Geochemistry of yukon and copper river tributaries, Alaska
M. Carney, A. Ellis, T. Bullen, J. Langman
2009, Conference Paper, Proceedings of World Environmental and Water Resources Congress 2009 - World Environmental and Water Resources Congress 2009: Great Rivers
Alaska is already beginning to be affected by changes in global climate which make it a good location to study the feedback effects between climate, the water cycle and the carbon cycle. Using river dissolved elements and Sr isotopes we examine changes and/or differences in chemical weathering between watersheds in...
Fire behavior, weather, and burn severity of the 2007 anaktuvuk river tundra fire, North Slope, Alaska
Benjamin M. Jones, Crystal A. Kolden, Randi Jandt, John T. Abatzoglou, Frank Urban, Christopher D. Arp
2009, Arctic, Antarctic, and Alpine Research (41) 309-316
In 2007, the Anaktuvuk River Fire (ARF) became the largest recorded tundra fire on the North Slope of Alaska. The ARF burned for nearly three months, consuming more than 100,000 ha. At its peak in early September, the ARF burned at a rate of 7000 ha d-1. The conditions potentially...
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...
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...
Emsian (late Early Devonian) sponges from west-central and south-central Alaska
J.K. Rigby, R. B. Blodgett, N.K. Anderson
2009, Journal of Paleontology (83) 293-298
Relatively common specimens of the hypercalcified agelasiid sponge Hormospongia labyrinthica Rigby and Blodgett, 1983 and specimens of associated species of Hormospongia have been previously reported from Emsian and Eifelian stratigraphic units at several localities in south-central and southeastern Alaska (Rigby and Blodgett, 1983). Those sponges were first described from the...
Arctic lake physical processes and regimes with implications for winter water availability and management in the national petroleum reserve alaska
Benjamin M. Jones, C.D. Arp, Kenneth M. Hinkel, R.A. Beck, Joel A. Schmutz, B. Winston
2009, Environmental Management (43) 1071-1084
Lakes are dominant landforms in the National Petroleum Reserve Alaska (NPRA) as well as important social and ecological resources. Of recent importance is the management of these freshwater ecosystems because lakes deeper than maximum ice thickness provide an important and often sole source of liquid water for aquatic biota, villages,...
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...
Dramatic declines of DDE and other organochlorines in spring migrant Peregrine Falcons from Padre Island, Texas, 1978-2004
Charles J. Henny, M.A. Yates, W.S. Seegar
2009, Journal of Raptor Research (43) 37-42
Peregrine Falcons (Falco peregrinus) captured in the spring at Padre Island, Texas, nest across the arctic and subarctic from Alaska to Greenland and winter throughout Latin America. Padre Island, located immediately north of the Mexican border, is the peregrines' first landfall in the U.S.A. after spending about 6 mo in...
Brood rearing ecology of king eiders on the north slope of Alaska
Laura M. Phillips, Abby N. Powell
2009, Wilson Journal of Ornithology (121) 430-434
We examined King Eider (Somateria spectabilis) brood survival in the Kuparak oil field in northern Alaska in 2002 and 2003 by monitoring hens with broods using radiotelemetry. We observed complete brood loss in eight of 10 broods. Broods survived less than 2 weeks on average, and most mortality occurred within...
Movements of juvenile Gyrfalcons from western and interior Alaska following departure from their natal areas
Carol L. McIntyre, David C. Douglas, Layne G. Adams
2009, Journal of Raptor Research (43) 99-109
Juvenile raptors often travel thousands of kilometers from the time they leave their natal areas to the time they enter a breeding population. Documenting movements and identifying areas used by raptors before they enter a breeding population is important for understanding the factors that influence their survival. In North America,...
Utilizing chromophoric dissolved organic matter measurements to derive export and reactivity of dissolved organic carbon exported to the Arctic Ocean: A case study of the Yukon River, Alaska
R.G.M. Spencer, G. R. Aiken, K.D. Butler, M.M. Dornblaser, Robert G. Striegl, P.J. Hernes
2009, Geophysical Research Letters (36)
[1] The quality and quantity of dissolved organic matter (DOM) exported by Arctic rivers is known to vary with hydrology and this exported material plays a fundamental role in the biogeochemical cycling of carbon at high latitudes. We highlight the potential of optical measurements to examine DOM...
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,...
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...
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 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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
Changes in vegetation in northern Alaska under scenarios of climate change, 2003-2100: Implications for climate feedbacks
Eugénie S. Euskirchen, Anthony D. McGuire, F. Stuart Chapin III, S. Yi, Catharine Copass Thompson
2009, Ecological Applications (19) 1022-1043
Assessing potential future changes in arctic and boreal plant species productivity, ecosystem composition, and canopy complexity is essential for understanding environmental responses under expected altered climate forcing. We examined potential changes in the dominant plant functional types (PFTs) of the sedge tundra, shrub tundra, and boreal forest ecosystems in ecotonal...
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)...
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...
Seismic analysis of clinoform depositional sequences and shelf-margin trajectories in Lower Cretaceous (Albian) strata, Alaska North Slope
David W. Houseknecht, Kenneth J. Bird, Christopher J. Schenk
2009, Basin Research (21) 644-654
Lower Cretaceous strata beneath the Alaska North Slope include clinoform depositional sequences that filled the western Colville foreland basin and overstepped the Beaufort rift shoulder. Analysis of Albian clinoform sequences with two‐dimensional (2D) seismic data resulted in the recognition of seismic facies inferred to represent lowstand, transgressive and highstand systems...
