U.S. Geological Survey science strategy for highly pathogenic avian influenza in wildlife and the environment (2016–2020)
M. Camille Harris, John M. Pearce, Diann J. Prosser, C. LeAnn White, A. Keith Miles, Jonathan M. Sleeman, Christopher J. Brand, James P. Cronin, Susan De La Cruz, Christine L. Densmore, Thomas W. Doyle, Robert J. Dusek, Joseph P. Fleskes, Paul L. Flint, Gerald F. Guala, Jeffrey S. Hall, Laura E. Hubbard, Randall J. Hunt, S. Ip, Rachel A. Katz, Kevin W. Laurent, Mark P. Miller, Mark D. Munn, Andrew M. Ramey, Kevin D. Richards, Robin E. Russell, Joel P. Stokdyk, John Y. Takekawa, Daniel P. Walsh
2016, Open-File Report 2016-1121
IntroductionThrough the Science Strategy for Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) in Wildlife and the Environment, the USGS will assess avian influenza (AI) dynamics in an ecological context to inform decisions made by resource managers and policymakers from the local to national level. Through collection of unbiased scientific information on the...
Alaska Arctic marine fish ecology catalog
Lyman K. Thorsteinson, Milton S. Love, editor(s)
2016, Scientific Investigations Report 2016-5038
The marine fishes in waters of the United States north of the Bering Strait have received new and increased scientific attention over the past decade (2005–15) in conjunction with frontier qualities of the region and societal concerns about the effects of Arctic climate change. Commercial fisheries are negligible in the...
Paramyxoviruses of fish
Theodore R. Meyers, William N. Batts
Frederick S. B. Kibenge, Marcos Godoy, editor(s)
2016, Book chapter, Aquaculture virology
The first fish paramyxovirus was isolated from normal adult Chinook salmon returning to a coastal hatchery in Oregon in the fall of 1982. Subsequently, the virus was isolated from other stocks of adult Chinook salmon and one stock of adult coho salmon in California, Oregon, Washington and Alaska, leading to...
Seasonal movements and habitat use of Potamodromous Rainbow Trout across a complex Alaska riverscape
Kevin M. Fraley, Jeffrey A. Falke, Richard Yanusz, Sam S. Ivey
2016, Transactions of the American Fisheries Society (145) 1077-1092
Potamodromous Rainbow Trout Oncorhynchus mykiss are an important ecological and recreational resource in freshwater ecosystems of Alaska, and increased human development, hydroelectric projects, and reduced escapement of Chinook Salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha may threaten their populations. We used aerial and on-the-ground telemetry tracking, a digital landscape model, and resource selection functions...
Observations and modeling of fjord sedimentation during the 30 year retreat of Columbia Glacier, AK
Katherine B Love, Bernard Hallet, Thomas L. Pratt, Shad O’Neel
2016, Journal of Glaciology (62) 778-793
To explore links between glacier dynamics, sediment yields and the accumulation of glacial sediments in a temperate setting, we use extensive glaciological observations for Columbia Glacier, Alaska, and new oceanographic data from the fjord exposed during its retreat. High-resolution seismic data indicate that 3.2 × 108 m3 of...
Transmission of influenza reflects seasonality of wild birds across the annual cycle
Nichola J. Hill, Brandt W. Meixell, Eric J. Ma, Mark S. Lindberg, Walter M. Boyce, Jonathan A. Runstadler
2016, Ecology Letters (19) 915-925
Influenza A Viruses (IAV) in nature must overcome shifting transmission barriers caused by the mobility of their primary host, migratory wild birds, that change throughout the annual cycle. Using a phylogenetic network of viral sequences from North American wild birds (2008–2011) we demonstrate a shift from intraspecific to interspecific transmission...
Landscape effects of wildfire on permafrost distribution in interior Alaska derived from remote sensing
Dana R. N. Brown, M. Torre Jorgenson, Knut Kielland, David L. Verbyla, Anupma Prakash, Joshua C. Koch
2016, Remote Sensing (8) 1-22
Climate change coupled with an intensifying wildfire regime is becoming an important driver of permafrost loss and ecosystem change in the northern boreal forest. There is a growing need to understand the effects of fire on the spatial distribution of permafrost and its associated ecological consequences. We focus on the...
First record of the common sandpiper for the Hawaiian Islands
Thane K. Pratt
2016, Western Birds (47) 167-169
With a breeding range spanning Eurasia and a winter range extending from Africa to Australasia, the Common Sandpiper (Actitis hypoleucos) is indeed the common and familiar sandpiper of the Old World. It is the Old World counterpart of the Spotted Sandpiper (A. macularius) of the Americas and its only congener....
Soil data for a vegetation gradient located at Bonanza Creek Long Term Ecological Research Site, interior Alaska
Kristen L. Manies, Jennifer W. Harden, Christopher C. Fuller, Xiaomei Xu, John P. McGeehin
2016, Open-File Report 2016-1034
Boreal soils play an important role in the global carbon cycle owing to the large amount of carbon stored within this northern region. To understand how carbon and nitrogen storage varied among different ecosystems, a vegetation gradient was established in the Bonanza Creek Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) site,...
Osmoregulatory physiology and rapid evolution of salinity tolerance in threespine stickleback recently introduced to fresh water
Jeffrey N Divino, Michelle Y. Monette, Stephen D. McCormick, Paul H. Yancey, Kyle G. Flannery, Michael A. Bell, Jennifer L. Rollins, Frank A. von Hippel, Eric T. Schultz
2016, Evolutionary Ecology Research (17) 179-201
Background: Post-Pleistocene diversification of threespine stickleback in fresh water offers a valuable opportunity to study how changes in environmental salinity shape physiological evolution in fish. In Alaska, the presence of both ancestral oceanic populations and derived landlocked populations, including recent lake introductions, allows us to examine rates and direction of evolution...
Pacific walrus coastal haulout database, 1852-2016— Background report
Anthony S. Fischbach, Anatoly A. Kochnev, Joel L. Garlich-Miller, Chadwick V. Jay
2016, Open-File Report 2016-1108
Walruses are large benthic predators that rest out of water between foraging bouts. Coastal “haulouts” (places where walruses rest) are formed by adult males in summer and sometimes by females and young when sea ice is absent, and are often used repeatedly across seasons and years. Understanding the geography and historical...
Arctic sea ice decline contributes to thinning lake ice trend in northern Alaska
Vladimir Alexeev, Christopher D. Arp, Benjamin M. Jones, Lei Cai
2016, Environmental Research Letters (11)
Field measurements, satellite observations, and models document a thinning trend in seasonal Arctic lake ice growth, causing a shift from bedfast to floating ice conditions. September sea ice concentrations in the Arctic Ocean since 1991 correlate well (r = +0.69,p < 0.001) to this lake regime shift. To understand how and to what extent...
The Water-Quality Partnership for National Parks—U.S. Geological Survey and National Park Service, 1998–2016
Mark A. Nilles, Pete E Penoyer, Amy S. Ludtke, Alan C. Ellsworth
2016, Fact Sheet 2016-3041
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the National Park Service (NPS) work together through the USGS–NPS Water-Quality Partnership to support a broad range of policy and management needs related to high-priority water-quality issues in national parks. The program was initiated in 1998 as part of the Clean Water Action Plan,...
Mineral deposits and metallogeny of Alaska
Richard J. Goldfarb, Corey J. Meighan, Lawrence D. Meinert, Frederic H. Wilson
2016, Book chapter, Mineral resources in the Arctic
Alaska, the largest State within the United States, and mainly located north of latitude 60°, is an important part of the Circum-Arctic region. Alaska is a richly endowed region with a long and complex geologic history. The mining history is short by world standards but nevertheless there are a number...
A synthesis of Jurassic and Early Cretaceous crustal evolution along the southern margin of the Arctic Alaska–Chukotka microplate and implications for defining tectonic boundaries active during opening of Arctic Ocean basins
Alison B. Till
2016, Lithosphere (8) 219-237
A synthesis of Late Jurassic and Early Cretaceous collision-related metamorphic events in the Arctic Alaska–Chukotka microplate clarifies its likely movement history during opening of the Amerasian and Canada basins. Comprehensive tectonic reconstructions of basin opening have been problematic, in part, because of the large size of the microplate, uncertainties...
Hyperspectral surveying for mineral resources in Alaska
Raymond F. Kokaly, Garth E. Graham, Todd M. Hoefen, Karen D. Kelley, Michaela R. Johnson, Bernard E. Hubbard
2016, Fact Sheet 2016-3029
Alaska is a major producer of base and precious metals and has a high potential for additional undiscovered mineral resources. However, discovery is hindered by Alaska’s vast size, remoteness, and rugged terrain. New methods are needed to overcome these obstacles in order to fully evaluate Alaska’s geology and mineral resource...
Detection, prevalence, and transmission of avian hematozoa in waterfowl at the Arctic/sub-Arctic interface: co-infections, viral interactions, and sources of variation.
Brandt W. Meixell, Todd W. Arnold, Mark S. Lindberg, Matthew M. Smith, Andrew M. Ramey, Jonathan A. Runstadler
2016, Parasites & Vectors (9)
Background: The epidemiology of avian hematozoa at high latitudes is still not well understood, particularly in sub-Arctic and Arctic habitats, where information is limited regarding seasonality and range of transmission, co-infection dynamics with parasitic and viral agents, and possible fitness consequences of infection. Such information is important as climate warming...
Forecasting the relative influence of environmental and anthropogenic stressors on polar bears
Todd C. Atwood, Bruce G. Marcot, David C. Douglas, Steven C. Amstrup, Karyn D. Rode, George M. Durner, Jeffrey F. Bromaghin
2016, Ecosphere (7)
Effective conservation planning requires understanding and ranking threats to wildlife populations. We developed a Bayesian network model to evaluate the relative influence of environmental and anthropogenic stressors, and their mitigation, on the persistence of polar bears (Ursus maritimus). Overall sea ice conditions, affected by rising global temperatures, were the most...
Identifying Kittlitz's Murrelet nesting habitat in North America at the landscape scale
Jonathan J. Felis, Michelle L. Kissling, Robb S.A. Kaler, Leah A. Kenney, Matthew J. Lawonn
2016, Journal of Fish and Wildlife Management (7) 323-333
The Kittlitz's Murrelet (Brachyramphus brevirostris) is a small, non-colonial seabird endemic to marine waters of Alaska and eastern Russia that may have experienced significant population decline in recent decades, in part because of low reproductive success and terrestrial threats. Although recent studies have shed new light on Kittlitz's Murrelet nesting...
Blood selenium concentrations in female Pacific black brant molting in Arctic Alaska: Relationships with age and habitat salinity
J. Christian Franson, Paul L. Flint, Joel A. Schmutz
2016, Marine Pollution Bulletin (111) 453-455
Blood samples collected from 81 female Pacific black brant (Branta bernicla nigricans) molting near Teshekpuk Lake, Alaska, were analyzed for selenium concentration. The concentration of selenium in blood of after second year (hatched two or more years ago) females (0.84 μg/g wet weight) was significantly greater than the concentration in second...
Automated mapping of persistent ice and snow cover across the western U.S. with Landsat
David J. Selkowitz, Richard R. Forster
2016, ISPRS Journal of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (117) 126-140
We implemented an automated approach for mapping persistent ice and snow cover (PISC) across the conterminous western U.S. using all available Landsat TM and ETM+ scenes acquired during the late summer/early fall period between 2010 and 2014. Two separate validation approaches indicate this dataset provides...
A point mutation in the polymerase protein PB2 allows a reassortant H9N2 influenza isolate of wild-bird origin to replicate in human cells.
Islam T.M. Hussein, Eric J. Ma, Brandt W. Meixell, Nichola J. Hill, Mark S. Lindberg, Randy A. Albrecht, Justin Bahl, Jonathan A. Runstadler
2016, Infection, Genetics and Evolution (41) 279-288
H9N2 influenza A viruses are on the list of potentially pandemic subtypes. Therefore, it is important to understand how genomic reassortment and genetic polymorphisms affect phenotypes of H9N2 viruses circulating in the wild bird reservoir. A comparative genetic analysis of North American H9N2 isolates of wild bird origin identified a...
Increased water deficit decreases Douglas fir growth throughout western US forests
Christina M Restaino, David L. Peterson, Jeremy S. Littell
2016, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (113) 9557-9562
Changes in tree growth rates can affect tree mortality and forest feedbacks to the global carbon cycle. As air temperature increases, evaporative demand also increases, increasing effective drought in forest ecosystems. Using a spatially comprehensive network of Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) chronologies from 122 locations that experience distinctly different climate in...
Spatiotemporal patterns of mercury accumulation in lake sediments of western North America
Paul Drevnick, Colin A. Cooke, Daniella Barraza, Jules M. Blais, Kenneth Coale, Brian F. Cumming, Chris Curtis, Biplob Das, William F. Donahue, Collin A. Eagles-Smith, Daniel R. Engstrom, William F. Fitzgerald, Chad V. Furl, John R. Gray, Roland I. Hall, Togwell A. Jackson, Kathleen R. Laird, W. Lyle Lockhart, Robie W. Macdonald, M. Alisa Mast, Callie Mathieu, Derek C.G. Muir, Peter Outridge, Scott Reinemann, Sarah E. Rothenberg, Ana Carolina Ruiz-Fernandex, Louis, Rhea Sanders, Hamed Sanei, Elliott Skierszkan, Peter C. Van Metre, Timothy Veverica, Johan A. Wiklund, Brent B. Wolfe
2016, Science of the Total Environment (568) 1157-1170
For the Western North America Mercury Synthesis, we compiled mercury records from 165 dated sediment cores from 138 natural lakes across western North America. Lake sediments are accepted as faithful recorders of historical mercury accumulation rates, and regional and sub-regional temporal and spatial trends were...
Threshold sensitivity of shallow Arctic lakes and sublake permafrost to changing winter climate
Christopher D. Arp, Benjamin M. Jones, Guido Grosse, Allen C. Bondurant, Vladimir E. Romanovksy, Kenneth M. Hinkel, Andrew D. Parsekian
2016, Geophysical Research Letters (43) 6358-6365
Interactions and feedbacks between abundant surface waters and permafrost fundamentally shape lowland Arctic landscapes. Sublake permafrost is maintained when the maximum ice thickness (MIT) exceeds lake depth and mean annual bed temperatures (MABTs) remain below freezing. However, declining MIT since the 1970s is likely causing talik development below...
