Surficial geologic map of the Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve, Alaska
Thomas D. Hamilton, Keith A. Labay
2011, Scientific Investigations Map 3125
The Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve (GAAR) is centered over the central Brooks Range of northern Alaska. To the west, it abuts the Noatak National Preserve; its eastern boundary is the transportation corridor occupied by the Dalton Highway and the Alyeska Pipeline. The GAAR extends northward beyond...
Wild bird migration across the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau: A transmission route for highly pathogenic H5N1
Diann J. Prosser, Peng Cui, John Y. Takekawa, Mingjie Tang, Yuansheng Hou, Bridget M. Collins, Baoping Yan, Nichola J. Hill, Tianxian Li, Yongdong Li, Fumin Lei, Shan Guo, Zhi Xing, Yubang He, Yuanchun Zhou, David C. Douglas, William M. Perry, Scott H. Newman
2011, PLoS ONE (6)
Background Qinghai Lake in central China has been at the center of debate on whether wild birds play a role in circulation of highly pathogenic avian influenza virus H5N1. In 2005, an unprecedented epizootic at Qinghai Lake killed more than 6000 migratory birds including over 3000 bar-headed geese (Anser indicus). H5N1...
Gas hydrate prospecting using well cuttings and mud-gas geochemistry from 35 wells, North Slope, Alaska
T.D. Lorenson, Timothy S. Collett
2011, Scientific Investigations Report 2011-5195
Gas hydrate deposits are common on the North Slope of Alaska around Prudhoe Bay; however, the extent of these deposits is unknown outside of this area. As part of a U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and Bureau of Land Management gas hydrate research collaboration, well-cutting and mud-gas samples have been collected...
Velocity-based movement modeling for individual and population level inference
Ephraim M. Hanks, Mevin Hooten, Devin S. Johnson, Jeremy T. Sterling
2011, PLoS ONE (6) e22795
Understanding animal movement and resource selection provides important information about the ecology of the animal, but an animal's movement and behavior are not typically constant in time. We present a velocity-based approach for modeling animal movement in space and time that allows for temporal heterogeneity in an animal's response to...
Using body mass dynamics to examine long-term habitat shifts of arctic-molting geese: Evidence for ecological change
Tyler L. Lewis, Paul L. Flint, Dirk V. Derksen, Joel A. Schmutz, Eric J. Taylor, Karen S. Bollinger
2011, Polar Biology (34) 1751-1762
From 1976 onward, molting brant geese (Branta bernicla) within the Teshekpuk Lake Special Area, Alaska, shifted from inland, freshwater lakes toward coastal wetlands. Two hypotheses explained this redistribution: (1) ecological change: redistribution of molting brant reflects improvements in coastal foraging habitats, which have undergone a succession toward salt-tolerant plants due...
The story of the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory -- A remarkable first 100 years of tracking eruptions and earthquakes
Janet L. Babb, James P. Kauahikaua, Robert I. Tilling
2011, General Information Product 135
The year 2012 marks the centennial of the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO). With the support and cooperation of visionaries, financiers, scientists, and other individuals and organizations, HVO has successfully achieved 100 years of continuous monitoring of Hawaiian volcanoes. As we celebrate this milestone anniversary, we express our sincere mahalo—thanks—to the...
Airborne electromagnetic and magnetic geophysical survey data of the Yukon Flats and Fort Wainwright areas, central Alaska, June 2010
Lyndsay B. Ball, Bruce D. Smith, Burke J. Minsley, Jared D. Abraham, Clifford I. Voss, Beth N. Astley, Maria Deszcz-Pan, James C. Cannia
2011, Open-File Report 2011-1304
In June 2010, the U.S. Geological Survey conducted airborne electromagnetic and magnetic surveys of the Yukon Flats and Fort Wainwright study areas in central Alaska. These data were collected to estimate the three-dimensional distribution of permafrost at the time of the survey. These data were also collected to evaluate the...
Trends in sea otter population abundance in western Prince William Sound, Alaska: Progress toward recovery following the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill
James L. Bodkin, Brenda E. Ballachey, George G. Esslinger
2011, Scientific Investigations Report 2011-5213
Sea otters in western Prince William Sound (WPWS) and elsewhere in the Gulf of Alaska suffered widespread mortality as a result of oiling following the 1989 T/V Exxon Valdez oil spill. Following the spill, extensive efforts have been directed toward identifying and understanding long-term consequences of the spill and the...
Quantifying the influence of sea ice on ocean microseism using observations from the Bering Sea, Alaska
Victor C. Tsai, Daniel E. McNamara
2011, Geophysical Research Letters (38)
Microseism is potentially affected by all processes that alter ocean wave heights. Because strong sea ice prevents large ocean waves from forming, sea ice can therefore significantly affect microseism amplitudes. Here we show that this link between sea ice and microseism is not only a robust one but can be...
Geomagnetic referencing in the arctic environment
Benny Podjono, Nathan Beck, Andrew Buchanan, Jason Brink, Joseph Longo, Carol A. Finn, E. William Worthington
2011, Conference Paper
Geomagnetic referencing is becoming an increasingly attractive alternative to north-seeking gyroscopic surveys to achieve the precise wellbore positioning essential for success in today's complex drilling programs. However, the greater magnitude of variations in the geomagnetic environment at higher latitudes makes the application of geomagnetic referencing in those areas more challenging....
Field guide to the accretionary complex and neotectonics of south-central Alaska, Anchorage to Seward
Susan M. Karl, Dwight C. Bradley, Rodney Combellick, Marti L. Miller
2011, Report
No abstract available....
Development of a pan-Arctic monitoring plan for polar bears: Background paper
Dag Vongraven, Elizabeth L. Peacock
2011, Report
Polar bears (Ursus maritimus), by their very nature, and the extreme, remote environment in which they live, are inherently difficult to study and monitor. Monitoring polar bear populations is both arduous and costly and, to be effective, must be a long-term commitment. There are few jurisdictional governments and management...
Soils Data Related to the 1999 FROSTFIRE Burn
K.L. Manies, J.W. Harden, R. Ottmar
2011, Open-File Report 2011-1216
This report describes the sample collection and processing for U.S. Geological Survey efforts at FROSTFIRE, an experimental burn that occurred in Alaska in 1999. Data regarding carbon, water, and energy dynamics pre-fire, during, and post-fire were obtained in this landscape-scale prescribed burn. U.S. Geological Survey investigators measured changes in the...
Geomorphology and bank erosion of the Matanuska River, southcentral Alaska
Janet H. Curran, Monica L. McTeague
2011, Scientific Investigations Report 2011-5214
Bank erosion along the Matanuska River, a braided, glacial river in southcentral Alaska, has damaged or threatened houses, roadways, and public facilities for decades. Mapping of river geomorphology and bank characteristics for a 65-mile study area from the Matanuska Glacier to the river mouth provided erodibility information that was assessed...
U.S. Geological Survey 2011 assessment of undiscovered oil and gas resources of the Cook Inlet region, south-central Alaska
Richard G. Stanley, Brenda S. Pierce, David W. Houseknecht
2011, Open-File Report 2011-1237
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has completed an assessment of the volumes of undiscovered, technically recoverable oil and gas resources in conventional and continuous accumulations in Cook Inlet. The assessment used a geology-based methodology and results from new scientific research by the USGS and the State of Alaska, Department of...
Geographic distribution of the mid-continent population of sandhill cranes and related management applications
Gary L. Krapu, David A. Brandt, Kenneth L. Jones, Douglas H. Johnson
2011, Wildlife Monographs (175) 1-38
The Mid-continent Population (MCP) of sandhill cranes (Grus canadensis) is widely hunted in North America and is separated into the Gulf Coast Subpopulation and Western Subpopulation for management purposes. Effective harvest management of the MCP requires detailed knowledge of breeding distribution of subspecies and subpopulations, chronology of their use of...
Water quality of the Chokosna, Gilahina, Lakina Rivers, and Long Lake watershed along McCarthy Road, Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve, Alaska, 2007-08
Timothy P. Brabets, Robert T. Ourso, Matthew P. Miller, Anne M. D. Brasher
2011, Scientific Investigations Report 2011-5185
The Chokosna, Gilahina, and Lakina River basins, and the Long Lake watershed are located along McCarthy Road in Wrangell–St. Elias National Park and Preserve. The rivers and lake support a large run of sockeye (red) salmon that is important to the commercial and recreational fisheries in the larger Copper River....
Selenium concentrations and enzyme activities of glutathione metabolism in wild long-tailed ducks and common eiders
J. Christian Franson, David J. Hoffman, Paul L. Flint
2011, Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (30) 1479-1481
The relationships of selenium (Se) concentrations in whole blood with plasma activities of total glutathione peroxidase, Se-dependent glutathione peroxidase, and glutathione reductase were studied in long-tailed ducks (Clangula hyemalis) and common eiders (Somateria mollissima) sampled along the Beaufort Sea coast of Alaska, USA. Blood Se concentrations were >8 μg/g wet...
Minnesota wolf ear lengths as possible indicators of taxonomic differences
L. David Mech
2011, Northeastern Naturalist (18) 265-274
Genetic findings suggest that 2 types of wolves, Canis lupus (Gray Wolf) and C. lycaon (Eastern Wolf), and/or their hybrids occupy Minnesota (MN), and this study examines adult wolf ear lengths as a possible distinguisher between these two. Photographic evidence suggested that the Eastern Wolf possesses proportionately longer ears than...
Global seabird responses to forage fish depletion - One-third for the birds
Philippe M. Cury, Ian L. Boyd, Sylvain Bonhommeau, Tycho Anker-Nilssen, Robert J.M. Crawford, Robert W. Furness, James A. Mills, Eugene J. Murphy, Henrik Österblom, Michelle Paleczny, John F. Piatt, Jean-Paul Roux, Lynne Shannon, William J. Sydeman
2011, Science (334) 1703-1706
Determining the form of key predator-prey relationships is critical for understanding marine ecosystem dynamics. Using a comprehensive global database, we quantified the effect of fluctuations in food abundance on seabird breeding success. We identified a threshold in prey (fish and krill, termed “forage fish”) abundance below which seabirds experience consistently...
Interspecies transmission and limited persistence of low pathogenic avian influenza genomes among Alaska dabbling ducks
Andrew B. Reeves, John M. Pearce, Andrew M. Ramey, Brandt W. Meixell, Jonathan A. Runstadler
2011, Infection, Genetics and Evolution (11) 2004-2010
The reassortment and geographic distribution of low pathogenic avian influenza (LPAI) virus genes are well documented, but little is known about the persistence of intact LPAI genomes among species and locations. To examine persistence of entire LPAI genome constellations in Alaska, we calculated the genetic identities among 161 full-genome LPAI...
Indigenous observations of climate change in the Lower Yukon River Basin, Alaska
Nicole M. Herman-Mercer, Paul F. Schuster, Karonhiakt'tie Maracle
2011, Human Organization (70) 244-252
Natural science climate change studies have led to an overwhelming amount of evidence that the Arctic and Subarctic are among the world's first locations to begin experiencing climate change. Indigenous knowledge of northern regions is a valuable resource to assess the effects of climate change on the people and the...
Catalog of earthquake hypocenters at Alaskan volcanoes: January 1 through December 31, 2010
James P. Dixon, Scott D. Stihler, John A. Power, Cheryl K. Searcy
2011, Data Series 645
Between January 1 and December 31, 2010, the Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO) located 3,405 earthquakes, of which 2,846 occurred within 20 kilometers of the 33 volcanoes with seismograph subnetworks. There was no significant seismic activity in 2010 at these monitored volcanic centers. Seismograph subnetworks with severe outages in 2009 were...
Delayed age at weaning in Southeast Alaska Steller sea lions determined using stable isotopes of carbon and nitrogen
Lorrie D. Rea, A.R. Banks, Sean D. Farley, Craig A. Stricker, B. Fadely, J. Mellish, A. Christ, K. Pitcher
2011, Conference Paper, 19th Biennial Conference on the Biology of Marine Mammals
No abstract available....
Lithogeochemistry of mineralized and altered rock samples from the northern Talkeetna Mountains, south-central Alaska
Thomas D. Light, Jeanine M. Schmidt
2011, Scientific Investigations Report 2011-5162
Mineralized and altered rock samples collected from the northern Talkeetna Mountains, Alaska, were analyzed by two different inductively coupled plasma atomic-emission spectrometry (ICP-AES) methods for as many as 44 elements; by fire assay and either direct-coupled plasma (DCP) or atomic absorption spectrophotometry (AAS) for gold (Au); by cold vapor atomic...
