Extending seasonal discharge records for streamgage sites on the North Fork Fortymile and Middle Fork Fortymile Rivers, Alaska, through water year 2019
Janet H. Curran
2020, Scientific Investigations Report 2020-5003
Daily mean discharge values were estimated for May 20–September 30 for 1976–82 and 2006–18 for the U.S. Geological Survey North Fork Fortymile River and Middle Fork Fortymile River streamgage sites in Alaska. A relation between study streamgage discharge and discharge for an index streamgage on the main-stem Fortymile River...
Infrasound generated by the 2016-2017 shallow submarine eruption of Bogoslof volcano, Alaska
John J. Lyons, Alexandra M. Iezzi, David Fee, Hans Schwaiger, Aaron Wech, Matthew M. Haney
2020, Bulletin of Volcanology (82)
The 2016–2017 shallow submarine eruption of Bogoslof volcano produced numerous infrasound signals over 9 months that were recorded on six Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO) arrays at ranges of 59 to over 800 km from the volcano. The lack of geophysical monitoring near Bogoslof and the repeated production of volcanic clouds to flight...
Multi-decadal patterns of vegetation succession after tundra fire on the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, Alaska
Gerald Frost, Rachel A. Loehman, Lisa Saperstein, Matthew J. Macander, Peter Nelson, David Paradis, Sue M. Natali
2020, Environmental Research Letters
Alaska’s Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta (YKD) is one of the warmest parts of the Arctic tundra biome and tundra fires are common in its upland areas. Here we combine field measurements, Landsat observations, and quantitative cover maps for tundra plant functional types (PFTs) to characterize multi-decadal succession and landscape change after fire in lichen-dominated upland tundra...
Simulation modeling of complex climate, wildfire, and vegetation dynamics to address wicked problems in land management
Rachel A. Loehman, Robert E. Keane, Lisa M. Holsinger
2020, Frontiers in Forests and Global Change (3)
Complex, reciprocal interactions among climate, disturbance, and vegetation dramatically alter spatial landscape patterns and influence ecosystem dynamics. As climate and disturbance regimes shift, historical analogs and past empirical studies may not be entirely appropriate as templates for future management. The need for a better understanding of the potential impacts of climate changes on ecosystems...
Fatty acid-based diet estimates suggest ringed seal remain the main prey of southern Beaufort Sea polar bears despite recent use of onshore food resources
Jennifer Bourque, Todd C. Atwood, George J. Divoky, Connie Stewart, Melissa A. McKinney
2020, Ecology and Evolution (10) 2093-2103
Polar bears (Ursus maritimus) from the southern Beaufort Sea (SB) subpopulation have traditionally fed predominantly upon ice‐seals; however, as the proportion of the subpopulation using onshore habitat has recently increased, foraging on land‐based resources, including remains of subsistence‐harvested bowhead whales (Balaena mysticetus) and colonial nesting seabirds has been observed. Adipose...
Catalogue of polar bear (Ursus maritimus) maternal den locations in the Beaufort and Chukchi Seas and nearby areas, 1910–2018
George M. Durner, Steven C. Amstrup, Todd C. Atwood, David C. Douglas, Anthony S. Fischbach, Jay W. Olson, Karyn D. Rode, Ryan H. Wilson
2020, Data Series 1121
This report presents data on the approximate locations and methods of discovery of 530 polar bear (Ursus maritimus) maternal dens observed in the Beaufort and Chukchi Seas and neighboring areas from 1910 to 2018, and archived partly by the U.S. Geological Survey, Alaska Science Center, and partly by the...
Constraints on eruption processes and event masses for the 2016–2017 eruption of Bogoslof volcano, Alaska, through evaluation of IASI satellite SO2 masses and complementary datasets
Taryn Lopez, Lieven Clarisse, Hans Schwaiger, Alexa R. Van Eaton, Matthew W. Loewen, David Fee, John J. Lyons, Kristi L. Wallace, Cheryl Searcy, Aaron Wech, Matthew M. Haney, David J. Schneider, Nathan Graham
2020, Bulletin of Volcanology (82)
Bogoslof volcano, Alaska, experienced at least 70 explosive eruptions between 12 December 2016 and 31 August 2017. Due to its remote location and limited local monitoring network, this eruption was monitored and characterized primarily using remote geophysical and satellite techniques. SO2 emissions from Bogoslof were persistently detected...
Water tracks enhance water flow above permafrost in upland Arctic Alaska hillslopes
Sarah G. Evans, Sarah E Godsey, Caitlin R Rushlow, Clifford I. Voss
2020, Journal of Geophysical Research F: Earth Surface (125)
Upland permafrost regions occupy approximately one third of the Arctic landscape. In upland regions, hydrologic fluxes are influenced by water tracks, curvilinear features on hillslopes that preferentially fill with and route water in response to snowmelt and rainfall when the soil above continuous permafrost thaws in the summer. As continued...
The clock keeps ticking: Circadian rhythms of free-ranging polar bears
Jasmine V. Ware, Karyn D. Rode, Charles T. Robbins, T. Leise, C.R. Weil, Heiko T. Jansen
2020, Journal of Biological Rhythms (35) 180-194
Life in the Arctic presents organisms with multiple challenges, including extreme photic conditions, cold temperatures, and annual loss and daily movement of sea ice. Polar bears (Ursus maritimus) evolved under these unique conditions, where they rely on ice to hunt their main prey, seals. However, very little is known about...
Assessment of undiscovered oil and gas resources in the Central North Slope of Alaska, 2020
David W. Houseknecht, Katherine J. Whidden, Christopher D. Connors, Richard O. Lease, Christopher J. Schenk, Tracey J. Mercier, William A. Rouse, Palma J. Botterell, Rebecca A. Smith, Margaret M. Sanders, William H. Craddock, Christina A. DeVera, Christopher P. Garrity, Marc L. Buursink, C. Ozgen Karacan, Samuel J. Heller, Thomas E. Moore, Julie A. Dumoulin, Marilyn E. Tennyson, Katherine L. French, Cheryl A. Woodall, Ronald M. Drake II, Kristen R. Marra, Thomas M. Finn, Scott A. Kinney, Chilisa M. Shorten
2020, Fact Sheet 2020-3001
Using a geology-based assessment methodology, the U.S. Geological Survey estimated undiscovered, technically recoverable mean resources of 3.6 billion barrels of oil and 8.9 trillion cubic feet of natural gas (associated and nonassociated) in conventional accumulations in Mississippian through Paleogene strata in the central North Slope of Alaska....
Genetic confirmation of a natural hybrid between a Northern Goshawk (Accipiter gentilis) and a Cooper’s Hawk (A. cooperii)
Christy Haughey, Arthur Nelson, Paul Napier, R. N. Rosenfield, Sarah A. Sonsthagen, Sandra L. Talbot
2020, Wilson Journal of Ornithology (131) 838-844
Although hybrids between captive Accipiter species are known, and hybrids between wild Accipiter species in North America have long been suspected, none have been confirmed to date. However, in 2014, a hatching year Accipiter captured at Cape May, New Jersey, during fall migration, appeared intermediate in size and plumage between...
Amphibian chytrid prevalence on boreal toads in SE Alaska and NW British Columbia: Tests of habitat, life stages, and temporal trends
Blake R. Hossack, Michael J. Adams, R Ken Honeycutt, Jami J Belt, S Pyare
2020, Diseases of Aquatic Organisms (137) 159-165
Tracking and understanding variation in pathogens such as Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis ([Bd]), which causes amphibian chytridiomycosis and has caused population declines globally, is a priority for many land managers. However, there has been relatively little sampling of amphibian communities at high latitudes. We used skin swabs collected during 2005–2017 from boreal...
Extreme mortality and reproductive failure of common murres resulting from the northeast Pacific marine heatwave of 2014-2016
John F. Piatt, Julia K. Parrish, Heather M. Renner, Sarah K. Schoen, Timothy Jones, Mayumi L. Arimitsu, Kathy J. Kuletz, Barbara Bodenstein, Marisol Garcia-Reyes, Rebecca Duerr, Robin Corcoran, Robb S.A. Kaler, Gerard J. McChesney, Richard T. Golightly, Heather A. Coletti, Robert M. Suryan, Hillary K. Burgess, Jackie Lindsey, Kirsten Lindquist, Peter Warzybok, Jaime Jahncke, Jan Roletto, William J. Sydeman
2020, PLoS ONE
About 62,000 dead or dying common murres (Uria aalge), the trophically dominant fish-eating seabird of the North Pacific, washed ashore between summer 2015 and spring 2016 on beaches from California to Alaska. Most birds were severely emaciated and, so far, no evidence for anything other than starvation was...
Mechanisms for ballistic block ejection during the 2016–2017 shallow submarine eruption of Bogoslof volcano, Alaska
Christopher F. Waythomas, Larry G. Mastin
2020, Bulletin of Volcanology (82)
Ejection of ballistic blocks was a characteristic feature of the 2016–2017 Bogoslof eruption. High-resolution satellite images acquired throughout the duration of the 9-month long eruptive period permitted the recognition and mapping of ballistic blocks on the surface of Bogoslof Island. Many of the satellite images recorded the accumulation of ballistic...
Field-based method for assessing duration of infectivity for influenza A viruses in the environment
Andrew B. Reeves, Andrew M. Ramey, Joshua C. Koch, Rebecca L. Poulson, David E. Stallknecht
2020, Journal of Virological Methods (277)
Understanding influenza A virus (IAV) persistence in wetlands is limited by a paucity of field studies relating to the maintenance of infectivity over time. The duration of IAV infectivity in water has been assessed under variable laboratory conditions, but results are difficult to translate to more complex field conditions. We...
Seismic character and progression of explosive activity during the 2016-2017 eruption of Bogoslof volcano, Alaska
Cheryl Searcy, John Power
2020, Bulletin of Volcanology (82)
Bogoslof volcano, in the central Aleutian arc, experienced a major eruption between December 2016 and August 2017 that was characterized by explosive activity (VEI 2 to 3) and the extrusion of lava domes. The Alaska Volcano Observatory tracked the activity in real-time using seismicity observed on distant stations as...
Turbidite stratigraphy in proglacial lakes: Deciphering trigger mechanisms using a statistical approach
Nore Praet, Maarten Van Daele, Tim Collart, J. Moernaut, Elke Vandekerkhove, P. Kempf, Peter J. Haeussler, M. De Batist
2020, Sedimentology (67) 2332-2359
Turbidites embedded in lacustrine sediment sequences are commonly used to reconstruct regional flood or earthquake histories. A critical step for this method to be successful is that turbidites and their trigger mechanisms are determined unambiguously. The latter is particularly challenging for prehistoric proglacial lake records in high-seismicity settings where both...
Early goose arrival increases soil nitrogen availability more than an advancing spring in coastal western Alaska
Ryan T. Choi, Karen H. Beard, Katherine Kelsey, Joshua Leffler, Joel A. Schmutz, Jeffrey Welker
2020, Ecosystems (23) 1309-1324
An understudied aspect of climate change-induced phenological mismatch is its effect on ecosystem functioning, such as nitrogen (N) cycling. Migratory herbivore arrival time may alter N inputs and plant–herbivore feedbacks, whereas earlier springs are predicted to increase N cycling rates through warmer temperatures. However, the relative importance of these shifts...
Goals and development of the Alaska Volcano Observatory Seismic Network and application to forecasting and detecting volcanic eruptions
John Power, Matthew M. Haney, Steven M Botnick, James P. Dixon, David Fee, Max Kaufman, Dane M. Ketner, John J. Lyons, Thomas Parker, John F. Paskievitch, Cyrus Read, Cheryl Searcy, Scott D. Stihler, Gabrielle Tepp, Aaron Wech
2020, Seismological Research Letters (91) 647-659
The Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO) seismic network has been in operation since 1988 and during this time has grown from 29 to 217 seismic stations providing real-time monitoring of 32 active volcanoes in Alaska, as well as useful data for regional earthquake monitoring. Since 1988, AVO has detected 59 volcanic...
Spatial and temporal dynamics of Pacific capelin Mallotus catervarius in the Gulf of Alaska: Implications for ecosystem-based fisheries management
David W. McGowan, Esther Goldstein, Mayumi L. Arimitsu, Alison Dreary, Olav Ormseth, Alex DeRobertis, John Horne, Lauren Rogers, Matt Wilson, Kenneth Coyle, Kris Holderied, John F. Piatt, W.T. Stockhausen, Stephani Zador
2020, Marine Ecology Progress Series (637) 117-140
Pacific capelin Mallotus catervarius are planktivorous, small pelagic fish that serve an intermediate trophic role in marine food webs. Due to the lack of a directed fishery or monitoring of capelin in the Northeast Pacific, there is limited information on their distribution and abundance, and how spatio-temporal fluctuations in capelin density affects...
Looking forward, looking back: Building resilience today Training one report. International Arctic Research Center, Fairbanks, AK, April 16-18, 2019
Malinda Chase, Jeremy Littell, Ryan C. Toohey, Molly Tankersley, editor(s)
2020, Report
The Alaska Climate Adaptation Science Center (AK CASC), in partnership with the Aleutian Pribilof Islands Association (APIA), designed the Looking Forward, Looking Back: Building Resilience Today project (hereafter BRT) as a series of trainings and workshops with tribal community leadership and members to collaboratively develop the western science knowledge and...
Looking forward, looking back: Building resilience today: Training two report: International Arctic Research Center, Fairbanks, Alaska, January 28-30, 2020
Malinda Chase, Jeremy Littell, Krista Heeringa, Ryan C. Toohey, Molly Tankersley
2020, Report
The Looking Forward Looking Back: Building Resilience Today Training Two is the final training in a series of project engagement events with the partner communities of St. Michael, Kotlik, Kwigillingok, Quinhagak, and Iliamna. Training Two Report provides an overview of the activities and information presented during the training, which took...
Looking forward, looking back: Building resilience today community report: Iliamna, AK
Community of Iliamna, Jeremy Littell, Nancy Fresco, Ryan C. Toohey, Malinda Chase
2020, Report
The Alaska Climate Adaptation Science Center (AK CASC), in partnership with the Aleutian Pribilof Islands Association (APIA), designed the Looking Forward, Looking Back: Building Resilience Today project as a series of trainings and workshops with tribal community leadership and members to collaboratively develop the western science knowledge and Indigenous knowledge...
Looking forward, looking back: Building resilience today community report: St. Michael, AK
Community of St. Michael, Jeremy Littell, Nancy Fresco, Ryan C. Toohey, Malinda Chase
2020, Report
The Alaska Climate Adaptation Science Center (AK CASC), in partnership with the Aleutian Pribilof Islands Association (APIA), designed the Looking Forward, Looking Back: Building Resilience Today (hereafter ‘BRT’) project as a series of trainings and workshops with tribal community leadership and members. The overarching goal of the project was to collaboratively...
Looking forward, looking back: Building resilience today community report: Kwigillingok, AK
Community of Kwigillingok, Jeremy Littell, Nancy Fresco, Ryan C. Toohey, Malinda Chase
2020, Report
The Alaska Climate Adaptation Science Center (AK CASC), in partnership with the Aleutian Pribilof Islands Association (APIA), designed the Looking Forward, Looking Back: Building Resilience Today (hereafter ‘BRT’) project as a series of trainings and workshops with tribal community leadership and members. The overarching goal of the project was to collaboratively...
