The North American tree-ring fire-scar network
Ellis Margolis, Christopher H. Guiterman, Raphael Chavardes, Jonathan D. Coop, Kelsey Copes-Gerbitz, Denyse A. Dawe, Donald A. Falk, James D. Johnston, Evan Larson, Hangkyo Lim, Joseph M. Marschall, Cameron E. Naficy, Adam T. Naito, Marc-André Parisien, Sean A. Parks, Jeanne Portier, Helen M. Poulos, Kevin M. Robertson, James H. Speer, Michael C. Stambaugh, Thomas W. Swetnam, Alan J. Tepley, Ichchha Thapa, Craig D. Allen, Yves Bergeron, Lori D. Daniels, Peter Z. Fule, David Gervais, Martin P. Girardin, Grant L. Harley, Jill E. Harvey, Kira M. Hoffman, Jean M. Huffman, Matthew D. Hurteau, Lane B. Johnson, Charles W. Lafon, Manuel K. Lopez, R. Stockton Maxwell, Jed Meunier, Malcolm North, Monica T. Rother, Micah R. Schmidt, Rosemary L. Sherriff, Lauren A. Stachowiak, Alan H. Taylor, Erana J. Taylor, Valerie Trouet, Miguel L. Villarreal, Larissa L. Yocom, Karen B. Arabas, Alexis H. Arizpe, Dominique Arseneault, Alicia Azpeleta Tarancon, Christopher H. Baisan, Erica Bigio, Franco Biondi, Gabriel D. Cahalan, Anthony C. Caprio, Julian Cerano-Paredes, Brandon M. Collins, Daniel C. Dey, Igor Drobyshev, Calvin A. Farris, M. Adele Fenwick, William T. Flatley, M. Lisa Floyd, Ze’ev Gedalof, Andres Holz, Lauren F. Howard, David W. Huffman, Jose Iniguez, Kurt F. Kipfmueller, Stanley G Kitchen, Keith Lombardo, Donald McKenzie, Andrew G. Merschel, Kerry L. Metlen, Jesse Minor, Christopher D. O'Connor, Laura Platt, William J. Platt, Thomas Saladyga, Amanda B. Stan, Scott L. Stephens, Colleen Sutheimer, Ramzi Touchan, Peter J. Weisberg
2022, Ecosphere (13)
Fire regimes in North American forests are diverse and modern fire records are often too short to capture important patterns, trends, feedbacks, and drivers of variability. Tree-ring fire scars provide valuable perspectives on fire regimes, including centuries-long records of fire year, season, frequency, severity, and size....
Paralytic shellfish toxins associated with Arctic Tern mortalities in Alaska
Caroline R. Van Hemert, John Harley, Gwen Baluss, Matthew M. Smith, Robert J. Dusek, Julia S. Lankton, D. Ransom Hardison, Sarah K. Schoen, Robert Kaler
2022, Harmful Algae (117)
Harmful algal blooms produce biotoxins that can injure or kill fish, wildlife, and humans. These blooms occur naturally but have intensified in many locations globally due to recent climatic changes, including ocean warming. Such changes are especially pronounced in northern regions, where...
Comparisons of Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5 (CMIP5) and Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 6 (CMIP6) sea-ice projections in polar bear (Ursus maritimus) ecoregions during the 21st century
David C. Douglas, Todd C. Atwood
2022, Open-File Report 2022-1062
Climate model projections are commonly used to assess potential impacts of global warming on a breadth of social, economic, and environmental topics. Modeling centers throughout the world coordinate to apply a consistent suite of radiative forcing experiments so that all model outputs can be collectively analyzed and compared. Three...
Antibiotic resistance in free-ranging wildlife
Andrew M. Ramey, Christina Ahlstrom
2022, Book chapter, Fowler’s zoo and wild animal medicine: Current therapy, Vol 10
In this chapter, we provide an overview of antimicrobial resistant (AMR) bacteria in wildlife through the presentation of general trends of occurrence among both captive and free-ranging wild animal populations, discussion of importance to human health and wildlife conservation, and identification of priority areas for future research and monitoring efforts....
A model of the spatiotemporal dynamics of soil carbon following coastal wetland loss applied to a Louisiana salt marsh in the Mississippi River Deltaic Plain
Donald R. Schoolmaster Jr., Camille Stagg, Courtney Creamer, Claudia Laurenzano, Eric Ward, Mark Waldrop, Melissa M. Baustian, Tiong Aw, Sergio Merino, Rachel Katherine Villani, Laura Scott
2022, Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences (127)
The potential for carbon sequestration in coastal wetlands is high due to protection of carbon (C) in flooded soils. However, excessive flooding can result in the conversion of the vegetated wetland to open water. This transition results in the loss of wetland habitat in addition to the potential loss of...
The DDT-induced decline influenced genetic diversity in naturally-recovered peregrine falcons (Falco peregrinus) nesting within the Alaska Arctic and eastern Interior
Sarah A. Sonsthagen, Ted Swem, Skip Ambrose, Melanie J. Flamme, Clayton M White, George K Sage, Sandra L Talbot
2022, Ibis (164) 1265-1272
We assessed the influence of the severe mid-20th century population decline on genetic diversity in non-augmented peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus) populations nesting within Alaska Arctic and eastern Interior. Microsatellite and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) data were analyzed for peregrine falcons sampled from three periods: pre-decline, decline, and post-decline....
Using in situ/ex situ research collaborations to support polar bear conservation
Randi Meyerson, Todd C. Atwood
Eric Miller, Nadine Lamberski, Paul Calle, editor(s)
2022, Book chapter, Fowler's zoo and wild animal medicine current therapy
A warming Arctic threatens the long-term persistence of polar bears (Ursus maritimus) in the wild. Historically, little collaboration existed between the in situ and ex situ polar bear scientific communities. However, for the past decade, zoo professionals, government agencies, and non-governmental organizations (NGO’s) have partnered to leverage resources and expertise...
The ice don’t lie
Todd C. Atwood
2022, The Wildlife Professional 39-41
No abstract available....
Evaluating the efficacy of aerial infrared surveys to detect artificial polar bear dens
Susannah P. Woodruff, Justin J Blank, Sheyna S Wisdom, Ryan H. Wilson, George M. Durner, Todd C. Atwood, Craig J Perham, Christina HM Pohl
2022, Wildlife Society Bulletin (46)
The need to balance economic development with impacts to Arctic wildlife has been a prominent subject since petroleum exploration began on the North Slope of Alaska, USA, in the late 1950s. The North Slope region includes polar bears (Ursus maritimus) of the southern Beaufort Sea subpopulation,...
Late Paleoproterozoic to early Mesoproterozoic deposition of quartz arenites across southern Laurentia
L. Gordon Medaris Jr., Christopher G. Daniel, Michael F. Doe, James V. Jones III, Joshua J. Schwartz
Steven J. Whitmeyer, Michael L. Williams, Dawn A. Kellett, Basil Tikoff, editor(s)
2022, Book chapter, Laurentia: Turning points in the evolution of a continent
Supermature siliciclastic sequences were deposited between 1.64 Ga and 1.59 Ga over a broad swath of southern Laurentia in the Archean, Penokean, Yavapai, and Mazatzal Provinces. These siliciclastic sequences are notable for their extreme mineralogical and chemical maturity, being devoid of detrital feldspar and ferromagnesian minerals, containing the clay mineral...
Prioritizing habitats based on abundance and distribution of molting waterfowl in the Teshekpuk Lake Special Area of the National Petroleum Reserve, Alaska
Paul L. Flint, Vijay P. Patil, Bradley Shults, Sarah J. Thompson
2022, Global Ecology and Conservation (38)
The National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska (NPR-A) encompasses more than 9.5 million hectares of federally managed land on the Arctic Coastal Plain of northern Alaska, where it supports a diversity of wildlife, including millions of migratory birds. Within the NPR-A, Teshekpuk Lake and the surrounding area provide important habitat for...
Evaluating the paleoenvironmental significance of sediment grain size in Bering Sea sediments during Marine Isotope Stage 11
Natalie Thompson, Beth Elaine Caissie
2022, Stratigraphy (19) 119-139
Grain size is an important textural property of sediments and is widely used in paleoenvironmental studies as a means to infer changes in the sedimentary environment. However, grain size parameters are not always easy to interpret without a full understanding of the factors that influence grain size. Here, we measure...
Hidden in plain sight: Migration routes of the elusive Anadyr bar-tailed godwit revealed by satellite tracking
Ying-Chi Chan, T. Lee Tibbitts, Dmitry Dorofeev, Chris J. Hassell, Theunis Piersma
2022, Journal of Avian Biology (2022)
Satellite and GPS tracking technology continues to reveal new migration patterns of birds which enables comparative studies of migration strategies and distributional information useful in conservation. Bar-tailed godwits in the East Asian–Australasian Flyway Limosa lapponica baueri and L. l. menzbieri are known for their long non-stop flights, however these populations are in steep decline....
Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI): An emerging disease threat in North America
Andrew M. Ramey, Colleen M. Handel
2022, Report
Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) is an ecologically and economically significant avian disease that is quickly spreading among wild and domestic birds throughout North America. In this blog post, we provide information and resources that can help you to be informed, be prepared, and be ready to take appropriate action...
Regional walrus abundance estimate in the United States Chukchi Sea in autumn
Anthony S. Fischbach, Rebecca L. Taylor, Chadwick V. Jay
2022, Journal of Wildlife Management (86)
Human activities (e.g., shipping, tourism, oil, gas development) have increased in the Chukchi Sea because of declining sea ice. The declining sea ice itself and these activities may affect Pacific walrus (Odobenus rosmarus divergens) abundance; however, previous walrus abundance estimates have been notably imprecise. When sea...
Dynamic sensitivity to resource availability influences population responses to mismatches in a shorebird
Luke R. Wilde, Josiah E. Simmons, Rose J. Swift, Nathan R. Senner
2022, Ecology (103)
Climate change has caused shifts in seasonally recurring biological events leading to the temporal decoupling of consumer-resource pairs – i.e., phenological mismatching. Although mismatches often affect individual fitness, they do not invariably scale up to affect populations, making it difficult to assess the risk they pose. Individual variation may contribute...
New model of the Barry Arm landslide in Alaska reveals potential tsunami wave heights of 2 meters, values much lower than previously estimated
Marisa A. Macias, Katherine R. Barnhart, Dennis M. Staley
2022, Fact Sheet 2022-3020
The retreat of Barry Glacier has contributed to the destabilization of slopes in Barry Arm, creating the possibility that a landslide could rapidly enter the fjord and trigger a tsunami.The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) recently released a report documenting potential tsunami wave heights in the event of a large, fast-moving...
An introduction to current climate projections and their use in climate impacts research
Jeremy Littell
Craig Stephen, Colleen G. Duncan, editor(s)
2022, Book chapter, Climate change and animal health
Using climate projections to evaluate future climate impacts and their associated risks requires a background knowledge of the nature of climate change, use of climate models to develop future projections, and knowledge of how to address climate scenario uncertainty. This chapter provides an overview of climate and climate change, some...
Intrapopulation differences in polar bear movement and step selection patterns
Ryan R. Wilson, Michelle St Martin, Eric V. Regehr, Karyn D. Rode
2022, Movement Ecology (10)
BackgroundThe spatial ecology of individuals often varies within a population or species. Identifying how individuals in different classes interact with their environment can lead to a better understanding of population responses to human activities and environmental change and improve population estimates. Most inferences about polar bear (Ursus maritimus)...
How beavers are changing Arctic landscapes and Earth’s climate
Jonathan A. O’Donnell, Michael P. Carey, Brett Poulin, Ken Tape, Joshua C. Koch
2022, Frontiers for Young Minds (10)
Beavers build dams that change the way water moves between streams, lakes, and the land. In Alaska, beavers are moving north from the forests into the Arctic tundra. When beavers build dams in the Arctic, they cause frozen soil, called permafrost, to thaw. Scientists are studying how beavers and...
Nearshore bathymetric changes along the Alaska Beaufort Sea coast and possible physical drivers
Mark Zimmermann, Li H. Erikson, Ann E. Gibbs, Megan M. Prescott, Stephen M. Escarzaga, Craig E. Tweedie, Jeremy L. Kasper, Paul X. Duvoy
2022, Continental Shelf Research (242)
Erosion rates along Alaska's Beaufort Sea coast, among the highest in the world, are negatively impacting communities, industrial and military infrastructure, and wildlife habitat. Decreasing maximal winter ice extent and increasing summer open water duration and extent in the Beaufort Sea may be making the coast more vulnerable to destructive storm...
Comparison of indices to infer population dynamics of black brant
Paul L. Flint
2022, Journal of Fish and Wildlife Management (13) 344-358
To aid managers in assessing status of Pacific black brant Branta bernicla nigricans (hereafter brant), I examined pre-existing long-term data series from summer, fall staging, and wintering areas to infer overall population processes and assessed the utility of the various data sources. Variation in demographic parameters...
Fish ear stones offer climate change clues in Alaska's lakes
Krista K. Bartz, Vanessa R. von Biela, Bryan A. Black, Daniel B. Young, Peter van der Sleen, Christian E. Zimmerman
2022, Frontiers for Young Minds
Otoliths, also known as ear stones, are small body parts that help fish with hearing and balance. Like tree rings, otoliths form one light and one dark band per year, creating rings. These rings can be measured to understand fish growth. The wider the ring, the greater the growth....
Geospatial analysis delineates lode gold prospectivity in Alaska
Susan M. Karl, Douglas C. Kreiner, George N.D. Case, Keith A. Labay
2022, Fact Sheet 2022-3008
Comprehensive, data-driven geographic information system analyses utilize publicly available lithologic, geochemical, geophysical, and mineral occurrence datasets to delineate gold resource potential in Alaska. These prospectivity analyses successfully identify areas containing known lode gold occurrences, expand areas of high prospectivity around known occurrences, improve the precision of delineation of areas of...
A collaborative agenda for archaeology and fire science
Grant J. Snitker, Christopher Roos, Allen Sullivan, S. Yoshi Maezumi, Douglas Bird, Michael Coughlan, Kelly Derr, Linn Gassaway, Anna Klimaszewski-Patterson, Rachel A. Loehman
2022, Nature Ecology and Evolution (6) 835-839
Humans have influenced global fire activity for millennia and will continue to do so into the future. Given the long-term interaction between humans and fire, we propose a collaborative research agenda linking archaeology and fire science that emphasizes the socioecological histories and consequences of anthropogenic fire in the development of...
