Evaluation of aerial survey methods for Dall's sheep
Mark S. Udevitz, Brad S. Shults, Layne G. Adams, Christopher Kleckner
2006, Wildlife Society Bulletin (34) 732-740
Most Dall's sheep (Ovis dalli dalli) population-monitoring efforts use intensive aerial surveys with no attempt to estimate variance or adjust for potential sightability bias. We used radiocollared sheep to assess factors that could affect sightability of Dall's sheep in standard fixed-wing and helicopter surveys and to evaluate feasibility of methods...
Testing the junk-food hypothesis on marine birds: Effects of prey type on growth and development
Marc D. Romano, John F. Piatt, D.D. Roby
2006, Waterbirds (29) 407-414
The junk-food hypothesis attributes declines in productivity of marine birds and mammals to changes in the species of prey they consume and corresponding differences in nutritional quality of those prey. To test this hypothesis nestling Black-legged Kittiwakes (Rissa tridactyla) and Tufted Puffins (Fratercula cirrhata) were raised in captivity under controlled...
Comparison of the effects and performance of four types of radiotransmitters for use with scoters
S. A. Iverson, W. S. Boyd, Daniel Esler, D.M. Mulcahy, Timothy D. Bowman
2006, Wildlife Society Bulletin (34) 656-663
Radiotransmitters are widely used in wildlife ecology, often providing data that cannot be collected using other methods. However, negative effects have been associated with the use of transmitters for some species. We evaluated the effects and performance of 4 radiotransmitter types for use with surf and white-winged scoters (Melanitta perspicillata...
Sizing up oil on Alaska's North Slope
K. J. Bird, D.W. Houseknecht
2006, Geotimes (51) 24-27
[No abstract available]...
Shrinking ponds in subarctic Alaska based on 1950-2002 remotely sensed images
B. Riordan, D. Verbyla, A. D. McGuire
2006, Journal of Geophysical Research G: Biogeosciences (111)
Over the past 50 years, Alaska has experienced a warming climate with longer growing seasons, increased potential evapotranspiration, and permafrost warming. Research from the Seward Peninsula and Kenai Peninsula has demonstrated a substantial landscape-level trend in the reduction of surface water and number of closed-basin ponds. We investigated whether this...
Correlated growth and survival of juvenile spectacled eiders: Evidence of habitat limitation?
Paul L. Flint, Julie A. Morse, J. Barry Grand, Christine L. Moran
2006, The Condor (108) 901-911
We studied the growth and survival of Spectacled Eider (Somateria fischeri) ducklings to 30 days of age along the lower Kashunuk River on the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta from 1995 to 2000. We replicated this study at a second site, Kigigak Island, in 1999 and 2000. Age-adjusted estimates of duckling mass and...
Assessing the nutritional stress hypothesis: Relative influence of diet quantity and quality on seabird productivity
Patrick G.R. Jodice, Daniel D. Roby, K.R. Turco, Robert M. Suryan, David B. Irons, John F. Piatt, Michael T. Shultz, David G. Roseneau, Arthur B. Kettle, Jill A. Anthony
2006, Marine Ecology Progress Series (325) 267-279
Food availability comprises a complex interaction of factors that integrates abundance, taxonomic composition, accessibility, and quality of the prey base. The relationship between food availability and reproductive performance can be assessed via the nutritional stress (NSH) and junk-food (JFH) hypotheses. With respect to reproductive success, NSH posits that a deficiency...
Wave energy dissipation by intertidal sand waves on a mixed-sediment Beach
P. Adams, P. Ruggiero
2006, Conference Paper, Coastal Dynamics 2005 - Proceedings of the Fifth Coastal Dynamics International Conference
Within the surf zone, the energy expended by wave breaking is strongly influenced by nearshore bathymetry, which is often linked to the character and abundance of local sediments. Based upon a continuous, two year record of Argus Beach Monitoring System (ABMS) data on the north shore of Kachemak Bay in...
Recorded earthquake responses from the integrated seismic monitoring network of the Atwood Building, Anchorage, Alaska
M. Çelebi
2006, Earthquake Spectra (22) 847-864
An integrated seismic monitoring system with a total of 53 channels of accelerometers is now operating in and at the nearby free-field site of the 20-story steel-framed Atwood Building in highly seismic Anchorage, Alaska. The building has a single-story basement and a reinforced concrete foundation without piles. The monitoring system...
Biogeochemical characterization of an undisturbed highly acidic, metal-rich bryophyte habitat, east-central Alaska, U.S.A.
L. P. Gough, R. G. Eppinger, Paul H. Briggs, S. Giles
2006, Arctic, Antarctic, and Alpine Research (38) 522-529
We report on the geochemistry of soil and bryophyte-laden sediment and on the biogeochemistry of willows growing in an undisturbed volcanogenic massive sulfide deposit in the Alaska Range ecoregion of east-central Alaska. We also describe an unusual bryophyte assemblage found growing in the acidic metal-rich waters that drain the area....
Hydrography and circulation of ice-marginal lakes at Bering Glacier, Alaska, U.S.A.
E.G. Josberger, R.A. Shuchman, G.A. Meadows, S. Savage, J. Payne
2006, Arctic, Antarctic, and Alpine Research (38) 547-560
An extensive suite of physical oceanographic, remotely sensed, and water quality measurements, collected from 2001 through 2004 in two ice-marginal lakes at Bering Glacier, Alaska-Berg Lake and Vitus Lake-show that each has a unique circulation controlled by their specific physical forcing within the glacial system. Conductivity profiles from Berg Lake,...
Imaging the transition from Aleutian subduction to Yakutat collision in central Alaska, with local earthquakes and active source data
D. Eberhart-Phillips, D.H. Christensen, T.M. Brocher, R. Hansen, N.A. Ruppert, Peter J. Haeussler, G.A. Abers
2006, Journal of Geophysical Research B: Solid Earth (111)
In southern and central Alaska the subduction and active volcanism of the Aleutian subduction zone give way to a broad plate boundary zone with mountain building and strike-slip faulting, where the Yakutat terrane joins the subducting Pacific plate. The interplay of these tectonic elements can be best understood by considering...
The prelaying interval of emperor geese on the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, Alaska
Jerry W. Hupp, Joel A. Schmutz, Craig R. Ely
2006, Condor (108) 912-924
We marked 136 female Emperor Geese (Chen canagica) in western Alaska with VHF or satellite (PTT) transmitters from 1999 to 2003 to monitor their spring arrival and nest initiation dates on the Yukon Delta, and to estimate prelaying interval lengths once at the nesting area. Ninety-two females with functional transmitters...
Emplacement of the Kodiak batholith and slab-window migration
David W. Farris, Peter J. Haeussler, Richard Friedman, Scott R. Paterson, R. W. Saltus, Robert A. Ayuso
2006, Geological Society of America Bulletin (118) 1360-1376
The Kodiak batholith is one of the largest, most elongate intrusive bodies in the forearc Sanak-Baranof plutonic belt located in southern Alaska. This belt is interpreted to have formed during the subduction of an oceanic spreading center and the associated migration of a slab window. Individual plutons of the Kodiak...
Incorporating diverse data and realistic complexity into demographic estimation procedures for sea otters
M. Timothy Tinker, Daniel F. Doak, James A. Estes, Brian B. Hatfield, Michelle M. Staedler, Arthur Gross
2006, Ecological Applications (16) 2293-2312
Reliable information on historical and current population dynamics is central to understanding patterns of growth and decline in animal populations. We developed a maximum likelihood-based analysis to estimate spatial and temporal trends in age/sex-specific survival rates for the threatened southern sea otter (Enhydra lutris nereis), using annual population censuses and...
Varieties of submarine failure morphologies of seismically-induced landslides in Alaskan fjords
H. Lee, H. Ryan, R. E. Kayen, Peter J. Haeussler, P. Dartnell, M. A. Hampton
2006, Conference Paper, Norsk Geologisk Tidsskrift
The Great Alaska Earthquake of 1964 caused major damage and 43 deaths in the coastal communities of Seward and Valdez. Most of these losses were caused by tsunamis that occurred immediately after the earthquake and were most likely induced by local submarine landslides. Recent NOAA multibcam bathymetric surveys near Seward...
Coulomb stress transfer and tectonic loading preceding the 2002 Denali fault earthquake
Charles G. Bufe
2006, Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America (96) 1662-1674
Pre-2002 tectonic loading and Coulomb stress transfer are modeled along the rupture zone of the M 7.9 Denali fault earthquake (DFE) and on adjacent segments of the right-lateral Denali–Totschunda fault system in central Alaska, using a three-dimensional boundary-element program. The segments modeled closely follow, for about 95°, the arc...
Pelagic seabird surveys in the Tuamotu and Gambier Archipelagos, French Polynesia
Eric A. Vanderwerf, Ray J. Pierce, Verena A. Gill, Graham Wragg, Philippe Raust, T. Lee Tibbitts
2006, Marine Ornithology: Journal of Seabird Research and Conservation (34) 65-70
We conducted pelagic seabird surveys in the Gambier and Tuamotu Archipelagos in the southeastern Pacific Ocean totaling 40 hours during 7-27 March 2003 and 22.5 hours during 22-27 July 2001. We used a 300-m-wide strip transect to estimate seabird density, and we estimated relative abundance of birds at all distances....
Effects of wildfire and permafrost on soil organic matter and soil climate in interior Alaska
J.W. Harden, K.L. Manies, M.R. Turetsky, J. C. Neff
2006, Global Change Biology (12) 2391-2403
The influence of discontinuous permafrost on ground-fuel storage, combustion losses, and postfire soil climates was examined after a wildfire near Delta Junction, AK in July 1999. At this site, we sampled soils from a four-way site comparison of burning (burned and unburned) and permafrost (permafrost and nonpermafrost). Soil organic layers...
Environmental contaminants in fish and their associated risk to piscivorous wildlife in the Yukon River Basin, Alaska
J.E. Hinck, C. J. Schmitt, K. R. Echols, T.W. May, C.E. Orazio, D. E. Tillitt
2006, Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology (51) 661-672
Organochlorine chemical residues and elemental contaminants were measured in northern pike (Esox lucius), longnose sucker (Catostomus catostomus), and burbot (Lota lota) from 10 sites in the Yukon River Basin (YRB) during 2002. Contaminant concentrations were compared to historical YRB data and to toxicity thresholds for fish and piscivorous wildlife from...
Nesting habitat of the Tule Greater White-fronted Goose Anser albifrons elgasi
R.V. Densmore, Craig R. Ely, K.S. Bollinger, S. Kratzer, Mark S. Udevitz, D.J. Fehringer, T.C. Rothe
2006, Wildfowl (56) 37-51
This paper presents the first information on the availability and use of nesting habitat by the rare Tule Greater White-fronted Goose Anser albifrons elgasi. The breeding range was sampled by marking geese with radio transmitters on wintering and moulting areas, and tracking them to nest sites in Alaska. Nesting habitat...
Crustal insights from gravity and aeromagnetic analysis: Central North Slope, Alaska
R. W. Saltus, C. J. Potter, J. D. Phillips
2006, American Association of Petroleum Geologists Bulletin (90) 1495-1517
Aeromagnetic and gravity data are processed and interpreted to reveal deep and shallow information about the crustal structure of the central North Slope, Alaska. Regional aeromagnetic anomalies primarily reflect deep crustal features. Regional gravity anomalies are more complex and require detailed analysis. We constrain our geophysical models with seismic data...
Effect of tree line advance on carbon storage in NW Alaska
M. Wilmking, J. Harden, K. Tape
2006, Journal of Geophysical Research G: Biogeosciences (111)
We investigated the size, distribution, and temporal dynamics of ecosystem carbon (C) pools in an area of recent tree line advance, northwest Alaska. Repeat aerial photographs show forest cover increased ???10% in our study area since 1949. We sampled C pools of four principal ecosystem types, tussock tundra, shrub tundra,...
Blood lead levels of wild Steller's eiders (Polysticta stelleri) and black scoters (Melanitta nigra) in Alaska using a portable blood lead analyzer
Corrine S. Brown, Joanne Luebbert, Daniel M. Mulcahy, Jason L. Schamber, Daniel H. Rosenberg
2006, Journal of Zoo and Wildlife Medicine (37) 361-365
Sea duck populations are declining in Alaska. The reasons for the decline are not known; environmental lead exposure is one suspected cause. Thirty wild Steller's eider ducks (Polysticta stelleri) and 40 wild black scoter ducks (Melanitta nigra) were tested for blood lead levels using a portable blood lead analyzer (LeadCare;...
A robust design mark-resight abundance estimator allowing heterogeneity in resighting probabilities
B.T. McClintock, Gary C. White, K.P. Burnham
2006, Journal of Agricultural, Biological, and Environmental Statistics (11) 231-248
This article introduces the beta-binomial estimator (BBE), a closed-population abundance mark-resight model combining the favorable qualities of maximum likelihood theory and the allowance of individual heterogeneity in sighting probability (p). The model may be parameterized for a robust sampling design consisting of multiple primary sampling occasions where closure need not...
