Benthic invertebrate community structure is influenced by forest succession after clearcut logging in southeastern Alaska
O. Hernandez, R.W. Merritt, M.S. Wipfli
2005, Hydrobiologia (533) 45-59
To assess the effects of timber harvesting on headwater streams in upland forests, benthic community structure was contrasted among four dominant forest management types (old growth, red alder-dominated young growth, conifer-dominated young growth, clearcut) and instream habitats (woody debris, cobble, gravel) in southeastern Alaska. Benthos in streams of previously harvested...
Interferometric synthetic aperture radar study of Okmok volcano, Alaska, 1992-2003: Magma supply dynamics and postemplacement lava flow deformation
Z. Lu, Timothy Masterlark, Daniel Dzurisin
2005, Journal of Geophysical Research B: Solid Earth (110) 1-18
Okmok volcano, located in the central Aleutian arc, Alaska, is a dominantly basaltic complex topped with a 10-km-wide caldera that formed circa 2.05 ka. Okmok erupted several times during the 20th century, most recently in 1997; eruptions in 1945, 1958, and 1997 produced lava flows within the caldera. We used...
Do wintering Harlequin Ducks forage nocturnally at high latitudes?
Daniel Rizzolo, Daniel Esler, Daniel D. Roby, Robert L. Jarvis
2005, Condor (107) 173-177
We monitored radio-tagged Harlequin Ducks (Histrionicus histrionicus) to determine whether nocturnal feeding was part of their foraging strategy during winter in south-central Alaska. Despite attributes of our study site (low ambient temperatures, harsh weather, short day length) and study species (small body size, high daytime foraging rates) that would be...
Population genetic structure and conservation of marbled murrelets (Brachyramphus marmoratus)
Vicki L. Friesen, T.P. Birt, John F. Piatt, R.T. Golightly, S. H. Newman, P.N. Hebert, B.C. Congdon, G. Gissing
2005, Conservation Genetics (6) 607-614
Marbled murrelets (Brachyramphus marmoratus) are coastal seabirds that nest from California to the Aleutian Islands. They are declining and considered threatened in several regions. We compared variation in the mitochondrial control region, four nuclear introns and three microsatellite loci among 194 murrelets from throughout their range except Washington and Oregon....
Alaskan brown bears, humans, and habituation
Thomas Smith, Stephen Herrero, Terry D. DeBruyn
2005, Ursus (16) 1-10
We present a new paradigm for understanding habituation and the role it plays in brown bear (Ursus arctos) populations and interactions with humans in Alaska. We assert that 3 forms of habituation occur in Alaska: bear-to-bear, bear-to-human, and human-to-bear. We present data that supports our theory that bear density is...
New constraints on mechanisms of remotely triggered seismicity at Long Valley Caldera
E. E. Brodsky, S. G. Prejean
2005, Journal of Geophysical Research B: Solid Earth (110) 1-14
Regional-scale triggering of local earthquakes in the crust by seismic waves from distant main shocks has now been robustly documented for over a decade. Some of the most thoroughly recorded examples of repeated triggering of a single site from multiple, large earthquakes are measured in geothermal fields of the western...
Wave spectral energy variability in the northeast Pacific
P.D. Bromirski, D.R. Cayan, R.E. Flick
2005, Journal of Geophysical Research C: Oceans (110) 1-15
The dominant characteristics of wave energy variability in the eastern North Pacific are described from NOAA National Data Buoy Center (NDBC) buoy data collected from 1981 to 2003. Ten buoys at distributed locations were selected for comparison based on record duration and data continuity. Long‐period (LP) [T > 12] s, intermediate‐period...
Polar climate: Arctic sea ice
R. S. Stone, David C. Douglas, G. I. Belchansky, S. D. Drobot
2005, Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society (86) S39-S41
Recent decreases in snow and sea ice cover in the high northern latitudes are among the most notable indicators of climate change. Northern Hemisphere sea ice extent for the year as a whole was the third lowest on record dating back to 1973, behind 1995 (lowest) and 1990 (second lowest;...
From the field: Brown bear habituation to people — Safety, risks, and benefits
Stephen Herrero, Tom Smith, Terry D. DeBruyn, Kerry Gunther, Colleen A. Matt
2005, Wildlife Society Bulletin (33) 362-373
Recently, brown bear (Ursus arctos) viewing has increased in coastal Alaska and British Columbia, as well as in interior areas such as Yellowstone National Park. Viewing is most often being done under conditions that offer acceptable safety to both people and bears. We analyze and comment on the underlying processes...
Prey consumption and energy transfer by marine birds in the Gulf of Alaska
G.L. Hunt Jr., G.S. Drew, J. Jahncke, John F. Piatt
2005, Conference Paper, Deep-Sea Research Part II: Topical Studies in Oceanography
We investigated prey consumption by marine birds and their contribution to cross-shelf fluxes in the northern Gulf of Alaska. We utilized data from the North Pacific Pelagic Seabird Database for modeling energy demand and prey consumption. We found that prey consumption by marine birds was much greater over the continental...
Oceanographic conditions structure forage fishes into lipid-rich and lipid-poor communities in lower Cook Inlet, Alaska, USA
Alisa A. Abookire, John F. Piatt
2005, Marine Ecology Progress Series (287) 229-240
Forage fishes were sampled with a mid-water trawl in lower Cook Inlet, Alaska, USA, from late July to early August 1996 to 1999. We sampled 3 oceanographically distinct areas of lower Cook Inlet: waters adjacent to Chisik Island, in Kachemak Bay, and near the Barren Islands. In 163 tows using...
Surface deformation associated with the March 1996 earthquake swarm at Akutan Island, Alaska, revealed by C-band ERS and L-band JERS radar interferometry
Z. Lu, C. Wicks Jr., O. Kwoun, J.A. Power, D. Dzurisin
2005, Canadian Journal of Remote Sensing (31) 7-20
In March 1996, an intense earthquake swarm beneath Akutan Island, Alaska, was accompanied by extensive ground cracking but no eruption of Akutan volcano. Radar interferograms produced from L-band JERS-1 and C-band ERS-1/2 images show uplift associated with the swarm by as much as 60 cm on the western...
Verification of sex from harvested sea otters using DNA testing
Kim T. Scribner, Ben A. Green, Carol Gorbics, James L. Bodkin
2005, Wildlife Society Bulletin (33) 1027-1032
We used molecular genetic methods to determine the sex of 138 sea otters (Enhydra lutris) harvested from 3 regions of Alaska from 1994 to 1997, to assess the accuracy of post‐harvest field‐sexing. We also tested each of a series of factors associated with errors in field‐sexing of...
The adrenocortical response of tufted puffin chicks to nutritional deficits
A.S. Kitaysky, Marc D. Romano, John F. Piatt, J.C. Wingfield, M. Kikuchi
2005, Hormones and Behavior (47) 606-619
In several seabirds, nutritional state of a nest-bound chick is negatively correlated with the activity of its hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. Increased corticosterone (cort) secretion has been shown to facilitate changes in behavior that allow hungry chicks to obtain more food from parents. However, if parents are not willing/able to buffer...
Population genetic structure of annual and perennial populations of Zostera marina L. along the Pacific coast of Baja California and the Gulf of California
Raquel Muñiz-Salazar, Sandra L. Talbot, George K. Sage, David H. Ward, Alejandro Cabello-Pasini
2005, Molecular Ecology (14) 711-722
The Baja California peninsula represents a biogeographical boundary contributing to regional differentiation among populations of marine animals. We investigated the genetic characteristics of perennial and annual populations of the marine angiosperm, Zostera marina, along the Pacific coast of Baja California and in the Gulf of California, respectively. Populations of Z....
Geographic variation in survival and migratory tendency among North American Common Mergansers
John M. Pearce, John A. Reed, Paul L. Flint
2005, Journal of Field Ornithology (76) 109-118
Movement ecology and demographic parameters for the Common Merganser (Mergus merganser americanus) in North America are poorly known. We used band-recovery data from five locations across North America spanning the years 1938–1998 to examine migratory patterns and estimate survival rates. We examined competing time-invariant, age-graduated models with program MARK...
Movements of walruses radio-tagged in Bristol Bay, Alaska
Chadwick V. Jay, Susan Hills
2005, Arctic (58) 192-202
Satellite radio-location data from 57 adult male Pacific walruses (Odobenus rosmarus divergens) were used to estimate haul-out fidelity, broadly describe seasonal foraging distributions, and determine the approximate timing of autumn migration from Bristol Bay, Alaska. Data were collected intermittently during 1987–91 and 1995–2000, primarily during the period from May to...
Polar bear research in the Beaufort Sea 2005
Steven C. Amstrup, George M. Durner, E.V. Regehr, G.S. York, T. S. Smith, Steven T. Partridge, David C. Douglas
2005, Conference Paper, Proceedings of the Canadian Polar Bear Technical Committee
No abstract available....
Subduction-zone magnetic anomalies and implications for hydrated forearc mantle
R.J. Blakely, T.M. Brocher, R.E. Wells
2005, Geology (33) 445-448
Continental mantle in subduction zones is hydrated by release of water from the underlying oceanic plate. Magnetite is a significant byproduct of mantle hydration, and forearc mantle, cooled by subduction, should contribute to long-wavelength magnetic anomalies above subduction zones. We test this hypothesis with a quantitative model of the Cascadia...
Circumpolar variation in morphological characteristics of Greater White-fronted Geese Anser albifrons
Craig R. Ely, A.D. Fox, R.T. Alisauskas, A. Andreev, R.G. Bromley, Andrei G. Degtyarev, B. Ebbinge, E.N. Gurtovaya, R. Kerbes, Alexander V. Kondratyev, I. Kostin, A.V. Krechmar, K.E. Litvin, Y. Miyabayashi, J.H. Moou, R.M. Oates, D.L. Orthmeyer, Yutaka Sabano, S. Gay Simpson, D.V. Solovieva, Michael A. Spindler, Y.V. Syroechkovsky, John Y. Takekawa, A. Walsh
2005, Bird Study (52) 104-119
Capsule: Greater White-fronted Geese show significant variation in body size from sampling locations throughout their circumpolar breeding range. Aims: To determine the degree of geographical variation in body size of Greater White-fronted Geese and identify factors contributing to any apparent patterns in variation. Methods: Structural measures of >3000 geese from...
Mudstone sedimentation at high latitudes: Ice as a transport medium for mud and supplier of nutrients
J.H.S. Macquaker, M.A. Keller
2005, Journal of Sedimentary Research (75) 696-709
Controls on mudstone deposition at high latitudes are poorly known relative to low latitudes. In recent sediments deposited in these environments, ice significantly influences sediment transport and primary productivity. The products of ice transport are relatively well known in glacimarine settings, but are less well known from below melting sea...
North American Brant: Effects of changes in habitat and climate on population dynamics
David H. Ward, Austin Reed, James S. Sedinger, Jeffrey M. Black, Dirk V. Derksen, Paul M. Castelli
2005, Global Change Biology (11) 869-880
We describe the importance of key habitats used by four nesting populations of nearctic brant (Branta bernicla) and discuss the potential relationship between changes in these habitats and population dynamics of brant. Nearctic brant, in contrast to most geese, rely on marine habitats and native intertidal plants during the non-breeding...
Survival of Western Sandpiper broods on the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, Alaska
Daniel R. Ruthrauff, Brian J. McCaffery
2005, Condor (107) 597-604
The rate of chick growth in high-latitude breeding shorebirds is rapid, but little is known about the effect of chick mass, growth, and brood movements on subsequent brood survival. To address these topics, we monitored chick growth patterns, daily brood movements, and survival of Western Sandpipers (Calidris mauri) on the...
Technical review of the status of Northern Goshawks in the western United States
D. E. Andersen, S. DeStefano, M.I. Goldstein, K. Titus, C. Crocker-Bedford, J.J. Keane, R.G. Anthony, Robert N. Rosenfield
2005, Journal of Raptor Research (39) 192-209
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) was petitioned in 1997 to consider listing Northern Goshawks (Accipiter gentilis atricapillus) under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, west of the 100th meridian of the contiguous United States. In their 12-mo finding issued in June 1998, the FWS determined that listing this...
Resource inventory of marine and estuarine fishes of the West Coast and Alaska: A checklist of North Pacific and Arctic Ocean species from Baja California to the Alaska - Yukon border
Milton S. Love, Catherine W. Mecklenburg, T. Anthony Mecklenburg, Lyman K. Thorsteinson
2005, Report
This is a comprehensive inventory of the fish species recorded in marine and estuarine waters between the Alaska–Yukon Territory border in the Beaufort Sea and Cabo San Lucas at the southern end of Baja California and out about 300 miles from shore. Our westernmost range includes the eastern Bering Sea...
