Catalog of earthquake hypocenters at Alaskan volcanoes: January 1 through December 31, 2006
James P. Dixon, Scott D. Stihler, John A. Power, Cheryl Searcy
2008, Data Series 326
Between January 1 and December 31, 2006, AVO located 8,666 earthquakes of which 7,783 occurred on or near the 33 volcanoes monitored within Alaska. Monitoring highlights in 2006 include: an eruption of Augustine Volcano, a volcanic-tectonic earthquake swarm at Mount Martin, elevated seismicity and volcanic unrest at Fourpeaked Mountain, and...
2005 volcanic activity in Alaska, Kamchatka, and the Kurile Islands: Summary of events and response of the Alaska Volcano Observatory
R. G. McGimsey, C.A. Neal, J. P. Dixon, Sergey Ushakov
2008, Scientific Investigations Report 2007-5269
The Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO) responded to eruptive activity or suspected volcanic activity at or near 16 volcanoes in Alaska during 2005, including the high profile precursory activity associated with the 2005–06 eruption of Augustine Volcano. AVO continues to participate in distributing information about eruptive activity on the Kamchatka Peninsula,...
Integrating modelling and remote sensing to identify ecosystem performance anomalies in the boreal forest, Yukon River Basin, Alaska
B.K. Wylie, L. Zhang, Norman B. Bliss, Lei Ji, Larry L. Tieszen, W. M. Jolly
2008, International Journal of Digital Earth (1) 196-220
High-latitude ecosystems are exposed to more pronounced warming effects than other parts of the globe. We develop a technique to monitor ecological changes in a way that distinguishes climate influences from disturbances. In this study, we account for climatic influences on Alaskan boreal forest performance with a data-driven model. We...
Neogene exhumation of the Tordrillo Mountains, Alaska, and correlations with Denali (Mount McKinley)
Peter J. Haeussler, Paul J O’Sullivan, Aaron L Berger, James A Spotila
Jeffery T. Freymueller, Peter J. Haeussler, Robert L. Wesson, Goran Ekstrom, editor(s)
2008, Book chapter, Active tectonics and seismic potential of Alaska, volume 179
No abstract available....
Ice, climate change and wildlife research in Alaska
Anthony R. DeGange
2008, Endangered Species Bulletin (33) 16-19
Not available...
Geological and geophysical evaluation of the mechanisms of the great 1899 Yakutat Bay earthquakes
George Plafker, Wayne R. Thatcher
Jeffery T. Freymueller, Peter J. Haeussler, Robert L. Wesson, Goran Ekstrom, editor(s)
2008, Book chapter, Active tectonics and seismic potential of Alaska
We have used tectonic, geologic, and seismologic observations to reevaluate the mechanisms and seismotectonic significance of the two great (Mw = 8.1 and 8.2) September 1899 Yakutat Bay earthquakes. In their comprehensive study of these earthquakes between 1905 and 1910, Tarr and Martin (1912) showed that these events were accompanied...
Paleoseismicity and neotectonics of the Aleutian subduction zone — An overview
Gary A. Carver, George Plafker
Jeffery T. Freymueller, Peter J. Haeussler, Robert L. Wesson, Goran Ekstrom, editor(s)
2008, Book chapter, Active tectonics and seismic potential of Alaska
The Aleutian subduction zone is one of the most seismically active plate boundaries and the source of several of the world’s largest historic earthquakes. The structural architecture of the subduction zone varies considerably along its length. At the eastern end is a tectonically complex collision zone where the allochthonous Yakutat...
Toward a time-dependent probabilistic seismic hazard analysis for Alaska
Oliver S. Boyd, Yuehua Zeng, Charles G. Bufe, Robert L. Wesson, Frederick Pollitz, Jeanne L. Hardebeck
Jeffery T. Freymueller, Peter J. Haeussler, Robert L. Wesson, Goran Ekstrom, editor(s)
2008, Book chapter, Active tectonics and seismic potential of Alaska
We report on a time-dependent seismic hazard analysis for Alaska and the Aleutians to complement our recently completed time-independent map. Whereas the time-independent map treats all sources as statistically independent, the time-dependent analysis is based on calculations of the conditional probability of occurrence for the next 50 years by using...
Seasonal and spatial variability in dissolved organic matter quantity and composition from the Yukon River basin, Alaska
R.G.M. Spencer, George Aiken, Kimberly P. Wickland, Rob Striegl, Peter J. Hernes
2008, Global Biogeochemical Cycles (22)
[1] The seasonal and spatial variability of dissolved organic matter (DOM) quantity and chemical composition were investigated in the Yukon River basin of Alaska, United States, and northwestern Canada. Dissolved organic carbon (DOC), chromophoric DOM (CDOM), and dissolved lignin phenols were measured across a range of source...
Does a boundary of the Wrangell Block extend through southern Cook Inlet and Shelikof Strait, Alaska?
Michael A. Fisher, Ray W. Sliter, Florence L. Wong
Jeffery T. Freymueller, Peter J. Haeussler, Robert L. Wesson, Goran Ekstrom, editor(s)
2008, Book chapter, Active tectonics and seismic potential of Alaska
In southcentral Alaska, the boundaries of two different tectonic blocks extend southwestward from the Denali Fault toward Cook Inlet and Shelikof Strait. We use offshore multichannel seismic reflection data and oil-well stratigraphy to evaluate whether local geologic structures are compatible with boundaries of either tectonic block and with the relative...
Alaska's Pavlof volcano ends 11-year repose
Christopher F. Waythomas, Stephanie G. Prejean, Stephen R. McNutt
2008, Eos, Transactions, American Geophysical Union (89) 209-211
After an 11‐year period of repose, Pavlof volcano on the Alaska Peninsula (Figure 1) began an episode of Strombolian eruption lasting 31 days, from 14 August to 13 September 2007.The eruption began abruptly on 14 August after a minor increase in seismicity the previous day. Nearly continuous lava fountaining, explosions,...
Changes in abundance and spatial distribution of geese molting near Teshekpuk Lake, Alaska: Interspecific competition or ecological change?
Paul L. Flint, E.J. Mallek, R.J. King, Joel A. Schmutz, K.S. Bollinger, Dirk V. Derksen
2008, Polar Biology (31) 549-556
Goose populations molting in the Teshekpuk Lake Special Area of the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska have changed in size and distribution over the past 30 years. Black brant (Branta bernicla nigricans) are relatively stable in numbers but are shifting from large, inland lakes to salt marshes. Concurrently, populations of greater white-fronted...
Nesting biology of Lesser Canada Geese, Branta canadensis parvipes, along the Tanana River, Alaska
Craig R. Ely, John M. Pearce, Roger W. Ruess
2008, Canadian Field-Naturalist (122) 29-33
Lesser Canada Geese (Branta canadensis parvipes) are widespread throughout interior regions of Alaska and Canada, yet there have been no published studies documenting basic aspects of their nesting biology. We conducted a study to determine reproductive parameters of Lesser Canada Geese nesting along the Tanana River near the city of...
The 2005 catastrophic acid crater lake drainage, lahar, and acidic aerosol formation at Mount Chiginagak volcano, Alaska, USA: Field observations and preliminary water and vegetation chemistry results
J.R. Schaefer, W. E. Scott, William C. Evans, J. Jorgenson, R. G. McGimsey, B. Wang
2008, Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems (9)
A mass of snow and ice 400-m-wide and 105-m-thick began melting in the summit crater of Mount Chiginagak volcano sometime between November 2004 and early May 2005, presumably owing to increased heat flux from the hydrothermal system, or possibly from magma intrusion and degassing. In early May 2005, an estimated...
Pollen evidence for late pleistocene bering land bridge environments from Norton Sound, Northeastern Bering Sea, Alaska
T. A. Ager, R. L. Phillips
2008, Arctic, Antarctic, and Alpine Research (40) 451-461
After more than half a century of paleoenvironmental investigations, disagreements persist as to the nature of vegetation type and climate of the Bering land bridge (BLB) during the late Wisconsin (Sartan) glacial interval. Few data exist from sites on the former land bridge, now submerged under the Bering and Chukchi...
Silurian Gastropoda from the Alexander terrane, southeast Alaska
D.M. Rohr, R. B. Blodgett
2008, Special Paper of the Geological Society of America 51-61
Gastropods are described from Ludlow-age strata of the Heceta Limestone on Prince of Wales Island, southeast Alaska. They are part of a diverse megabenthic fauna of the Alexander terrane, an accreted terrane of Siberian or Uralian affinities. Heceta Limestone gastropods with Uralian affinities include Kirkospira glacialis, which closely resembles "Pleurotomaria"...
Paleobiogeographic affinities of emsian (late early devonian) gastropods from farewell terrane (west-central Alaska)
J. Fryda, R. B. Blodgett
2008, Special Paper of the Geological Society of America 107-120
The vast majority of Emsian gastropods from Limestone Mountain, Medfra B-4 quadrangle, west-central Alaska (Farewell terrane) belong to species with lecithotrophic larval strategy. The present data show that there is no significant difference in the paleobiogeo-graphic distribution of Emsian gastropod genera with lecithotrophic and planktotrophic larval strategies. Numerical analysis of...
Genetic evidence of intercontinental movement of avian influenza in a migratory bird: The northern pintail (Anas acuta)
A.V. Koehler, John M. Pearce, Paul L. Flint, J. C. Franson, S. Ip
2008, Molecular Ecology (17) 4754-4762
The role of migratory birds in the movement of the highly pathogenic (HP) avian influenza H5N1 remains a subject of debate. Testing hypotheses regarding intercontinental movement of low pathogenic avian influenza (LPAI) viruses will help evaluate the potential that wild birds could carry Asian-origin strains of HP avian influenza to...
Mercury sedimentation in lakes in western Whatcom County, Washington, USA and its relation to local industrial and municipal atmospheric sources
A.J. Paulson, D. Norton
2008, Water, Air, & Soil Pollution (189) 5-19
Concentrations of mercury (Hg) were measured in six dated cores from four lakes in western Whatcom County, Washington, USA, that were at various bearings from a chlor-alkali plant, two municipal waste incinerators and a municipal sewage sludge incinerator. The importance of atmospheric emissions of Hg from these local municipal and...
Monitoring volcanic threats using ASTER satellite data
K. A. Duda, R. Wessels, M. Ramsey, J. Dehn
2008, Conference Paper, International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium (IGARSS)
This document summarizes ongoing activities associated with a research project funded by the national aeronautics and space administration (NASA) focusing on volcanic change detection through the use of satellite imagery. This work includes systems development as well as improvements in data analysis methods. Participating organizations include the NASA land processes...
The distribution of nuclear genetic variation and historical demography of sea otters
A. Aguilar, David A. Jessup, J. Estes, J.C. Garza
2008, Animal Conservation (11) 35-45
The amount and distribution of population genetic variation is crucial information for the design of effective conservation strategies for endangered species and can also be used to provide inference about demographic processes and patterns of migration. Here, we describe variation at a large number of nuclear genes in sea otters...
Sulfide oxidation and distribution of metals near abandoned copper mines in coastal environments, Prince William Sound, Alaska, USA
R.A. Koski, L. Munk, A. L. Foster, Wayne C. Shanks III, L.L. Stillings
2008, Applied Geochemistry (23) 227-254
The oxidation of sulfide-rich rocks, mostly leftover debris from Cu mining in the early 20th century, is contributing to metal contamination of local coastal environments in Prince William Sound, Alaska. Analyses of sulfide, water, sediment, precipitate and biological samples from the Beatson, Ellamar, and Threeman mine sites show that acidic...
Contamination status and accumulation profiles of organotins in sea otters (Enhydra lutris) found dead along the coasts of California, Washington, Alaska (USA), and Kamchatka (Russia)
S. Murata, S. Takahashi, T. Agusa, N. J. Thomas, K. Kannan, S. Tanabe
2008, Marine Pollution Bulletin (56) 641-649
Organotin compounds (OTs) including mono- to tri-butyltins, -phenyltins, and -octyltins were determined in the liver of adult sea otters (Enhydra lutris) found dead along the coasts of California, Washington, and Alaska in the USA and Kamchatka, Russia. Total concentrations of OTs in sea otters from California ranged from 34 to...
Atmospheric contribution of gas emissions from Augustine volcano, Alaska during the 2006 eruption
K.A. McGee, M.P. Doukas, R. G. McGimsey, C.A. Neal, R.L. Wessels
2008, Geophysical Research Letters (35)
Airborne surveillance of gas emissions from Augustine for SO2, CO2 and H2S showed no evidence of anomalous degassing from 1990 through May 2005. By December 20, 2005, Augustine was degassing 660 td−1 of SO2, and ten times that by January 4, 2006. The highest SO2 emission rate measured during the 2006 eruption was...
Seasonal survival of radiomarked emperor geese in western Alaska
Jerry W. Hupp, Joel A. Schmutz, Craig R. Ely
2008, Journal of Wildlife Management (72) 1584-1595
The population of emperor geese (Chen canagica) in western Alaska, USA, declined by >50% from the 1960s to the mid‐1980s and has increased only slightly since. Rates of population increase among arctic geese are especially sensitive to changes in adult survival. Improving adult survival in seasons or geographic areas where...
