Slightly weathered Exxon Valdez oil persists in Gulf of Alaska beach sediments after 16 years
J.W. Short, G.V. Irvine, D.H. Mann, J.M. Maselko, J.J. Pella, M.R. Lindeberg, J. R. Payne, W.B. Driskell, S.D. Rice
2007, Environmental Science & Technology (41) 1245-1250
Oil stranded by the 1989 Exxon Valdez spill has persisted in subsurface sediments of exposed shores for 16 years. With annualized loss rates declining from ∼68% yr-1 prior to 1992 to ∼4% yr-1 after 2001, weathering processes are retarded in both sediments and residual emulsified oil (“oil mousse”), and retention of toxic polycyclic aromatic...
Three-dimensional P-wave velocity structure derived from local earthquakes at the Katmai group of volcanoes, Alaska
A.D. Jolly, S.C. Moran, S.R. McNutt, D.B. Stone
2007, Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research (159) 326-342
The three-dimensional P-wave velocity structure beneath the Katmai group of volcanoes is determined by inversion of more than 10,000 rays from over 1000 earthquakes recorded on a local 18 station short-period network between September 1996 and May 2001. The inversion is well constrained from sea level to about 6 km below...
Inflammatory reaction to fabric collars from percutaneous antennas attached to intracoelomic radio transmitters implanted in harlequin ducks (Histrionicus histrionicus)
Daniel M. Mulcahy, K.A. Burek, Daniel Esler
2007, Journal of Avian Medicine and Surgery (21) 13-21
In wild birds implanted intracoelomically with radio transmitters, a synthetic fabric collar placed around the base of a percutaneous antenna is believed to function as a barrier to contamination of the coelom. We examined 13 fabric collars recovered from percutaneous antennas of radio transmitters implanted intracoelomically in harlequin ducks (Histrionicus...
Movements and foraging effort of Steller's Eiders and Harlequin Ducks wintering near Dutch Harbor, Alaska
John A. Reed, Paul L. Flint
2007, Journal of Field Ornithology (78) 124-132
We studied the movements and foraging effort of radio-marked Steller's Eiders (Polysticta stelleri) and Harlequin Ducks (Histrionicus histrionicus) to evaluate habitat quality in an area impacted by industrial activity near Dutch Harbor, Alaska. Foraging effort was relatively low, with Steller's Eiders foraging only 2.7 ± 0.6 (SE) hours per day...
Natural versus anthropogenic dispersion of metals to the environment in the Wulik River area, western Brooks Range, northern Alaska
K.D. Kelley, T. Hudson
2007, Geochemistry: Exploration, Environment, Analysis (7) 87-96
Zinc-lead-silver mineral deposits in the Wulik River region, Alaska, contain an enormous accumulation of Zn. In addition to the giant deposits at Red Dog, at least nine other deposits are known. Natural weathering of these deposits has dispersed metals over a wide region over a long period of time (c....
Possible refugia in the Alexander Archipelago of southeastern Alaska during the late Wisconsin glaciation
P. E. Carrara, T. A. Ager, J.F. Baichtal
2007, Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences (44) 229-244
The interpretation of the extent of late Wisconsin glaciation in southeastern Alaska has varied between geologists and biologists. Maps and reports of the region prepared by geologists commonly indicated that late Wisconsin ice extended as a large uniform front west to the edge of the continental shelf. However, the distribution...
Shorebird abundance and distribution on the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
S. Brown, J. Bart, Richard B. Lanctot, J. A. Johnson, S. Kendall, D. Payer, J. Johnson
2007, Condor (109) 1-14
The coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge hosts seven species of migratory shorebirds listed as highly imperiled or high priority by the U.S. Shorebird Conservation Plan and five species listed as Birds of Conservation Concern by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. During the first comprehensive shorebird survey...
Nesting ecology of boreal forest birds following a massive outbreak of spruce beetles
Steven M. Matsuoka, Colleen M. Handel
2007, Journal of Wildlife Management (71) 51-63
We studied breeding dark-eyed juncos (Junco hyemalis), yellow-rumped warblers (Dendroica coronata), and spruce-nesting birds from 1997 to 1998 among forests with different levels of spruce (Picea spp.) mortality following an outbreak of spruce beetles (Dendroctonus rufipennis) in Alaska, USA. We identified species using live and beetle-killed spruce for nest sites and...
North to Alaska: Evidence for conveyor belt transport of Dungeness crab larvae along the west coast of the United States and Canada
W. Park, David C. Douglas, Thomas C. Shirley
2007, Limnology and Oceanography (52) 248-256
We propose and evaluate the hypothesis that Dungeness crab (Cancer magister) larvae from the northwestern coast of the United States and Canada can be transported northward to southeastern Alaska. Larvae collected in southeastern Alaska during May and June 1997–2004 had abundances and stages that varied seasonally, interannually, and spatially. An...
Net emissions of CH4 and CO2 in Alaska: Implications for the region's greenhouse gas budget
Q. Zhuang, J. M. Melillo, A. D. McGuire, D. W. Kicklighter, R.G. Prinn, P.A. Steudler, B.S. Felzer, S. Hu
2007, Ecological Applications (17) 203-212
We used a biogeochemistry model, the Terrestrial Ecosystem Model (TEM), to study the net methane (CH4) fluxes between Alaskan ecosystems and the atmosphere. We estimated that the current net emissions of CH4 (emissions minus consumption) from Alaskan soils are ???3 Tg CH 4/yr. Wet tundra ecosystems are responsible for 75%...
Late nineteenth to early twenty-first century behavior of Alaskan glaciers as indicators of changing regional climate
B. F. Molnia
2007, Global and Planetary Change (56) 23-56
Alaska's climate is changing and one of the most significant indications of this change has been the late 19th to early 21st century behavior of Alaskan glaciers. Weather station temperature data document that air temperatures throughout Alaska have been increasing for many decades. Since the mid-20th century, the average change...
Geologic map of the Siksikpuk River area, Chandler Lake quadrangle, Alaska
P.R. Peapples, W. K. Wallace, Marwan A. Wartes, R.F. Swenson, C. G. Mull, Julie A. Dumoulin, E. E. Harris, E.S. Finzel, R.R. Reifenstuhl, A.M. Loveland
2007, Report
USGS national surveys and analysis projects: Preliminary compilation of integrated geological datasets for the United States: A section in Digital mapping techniques '06 - Workshop proceedings
Suzanne W. Nicholson, Douglas B. Stoeser, Frederic H. Wilson, Connie L. Dicken, Stephen Ludington
2007, Open-File Report 2007-1285
The growth in the use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) has highlighted the need for regional and national digital geologic maps attributed with age and rock type information. Such spatial data can be conveniently used to generate derivative maps for purposes that include mineral-resource assessment, metallogenic studies, tectonic studies, human...
Inventory of montane-nesting birds in Katmai and Lake Clark national parks and preserves
Daniel R. Ruthrauff, T. Lee Tibbitts, Robert E. Gill Jr., Colleen M. Handel
2007, Report
As part of the National Park Service’s Inventory and Monitoring Program, biologists from the U. S. Geological Survey’s Alaska Science Center conducted an inventory of birds in montane regions of Katmai and Lake Clark National Parks and Preserves during 2004–2006. We used a stratified random survey design to allocate samples...
Spatial distribution of juvenile and adult female Tanner crabs (Chionoecetes bairdi) in a glacial fjord ecosystem: Implications for recruitment processes
J.K. Nielsen, S. James Taggart, Thomas C. Shirley, Jennifer Mondragon
2007, ICES Journal of Marine Science (64) 1772-1784
A systematic pot survey in Glacier Bay, Alaska, was conducted to characterize the spatial distribution of juvenile and adult female Tanner crabs, and their association with depth and temperature. The information was used to infer important recruitment processes for Tanner crabs in glaciated ecosystems. High-catch areas for juvenile and adult...
Nutrient (N, P) loads and yields at multiple scales and subbasin types in the Yukon River basin, Alaska
M.M. Dornblaser, Robert G. Striegl
2007, Journal of Geophysical Research G: Biogeosciences (112)
Loads and yields of dissolved and particulate nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) were measured and modeled at three locations on the Yukon River (YR) and on the Tanana and Porcupine Rivers in Alaska during 2001-2005. Total export of N and P upstream of Yukon Delta averaged 120 Gg N a-1...
Quantitative remote sensing study indicates doubling of coastal erosion rate in past 50 yr along a segment of the Arctic coast of Alaska
J.C. Mars, D.W. Houseknecht
2007, Geology (35) 583-586
A new quantitative coastal land gained-and-lost method uses image analysis of topographic maps and Landsat thematic mapper short-wave infrared data to document accelerated coastal land loss and thermokarst lake expansion and drainage. The data span 1955-2005 along the Beaufort Sea coast north of Teshekpuk Lake in the National Petroleum Reserve...
Influence of disturbance on carbon exchange in a permafrost collapse and adjacent burned forest
I. H. Myers-Smith, A. D. McGuire, J.W. Harden, F. S. Chapin III
2007, Journal of Geophysical Research G: Biogeosciences (112)
We measured CO2 and CH4 exchange from the center of a Sphagnum‐dominated permafrost collapse, through an aquatic moat, and into a recently burned black spruce forest on the Tanana River floodplain in interior Alaska. In the anomalously dry growing season of 2004, both the collapse and the surrounding burned area were net sinks...
Mixed sediment beach processes: Kachemak Bay, Alaska
P. Ruggiero, P.N. Adams, J.A. Warrick
2007, Conference Paper, Coastal Sediments '07 - Proceedings of 6th International Symposium on Coastal Engineering and Science of Coastal Sediment Processes
Mixed sediment beaches are morphologically distinct from and more complex than either sand or gravel only beaches. Three digital imaging techniques are employed to quantify surficial grain size and bedload sediment transport rates along the mixed sediment beaches of Kachemak Bay, Alaska. Applying digital imaging procedures originally developed for quickly...
Local annual survival and seasonal residency rates of Semipalmated Sandpipers (Calidris pusilla) in Puerto Rico
S.M. Rice, J.A. Collazo, M.W. Alldredge, B. A. Harrington, A.R. Lewis
2007, The Auk (124) 1397-1406
We report seasonal residency and local annual survival rates of migratory Semipalmated Sandpipers (Calidris pusilla) at the Cabo Rojo salt flats, Puerto Rico. Residency rate (daily probability of remaining on the flats) was 0.991 ± 0.001 (x̄ ± SE), yielding a mean length of stay of 110 days. This finding...
Seabird behavior as an indicator of food supplies: Sensitivity across the breeding season
A.M.A. Harding, John F. Piatt, Joel A. Schmutz
2007, Marine Ecology Progress Series (352) 269-274
We used empirical data on the time allocation of common murres Uria aalge in relation to measures of local prey density to examine whether adults provisioning chicks are more sensitive to changes in prey density than birds that are incubating eggs. We hypothesized that seasonal differences in food requirements of...
Oceanography of Glacier Bay, Alaska: Implications for biological patterns in a glacial fjord estuary
L.L. Etherington, P.N. Hooge, Elizabeth Ross Hooge, D.F. Hill
2007, Estuaries and Coasts (30) 927-944
Alaska, U.S.A, is one of the few remaining locations in the world that has fjords that contain temperate idewater glaciers. Studying such estuarine systems provides vital information on how deglaciation affects oceanographic onditions of fjords and surrounding coastal waters. The oceanographic system of Glacier Bay, Alaska, is of particular interest...
Stress hormones link food availability and population processes in seabirds
A.S. Kitaysky, John F. Piatt, J.C. Wingfield
2007, Marine Ecology Progress Series (352) 245-258
Catastrophic population declines in marine top predators in the northern Pacific have been hypothesized to result from nutritional stress affecting reproduction and survival of individuals. However, empirical evidence for food-related stress in wild animals is frequently lacking or inconclusive. We used a field endocrinology approach to measure stress, identify its...
Weirs: Counting and sampling adult salmonids in streams and rivers
Christian E. Zimmerman, Laura M. Zabkar
2007, Book chapter, Salmonid field protocols handbook: techniques for assessing status and trends in salmon and trout populations.
Weirs—which function as porous barriers built across stream—have long been used to capture migrating fish in flowing waters. For example, the Netsilik peoples of northern Canada used V-shaped weirs constructed of river rocks gathered onsite to capture migrating Arctic char Salvelinus alpinus (Balikci 1970). Similarly, fences constructed of stakes and...
Marine mammal populations
Alan M. Springer, Sara J. Iverson, James L. Bodkin
Robert B. Spies, editor(s)
2007, Book chapter, Long-term ecological change in the northern Gulf of Alaska
No abstract available....
