Back-azimuth estimation of air-to-ground coupled infrasound from transverse coherence minimization
Jordan Bishop, Matthew M. Haney, David Fee, Robin Matoza, Kathleen McKee, John J. Lyons
2023, The Seismic Record (3) 249-258
We present the transverse coherence minimization method (TCM)—an approach to estimate the back-azimuth of infrasound signals that are recorded on an infrasound microphone and a colocated three-component seismometer. Accurate back-azimuth information is important for a variety of monitoring efforts, but it is currently only available for infrasound arrays and for...
Temporal, environmental, and demographic correlates of Ichthyophonus sp. infections in mature Pacific herring populations
Maya Groner, Eliana D. Bravo-Mendosa, Ashley MacKenzie, Jacob L. Gregg, Carla M. Conway, John T. Trochta, Paul Hershberger
2023, ICES Journal of Marine Science
Causes of population collapse and failed recovery often remain enigmatic in marine forage fish like Pacific herring (Clupea pallasii) that experience dramatic population oscillations. Diseases such as ichthyophoniasis are hypothesized to contribute to these declines, but lack of long-term datasets frequently prevents inference. Analysis of pathogen surveillance and population...
Avian influenza in wild birds
Andrew M. Ramey
David A. Jessup, Robin W. Radcliffe, editor(s)
2023, Book chapter, Wildlife disease and health in conservation
Influenza A viruses (IAVs)maintained among wild waterfowl, gulls, shorebirds, and some seabirds, and typically do not cause disease. Some avian-origin IAVs that have previously spilled over into domestic poultry have developed a highly pathogenic phenotype and have become important pathogens affecting both wild birds and poultry. These avian-origin...
Global projections of storm surges using high-resolution CMIP6 climate models
Sanne Muis, Jeroen C. J. H. Aerts, José A. Á. Antolínez, Job C. Dullaart, Trang Minh Duong, Li H. Erikson, Rein J. Haarsma, Maialen Irazoqui Apecechea, Matthias Mengel, Dewi Le Bars, Andrea C. O'Neill, Roshanka Ranasinghe, Malcolm J. Roberts, Martin Verlaan, Philip J. Ward, Kun Yan
2023, Earth's Future (11)
In the coming decades, coastal flooding will become more frequent due to sea-level rise and potential changes in storms. To produce global storm surge projections from 1950 to 2050, we force the Global Tide and Surge Model with a ∼25-km resolution climate model ensemble from the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project...
Inventory of glaciers and perennial snowfields of the conterminous USA
Andrew Fountain, Bryce Glenn, Christopher J. McNeil
2023, Earth System Science Data (15) 4077-4104
This report summarizes an updated inventory of glaciers and perennial snowfields of the conterminous United States. The inventory is based on interpretation of mostly aerial imagery provided by the National Agricultural I magery Program, US Department of Agriculture, with some satellite imagery in places where aerial imagery was not suitable....
Transferring deep learning models for hydrographic feature extraction from IfSAR data in Alaska
Larry V. Stanislawski, Nattapon Jaroenchai, Shaowen Wang, Ethan J. Shavers, Alexander Duffy, Philip T. Thiem, Zhe Jiang, Adam Camerer
2023, Conference Paper
The National Hydrography Dataset (NHD) managed by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is being updated with higher-quality feature representations through efforts that derive hydrography from 3DEP HR elevation datasets. Deriving hydrography from elevation through traditional flow routing and interactive methods is a complex, time-consuming process that must be tailored for...
Informing management of recovering predators and their prey with ecological diffusion models
Joseph Michael Eisaguirre, Perry J. Williams, Xinyi Lu, Michelle L. Kissling, Paul A Schutte, Benjamin P Weitzman, William S. Beatty, George G. Esslinger, Jamie N. Womble, Mevin B. Hooten
2023, Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment (21) 479-488
The reintroduction and recovery of predators can be ecologically beneficial as well as socially and economically controversial. However, the growth and expansion of predator populations, and thus their ecological, social, and economic impacts, are not static but rather they vary in space and time. We propose a spatiotemporal statistical modeling...
Baiting and banding: Expert opinion on how bait trapping may influence the occurrence of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) among dabbling ducks
Jennifer F. Provencher, Alana A. E. Wilcox, Samantha E. J. Gibbs, Lesley-Anne Howes, Mark L. Mallory, Margo J. Pybus, Andrew M. Ramey, Eric T. Reed, Chris Sharp, Catherine Soos, Iga Stasiak, Jim O. Leafloor
2023, Journal of Wildlife Diseases (59) 590-600
A Eurasian lineage highly pathogenic avian influenza virus (HPAIV) of the clade 2.3.4.4b (Goose/Guangdong lineage) was detected in migratory bird populations in North America in December 2021, and it, along with its reassortants, have since caused wild and domestic bird outbreaks across the continent. Relative to previous outbreaks, HPAIV cases...
Wind-modulated groundwater discharge along a microtidal Arctic coastline
Julia Guimond, Casu Demir, Barret L. Kurylyk, Michelle A. Walvoord, James W. McClelland, M. Bayani Cardenas
2023, Environmental Research Letters (18)
Groundwater discharge transports dissolved constituents to the ocean, affecting coastal carbon budgets and water quality. However, the magnitude and mechanisms of groundwater exchange along rapidly transitioning Arctic coastlines are largely unknown due to limited observations. Here, using first-of-its-kind coastal Arctic groundwater timeseries data, we evaluate the magnitude...
Giardia and Cryptosporidium in resident wildlife species in Arctic Alaska
Caroline R. Van Hemert, Lora Ballweber, David R. Sinnett, Todd C. Atwood, Anthony S. Fischbach, David Gustine, Kristy Pabilonia
2023, Food and Waterborne Parasitology (32)
Giardia and Cryptosporidium are zoonotic protozoan parasites that can infect humans and other taxa, including wildlife, often causing gastrointestinal illness. Both have been identified as One Health priorities in the Arctic, where climate change is expected to influence the distribution of many wildlife...
Constraints on the genesis of Au veins in interior Alaska: Evidence from geochronology and vein textures
Douglas C. Kreiner, William Thompson, Jonathan Caine, Ashleigh Ball, Christopher S. Holm-Denoma, Paul O'Sullivan, Holly J. Stein
2023, Conference Paper, Proceedings of SGA 2023: Mineral resources in a changing world
The origin of Au-bearing, low sulfide quartz veins in the Pogo and Tibbs Creek regions of interior Alaska remain enigmatic. Intrusion-related Au and mesozonal orogenic vein models have both been proposed (Thompson and Newberry, 2000; Rhys et al., 2003; Goldfarb et al., 2022; Dilworth et al., 2007). To date, studies...
Monitoring long-term changes in forage fish distribution, abundance and body condition in Prince William Sound
Mayumi L. Arimitsu, John F. Piatt, Scott Hatch, Caitlin Elizabeth Marsteller, Daniel Stephen Donnelly, Shannon Whelan
2023, Report
Identifying drivers of change in forage fish populations is key to understanding recovery potential for piscivorous species injured by the Exxon Valdez oil spill, and ecosystem response to natural and anthropogenic perturbations. Forage fish are small pelagic schooling fish such as Pacific capelin (Mallotus catervarius), Pacific sand lance (Ammodytes personatus),...
Predicting burn severity for integration with post-fire debris-flow hazard assessment: A case study from the Upper Colorado River Basin, USA
Adam Gerhard Wells, Todd Hawbaker, John Kevin Hiers, Jason W. Kean, Rachel A. Loehman, Paul F. Steblein
2023, International Journal of Wildland Fire (32) 1315-1331
Background: Burn severity significantly increases the likelihood and volume of post-wildfire debris flows. Pre-fire severity predictions can expedite mitigation efforts because precipitation contributing to these hazards often occurs shortly after wildfires, leaving little time for post-fire planning and management.Aim: The aim of this study was to predict burn severity using pre-fire conditions...
Tracking carbon from subduction to outgassing along the Aleutian-Alaska Volcanic Arc
Taryn Lopez, Tobias P. Fischer, Terry Plank, Alberto Malinverno, Andrea Rizzo, Daniel J. Rasmussen, Elizabeth Cottrell, Cynthia Werner, Christoph Kern, Deborah Bergfeld, Tehnuka Ilanko, Janine L. Andrys, Katherine A. Kelley
2023, Science Advances (9)
Subduction transports volatiles between Earth’s mantle, crust, and atmosphere, ultimately creating a habitable Earth. We use isotopes to track carbon from subduction to outgassing along the Aleutian-Alaska Arc. We find substantial along-strike variations in the isotopic composition of volcanic gases, explained by different recycling efficiencies of subducting carbon to the...
H5N1 highly pathogenic avian influenza clade 2.3.4.4b in wild and domestic birds: Introductions into the United States and reassortments, December 2021–April 2022
Sungsu Youk, Mia Kim Torchetti, Kristina Lantz, Julianna B. Lenoch, Mary Lea Killian, Christina Leyson, Sarah N. Bevins, Krista Dilione, Hon S. Ip, David E. Stallknecht, Rebecca L. Poulson, David L. Suarez, David E. Swayne, Mary J. Pantin-Jackwood
2023, Virology
Highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses (HPAIVs) of the A/goose/Guangdong/1/1996 lineage H5 clade 2.3.4.4b continue to have a devastating effect on domestic and wild birds. Full genome sequence analyses using 1369 H5N1 HPAIVs detected in the United States (U.S.) in wild...
Understanding drivers of mercury in lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush), a top-predator fish in southwest Alaska's parklands
Krista K. Bartz, Michael P. Hannam, Tammy L. Wilson, Ryan F. Lepak, Jacob M. Ogorek, Daniel B. Young, Collin A. Eagles-Smith, David P. Krabbenhoft
2023, Environmental Pollution (330)
Mercury (Hg) is a widespread element and persistent pollutant, harmful to fish, wildlife, and humans in its organic, methylated form. The risk of Hg contamination is driven by factors that regulate Hg loading, methylation, bioaccumulation, and biomagnification. In remote locations, with infrequent access and limited data, understanding the relative importance...
Tree-ring derived avalanche frequency and climate associations in a high-latitude, maritime climate
Erich Peitzsch, Eran Hood, John Harley, Daniel Kent Stahle, Nicholas E. Kichas, Gabriel J. Wolken
2023, Journal of Geophysical Research - Earth Surface (128)
Snow avalanches are a natural hazard in mountainous areas worldwide with severe impacts that include fatalities, damage to infrastructure, disruption to commerce, and landscape disturbance. Understanding long-term avalanche frequency patterns, and associated climate and weather influences, improves our understanding of how climate change may affect avalanche activity....
Long-term assessment of relationships between changing environmental conditions and the physiology of southern Beaufort Sea polar bears (Ursus maritimus)
Tricia Fry, Kristen R. Friedrichs, Alison C. Ketz, Colleen G. Duncan, Timothy R. Van Deelen, Tony Goldberg, Todd C. Atwood
2023, Global Change Biology (29) 5524-5539
Climate change is influencing polar bear (Ursus maritimus) habitat, diet, and behavior but the effects of these changes on their physiology is not well understood. Blood-based biomarkers are used to assess the physiologic health of individuals but their usefulness for evaluating population health, especially...
Serum virome of southern Beaufort Sea polar bears (Ursus maritimus) during a period of rapid climate change
Tricia Fry, Leah Owens, Alison C. Ketz, Todd C. Atwood, Emily Dunay, Tony Goldberg
2023, Conservation Physiology (11)
Climate change affects the behavior, physiology and life history of many Arctic wildlife species. It can also influence the distribution and ecology of infectious agents. The southern Beaufort Sea (SB) subpopulation of polar bears (Ursus maritimus) has experienced dramatic behavioral changes due to retreating sea ice and other climate-related factors,...
A one-dimensional volcanic plume model for predicting ash aggregation
Davis W. Hoffman, Larry G. Mastin, Alexa R. Van Eaton, Stephen A. Solovitz, Raul B. Cal, John K. Eaton
2023, JGR Solid Earth (128)
During explosive volcanic eruptions, volcanic ash is ejected into the atmosphere, impacting aircraft safety and downwind communities. These volcanic clouds tend to be dominated by fine ash (<63 μm in diameter), permitting transport over hundreds to thousands of kilometers. However, field observations show that much of this fine ash aggregates into...
Status of spectacled eiders (Somateria fischeri) on the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, Alaska, 2022—Testing and updating predictive models
Paul L. Flint
2023, Open-File Report 2023-1052
The nesting biology and demography of spectacled eiders (Somateria fischeri) along the lower Kashunuk River on the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, Alaska, were studied from 1993 to 2002. This previous work demonstrated that the breeding population on the study area was declining, and demographic modeling predicted that the population would continue to...
A test of the green wave hypothesis in omnivorous brown bears across North America
Nathaniel R. Bowersock, L. M. Ciarniello, William W. Deacy, D. C. Heard, Kyle Joly, Clayton T. Lamb, William B. Leacock, Bruce Mclellan, Garth Mowat, Mathew S Sorum, Frank T. van Manen, Jerod A. Merkle
2023, Ecography (2023)
Herbivorous animals tend to seek out plants at intermediate phenological states to improve energy intake while minimizing consumption of fibrous material. In some ecosystems, the timing of green-up is heterogeneous and propagates across space in a wave-like pattern, known as the green wave. Tracking the green wave allows individuals to...
Ocean current patterns drive the worldwide colonization of eelgrass (Zostera marina)
Lei Yu, Marina Khachaturyan, Michael Matschiner, Adam Healey, Diane Bauer, Brenda Cameron, Mathieu Cusson, J. Emmett Duffy, F. Joel Fodrie, Diana Gill, Jane Grimwood, Masakazu Hori, Kevin Hovel, A. Randall Hughes, Marlene Jahnke, J. Jenkins, K. Keymanesh, C. Kruschel, S. Mamidi, Damian M. Menning, P. Moksnes, M. Nakaoka, C. Pennacchio, K. Reiss, F. Rossi, J. Ruesink, S. Schultz, S. Talbott, R. Unsworth, David H. Ward, T. Dagan, J. Schmutz, J. A. Eisen, J. Stachowicz, Y. Van de Peer, J. L. Olsen, T. B. H. Reusch
2023, Nature Plants (9) 1207-1220
Currents are unique drivers of oceanic phylogeography and thus determine the distribution of marine coastal species, along with past glaciations and sea-level changes. Here we reconstruct the worldwide colonization history of eelgrass (Zostera marina L.), the most widely distributed marine flowering plant or seagrass from its origin in the Northwest Pacific,...
Comparing sediment microbial communities of Arctic beaver ponds to tundra lakes and streams
Kelly Shannon, Natasha R. Christman, Byron C. Crump, Michael P. Carey, Joshua C. Koch, Laura L. Lapham, Jonathan A. O'Donnell, Brett A. Poulin, Ken D. Tape, Jason A. Clark, Frederick S. Colwell
2023, Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences (128)
In recent decades the habitat of North American beaver (Castor canadensis) has expanded from boreal forests into Arctic tundra ecosystems. Beaver ponds in Arctic watersheds are known to alter stream biogeochemistry, which is likely coupled with changes in the activity and composition of microbial communities inhabiting beaver...
Sexual dimorphism in endangered Jemez Mountains Salamanders (Plethodon neomexicanus)
Nancy E. Karraker, Rachel A. Loehman, Samantha Cordova
2023, Journal of Herpetology (57) 204-210
Sex ratio is a key demographic characteristic indicative of the condition of populations. Despite over 70 yr of study, researchers have not fully evaluated morphological characteristics that differentiate sex in Jemez Mountains Salamanders (Plethodon neomexicanus; federally endangered). Populations of this endemic salamander, which are...