Submarine landslide susceptibility mapping in recently deglaciated terrain, Glacier Bay, Alaska
Nikita N. Avdievitch, Jeffrey A. Coe
2022, Frontiers in Earth Science (10)
Submarine mass wasting events have damaged underwater structures and propagated waves that have inundated towns and affected human populations in nearby coastal areas. Susceptibility to submarine landslides can be pronounced in degrading cryospheric environments, where existing glaciers can provide high volumes of sediment, while cycles of glaciation and ice-loss can...
Using carbon, nitrogen, and mercury isotope values to distinguish mercury sources to Alaskan lake trout
Ryan F. Lepak, Jacob M. Ogorek, Krista K. Bartz, Sarah E. Janssen, Michael T. Tate, Yin Runsheng, James P. Hurley, Daniel B. Young, Collin A. Eagles-Smith, David P. Krabbenhoft
2022, Environmental Science and Technology Letters (9) 312-319
Lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush), collected from 13 remote lakes located in southwestern Alaska, were analyzed for carbon, nitrogen, and mercury (Hg) stable isotope values to assess the importance of migrating oceanic salmon, volcanic activity, and atmospheric deposition to fish Hg burden. Methylmercury (MeHg) bioaccumulation in phytoplankton (5.0–6.9 kg L–1) was...
Heterogeneous patterns of aged organic carbon export driven by hydrologic flow paths, soil texture, fire, and thaw in discontinuous permafrost headwaters
Joshua C. Koch, Matthew Bogard, David Butman, Kerri Finlay, Brian A. Ebel, Jason James, Sarah Ellen Johnston, Torre Jorgenson, Neal Pastick, Rob Spencer, Rob Striegl, Michelle A. Walvoord, Kimberly Wickland
2022, Global Biogeochemical Cycles (36)
Climate change is thawing and potentially mobilizing vast quantities of organic carbon (OC) previously stored for millennia in permafrost soils of northern circumpolar landscapes. Climate-driven increases in fire and thermokarst may play a key role in OC mobilization by thawing permafrost and promoting transport of OC. Yet, the extent of...
Quantifying large-scale continental shelf margin growth and dynamics across mid-Cretaceous Arctic Alaska with detrital zircon U-Pb dating
Richard O. Lease, David W. Houseknecht, Andrew R. C. Kylander-Clark
2022, Geology (50) 620-625
Sequence stratigraphy provides a unifying framework for integrating diverse observations to interpret sedimentary basin evolution; however, key time assumptions about stratigraphic elements spanning hundreds of kilometers are rarely quantified. We integrate new detrital zircon U-Pb (DZ) dates from 28 samples with seismic mapping to establish a chronostratigraphic framework across 800...
Advanced distributed acoustic sensing vertical seismic profile imaging of an Alaska North Slope gas hydrate field
Cullen Young, Jeffrey Shragge, Whitney Shultz, Seth S. Haines, Can Oren, James Simmons, Timothy Collett
2022, Journal of Energy and Fuels (36) 3481-3495
Gas hydrates are found in significant quantities on the North Slope of Alaska in subpermafrost sand units and intermixed in lower portions of permafrost within the hydrate stability window. While conventional surface seismic data and established imaging methods can indicate the presence of gas hydrate reservoirs,...
Planning and operations of the Hydrate 01 Stratigraphic Test Well, Prudhoe Bay Unit, Alaska North Slope
Timothy S. Collett, Margarita V. Zyrianova, Norihiro Okinaka, Motoi Wakatsuki, Ray Boswell, Scott Marsteller, David Minge, Stephen Crumley, David Itter, Robert D. Hunter, Ana Garcia-Ceballos, Ge Jin
2022, Journal of Energy and Fuels (36) 3016-3039
The National Energy Technology Laboratory, the Japan Oil, Gas and Metals National Corporation, and the U.S. Geological Survey are leading an effort to conduct an extended gas hydrate production test in northern Alaska. The proposed production test required the drilling of an initial stratigraphic test well...
Why are human-black bear conflicts increasing? Assessing the mechanisms driving conflicts in Durango, Colorado
Heather E. Johnson
2022, Newsletter
No abstract available....
Gas hydrate saturation estimates, gas hydrate occurrence, and reservoir characteristics based on well log data from the hydrate-01 stratigraphic test well, Alaska North Slope
Seth S. Haines, Timothy Collett, Jun Yoneda, Naoyuki Shimoda, Ray Boswell, Norihiro Okinaka
2022, Journal of Energy and Fuels (36) 3040-3050
The Hydrate-01 Stratigraphic Test Well was drilled at the Kuparuk 7-11-12 site on the Alaska North Slope in December 2018. Sonic log data provide compressional (P) and shear (S) slowness from which we determine gas hydrate saturation (Sgh) estimates using effective medium theory. The sonic Sgh estimates compare...
Permeability measurement and prediction with nuclear magnetic resonance analysis of gas hydrate-bearing sediments recovered from Alaska North Slope 2018 Hydrate-01 Stratigraphic Test Well
Jun Yoneda, Kiyofumi Suzuki, Yusuke Jin, Satoshi Ohtsuki, Timothy S. Collett, Ray Boswell, Yuki Maehara, Norihiro Okinaka
2022, Energy and Fuels Journal (36) 2515-2529
Permeability of porous media, such as oil and gas reservoirs, is the crucial material parameter for predicting their hydraulic behavior. A nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) analyzer is widely used as a powerful tool to predict permeability of various media. NMR T2 (transverse or spin–spin) relaxation time distribution, which...
Characterizing unrest: A retrospective look at 20 years of gas emissions and seismicity at Iliamna Volcano, Alaska
Cynthia Werner, John Power, Peter J. Kelly, Stephanie Prejean, Christoph Kern
2022, Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research (422)
Episodes of unrest are not as well documented as eruptions at most volcanoes globally. Iliamna is an andesitic stratovolcano in the Cook Inlet of Alaska that has experienced several episodes of unrest. Unrest in 1996 was previously studied. Here we present data...
Unravelling a 2300 year long sedimentary record of megathrust and intraslab earthquakes in proglacial Skilak Lake, south-central Alaska
Nore Praet, Maarten Van Daele, Jasper Moernaut, Thomas Mestdagh, Thomas Vandorpe, Britta J.L. Jensen, Robert C. Witter, Peter J. Haeussler, Marc De Batist
2022, Sedimentology (69) 2151-2180
Seismic hazards in subduction settings typically arise from megathrust, intraslab and crustal earthquake sources. Despite the frequent occurrence of intraslab earthquakes in subduction zones and their potential threat to communities, their long-term recurrence behaviour is barely studied. Sedimentary sequences in lakes may register ground shaking from different seismic sources. This...
Genomically diverse carbapenem resistant Enterobacteriaceae from wild birds provide insight into global patterns of spatiotemporal dissemination
Christina Ahlstrom, Hanna Woksepp, Linus Sandegren, Mashkoor Mohsin, Badrul Hasan, Denys Muzyka, Jorge Hernandez, Filip Aguirre, Atalay Tok, Jan Söderman, Bjorn Olsen, Andrew M. Ramey, Jonas Bonnedahl
2022, Science of the Total Environment (824)
Carbapenem resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) are a threat to public health globally, yet the role of the environment in the epidemiology of CRE remains elusive. Given that wild birds can acquire CRE, likely from foraging in anthropogenically impacted areas, and may aid in the maintenance and dissemination...
Premature mortality observations among Alaska’s Pacific salmon during record heat and drought in 2019
Vanessa R. von Biela, Christopher J. Sergeant, Michael P. Carey, Zachary Liller, Charles M. Russell, Stephanie Quinn-Davidson, Peter S. Rand, P. A. H. Westley, Christian E. Zimmerman
2022, Fisheries (47) 157-168
Widespread mortality of Pacific salmon Oncorhynchus spp. returning to spawn in Alaska coincided with record-breaking air temperatures and prolonged drought in summer 2019. Extreme environmental conditions are expected to happen more frequently with rapid climate change and challenge the notion that Alaska could indefinitely provide abundant, cool freshwater habitat for Pacific salmon....
Genetic assignment of fisheries bycatch reveals disproportionate mortality among Alaska Northern Fulmar breeding colonies
Diana S. Baetscher, Jessie Beck, Eric C. Anderson, Kristen Ruegg, Andrew M. Ramey, Scott Hatch, HannahRose M. Nevins, Shannon Fitzgerald, J Carlos Garza
2022, Evolutionary Applications (15) 447-458
Global fisheries kill millions of seabirds annually through bycatch, but little is known about population-level impacts, particularly in species that form metapopulations. U.S. North Pacific groundfish fisheries catch thousands of Northern Fulmars (Fulmarus glacialis rodgersii) each year, making fulmars the most frequently caught seabird in federally...
Juvenile continental crust evolution in a modern oceanic arc setting: Petrogenesis of Cenozoic felsic plutons in Fiji, SW Pacific
Chris S. Marien, Elizabeth Kathleen Drewes-Todd, Allen Stork, Erin Todd, James B Gill, J. Elis Hoffman, Kenichiro Tani, Charlotte M. Allen, Carsten Münker
2022, Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta (320) 339-365
Viti Levu, Fiji, provides one of the best exposed Phanerozoic analogues for the formation of juvenile continental crust in an intra-oceanic setting. Tonalites and trondhjemites are present in several large (75–150 km2) adjacent, mid-Cenozoic plutons. We report major and trace element data...
The Pacific as the world’s greatest theater of bird migration: Extreme flights spark questions about physiological capabilities, behavior, and the evolution of migratory pathways
Theunis Piersma, Robert E. Gill Jr., Daniel R. Ruthrauff, Christopher G. Guglielmo, Jesse R. Conklin, Colleen M. Handel
2022, Ornithology (139)
The Pacific Basin, by virtue of its vastness and its complex aeroscape, provides unique opportunities to address questions about the behavioral and physiological capabilities and mechanisms through which birds can complete spectacular flights. No longer is the Pacific seen just as a formidable barrier between terrestrial habitats in the north...
Spreading like wildfire: The rising threat of extraordinary landscape fires - A rapid response assessment
Alexandra Popescu, Allison Paulson, Amy C. Christianson, Andrew S. Sullivan, A. Tulloch, Bibiana Bilbao, Camilla Mathison, Catherine Robinson, David Ganz, David Nangoma, David Saah, Dolors Armenteras, Don A. Driscoll, Don L. Hankins, Douglas I. Kelley, E. R. (Lisa) Langer, Elaine Baker, Fabienne Reisen, François-Nicholas Robinne, Gamma Galudra, Glynis Humphrey, Hugh Safford, Ian G. Baird, Imma Oliveras, Jeremy Littell, Johan Kieft, J. Chew, Kirsten Maclean, Lea Wittenberg, Liana O. Anderson, Lindsey Gillson, Matt Plucinski, Max A. Moritz, Megan Brown, Miguel Castillo Soto, M. Flannigan, Oliver Costello, Patricia S. Silva, Paulo Fernandes, Peter Moore, Randi Jandt, Raphaele Blanchi, Renata Libonati, Sally Archibald, Sarah Dunlop, Sarah McCaffrey, Susan Page, Tania Marisol Gonzalez Delgado, Tiina Kurvits, Tol Sokchea, Val Charlton
Andrew S. Sullivan, Elaine Baker, Tiina Kurvits, editor(s)
2022, Book
Free-burning landscape fire is an important natural phenomenon critical to the healthy functioning of many ecosystems. It is an important land management tool, culturally, economically, and ecologically. Therefore, not all vegetation fires are unwanted. This Rapid Response Assessment (RRA) focuses on the apparent increase in the occurrence, extent, duration, and...
Management foundations for navigating ecological transformation by resisting, accepting, or directing social-ecological change
Dawn Magness, Linh Hoang, Travis Belote, Jean Brennan, Wylie Carr, F. Stuart Chapin III, Katherine R. Clifford, Wendy Morrison, John Morton, Helen Sofaer
2022, BioScience (72) 30-44
Despite striking global change, management to ensure healthy landscapes and sustained natural resources has tended to set objectives on the basis of the historical range of variability in stationary ecosystems. Many social–ecological systems are moving into novel conditions that can result in ecological transformation. We present four foundations to enable...
Abundance and distribution of sea otters (Enhydra lutris) in the southcentral Alaska stock, 2014, 2017, and 2019
George G. Esslinger, Brian H. Robinson, Daniel H. Monson, Rebecca L. Taylor, Daniel Esler, Ben P. Weitzman, Joel Garlich-Miller
2022, Open-File Report 2021-1122
The Southcentral Alaska (SCAK) sea otter (Enhydra lutris) stock is the northernmost stock of sea otters, a keystone predator known for structuring nearshore marine ecosystems. We conducted aerial surveys within the range of the SCAK sea otter stock to provide recent estimates of sea otter abundance and distribution. We defined...
Oxygen isotopes of land snail shells in high latitude regions
Catherine Nield, Yurena Yanes, Jeffrey S. Pigati, Jason A. Rech, Ted von Proschwitz, Jeffrey C. Nekola
P. Rioual, editor(s)
2022, Quaternary Science Reviews (279) 1-15
The present study investigates the environmental significance of the oxygen isotopic composition of several modern land snail species collected along two north-to-south transects in Alaska and Scandinavia at latitudes between 60 and 70 °N. We tested the hypothesis that land snail...
Alaska Volcano Observatory archive of seismic drum records of eruptions of Augustine Volcano (1986), Redoubt Volcano (1989–90), Mount Spurr (1992), and Pavlof Volcano (1996), and the 1996 earthquake swarm at Akutan Peak
James P. Dixon, John A. Power
2022, Data Report 1146
The advent of continuous digital recording of seismograph stations in Alaska did not occur until the fall of 2002. Continuous records of seismic waveforms prior to 2002 were recorded only in analog form. The Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO) has a substantial archive of continuous analog records made on helicorders in...
The accuracy and consistency of 3D Elevation Program data: A systematic analysis
Jason M. Stoker, Barry Miller
2022, Remote Sensing (14)
The 3D Elevation Program (3DEP) has created partnership opportunities to increase the collection of high-resolution elevation data across the United States, eventually leading to complete coverage of high-resolution, three-dimensional (3D) information from light detection and ranging (lidar) data across the entire country (interferometric synthetic aperture radar in Alaska). While 3DEP...
Diet analysis using generalized linear models derived from foraging processes using R package mvtweedie
James T. Thorson, Mayumi L. Arimitsu, Taal Levi, Gretchen Roffler
2022, Ecology (103)
Diet analysis integrates a wide variety of visual, chemical, and biological identification of prey. Samples are often treated as compositional data, where each prey is analyzed as a continuous percentage of the total. However, analyzing compositional data results in analytical challenges, for example, highly parameterized models or prior transformation of...
Alaska North Slope terrestrial gas hydrate systems: Insights from scientific drilling
Timothy S. Collett, Ray M. Boswell, Margarita V. Zyrianova
Jürgen Mienert, Christian Berndt, Anne M. Tréhu, Angelo Camerlenghi, Char-Shine Liu, editor(s)
2022, Book chapter, World atlas of submarine gas hydrates in continental margins
A wealth of information has been accumulated regarding the occurrence of gas hydrates in nature, leading to significant advancements in our understanding of the geologic controls on their occurrence in both the terrestrial and marine settings of the Arctic. Gas hydrate accumulations discovered in the Alaska North Slope...
Use case development for earth monitoring, analysis, and prediction (EarthMAP)—A road map for future integrated predictive science at the U.S. Geological Survey
Tamara Wilson, Mark T. Wiltermuth, Karen E. Jenni, Robert Horton, Randall J. Hunt, Dee M. Williams, Vivian P. Nolan, Nicholas G. Aumen, David S. Brown, Kyle W. Blasch, Peter S. Murdoch
2022, Open-File Report 2021-1108
Executive SummaryThe U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) 21st-century science strategy 2020–30 promotes a bureau-wide strategy to develop and deliver an integrated, predictive science capability that works at the scales and timelines needed to inform societally relevant resource management and protection and public safety and environmental health decisions (U.S. Geological Survey, 2021)....
