Identification of last interglacial deposits in eastern Beringia: a cautionary note from the Palisades, interior Alaska
Alberto V. Reyes, Grant D. Zazula, Svetlana Kuzmina, Thomas A. Ager, Duane G. Froese
2011, Journal of Quaternary Science (26) 345-352
Last interglacial sediments in unglaciated Alaska and Yukon (eastern Beringia) are commonly identified by palaeoecological indicators and stratigraphic position ~2-5m above the regionally prominent Old Crow tephra (124 + or - 10ka). We demonstrate that this approach can yield erroneous age assignments using data from a new exposure at the...
Distribution, persistence, and hydrologic characteristics of salmon spawning habitats in clearwater side channels of the Matanuska River, southcentral Alaska
Janet H. Curran, Monica L. McTeague, Sean E. Burril, Christian E. Zimmerman
2011, Scientific Investigations Report 2011-5102
Turbid, glacially influenced rivers are often considered to be poor salmon spawning and rearing habitats and, consequently, little is known about salmon habitats that do occur within rivers of this type. To better understand salmon spawning habitats in the Matanuska River of southcentral Alaska, the distribution and characteristics of clearwater...
Whole-rock and sulfide-mineral geochemical data for samples from volcanogenic massive sulfide deposits of the Bonnifield district, east-central Alaska
Cynthia Dusel-Bacon, John F. Slack, Alan E. Koenig, Nora K. Foley, Robert L. Oscarson, Kathleen D. Gans
2011, Open-File Report 2011-1171
This Open-File Report presents geochemical data for outcrop and drill-core samples from volcanogenic massive sulfide deposits and associated metaigneous and metasedimentary rocks in the Wood River area of the Bonnifield mining district, northern Alaska Range, east-central Alaska. The data consist of major- and trace-element whole-rock geochemical analyses, and major- and...
An adaptive-management framework for optimal control of hiking near golden eagle nests in Denali National Park
Julien Martin, Paul L. Fackler, James D. Nichols, Michael C. Runge, Carol L. McIntyre, Bruce L. Lubow, Maggie C. McCluskie, Joel A. Schmutz
2011, Conservation Biology (25) 316-323
Unintended effects of recreational activities in protected areas are of growing concern. We used an adaptive-management framework to develop guidelines for optimally managing hiking activities to maintain desired levels of territory occupancy and reproductive success of Golden Eagles (Aquila chrysaetos) in Denali National Park (Alaska, U.S.A.). The management decision was...
A petroleum system model for gas hydrate deposits in northern Alaska
T.D. Lorenson, Timothy S. Collett, Florence L. Wong
2011, Conference Paper
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 United States Geological Survey (USGS) and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) gas hydrate research collaboration, well cutting and mud...
Beaufort Sea deep-water gas hydrate recovery from a seafloor mound in a region of widespread BSR occurrence
Patrick E. Hart, John W. Pohlman, T.D. Lorenson, Brian D. Edwards
2011, Conference Paper, Proceedings of the 7th international conference on gas hydrates (ICGH 2011)
Gas hydrate was recovered from the Alaskan Beaufort Sea slope north of Camden Bay in August 2010 during a U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Healy expedition (USCG cruise ID HLY1002) under the direction of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). Interpretation of multichannel seismic (MCS) reflection data collected in 1977 by the...
Density estimation in a wolverine population using spatial capture-recapture models
J. Andrew Royle, Audrey J. Magoun, Beth Gardner, Patrick Valkenbury, Richard E. Lowell
Kevin McKelvey, editor(s)
2011, Journal of Wildlife Management (75) 604-611
Classical closed-population capture-recapture models do not accommodate the spatial information inherent in encounter history data obtained from camera-trapping studies. As a result, individual heterogeneity in encounter probability is induced, and it is not possible to estimate density objectively because trap arrays do not have a well-defined sample area. We applied...
USGS science for the Nation's changing coasts; shoreline change assessment
E. Robert Thieler, Cheryl J. Hapke
2011, Fact Sheet 2011-3074
The coastline of the United States features some of the most popular tourist and recreational destinations in the world and is the site of intense residential, commercial, and industrial development. The coastal zone also has extensive and pristine natural areas, with diverse ecosystems providing essential habitat and resources that support...
Location and extent of Tertiary structures in Cook Inlet Basin, Alaska, and mantle dynamics that focus deformation and subsidence
Peter J. Haeussler, Richard W. Saltus
2011, Professional Paper 1776-D
This report is a new compilation of the location and extent of folds and faults in Cook Inlet Basin, Alaska. Data sources are previously published maps, well locations, and seismic-reflection data. We also utilize interpretation of new aeromagnetic data and some proprietary seismic-reflection data. Some structures are remarkably well displayed...
Assessment of undiscovered oil and gas resources of the Cook Inlet region, south-central Alaska, 2011
Richard G. Stanley, Ronald R. Charpentier, Troy A. Cook, David W. Houseknecht, Timothy R. Klett, Kristen A. Lewis, Paul G. Lillis, Philip H. Nelson, Jeffrey D. Phillips, Richard M. Pollastro, Christopher J. Potter, William A. Rouse, Richard W. Saltus, Christopher J. Schenk, Anjana K. Shah, Zenon C. Valin
2011, Fact Sheet 2011-3068
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) recently completed a new assessment of undiscovered, technically recoverable oil and gas resources in the Cook Inlet region of south-central Alaska. Using a geology-based assessment methodology, the USGS estimates that mean undiscovered volumes of nearly 600 million barrels of oil, about 19 trillion cubic feet...
Depositional setting and geochemistry of phosphorites and metalliferous black shales in the Carboniferous-Permian Lisburne Group, Northern Alaska
Julie A. Dumoulin, John F. Slack, Michael T. Whalen, Anita G. Harris
2011, Professional Paper 1776-C
Phosphatic rocks are distributed widely in the Lisburne Group, a mainly Carboniferous carbonate succession that occurs throughout northern Alaska. New sedimentologic, paleontologic, and geochemical data presented here constrain the geographic and stratigraphic extent of these strata and their depositional and paleogeographic settings. Our findings support models that propose very high...
Soil physical, chemical, and gas-flux characterization from Picea mariana stands near Erickson Creek, Alaska
Jonathan A. O'Donnell, Jennifer W. Harden, Kristen L. Manies
2011, Open-File Report 2011-1153
Fire is a particularly important control on the carbon (C) balance of the boreal forest, and fire-return intervals and fire severity appear to have increased since the late 1900s in North America. In addition to the immediate release of stored C to the atmosphere through organic-matter combustion, fire also modifies...
Geologic map of Saint Lawrence Island, Alaska
William W. Patton Jr., Frederic H. Wilson, Theresa A. Taylor
2011, Scientific Investigations Report 3146
Saint Lawrence Island is located in the northern Bering Sea, 190 km southwest of the tip of the Seward Peninsula, Alaska, and 75 km southeast of the Chukotsk Peninsula, Russia (see index map, map sheet). It lies on a broad, shallow-water continental shelf that extends from western Alaska to northeastern...
Projected status of the Pacific walrus (Odobenus rosmarus divergens) in the twenty-first century
Chadwick V. Jay, Bruce G. Marcot, David C. Douglas
2011, Polar Biology (34) 1065-1084
Extensive and rapid losses of sea ice in the Arctic have raised conservation concerns for the Pacific walrus (Odobenus rosmarus divergens), a large pinniped inhabiting arctic and subarctic continental shelf waters of the Chukchi and Bering seas. We developed a Bayesian network model to integrate potential effects of...
An individual and a sex odor signature in kittiwakes? Study of the semiochemical composition of preen secretion and preen down feathers
Sarah Leclaire, Thomas Merkling, C. Raynaud, Géraldine Giacinti, J.-M. Bessiere, Scott A. Hatch, Etienne Danchin
2011, Naturwissenschaften (98) 615-624
The importance of olfaction in birds' social behavior has long been denied. Avian chemical signaling has thus been relatively unexplored. The black-legged kittiwake provides a particularly appropriate model for investigating this topic. Kittiwakes preferentially mate with genetically dissimilar individuals, but the cues used to assess genetic characteristics remain unknown. As...
An evaluation of the science needs to inform decisions on Outer Continental Shelf energy development in the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas, Alaska
Leslie Holland-Bartels, Brenda Pierce
2011, Circular 1370
The U. S. Geological Survey (USGS) was asked to conduct an initial, independent evaluation of the science needs that would inform the Administration's consideration of the right places and the right ways in which to develop oil and gas resources in the Arctic Outer Continental Shelf (OCS), particularly focused on...
An evaluation of the science needs to inform decisions on Outer Continental Shelf energy development in the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas, Alaska
Leslie Holland-Bartels, Brenda Pierce
2011, Fact Sheet 2011-3048
On March 31, 2010, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar announced a national strategy for Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) oil and gas development. In that announcement, the Administration outlined a three-pronged approach (U.S. Department of the Interior, 2010a): Development: "...expand development and production throughout the Gulf of Mexico, including resource-rich...
Proceedings of a Coastal and Marine Spatial Planning Workshop for the Western United States
Lyman Thorsteinson, Derrick Hirsch, David Helweg, Amardeep Dhanju, Joan Barmenski, Richard Ferrero
2011, Open-File Report 2011-1152
Recent scientific and ocean policy assessments demonstrate that a fundamental change in our current management system is required to achieve the long-term health of our ocean, coasts, and Great Lakes in order to sustain the services and benefits they provide to society. The present (2011) species- and sector-centric way we...
Geophysical, geochemical, and mineralogical data from the Pebble Cu-Au-Mo porphyry deposit area, southwest Alaska: Contributions to assessment techniques for concealed mineral resources
E. D. Anderson, S. M. Smith, S. A. Giles, Matthew Granitto, R. G. Eppinger, P. A. Bedrosian, A. K. Shah, K.D. Kelley, D.L. Fey, B. J. Minsley, P. J. Brown
2011, Data Series 608
In 2007, the U.S. Geological Survey began a multidisciplinary study in southwest Alaska to investigate the setting and detectability of mineral deposits in concealed volcanic and glacial terranes. The study area hosts the world-class Pebble porphyry Cu-Au-Mo deposit, and through collaboration with the Pebble Limited Partnership, a range of geophysical...
Soil data from different-age Picea mariana stands near Delta Junction, Alaska
Kristen L. Manies, Jennifer W. Harden
2011, Open-File Report 2011-1061
One objective of the U.S. Geological Survey\'s Fate of Carbon in Alaskan Landscapes (FOCAL) project is to study the effects of fire and soil drainage on soil carbon storage in boreal forests. For this purpose, the project has measured the soil carbon content in several chronosequences (time since disturbance) of...
Comparative mitochondrial genetics of North American and Eurasian mergansers with an emphasis on the endangered scaly-sided merganser (Mergus squamatus)
Diana V. Solovyeva, John M. Pearce
2011, Conservation Genetics (12) 839-844
The scaly-sided merganser, Mergus squamatus, is considered one of the most threatened sea duck species in the Palearctic with limited breeding and wintering distribution in China and Russia. To provide information for future conservation efforts, we sequenced a portion of the mitochondrial (mt) DNA control region in four species...
Distribution and density of marine birds and mammals along the Kenai Fjords National Park coastline - March 2010
Heather A. Coletti, George G. Esslinger, James L. Bodkin
2011, Report
From March 21, 2010 to March 24, 2010, a winter marine bird and mammal skiff-based survey along the coast of Kenai Fjords National Park (KEFJ) was completed. This was the second winter survey completed for KEFJ since 2008. The primary objectives of the SWAN winter surveys are to characterize the...
Mechanisms influencing changes in lake area in Alaskan boreal forest
Jennifer K. Roach, Brad Griffith, David Verbyla, Jeremy B. Jones
2011, Global Change Biology (17) 2567-2583
During the past ∼50 years, the number and area of lakes have declined in several regions in boreal forests. However, there has been substantial finer-scale heterogeneity; some lakes decreased in area, some showed no trend, and others increased. The objective of this study was to identify the primary mechanisms underlying...
Surficial geologic map of the Noatak National Preserve, Alaska
Thomas D. Hamilton
2011, Scientific Investigations Map 3036
The surficial geologic map of the Noatak National Preserve (NNP) is a compilation that incorporates portions of four published USGS maps (Hamilton, 1980, 1981, 1984a,b), a USGS Open-File Report (Hamilton, 2003), and unpublished field mapping. It covers an area of about 28,700 km2, and includes parts of eight 1:250,000-scale quadrangles....
Tectonic and metallogenic model for northeast Asia
Leonid M. Parfenov, Warren J. Nokleberg, Nikolai A. Berzin, Gombosuren Badarch, Sergy I. Dril, Ochir Gerel, Nikolai A. Goryachev, Alexander I. Khanchuk, Mikhail I. Kuz'min Obolenskiy, Alexander A., Andrei V. Prokopiev, Vladimir V. Ratkin, Sergey M. Rodionov, Christopher R. Scotese, Vladimir I. Shpikerman, Vladimir F. Timofeev, Onongin Tomurtogoo, Hongquan Yan
Warren J. Nokleberg, editor(s)
2011, Open-File Report 2011-1026
This document describes the digital files in this report that contains a tectonic and metallogenic model for Northeast Asia. The report also contains background materials. This tectonic and metallogenic model and other materials on this report are derived from (1) an extensive USGS Professional Paper, 1765, on the metallogenesis and...
