Predicting effects of environmental change on a migratory herbivore
R. A. Stillman, K. A. Wood, Whelan Gilkerson, E. Elkinton, J. M. Black, David H. Ward, M. Petrie
2015, Ecosphere (6) 1-19
Changes in climate, food abundance and disturbance from humans threaten the ability of species to successfully use stopover sites and migrate between non‐breeding and breeding areas. To devise successful conservation strategies for migratory species we need to be able to predict how such changes will affect both individuals and populations....
An environmental survey of Serpentine Hot Springs: Geology, hydrology, geochemistry, and microbiology
D. Kirk Nordstrom, Linda Hasselbach, Steven E. Ingebritsen, Dana Skorupa, R. Blaine McCleskey, Timothy R. McDermott
2015, Natural Resource Report NPS/BELA/NRR—2015/1019
Serpentine Hot Springs is the most visited site in the Bering Land Bridge National Preserve. The hot springs have traditionally been used by the Native people of the Seward Peninsula for religious, medicinal and spiritual purposes and continue to be used in many of the same ways by Native people...
Testing the effectiveness of automated acoustic sensors for monitoring vocal activity of Marbled Murrelets Brachyramphus marmoratus
Jenna L. Cragg, Alan E. Burger, John F. Piatt
2015, Marine Ornithology: Journal of Seabird Research and Conservation (43) 151-160
Cryptic nest sites and secretive breeding behavior make population estimates and monitoring of Marbled Murrelets Brachyramphus marmoratus difficult and expensive. Standard audio-visual and radar protocols have been refined but require intensive field time by trained personnel. We examined the detection range of automated sound recorders (Song Meters; Wildlife Acoustics Inc.)...
Geologic maps of the eastern Alaska Range, Alaska (1:63,360 scale)
Warren J. Nokleberg, John N. Aleinikoff, Gerard C. Bond, Oscar J. Ferrians Jr., Paige L. Herzon, Ian M. Lange, Ronny T. Miyaoka, Donald H. Richter, Carl E. Schwab, Steven R. Silva, Thomas E. Smith, Richard E. Zehner
2015, Report
This report provides a description of map units for a suite of 44 inch-to-mile (1:63,360-scale) geologic quadrangle maps of the eastern Alaska Range. This report also contains a geologic and tectonic summary and a comprehensive list of references pertaining to geologic mapping and specialized studies of the region. In addition...
Science foundation Chapter 5 Appendix 5.1: Case study dabbling ducks
Gregory S. Yarris, Joshua T. Ackerman
2015, Report, The baylands and climate change what we can do: Baylands ecosystem habitat goals science update 2015
Dabbling ducks are the most abundant group of waterfowl that overwinter in the shallow wetlands and ponds of San Francisco Bay (SFB). Species within this group are primarily omnivorous, feeding on both plant material and macroinvertebrate prey by “tipping” to access benthic foods in bottom sediments or by foraging in...
Long-term monitoring program: Evaluating chronic exposure of harlequin ducks and sea otters to lingering Exxon Valdez Oil in Western Prince William Sound
Daniel Esler, Lizabeth Bowen, A. Keith Miles, Brenda E. Ballachey, James L. Bodkin
2015, Report
We found that average cytochrome P4501A induction (as measured by EROD activity) during March 2014 was not elevated in wintering harlequin ducks captured in areas of Prince William Sound oiled by the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill, relative to those captured in unoiled areas. This result is consistent with findings...
Life on the edge in eastern Alaska: Basal Ordovician(Tremadocian), platform-margin faunas of the Jones Ridge Formation
J. F. Taylor, T. J. Allen, John E. Repetski, J. V. Strauss, S. J. Irwin
2015, Stratigraphy (12) 71-77
As the most fossiliferous and least deformed succession of unequivocally Laurentian lower Paleozoic strata in Alaska, the Jones Ridge Limestone has provided critical data for numerous stratigraphic studies (e. g. Palmer 1968; Harris et al. 1995; Dumoulin et al. 2002; Dumoulin and Harris 2012) focused on the Cambrian and Ordovician...
Surveillance potential of non-native Hawaiian birds for detection of West Nile Virus
Erik K. Hofmeister, Robert J. Dusek, Christopher J. Brand
2015, American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (93) 701-708
West Nile virus (WNV) was first detected in North America in 1999. Alaska and Hawaii (HI) remain the only U.S. states in which transmission of WNV has not been detected. Dead bird surveillance has played an important role in the detection of the virus geographically, as well as temporally. In...
Variability within nearshore ecosystems of the Gulf of Alaska
Brenda E. Ballachey, James L. Bodkin, Heather A. Coletti, Thomas A Dean, Daniel Esler, George G. Esslinger, Katrin Iken, Kimberly A. Kloecker, Brenda Konar, Mandy Lindeberg, Daniel Monson, Marnie Shepherd, Ben P. Weitzman
2015, Report, Quantifying temporal and spatial ecosystem variability across the northern Gulf of Alaska to understand mechanisms of change. Science synthesis report for the Gulf Watch Alaska Program
Nearshore marine habitats, which represent the interface among air, land and sea, form a critical component of the Gulf of Alaska (GOA) ecosystem. As an interface, the nearshore facilitates transfer of water, nutrients and biota between terrestrial and oceanic systems, creating zones of high productivity. The nearshore provides a variety...
Petrology and reservoir quality of the Gaikema Sandstone: Initial impressions
Kenneth P. Helmold, Richard G. Stanley
2015, Report
The Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys (DGGS) and Division of Oil & Gas (DOG) are currently conducting a study of the hydrocarbon potential of Cook Inlet basin (LePain and others, 2011). The Tertiary stratigraphic section of the basin includes coal-bearing units that are prolific gas reservoirs, particularly the Neogene...
Depth, ice thickness, and ice-out timing cause divergent hydrologic responses among Arctic lakes
Christopher D. Arp, Benjamin M. Jones, Anna K. Liljedahl, Kenneth M. Hinkel, Jeffery A. Welker
2015, Water Resources Research (51) 9379-9401
Lakes are prevalent in the Arctic and thus play a key role in regional hydrology. Since many Arctic lakes are shallow and ice grows thick (historically 2-m or greater), seasonal ice commonly freezes to the lake bed (bedfast ice) by winter's end. Bedfast ice fundamentally alters lake energy balance and...
Increased land use by Chukchi Sea polar bears in relation to changing sea ice conditions
Karyn D. Rode, Ryan H. Wilson, Eric V. Regehr, Michelle St. Martin, David C. Douglas, Jay Olson
2015, PLoS ONE (10)
Recent observations suggest that polar bears (Ursus maritimus) are increasingly using land habitats in some parts of their range, where they have minimal access to their preferred prey, likely in response to loss of their sea ice habitat associated with climatic warming. We used location data from female polar bears...
Validation of mercury tip-switch and accelerometer activity sensors for identifying resting and active behavior in bears
Jasmine Ware, Karyn D. Rode, Anthony M. Pagano, Jeffrey F. Bromaghin, Charles T. Robbins, Joy Erlenbach, Shannon Jensen, Amy Cutting, Nicole Nicassio-Hiskey, Amy Hash, Megan A. Owen, Heiko Jansen
2015, Ursus (26) 8-18
Activity sensors are often included in wildlife transmitters and can provide information on the behavior and activity patterns of animals remotely. However, interpreting activity-sensor data relative to animal behavior can be difficult if animals cannot be continuously observed. In this study, we examined the performance of a mercury tip-switch and...
Monitoring changes in seismic velocity related to an ongoing rapid inflation event at Okmok volcano, Alaska
Ninfa Bennington, Matthew M. Haney, Silvio De Angelis, Clifford Thurber, Jeff Freymueller
2015, Journal of Geophysical Research (120) 5664-5676
Okmok is one of the most active volcanoes in the Aleutian Arc. In an effort to improve our ability to detect precursory activity leading to eruption at Okmok, we monitor a recent, and possibly ongoing, GPS-inferred rapid inflation event at the volcano using ambient noise interferometry (ANI). Applying this method,...
Aniakchak National Monument and Preserve: Geologic resources inventory report
Chad P. Hults, Christina A. Neal
2015, Natural Resource Report NPS/NRSS/GRD/NRR—2015/1033
This GRI report is a companion document to previously completed GRI digital geologic map data. It was written for resource managers to support science-informed decision making. It may also be useful for interpretation. The report was prepared using available geologic information, and the NPS Geologic Resources Division conducted no new...
Long-term anoxia and release of ancient, labile carbon upon thaw of Pleistocene permafrost
Stephanie A. Ewing, Jonathan A. O’Donnell, George R. Aiken, Kenna D. Butler, David Butman, Lisamarie Windham-Myers, Mikhail Kanevskiy
2015, Geophysical Research Letters (42) 10730-10738
The fate of permafrost carbon upon thaw will drive feedbacks to climate warming. Here we consider the character and context of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in yedoma permafrost cores from up to 20 m depth in central Alaska. We observed high DOC concentrations (4 to 129 mM) and consistent low molecular weight...
Differences in ecosystem carbon distribution and nutrient cycling linked to forest tree species composition in a mid-successional boreal forest
April M. Melvin, Michelle C. Mack, Jill F. Johnstone, A. David McGuire, Helene Genet, Edward A.G. Schuur
2015, Ecosystems (18) 1472-1488
In the boreal forest of Alaska, increased fire severity associated with climate change is expanding deciduous forest cover in areas previously dominated by black spruce (Picea mariana). Needle-leaf conifer and broad-leaf deciduous species are commonly associated with differences in tree growth, carbon (C) and nutrient cycling, and C...
A broader definition of occupancy: A reply to Hayes and Monofils
Quresh Fatif, Martha M. Ellis, Courtney L. Amundson
2015, Journal of Wildlife Management (80) 192-194
Occupancy models are widely used to analyze presence–absence data for a variety of taxa while accounting for observation error (MacKenzie et al. 2002, 2006; Tyre et al. 2003; Royle and Dorazio 2008). Hayes and Monfils (2015) question their use for analyzing avian point count data...
Streambed scour evaluations and conditions at selected bridge sites in Alaska, 2012
Robin A. Beebee, Paul V. Schauer
2015, Scientific Investigations Report 2015-5154
Streambed scour potential was evaluated at 18 river- and stream-spanning bridges in Alaska that have unknown foundation details or a lack of existing scour analysis. All sites were evaluated for stream stability and long-term scour potential. Contraction scour and abutment scour were calculated for 17 bridges, and pier scour was...
Piscine reovirus: Genomic and molecular phylogenetic analysis from farmed and wild salmonids collected on the Canada/US Pacific Coast
Ahmed Siah, Diane B. Morrison, Elena Fringuelli, Paul S. Savage, Zina Richmond, Maureen K. Purcell, Robert Johns, Stewart C. Johnson, Sonja M. Sakasida
2015, PLoS ONE (10)
Piscine reovirus (PRV) is a double stranded non-enveloped RNA virus detected in farmed and wild salmonids. This study examined the phylogenetic relationships among different PRV sequence types present in samples from salmonids in Western Canada and the US, including Alaska (US), British Columbia (Canada) and Washington State (US). Tissues testing...
Ecotoxicoparasitology: Understanding mercury concentrations in gut contents, intestinal helminths and host tissues of Alaskan gray wolves (Canis lupus)
Ashley K. McGrew, Todd M. O'Hara, Craig A. Stricker, Margaret Castellini, Kimberlee B. Beckmen, Mo D. Salman, Lora R. Ballweber
2015, Science of the Total Environment (536) 866-871
Some gastrointestinal helminths acquire nutrients from the lumen contents in which they live; thus, they may be exposed to non-essential elements, such as mercury (Hg), during feeding. The objectives of this study were: 1) determine the total mercury concentrations ([THg]) in Gray wolves (Canis lupus) and their parasites, and 2)...
Tidal and seasonal variations in calving flux observed with passive seismology
T.C. Bartholomaus, Christopher F. Larsen, Michael E. West, Shad O’Neel, Erin C. Pettit, Martin Truffer
2015, Journal of Geophysical Research F: Earth Surface (120) 2318-2337
The seismic signatures of calving events, i.e., calving icequakes, offer an opportunity to examine calving variability with greater precision than is available with other methods. Here using observations from Yahtse Glacier, Alaska, we describe methods to detect, locate, and characterize calving icequakes. We combine these icequake records with a coincident,...
Role of ground ice dynamics and ecological feedbacks in recent ice wedge degradation and stabilization
Mark Torre Jorgenson, Mikhail Kanevskiy, Yuri Shur, Natalia Moskalenko, Dana Brown, Kimberly P. Wickland, Robert G. Striegl, Joshua C. Koch
2015, Journal of Geophysical Research F: Earth Surface (120) 2280-2297
Ground ice is abundant in the upper permafrost throughout the Arctic and fundamentally affects terrain responses to climate warming. Ice wedges, which form near the surface and are the dominant type of massive ice in the Arctic, are particularly vulnerable to warming. Yet processes controlling ice wedge degradation and stabilization...
North Pacific deglacial hypoxic events linked to abrupt ocean warming
Summer K Praetorius, Alan C. Mix, Maureen H. Davies, Matthew D Wolhowe, Jason A. Addison, Frederick G Prahl
2015, Nature (527) 362-366
Marine sediments from the North Pacific document two episodes of expansion and strengthening of the subsurface oxygen minimum zone (OMZ) accompanied by seafloor hypoxia during the last deglacial transition<a id="ref-link-34" title="Mix, A. C. et al. Rapid climate oscillations in the Northeast Pacific during the last deglaciation reflect Northern and Southern...
Isolation of a complete circular virus genome sequence from an Alaskan black-capped chickadee (Poecile atricapillus) gastrointestinal tract sample.
Zachary R. Hanna, Charles Runckel, Jerome Fuchs, Joseph L. DeRisi, David P. Mindell, Caroline R. Van Hemert, Colleen M. Handel, John P. Dumbacher
2015, Genome Announcements (3) e01081-15-e01081-16
We report here the genome sequence of a circular virus isolated from samples of an Alaskan black-capped chickadee (Poecile atricapillus) gastrointestinal tract. The genome is 2,152 bp in length and is most similar (30 to 44.5% amino acid identity) to the genome sequences of other single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) circular viruses...
