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...
The arctic water resource vulnerability index: An integrated assessment tool for community resilience and vulnerability with respect to freshwater
L. Alessa, A. Kliskey, R. Lammers, C. Arp, D. White, L. Hinzman, R. Busey
2008, Environmental Management (42) 523-541
People in the Arctic face uncertainty in their daily lives as they contend with environmental changes at a range of scales from local to global. Freshwater is a critical resource to people, and although water resource indicators have been developed that operate from regional to global scales and for midlatitude...
Forage fish of the Pacific Rim as revealed by diet of a piscivorous seabird: Synchrony and relationships with sea surface temperature
J.A. Thayer, D.F. Bertram, Scott A. Hatch, M.J. Hipfner, L. Slater, W.J. Sydeman, Y. Watanuki
2008, Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences (65) 1610-1622
We tested the hypothesis of synchronous interannual changes in forage fish dynamics around the North Pacific Rim. To do this, we sampled forage fish communities using a seabird predator, the rhinoceros auklet (Cerorhinca monocerata), at six coastal study sites from Japan to California. We investigated whether take of...
Reactive flow models of the Anarraaq Zn-Pb-Ag deposit, Red Dog district, Alaska
C. Schardt, G. Garven, K.D. Kelley, D. L. Leach
2008, Mineralium Deposita (43) 735-757
The Red Dog ore deposit district in the Brooks Range of northern Alaska is host to several high-grade, shale-hosted Zn + Pb deposits. Due to the complex history and deformation of these ore deposits, the geological and hydrological conditions at the time of formation are poorly understood. Using geological observations...
Soil nitrogen accretion along a floodplain terrace chronosequence in northwest Alaska: Influence of the nitrogen-fixing shrub Shepherdia canadensis
Charles Rhoades, Dan Binkley, Hlynur Oskarsson, Robert Stottlemyer
2008, Écoscience (15) 223-230
Nitrogen enters terrestrial ecosystems through multiple pathways during primary succession. We measured accumulation of total soil nitrogen and changes in inorganic nitrogen (N) pools across a 300-y sequence of river terraces in northwest Alaska and assessed the contribution of the nitrogen-fixing shrub Shepherdia canadensis. Our work compared 5 stages of floodplain...
Paleoclimatic significance of chemical weathering in loess-derived paleosols of subarctic central Alaska
D.R. Muhs, T. A. Ager, G. Skipp, J. Beann, J. Budahn, J. P. McGeehin
2008, Arctic, Antarctic, and Alpine Research (40) 396-411
Chemical weathering in soils has not been studied extensively in high-latitude regions. Loess sequences with modern soils and paleosols are present in much of subarctic Alaska, and allow an assessment of present and past chemical weathering. Five sections were studied in detail in the Fairbanks, Alaska, area. Paleosols likely date...
Alaska Melilotus invasions: Distribution, origin, and susceptibility of plant communities
J.S. Conn, K.L. Beattie, M.A. Shephard, M.L. Carlson, I. Lapina, M. Hebert, R. Gronquist, R. Densmore, M. Rasy
2008, Arctic, Antarctic, and Alpine Research (40) 298-308
Melilotus alba and M. officinalis were introduced to Alaska in 1913 as potential forage crops. These species have become naturalized and are now invading large, exotic plant-free regions of Alaska. We determined distributions of M. alba and M. officinalis in Alaska from surveys conducted each summer from 2002 to 2005....
Sediment and nutrient delivery from thermokarst features in the foothills of the North Slope, Alaska: Potential impacts on headwater stream ecosystems
W.B. Bowden, M.N. Gooseff, A. Balser, A. Green, B. J. Peterson, J. Bradford
2008, Journal of Geophysical Research G: Biogeosciences (113)
Permafrost is a defining characteristic of the Arctic environment. However, climate warming is thawing permafrost in many areas leading to failures in soil structure called thermokarst. An extensive survey of a 600 km2 area in and around the Toolik Lake Natural Research Area (TLNRA) revealed at least 34 thermokarst features,...
Microbial and chemical factors influencing methane production in laboratory incubations of low-rank subsurface coals
Stephen H. Harris, Richard L. Smith, Charles E. Barker
2008, International Journal of Coal Geology (76) 46-51
Lignite and subbituminous coals were investigated for their ability to support microbial methane production in laboratory incubations. Results show that naturally-occurring microorganisms associated with the coals produced substantial quantities of methane, although the factors influencing this process were variable among different samples tested. Methanogenic microbes in two coals from the...
Objectives and metrics for wildlife monitoring
J.R. Sauer, M. G. Knutson
2008, Journal of Wildlife Management (72) 1663-1664
Monitoring surveys allow managers to document system status and provide the quantitative basis for management decision-making, and large amounts of effort and funding are devoted to monitoring. Still, monitoring surveys often fall short of providing required information; inadequacies exist in survey designs, analyses procedures, or in the ability to...
Assessment of metals exposure and sub-lethal effects in voles and small birds captured near the DeLong Mountain Regional Transportation System Road, Cape Krusenstern National Monument, Alaska, 2006
William G. Brumbaugh, Miguel A. Mora, Thomas W. May
2008, Scientific Investigations Report 2008-5211
Voles (n=6) and small ground-nesting birds (n=12) were live-captured near the DeLong Mountain Regional Transportation System haul road in Cape Krusenstern National Monument in northwest Alaska in 2006 to assess metals exposure and sub-lethal biological effects. Similar numbers of animals were captured from a reference site in southern Cape Krusenstern...
Chemical data for precipitate samples
Andrea L. Foster, Randolph A. Koski
2008, Open-File Report 2007-1359-E
During studies of sulfide oxidation in coastal areas of Prince William Sound in 2005, precipitate samples were collected from onshore and intertidal locations near the Ellamar, Threeman, and Beatson mine sites (chapter A, fig. 1; table 7). The precipitates include jarosite and amorphous Fe oxyhydroxide from Ellamar, amorphous Fe oxyhydroxide...
2006 volcanic activity in Alaska, Kamchatka, and the Kurile Islands: Summary of events and response of the Alaska Volcano Observatory
Christina A. Neal, Robert G. McGimsey, James P. Dixon, Alexander Manevich, Alexander Rybin
2008, Scientific Investigations Report 2008-5214
The Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO) responded to eruptions, possible eruptions, and volcanic unrest at or near nine separate volcanic centers in Alaska during 2006. A significant explosive eruption at Augustine Volcano in Cook Inlet marked the first eruption within several hundred kilometers of principal population centers in Alaska since 1992....
Geologic model for oil and gas assessment of the Kemik-Thomson Play, central North Slope, Alaska
Christopher J. Schenk, David W. Houseknecht
2008, Scientific Investigations Report 2008-5146
A geologic model was developed to assess undiscovered oil and gas resources in the Kemik-Thomson Play of the Central North Slope, Alaska. In this model, regional erosion during the Early Cretaceous produced an incised valley system on the flanks and crest of the Mikkelsen High and formed the Lower Cretaceous...
Wildland fire in ecosystems: Fire and nonnative invasive plants
Kristin Zouhar, Jane Kapler Smith, Steve Sutherland, Matthew L. Brooks
2008, General Technical Report RMRS-GTR-42
This state-of-knowledge review of information on relationships between wildland fire and nonnative invasive plants can assist fire managers and other land managers concerned with prevention, detection, and eradication or control of nonnative invasive plants. The 16 chapters in this volume synthesize ecological and botanical principles regarding relationships between wildland fire and nonnative...
Bathymetric and hydraulic survey of the Matanuska River near Circle View Estates, Alaska
Jeffrey S. Conaway
2008, Open-File Report 2008-1359
An acoustic Doppler current profiler interfaced with a differentially corrected global positioning system was used to map bathymetry and multi-dimensional velocities on the Matanuska River near Circle View Estates, Alaska. Data were collected along four spur dikes and a bend in the river during a period of active bank erosion....
Geologic assessment of undiscovered, technically recoverable coalbed-gas resources in Cretaceous and Tertiary rocks, North Slope, and adjacent state waters, Alaska
Stephen B. Roberts
2008, Data Series 69-S
The purpose of the U.S. Geological Survey's (USGS) National Oil and Gas Assessment is to develop geology-based hypotheses regarding the potential for additions to oil and gas reserves in priority areas of the United States, focusing on the distribution, quantity, and availability of oil and natural gas resources. The USGS...
Assessing gas-hydrate prospects on the North Slope of Alaska—Theoretical considerations
Myung W. Lee, Timothy S. Collett, Warren F. Agena
2008, Scientific Investigations Report 2008-5175
Gas-hydrate resource assessment on the Alaska North Slope using 3-D and 2-D seismic data involved six important steps: (1) determining the top and base of the gas-hydrate stability zone, (2) 'tying' well log information to seismic data through synthetic seismograms, (3) differentiating ice from gas hydrate in the permafrost interval,...
Glaciers of North America - Glaciers of Alaska
Bruce F. Molnia, Robert M. Krimmel, Dennis C. Trabant, Rod S. March, W.F. Manley
Richard S. Williams Jr., Jane G. Ferrigno, editor(s)
2008, Professional Paper 1386-K
Glaciers cover about 75,000 km2 of Alaska, about 5 percent of the State. The glaciers are situated on 11 mountain ranges, 1 large island, an island chain, and 1 archipelago and range in elevation from more than 6,000 m to below sea level. Alaska's glaciers extend geographically from the far...
Alaska Volcano Observatory
Dina Y. Venezky, Tom Murray, Cyrus Read
2008, General Information Product 79
Steam plume from the 2006 eruption of Augustine volcano in Cook Inlet, Alaska. Explosive ash-producing eruptions from Alaska's 40+ historically active volcanoes pose hazards to aviation, including commercial aircraft flying the busy North Pacific routes between North America and Asia. The Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO) monitors these volcanoes to provide...
Assessment of gas hydrate resources on the North Slope, Alaska, 2008
Timothy S. Collett, Warren F. Agena, Myung W. Lee, Margarita V. Zyrianova, Kenneth J. Bird, Ronald R. Charpentier, Troy Cook, David W. Houseknecht, Timothy R. Klett, Richard M. Pollastro, Christopher J. Schenk
2008, Fact Sheet 2008-3073
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) recently completed the first assessment of the undiscovered technically recoverable gas-hydrate resources on the North Slope of Alaska. Using a geology-based assessment methodology, the USGS estimates that there are about 85 trillion cubic feet (TCF) of undiscovered, technically recoverable gas resources within gas hydrates in...
Assessment of Moderate- and High-Temperature Geothermal Resources of the United States
Colin F. Williams, Marshall J. Reed, Robert H. Mariner, Jacob DeAngelo, S. Peter Galanis
2008, Fact Sheet 2008-3082
Scientists with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) recently completed an assessment of our Nation's geothermal resources. Geothermal power plants are currently operating in six states: Alaska, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Nevada, and Utah. The assessment indicates that the electric power generation potential from identified geothermal systems is 9,057 Megawatts-electric (MWe), distributed...
Regional Geochemical Results from Analyses of Stream-Water, Stream-Sediment, Soil, Soil-Water, Bedrock, and Vegetation Samples, Tangle Lakes District, Alaska
Bronwen Wang, L. P. Gough, R. B. Wanty, G. K. Lee, James Vohden, J.M. O’Neill, L.J. Kerin
2008, Open-File Report 2008-1260
We report chemical analyses of stream-water, stream-sediment, soil, soil-water, bedrock, and vegetation samples collected from the headwaters of the Delta River (Tangle Lakes District, Mount Hayes 1:250,000-scale quadrangle) in east-central Alaska for the period June 20-25, 2006. Additionally, we present mineralogic analyses of stream sediment, concentrated by panning. The study...
Multiple deleterious effects of experimentally aged sperm in a monogamous bird
Joel White, Richard H. Wagner, F. Helfenstein, Scott A. Hatch, Herve Mulard, Naves. Liliana, Etienne Danchin
2008, PNAS (105) 13947-13952
Sperm aging is known to be detrimental to reproductive performance. However, this apparently general phenomenon has seldom been studied in an evolutionary context. The negative impact of sperm aging on parental fitness should constitute a strong selective pressure for adaptations to avoid its effects. We studied the impact of sperm...
Combined high-resolution LIDAR topography and multibeam bathymetry for northern Resurrection Bay, Seward, Alaska
Keith A. Labay, Peter J. Haeussler
2008, Data Series 374
A new Digital Elevation Model was created using the best available high-resolution topography and multibeam bathymetry surrounding the area of Seward, Alaska. Datasets of (1) LIDAR topography collected for the Kenai Watershed Forum, (2) Seward harbor soundings from the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers, and (3) multibeam bathymetry from the...
