Petrogenesis of basaltic volcanic rocks from the Pribilof Islands, Alaska, by melting of metasomatically enriched depleted lithosphere, crystallization differentiation, and magma mixing
J.M. Chang, T.C. Feeley, M.R. Deraps
2009, Journal of Petrology (50) 2249-2286
The Pribilof Islands, Alaska, are located in the Bering Sea in a continental intraplate setting. In this study we examine the petrology and geochemistry of volcanic rocks from St. Paul (0??54-0??003 Ma) and St. George (2??8-1??4 Ma) Islands, the two largest Pribilof Islands. Rocks from St. George can be divided...
An Alaskan legend
H. Mann, R. B. Blodgett
2009, Hart's E and P
Jack Lee is a prominent personality, an Alaskan individualist and a skeptic worthy of remembrance if for no other reason than being inextricably associated with the catastrophic Katmai eruption in 1912. Jack remains a provocative reminder of Alaska's pre-1958 drilling and was quite possibly the earliest observer (excepting natives and...
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...
The role of ridge subduction in determining the geochemistry and Nd–Sr–Pb isotopic evolution of the Kodiak batholith in southern Alaska
Robert A. Ayuso, Peter J. Haeussler, Dwight Bradley, David W. Farris, Nora K. Foley, Gregory A. Wandless
2009, Tectonophysics (464) 137-163
The Paleocene Kodiak batholith, part of the Sanak–Baranof belt of Tertiary near-trench intrusive rocks, forms an elongate body (~ 150 km long) that transects Kodiak Island from SW to NE. The batholith consists of three zones (Southern, Central, and Northern) of kyanite-, muscovite-, and garnet-bearing biotite tonalite and granodiorite and less abundant...
Interactive effects of fire, soil climate, and moss on CO2 fluxes in black spruce ecosystems of interior Alaska
Jonathan A. O’Donnell, Merritt R. Turetsky, Jennifer W. Harden, Kristen L. Manies, L.E. Pruett, Gordon Shetler, Jason C. Neff
2009, Ecosystems (12) 57-72
Fire is an important control on the carbon (C) balance of the boreal forest region. Here, we present findings from two complementary studies that examine how fire modifies soil organic matter properties, and how these modifications influence rates of decomposition and C exchange in black spruce (Picea mariana)...
Disentangling effects of growth and nutritional status on seabird stable isotope ratios
J. Sears, Scott A. Hatch, D. M. O’Brien
2009, Oecologia (159) 41-48
A growing number of studies suggest that an individual’s physiology affects its carbon and nitrogen stable isotope signatures, obscuring a signal often assumed to be only a reflection of diet and foraging location. We examined effects of growth and moderate food restriction on red blood cell (RBC) and feather δ15N...
Evaluating the validity of using unverified indices of body condition
J.L. Schamber, Daniel Esler, Paul L. Flint
2009, Journal of Avian Biology (40) 49-56
Condition indices are commonly used in an attempt to link body condition of birds to ecological variables of interest, including demographic attributes such as survival and reproduction. Most indices are based on body mass adjusted for structural body size, calculated as simple ratios or residuals from regressions. However, condition indices...
Assessing the response of area burned to changing climate in western boreal North America using a Multivariate Adaptive Regression Splines (MARS) approach
M. S. Balshi, A. D. McGuire, P. Duffy, M. Flannigan, J. Walsh, J. Melillo
2009, Global Change Biology (15) 578-600
Fire is a common disturbance in the North American boreal forest that influences ecosystem structure and function. The temporal and spatial dynamics of fire are likely to be altered as climate continues to change. In this study, we ask the question: how will area burned in boreal North America by...
Interspecies and interregional comparisons of the chemistry of PAHs and trace elements in mosses Hylocomium splendens (Hedw.) B.S.G. and Pleurozium schreberi (Brid.) Mitt. from Poland and Alaska
Z.M. Migaszewski, A. Galuszka, J.G. Crock, P. J. Lamothe, S. Dolegowska
2009, Atmospheric Environment (43) 1464-1473
Comparative biogeochemical studies performed on the same plant species in remote areas enable pinpointing interspecies and interregional differences of chemical composition. This report presents baseline concentrations of PAHs and trace elements in moss species Hylocomium splendens and Pleurozium schreberi from the Holy Cross Mountains (south-central Poland) (HCM) and Wrangell-Saint Elias...
Post-breeding season distribution of black-footed and Laysan albatrosses satellite-tagged in Alaska: Inter-specific differences in spatial overlap with North Pacific fisheries
K.N. Fischer, R.M. Suryan, D.D. Roby, G.R. Balogh
2009, Biological Conservation (142) 751-760
We integrated satellite-tracking data from black-footed albatrosses (Phoebastria nigripes; n = 7) and Laysan albatrosses captured in Alaska (Phoebastria immutabilis; n = 18) with data on fishing effort and distribution from commercial fisheries in the North Pacific in order to assess potential risk from bycatch. Albatrosses were satellite-tagged at-sea in...
The Drenchwater deposit, Alaska: An example of a natural low pH environment resulting from weathering of an undisturbed shale-hosted Zn-Pb-Ag deposit
G.E. Graham, K.D. Kelley
2009, Applied Geochemistry (24) 232-245
The Drenchwater shale-hosted Zn-Pb-Ag deposit and the immediate vicinity, on the northern flank of the Brooks Range in north-central Alaska, is an ideal example of a naturally low pH system. The two drainages, Drenchwater and False Wager Creeks, which bound the deposit, differ in their acidity and metal contents. Moderately...
Interactions between soil thermal and hydrological dynamics in the response of Alaska ecosystems to fire disturbance
Shuhua Yi, A. David McGuire, Jennifer Harden, Eric Kasischke, Kristen L. Manies, Larry Hinzman, Anna K. Liljedahl, J. Randerson, Heping Liu, Vladimir E. Romanovsky, Sergey S. Marchenko, Yongwon Kim
2009, Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences (114)
Soil temperature and moisture are important factors that control many ecosystem processes. However, interactions between soil thermal and hydrological processes are not adequately understood in cold regions, where the frozen soil, fire disturbance, and soil drainage play important roles in controlling interactions among these processes. These interactions were investigated with...
Otters, Marine
James A. Estes, James L. Bodkin, M. Ben-David
William F. Perrin, Bernd Wursing, J.G.M. Thewissen, editor(s)
2009, Book chapter, Encyclopedia of marine mammals (second edition)
The otters (Mustelidae; Lutrinae) provide an exceptional perspective into the evolution of marine living by mammals. Most extant marine mammals (e.g. the cetaceans, pinnipeds, and sirenians) have been so highly modified by long periods of selection for life in the sea that they bear little resemblance to their terrestrial ancestors....
Stochastic variation in avian survival rates: Life-history predictions, population consequences, and the potential responses to human perturbations and climate change
Joel A. Schmutz
David L. Thomson, Evan G. Cooch, Michael J. Conroy, editor(s)
2009, Book chapter, Modeling demographic processes in marked populations
Stochastic variation in survival rates is expected to decrease long-term population growth rates. This expectation influences both life-history theory and the conservation of species. From this expectation, Pfister (1998) developed the important life-history prediction that natural selection will have minimized variability in those elements of the annual life cycle...
Sulfur- and oxygen-isotopes in sediment-hosted stratiform barite deposits
C. A. Johnson, P. Emsbo, F. G. Poole, R. O. Rye
2009, Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta (73) 133-147
Sulfur- and oxygen-isotope analyses have been obtained for sediment-hosted stratiform barite deposits in Alaska, Nevada, Mexico, and China to examine the environment of formation of this deposit type. The barite is contained in sedimentary sequences as old as Late Neoproterozoic and as young as Mississippian. If previously published data for...
Food supplies of stream-dwelling salmonids
Mark S. Wipfli
2009, Conference Paper, American Fisheries Society Symposium 70
Much is known about the importance of the physical characteristics of salmonid habitat in Alaska and the Pacific Northwest, with far less known about the food sources and trophic processes within these habitats, and the role they play in regulating salmonid productivity. Freshwater food webs supporting salmonids in Alaska rely...
Persistence rates and detection probabilities of bird carcasses on beaches of Unalaska Island, Alaska following the wreck of the M/V Selendang Ayu
G. Vernon Byrd, Joel H. Reynolds, Paul L. Flint
2009, Marine Ornithology: Journal of Seabird Research and Conservation (37) 197-204
Mark–recapture techniques were used to estimate persistence rates and detection probabilities of bird carcasses associated with the oil spill following the wreck of the M/V Selendang Ayu at Unalaska Island, Alaska. Only 14.6% of carcasses placed on beaches remained after 24 hours, and all carcasses that remained had been scavenged...
The July-August 2008 hydrovolcanic eruption of Okmok Volcano, Umnak Island, Alaska
Christina A. Neal, Jessica F. Larsen, Janet Schaefer
2009, Alaska Geological Society Newsletter (39) 1-3
No abstract available...
Multi-segment earthquakes and tsunami potential of the Aleutian megathrust
I. Shennan, R. Bruhn, George Plafker
2009, Quaternary Science Reviews (28) 7-13
Large to great earthquakes and related tsunamis generated on the Aleutian megathrust produce major hazards for both the area of rupture and heavily populated coastlines around much of the Pacific Ocean. Here we use paleoseismic records preserved in coastal sediments to investigate whether segment boundaries control the largest ruptures or...
Alaska resource data file, new and revised records version 1.7
U.S. Geological Survey
2008, Open-File Report 2008-1225
No abstract available....
U.S. Geological Survey activities related to American Indians and Alaska Natives: Fiscal year 2006
Susan M. Marcus
2008, Circular 1326
In the late 1800s, John Wesley Powell, the second director of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), followed his interest in the tribes of the Great Basin and Colorado Plateau and studied their cultures, languages, and surroundings. From that early time, the USGS has recognized the importance of Native knowledge and...
Documentation for the 2008 update of the United States National Seismic Hazard Maps
Mark D. Petersen, Arthur D. Frankel, Stephen C. Harmsen, Charles S. Mueller, Kathleen M. Haller, Russell L. Wheeler, Robert L. Wesson, Yuehua Zeng, Oliver S. Boyd, David M. Perkins, Nicolas Luco, Edward H. Field, Chris J. Wills, Kenneth S. Rukstales
2008, Open-File Report 2008-1128
The 2008 U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National Seismic Hazard Maps display earthquake ground motions for various probability levels across the United States and are applied in seismic provisions of building codes, insurance rate structures, risk assessments, and other public policy. This update of the maps incorporates new findings on earthquake...
Challenges in making a seismic hazard map for Alaska and the Aleutians
R. L. Wesson, O.S. Boyd, C.S. Mueller, A.D. Frankel
J.T. Freymueller, editor(s)
2008, Geophysical Monograph Series: Active Tectonics and Seismic Potential of Alaska (179) 385-397
We present a summary of the data and analyses leading to the revision of the time-independent probabilistic seismic hazard maps of Alaska and the Aleutians. These maps represent a revision of existing maps based on newly obtained data, and reflect best current judgments about methodology and approach. They have been...
Estimating pore-space gas hydrate saturations from well log acoustic data
Myung W. Lee, William F. Waite
2008, Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems (9)
Relating pore-space gas hydrate saturation to sonic velocity data is important for remotely estimating gas hydrate concentration in sediment. In the present study, sonic velocities of gas hydrate–bearing sands are modeled using a three-phase Biot-type theory in which sand, gas hydrate, and pore fluid form three homogeneous, interwoven frameworks. This...
Low prevalence of avian influenza virus in shorebirds on the Pacific coast of North America
Samuel A. Iverson, John Y. Takekawa, Steven Schwarzbach, Carol J. Cardona, Nils Warnock, Mary Anne Bishop, Greg A. Schirato, Sara Paroulek, Joshua T. Ackerman, S. Ip, Walter M. Boyce
2008, Waterbirds (31) 602-610
The emergence of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 has elevated concerns about wild birds as virus hosts; however, little is known about the ecological and epidemiological factors of transmission by shorebirds. Here we summarize results for 2,773 shorebirds that were live-trapped on the Pacific coast of the United States...
