the benefit gained by their brood of prolonged parental care. These...
Late Quaternary stratigraphy and sedimentation patterns in the western Arctic Ocean
L. Polyak, J. Bischof, J.D. Ortiz, D. A. Darby, J.E.T. Channell, C. Xuan, D. S. Kaufman, R. Lovlie, D.A. Schneider, D. D. Eberl, R.E. Adler, E.A. Council
2009, Global and Planetary Change (68) 5-17
Sediment cores from the western Arctic Ocean obtained on the 2005 HOTRAX and some earlier expeditions have been analyzed to develop a stratigraphic correlation from the Alaskan Chukchi margin to the Northwind and Mendeleev-Alpha ridges. The correlation was primarily based on terrigenous sediment composition that is not affected by diagenetic...
High precision relocation of earthquakes at Iliamna Volcano, Alaska
P. Statz-Boyer, C. Thurber, J.D. Pesicek, S. Prejean
2009, Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research (184) 323-332
In August 1996, a period of elevated seismicity commenced beneath Iliamna Volcano, Alaska. This activity lasted until early 1997, consisted of over 3000 earthquakes, and was accompanied by elevated emissions of volcanic gases. No eruption occurred and seismicity returned to background levels where it has remained since. We use waveform...
Red-throated loons (Gavia stellata) breeding in Alaska, USA, are exposed to PCBs while on their Asian wintering grounds
Joel A. Schmutz, K.A. Trust, A.C. Matz
2009, Environmental Pollution (157) 2386-2393
Red-throated loons (Gavia stellata) breeding in Alaska declined 53% during 1977-1993. We compare concentrations of environmental contaminants in red-throated loons among four nesting areas in Alaska and discuss potential ramifications of exposure on reproductive success and population trends. Eggs from the four areas had similar total polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) concentrations,...
Estuarine Ecology of Juvenile Salmon in Western Alaska: a Review
Christian E. Zimmerman, Nicola Hillgruber
2009, Book chapter, American Fisheries Society Symposium
In the late 1990s and early 2000s, large declines in numbers of chum salmon Oncorhynchus keta and Chinook salmon O. tshawytscha returning to the Arctic-YukonKuskokwim (AYK) region (Alaska, USA) illuminated the need for an improved understanding of the variables controlling salmon abundance at all life stages. In addressing questions about...
Infrasonic ambient noise interferometry from correlations of microbaroms
M.M. Haney
2009, Geophysical Research Letters (36)
We show that microbaroms, continuous infrasound fluctuations resulting from the interaction of the ocean with the atmosphere, have long-range correlation properties that make it possible to estimate the impulse response between two microphones from passive recordings. The processing is analogous to methods employed in the emerging field of ambient noise...
The effect of moisture content on the thermal conductivity of moss and organic soil horizons from black spruce ecosystems in interior alaska
J. A. O'Donnell, V.E. Romanovsky, J.W. Harden, A. D. McGuire
2009, Soil Science (174) 646-651
Organic soil horizons function as important controls on the thermal state of near-surface soil and permafrost in high-latitude ecosystems. The thermal conductivity of organic horizons is typically lower than mineral soils and is closely linked to moisture content, bulk density, and water phase. In this study, we examined the relationship...
Erosional history of Cape Halkett and contemporary monitoring of bluff retreat, Beaufort Sea coast, Alaska
Benjamin M. Jones, Christopher D. Arp, Richard A. Beck, Guido Grosse, James M. Webster, Frank E. Urban
2009, Polar Geography (32) 129-142
Cape Halkett is located along the Beaufort Sea at the end of a low-lying tundra landscape. The area has been subject to major modifications over the last century as a result of erosion and migration of the coastline inland. Long-term mean annual erosion rates (1955-2009) for the entire cape are...
Comparison with CLPX II airborne data using DMRT model
X. Xu, D. Liang, K.M. Andreadis, L. Tsang, E.G. Josberger
2009, Conference Paper, International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium (IGARSS)
In this paper, we considered a physical-based model which use numerical solution of Maxwell Equations in three-dimensional simulations and apply into Dense Media Radiative Theory (DMRT). The model is validated in two specific dataset from the second Cold Land Processes Experiment (CLPX II) at Alaska and Colorado. The data were...
Estimation of avian population sizes and species richness across a boreal landscape in Alaska
Colleen M. Handel, S.A. Swanson, Debora A. Nigro, Steven M. Matsuoka
2009, Wilson Journal of Ornithology (121) 528-547
We studied the distribution of birds breeding within five ecological landforms in Yukon-Charley Rivers National Preserve, a 10,194-km2 roadless conservation unit on the Alaska-Canada border in the boreal forest zone. Passerines dominated the avifauna numerically, comprising 97% of individuals surveyed but less than half of the 115 species recorded in...
Post-fledging movements of juvenile Common Mergansers (mergus merganser) in Alaska as inferred by satellite telemetry
John M. Pearce, Margaret R. Petersen
2009, Waterbirds (32) 133-137
We implanted satellite transmitters into eight juvenile Common Mergansers to investigate post-fledging movements from their natal river in southcentral Alaska. Subsequently, they moved widely throughout portions of western and southcentral Alaska up to 750 km from their natal areas during fall and winter months. Transmitters of two birds (one male...
Prevalence of viral erythrocytic necrosis in Pacific herring and epizootics in Skagit Bay, Puget Sound, Washington.
P.K. Hershberger, N.E. Elder, C.A. Grady, J.L. Gregg, C.A. Pacheco, C. Greene, C. Rice, T.R. Meyers
2009, Journal of Aquatic Animal Health (21) 1-7
Epizootics of viral erythrocytic necrosis (VEN) occurred among juvenile Pacific herring Clupea pallasii in Skagit Bay, Puget Sound, Washington, during 2005-2007 and were characterized by high prevalences and intensities of cytoplasmic inclusion bodies within circulating erythrocytes. The prevalence of VEN peaked at 67% during the first epizootic in October 2005...
Plasma biochemistry values in emperor geese (Chen canagica) in Alaska: Comparisons among age, sex, incubation, and molt
J. Christian Franson, D. J. Hoffman, Joel A. Schmutz
2009, Journal of Zoo and Wildlife Medicine (40) 321-327
Reduced populations of emperor geese (Chen canagica), a Bering Sea endemic, provided the need to assess plasma biochemistry values as indicators of population health. A precursory step to such an investigation was to evaluate patterns of variability in plasma biochemistry values among age, sex, and reproductive period. Plasma from...
Relationships between hepatic trace element concentrations, reproductive status, and body condition of female greater scaup
Shannon S. Badzinski, Paul L. Flint, Kristen B. Gorman, Scott A. Petrie
2009, Environmental Pollution (157) 1886-1893
We collected female greater scaup (Aythya marila) on the Yukon–Kuskokwim Delta, Alaska during two breeding seasons to determine if concentrations of 18 trace elements in livers and eggs were elevated and if hepatic concentrations correlated with body condition or affected reproductive status. Fifty-six percent, 5%, and 42% of females, respectively,...
Spatial and temporal diet segregation in northern fulmars Fulmarus glacialis breeding in Alaska: Insights from fatty acid signatures
S.W. Wang, S.J. Iverson, A.M. Springer, Scott A. Hatch
2009, Marine Ecology Progress Series (377) 299-307
Northern fulmars Fulmarus glacialis in the North Pacific Ocean are opportunistic, generalist predators, yet their diets are poorly described; thus, relationships of fulmars to supporting food webs, their utility as indicators of variability in forage fish abundances, and their sensitivity to ecosystem change are not known. We employed fatty acid (FA) signature...
NOAA/West coast and Alaska Tsunami warning center Atlantic Ocean response criteria
P. Whitmore, C. Refidaff, M. Caropolo, V. Huerfano-Moreno, W. Knight, W. Sammler, A. Sandrik
2009, Science of Tsunami Hazards (28) 86-107
West Coast/Alaska Tsunami Warning Center (WCATWC) response criteria for earthquakesoccurring in the Atlantic and Caribbean basins are presented. Initial warning center decisions are based on an earthquake's location, magnitude, depth, distance from coastal locations, and precomputed threat estimates based on tsunami models computed from similar events. The new criteria will...
Long-term change in limnology and invertebrates in Alaskan boreal wetlands
R. M. Corcoran, J.R. Lovvorn, P.J. Heglund
2009, Hydrobiologia (620) 77-89
Climate change is more pronounced at high northern latitudes, and may be affecting the physical, chemical, and biological attributes of the abundant wetlands in boreal forests. On the Yukon Flats, located in the boreal forest of northeast Alaska, wetlands originally sampled during 1985-1989 were re-sampled for water chemistry and macroinvertebrates...
