Central Beaufort Sea Wave and Hydrodynamic Modeling Study; Report 2: Modeled waves, hydrodynamics, and sediment transport within Foggy Island Bay
Li H. Erikson, Cornelis M. Nederhoff, Anita C Engelstad, Jeremy L. Kasper, Peter A. Bieniek
2023, OCS Study BOEM 2022-079
Renewed interest in nearshore oil exploration and production in the shallow waters of the Central Beaufort Sea Shelf has created a need to advance our understanding of the past, current, and future atmospheric and oceanographic conditions that affect existing and planned infrastructure and nearshore ecosystems. At the time of writing...
Northern Sea Otter (Enhydra lutris kenyoni) population abundance and distribution across the southeast Alaska stock, summer 2022
Paul Schuette, Joseph Michael Eisaguirre, Benjamin P Weitzman, Collin Power, Evan Wetherington, Jenipher Cate, Jamie N. Womble, Linnea Pearson, Daniel Melody, Chelsea Merriman, Kat Hanks, George G. Esslinger
2023, Technical Report 2023-01
In the summer of 2022, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and partners successfully completed the first single-year, aerial photo survey of sea otters across the entire Southeast stock of northern sea otters. This document presents the latest findings from the 2022 Southeast Alaska Sea Otter Survey, providing up-to-date information...
Insights into the metamorphic history and origin of flake graphite mineralization at the Graphite Creek graphite deposit, Seward Peninsula, Alaska, USA
George N.D. Case, Susan M. Karl, Sean P. Regan, Craig A. Johnson, Eric T Ellison, Jonathan Caine, Christopher S. Holm-Denoma, Laura Pianowski, Jeff A. Benowitz
2023, Mineralium Deposita (58) 939-962
Graphite Creek is an unusual flake graphite deposit located on the Seward Peninsula, Alaska, USA. We present field observations, uranium-lead (U–Pb) monazite and titanite geochronology, carbon (C) and sulfur (S) stable isotope geochemistry, and graphite Raman spectroscopy data from this deposit that support a new model of flake graphite ore...
Estimates of volcanic mercury emissions from Redoubt Volcano, Augustine Volcano, and Mount Spurr eruption ash
D Skye Kushner, Taryn Lopez, Kristi L. Wallace, David Damby, Christoph Kern, Cheryl Cameron
2023, Frontiers in Earth Science (11)
Ash is a potential sink of volcanically sourced atmospheric mercury (Hg), and the concentration of particle-bound Hg may provide constraints on Hg emissions during eruptions. We analyze Hg concentrations in 227 bulk ash samples from the Mount Spurr (1992), Redoubt Volcano (2009), and Augustine Volcano (2006) volcanic eruptions...
National map of focus areas for potential critical mineral resources in the United States
Jane M. Hammarstrom, Douglas C. Kreiner, Connie L. Dicken, Laurel G. Woodruff
2023, Fact Sheet 2023-3007
Introduction The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) launched the Earth Mapping Resources Initiative (Earth MRI) to modernize the surface and subsurface geologic mapping of the United States, with a focus on identifying areas that may have the potential to contain critical mineral resources. EarthMRI can inform strategies to ensure secure and reliable...
Waterfowl recently infected with low pathogenic avian influenza exhibit reduced local movement and delayed migration
Claire S. Teitelbaum, Michael L. Casazza, Fiona McDuie, Susan E.W. De La Cruz, Cory T. Overton, Laurie Anne Hall, Elliott Matchett, Josh T. Ackerman, Jeffery D. Sullivan, Andrew M. Ramey, Diann Prosser
2023, Ecosphere (14)
Understanding relationships between infection and wildlife movement patterns is important for predicting pathogen spread, especially for multispecies pathogens and those that can spread to humans and domestic animals, such as avian influenza viruses (AIVs). Although infection with low pathogenic AIVs is generally considered asymptomatic in wild...
Elodea mediates juvenile salmon growth by altering physical structure in freshwater habitats
Michael P. Carey, Gordon H. Reeves, Suresh Sethi, Theresa L. Tanner, Daniel B. Young, Krista K. Bartz, Christian E. Zimmerman
2023, Biological Invasions (25) 1509-1525
Invasive species introductions in high latitudes are accelerating and elevating the need to address questions of their effects on Subarctic and Arctic ecosystems. As a driver of ecosystem function, submerged aquatic vegetation is one of the most deleterious biological invasions to aquatic food webs. The...
Survey for selected parasites in Alaska brown bears (Ursus arctos)
Ellen Haynes, Sarah Coker, Michael J. Yabsley, Kevin Niedrighaus, Andrew M. Ramey, Guilherme Verocai, Grant Hilderbrant, Kyle Joly, Dave Gustine, Buck Mangipane, William Leacock, Anthony P. Crupi, Christopher A. Cleveland
2023, Journal of Wildlife Diseases (59) 186-191
To assess infection with or exposure to endo- and ectoparasites in Alaska brown bears (Ursus arctos), blood and fecal samples were collected during 2013–17 from five locations: Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve; Katmai National Park; Lake Clark National Park and...
High winds and melting sea ice trigger landward movement in a polar bear population of concern
Annie Kellner, Todd C. Atwood, David C. Douglas, Stewart Breck, George Wittemyer
2023, Ecosphere (14)
Some animal species are responding to climate change by altering the timing of events like mating and migration. Such behavioral plasticity can be adaptive, but it is not always. Polar bears (Ursus maritimus) from the southern Beaufort Sea subpopulation have mostly remained on ice year-round, but...
eDNA Metabarcoding Analyses of Diet in Yellow-Billed Loons of Northern Alaska
Damian M. Menning, Brian D. Uher-Koch, Melanie J. Flamme, Trey Simmons, Joel Schmutz, Sandra Talbot
2023, Waterbirds (45) 159-166
Environmental DNA is a burgeoning tool used to address wide-ranging scientific questions, including determining diets of difficult-to-sample predators. Loons are large piscivorous diving birds that capture and consume prey underwater, making it nearly impossible to visually determine their diet via observation alone. Identifying species' diets...
Peak Cenozoic warmth enabled deep-sea sand deposition
Zachary FM Burton, Tim McHargue, Christopher H. Kremer, Richard B Bloch, Jared T. Gooley, Chayawan Jailka, Jake Harrington, Stephan A. Graham
2023, Scientific Reports (13)
The early Eocene (~ 56–48 million years ago) was marked by peak Cenozoic warmth and sea levels, high CO2, and largely ice-free conditions. This time has been described as a period of increased continental erosion and silicate weathering. However, these conclusions are based largely on geochemical...
Declines in body size of sockeye salmon associated with increased competition in the ocean
Jan Ohlberger, Timothy Joseph Cline, Daniel Schindler, Bert Lewis
2023, Proceedings of the Royal Society B (290)
Declining body sizes have been documented for several species of Pacific salmon; however, whether size declines are caused mainly by ocean warming or other ecological factors, and whether they result primarily from trends in age at maturation or changing growth rates remain poorly understood. We quantified changes in mean body...
Increasing Alaskan river discharge during the cold season is driven by recent warming
D Blaskey, Joshua C. Koch, M. Gooseff, A. C. Newman, Yang Cheng, Jonathan A. O’Donnell, K Musselman
2023, Environmental Research Letters (18)
Arctic hydrology is experiencing rapid changes including earlier snow melt, permafrost degradation, increasing active layer depth, and reduced river ice, all of which are expected to lead to changes in stream flow regimes. Recently, long-term (>60 years) climate reanalysis and river discharge observation data have become available....
Ice and ocean constraints on early human migrations into North America along the Pacific Coast
Summer K. Praetorius, Jay R. Alder, Alan Condron, Alan Mix, Maureen Walczak, Beth Elaine Caissie, Jon Erlandson
2023, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (120)
Founding populations of the first Americans likely occupied parts of Beringia during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). The timing, pathways, and modes of their southward transit remain unknown, but blockage of the interior route by North American ice sheets between ~26 and 14 cal kyr BP (ka) favors a coastal...
Dating individual zones in phenocrysts from the 2016–2017 eruption of Bogoslof volcano provides constraints on timescales of magmatic processes
Jamshid Moshrefzadeh, Pavel Izbekof, Matthew W. Loewen, Jessica Larsen, Sean P. Regan
2023, Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research (435)
We investigate the rates of magmatic processes using clinopyroxene diffusion chronometry on volcanic products erupted in August 2017 at the end of the 9-month eruption of Bogoslof volcano. The eruptive products contain plagioclase, clinopyroxene, and amphibole, all of which exhibit sharp chemical boundaries...
Central Beaufort Sea Wave and Hydrodynamic Modeling Study--Report 1: Field measurements and model development
Jeremy L. Kasper, Li H. Erikson, Thomas M. Ravens, Peter A. Bieniek, Anita C Engelstad, Cornelis M. Nederhoff, Paul X. Duvoy, Stephanie Fisher, Eloise Petrone Brown, Yaman Man, Borja Reguero
2023, OCS Study BOEM 2022-078
Renewed interest in nearshore oil exploration and production in the shallow waters of the Central Beaufort Sea Shelf has created a need to advance our understanding of the past, current, and future atmospheric and oceanographic conditions that affect existing and planned infrastructure and nearshore ecosystems. At the time of writing...
Joint spatiotemporal models to predict seabird densities at sea
Mayumi L. Arimitsu, John F. Piatt, James Thorson, Kathy Kuletz, Gary Drew, Sarah K. Schoen, Dan Cushing, Caitlin Kroeger, William Sydeman
2023, Frontiers in Marine Science (10)
Introduction: Seabirds are abundant, conspicuous members of marine ecosystems worldwide. Synthesis of distribution data compiled over time is required to address regional management issues and understand ecosystem change. Major challenges when estimating seabird densities at sea arise from variability in dispersion of the birds, sampling effort over time and space, and...
Revising supraglacial rock avalanche magnitudes and frequencies in Glacier Bay National Park, Alaska
William Smith, Stuart A. Dunning, Neil Ross, Jon Telling, Erin K. Bessette-Kirton, Dan H. Shugar, Jeffrey A. Coe, M. Geertsema
2023, Geomorphology (425)
The frequency of large supraglacial landslides (rock avalanches) occurring in glacial environments is thought to be increasing due to feedbacks with climate warming and permafrost degradation. However, it is difficult to (i) test this; (ii) establish cause–effect relationships; and (iii) determine...
Fecal DNA metabarcoding shows credible short-term prey detections and explains variation in the gut microbiome of two polar bear subpopulations
Megan Franz, L Whyte, Todd C. Atwood, Damian M. Menning, Sarah A. Sonsthagen, Sandra Talbot, Kristin L. Laidre, Emmanuel Gonzalez, Melissa McKinney
2023, Marine Ecology Progress Series (MEPS) (704) 131-147
This study developed and evaluated DNA metabarcoding to identify the presence of pinniped and cetacean prey DNA in fecal samples of East Greenland (EG) and Southern Beaufort Sea (SB) polar bears Ursus maritimus sampled in the spring of 2015-2019. Prey DNA was detected in half (49/92) of all samples, and when...
Adult spawners: A critical period for subarctic Chinook salmon in a changing climate
Kathrine G. Howard, Vanessa R. von Biela
2023, Global Change Biology (29) 1759-1773
Concurrent, distribution-wide abundance declines of some Pacific salmon species, including Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha), highlights the need to understand how vulnerability at different life stages to climate stressors affects population dynamics and fisheries sustainability. Yukon River Chinook salmon stocks are among the largest subarctic populations, near...
Moving Aircraft River Velocimetry (MARV): Framework and proof-of-concept on the Tanana River
Carl J. Legleiter, Paul J. Kinzel, Mark Laker, Jeff Conaway
2023, Water Resources Research (59)
Information on velocity fields in rivers is critical for designing infrastructure, modeling contaminant transport, and assessing habitat. Although non-contact approaches to measuring flow velocity are well established, these methods assume a stationary imaging platform. This study eliminates this constraint by introducing a framework for moving aircraft river...
Recent history of glacial lake outburst floods, analysis of channel changes, and development of a two-dimensional flow and sediment transport model of the Snow River near Seward, Alaska
Robin A. Beebee
2023, Scientific Investigations Report 2022-5099
Snow Lake, a glacially dammed lake on the Snow Glacier near Seward, Alaska, drains rapidly every 14 months–3 years, causing flooding along the Snow River. Highway, railroad, and utility infrastructure on the lower Snow River floodplain is vulnerable to flood damage. Historical hydrology, geomorphology, and two-dimensional hydraulic and sediment transport...
Territories within groups: The dynamic competition of drift-feeding juvenile Chinook salmon in 3-dimensional space
Jason R. Neuswanger, Amanda E. Rosenberger, M. S. Wipfli, Nicholas F. Hughes
2023, Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences (80) 346-359
Salmonid populations are often regulated by territorial competition among juveniles for food and space. In the canonical view, salmonid territories are spaced horizontally across the river bottom in a 2-D mosaic. However, some juveniles instead feed in tight, three-dimensional (3-D) social groups. To investigate whether territoriality is possible within such...
Geologic map of Okmok Volcano
Jessica Larsen, Christina A. Neal, Janet Schaefer, Christopher J. Nye
2023, Report of Investigations of the Alaska Department of Natural Resources, Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys 2023-1
The geologic map and description of map units presented here cover approximately 880 km2 of northeastern Umnak Island, Aleutian Islands, Alaska. This report focuses on Okmok Volcano and its eruptive products and updates the mid-20th-century geologic map of Byers (1959). Mapped deposits reflect the state of the volcano just prior...
Trace elements in blood of sea ducks from Dutch Harbor and Izembek Lagoon, Alaska
J. Christian Franson, Tuula E. Hollmen, Paul L. Flint, Angela C. Matz
2023, Journal of Fish and Wildlife Management (14) 41-50
In 2001, we collected whole blood from sea ducks (Steller’s eider Polysticta stelleri, harlequin duck Histrionicus histrionicus, black scoter Melanitta nigra, and long-tailed duck Clangula hyemalis) wintering at Dutch Harbor, Alaska, and from Steller’s eiders molting at Izembek Lagoon on the Alaska Peninsula....
