Observation and modeling of source effects in coda wave interferometry at Pavlof volcano
Matthew M. Haney, Wijik K. van, L.A. Preston, D.F. Aldridge
2009, The Leading Edge (28) 554-560
Sorting out source and path effects for seismic waves at volcanoes is critical for the proper interpretation of underlying volcanic processes. Source or path effects imply that seismic waves interact strongly with the volcanic subsurface, either through partial resonance in a conduit (Garces et al., 2000; Sturton and Neuberg, 2006)...
Scientific communications: Re-Os sulfide (bornite, chalcopyrite, and pyrite) systematics of the carbonate-hosted copper deposits at ruby creek, southern brooks range, Alaska
D. Selby, K.D. Kelley, M.W. Hitzman, J. Zieg
2009, Economic Geology (104) 437-444
New Re-Os data for chalcopyrite, bornite, and pyrite from the carbonate-hosted Cu deposit at Ruby Creek (Bornite), Alaska, show extremely high Re abundances (hundreds of ppb, low ppm) and contain essentially no common Os. The Re-Os data provide the first absolute ages of ore formation for the carbonate-hosted Ruby Creek...
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...
Advancing landscape change research through the incorporation of Inupiaq knowledge
Wendy R. Eisner, Chris J. Cuomo, Kenneth M. Hinkel, Benjamin M. Jones, Ronald H. Brower Sr.
2009, Arctic (62) 429-442
Indigenous knowledge is a valuable but under-used source of information relevant to landscape change research. We interviewed Iñupiat elders, hunters, and other knowledge-holders in the villages of Barrow and Atqasuk on the western Arctic Coastal Plain of northern Alaska to gain further insight into the processes governing the ubiquitous lakes...
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...
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,...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
Delineation of landform and lithologic units for Ecological Landtype-Association analysis in Glacier Bay National Park, Southeast Alaska
David A. Brew
2008, Scientific Investigations Report 2008-5183
Landform and generalized bedrock lithologic units have been delineated for ecological landtype association analysis in Glacier Bay National Park in southeast Alaska (as the Park boundaries were defined before the 1971 Alaska National Interest Lands expansion). Related U.S. Forest Service efforts have covered (1) the whole region at coarse ecological- unit...
Bioassay for estimating the biogenic methane-generating potential of coal samples
Elizabeth Jones, Mary A. Voytek, Peter D. Warwick, M.D. Corum, Alexander G. Cohn, Joseph E. Bunnell, Arthur C. Clark, William H. Orem
2008, International Journal of Coal Geology (76) 138-150
Generation of secondary biogenic methane in coal beds is likely controlled by a combination of factors such as the bioavailability of coal carbon, the presence of a microbial community to convert coal carbon to methane, and an environment supporting microbial growth and methanogenesis. A set...
Spatial patterns and movements of red king and Tanner crabs: Implications for the design of marine protected areas
S. James Taggart, Jennifer Mondragon, A.G. Andrews, J.K. Nielsen
2008, Marine Ecology Progress Series (365) 151-163
Most examples of positive population responses to marine protected areas (MPAs) have been documented for tropical reef species with very small home ranges; the utility of MPAs for commercially harvested temperate species that have large movement patterns remains poorly tested. We measured the distribution and abundance of red king Paralithodes...
Modified method for external attachment of transmitters to birds using two subcutaneous anchors
Tyler Lewis, Paul L. Flint
2008, Journal of Field Ornithology (79) 336-341
Of the transmitter attachment techniques for birds, the subcutaneous anchor provides a secure attachment that yields relatively few secondary effects. However, the use of subcutaneous anchors has been limited by transmitter size and retention time. Using a modified method of attachment that utilized two subcutaneous anchors, we deployed 69 GPS...
Geochemical controls of elevated arsenic concentrations in groundwater, Ester Dome, Fairbanks district, Alaska
P. L. Verplanck, S. H. Mueller, R.J. Goldfarb, D. Kirk Nordstrom, E. K. Youcha
2008, Chemical Geology (255) 160-172
Ester Dome, an upland area near Fairbanks, Alaska, was chosen for a detailed hydrogeochemical study because of the previously reported elevated arsenic in groundwater, and the presence of a large set of wells amenable to detailed sampling. Ester Dome lies within the Fairbanks...
Volcanic tsunamis and prehistoric cultural transitions in Cook Inlet, Alaska
J. Beget, Cynthia A. Gardner, K. Davis
2008, Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research (176) 377-386
The 1883 eruption of Augustine Volcano produced a tsunami when a debris avalanche traveled into the waters of Cook Inlet. Older debris avalanches and coeval paleotsunami deposits from sites around Cook Inlet record several older volcanic tsunamis. A debris avalanche into the sea...
Distinguishing solid bitumens formed by thermochemical sulfate reduction and thermal chemical alteration
S.R. Kelemen, C.C. Walters, P.J. Kwiatek, M. Afeworki, M. Sansone, H. Freund, R.J. Pottorf, H.G. Machel, T. Zhang, G.S. Ellis, Y. Tang, K. E. Peters
2008, Organic Geochemistry (39) 1137-1143
Insoluble solid bitumens are organic residues that can form by the thermal chemical alteration (TCA) or thermochemical sulfate reduction (TSR) of migrated petroleum. TCA may actually encompass several low temperature processes, such as biodegradation and asphaltene precipitation, followed by thermal alteration. TSR is an abiotic redox reaction where petroleum is...
Contrasting population trends of piscivorous seabirds in the Pribilof Islands: A 30-year perspective
G.V. Byrd, Joel A. Schmutz, H.M. Renner
2008, Deep-Sea Research Part II: Topical Studies in Oceanography (55) 1846-1855
The Pribilof Islands provide nesting habitat for one of the largest concentrations of piscivorous seabirds in the North Pacific region. Pribilof breeding populations of black-legged and red-legged kittiwakes (Rissa tridactyla and Rissa brevirostris), and common and thick-billed murres (Uria aalge and Uria lomvia) are supported by a highly productive marine...
Ordovician sponges from west-central and east-central Alaska and western Yukon Territory, Canada
J.K. Rigby, R. B. Blodgett, B.B. Britt
2008, Bulletin of Geosciences (83) 153-168
Moderate collections of fossil sponges have been recovered over a several-year period from a few scattered localities in west-central and east-central Alaska, and from westernmost Yukon Territory of Canada. Two fragments of the demosponge agelasiid cliefdenellid, Cliefdenella alaskaensis Stock, 1981, and mostly small unidentifiable additional fragments were recovered from a...
Genetic characterization of Kenai brown bears (Ursus arctos): Microsatellite and mitochondrial DNA control region variation in brown bears of the Kenai Peninsula, south central Alaska
J.V. Jackson, Sandra L. Talbot, S. Farley
2008, Canadian Journal of Zoology (86) 756-764
We collected data from 20 biparentally inherited microsatellite loci, and nucleotide sequence from the maternally inherited mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) control region, to determine levels of genetic variation of the brown bears (Ursus arctos L., 1758) of the Kenai Peninsula, south central Alaska. Nuclear genetic variation was similar to that observed...
Body mass of prefledging Emperor Geese Chen canagica: Large-scale effects of interspecific densities and food availability
B.C. Lake, Joel A. Schmutz, M. S. Lindberg, Craig R. Ely, W.D. Eldridge, F.J. Broerman
2008, Ibis (150) 527-540
We studied body mass of prefledging Emperor Geese Chen canagica at three locations across the Yukon–Kuskokwim Delta, Alaska, during 1990–2004 to investigate whether large‐scale variation in body mass was related to interspecific competition for food. From 1990 to 2004, densities of Cackling Geese Branta hutchinsii minima more than doubled and were c. 2–5× greater than...
