The role of satellite telemetry data in 21st century conservation of polar bears (Ursus maritimus)
Kristin L. Laidre, George M. Durner, Nicholas J Lunn, Eric V. Regehr, Todd C. Atwood, Karyn D. Rode, Jon Aars, Heli Routti, Øystein Wiig, Markus Dyck, Evan S. Richardson, Stephen D Atkinson, Stanislav Belikov, Ian Stirling
2022, Frontiers in Marine Science (9)
Satellite telemetry (ST) has played a critical role in the management and conservation of polar bears (Ursus maritimus) over the last 50 years. ST data provide biological information relevant to subpopulation delineation, movements, habitat use, maternal denning, health, human-bear interactions, and accurate estimates of vital rates and abundance. Given that...
Summer/fall diet and macronutrient assimilation in an Arctic predator
Craig A. Stricker, Karyn D. Rode, Brian D. Taras, Jeffrey F. Bromaghin, Lara Horstmann, Lori T. Quakenbush
2022, Oecologia (198) 917-931
Free-ranging predator diet estimation is commonly achieved by applying molecular-based tracers because direct observation is not logistically feasible or robust. However, tracers typically do not represent all dietary macronutrients, which likely obscures resource use as prey proximate composition varies and tissue consumption can be specific. For example, polar bears (Ursus...
Colville Foreland Basin and Arctic Alaska Prograded Margin Tectono-Sedimentary Elements, northern Alaska and southwestern Canada Basin
David W. Houseknecht
2022, Book chapter, Sedimentary successions of the Arctic Region and their hydrocarbon prospectivity
Cretaceous (post-Neocomian)–Quaternary Brookian strata of Arctic Alaska include the Colville Foreland Basin (CFB) and Arctic Alaska Prograded Margin (AAPM) Tectono-Sedimentary Elements (TSEs). The CFB TSE lies beneath the Alaska North Slope and Chukchi Sea shelf, and the AAPM TSE lies beneath the Arctic Alaska continental terrace of the Beaufort Sea...
Adaptation strategies and approaches for managing fire in a changing climate
Martha Sample, Andrea E. Thode, Courtney Peterson, Michael Gallagher, William T. Flatley, Megan Friggens, Alexander Evans, Rachel A. Loehman, Shaula Hedwall, Leslie A. Brandt, Maria Janowiak, Christopher W. Swanston
2022, Climate (10)
As the effects of climate change accumulate and intensify, resource managers juggle existing goals and new mandates to operationalize adaptation. Fire managers contend with the direct effects of climate change on resources in addition to climate-induced disruptions to fire regimes and subsequent ecosystem effects. In systems stressed...
The ~400 yr B.P. eruption of Half Cone, a post-caldera composite cone within Aniakchak caldera, Alaska Peninsula
Brandon Browne, Christina A. Neal, Charles R. Bacon
2022, Report
Aniakchak volcano is a historically active caldera located on the central Alaska Peninsula. The largest eruption from Aniakchak since the ~3,400 yr B.P. caldera-forming eruption occurred ~400 yr B.P. from Half Cone volcano, an intracaldera composite cone on the northwest floor of the Aniakchak caldera that was largely destroyed by the eruption. The ~400...
Searching for refuge: A framework for identifying site factors conferring resistance to climate-driven vegetation change
Ann M. Raiho, Henry R. Scharf, Carl A. Roland, David K. Swanson, Sarah E. Stehn, Mevin Hooten
2022, Diversity and Distributions (28) 793-809
Climate change is occurring at accelerated rates in high latitude regions such as Alaska, causing alterations in woody plant growth and associated ecosystem patterns and processes. Our aim is to assess the magnitude and speed that climate-induced changes in woody plant distribution and volume may be reduced and/or slowed by...
Landscape geomorphology and local-riverine features influence Broad Whitefish (Coregonus nasus) spawning habitat suitability in Arctic Alaska
Jason C. Leppi, Jeffrey A. Falke, Daniel J. Rinella, Mark S. Wipfli, Andrew C. Seitz, Matthew S. Whitman
2022, Ecology of Freshwater Fish (31) 622-639
Landscape-level geomorphic processes influence the spatial and temporal arrangement of fish habitats in freshwater ecosystems and fishes move across riverscapes, selecting a suite of habitats to maximise fitness. Here, we explore the influence of geomorphology on stream channel attributes and assess Broad Whitefish (Coregonus nasus) spawning habitat potential in the...
First juvenile Chum Salmon confirms successful reproduction for Pacific salmon in the North American Arctic
Karen M. Dunmall, Darcy G. McNicholl, Christian E. Zimmerman, Sara E. Gilk-Baumer, Sean E. Burril, Vanessa R. von Biela
2022, Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences (79) 703-707
The distributional extent of Pacific salmon Oncorhynchus spp. in the North American Arctic is unresolved. While adult Pacific salmon have a recurring presence across the Alaskan North Slope and into the Canadian Arctic, it is uncertain if these fish are part of established Arctic populations, vagrants from outside sources reproducing...
Submarine landslide susceptibility mapping in recently deglaciated terrain, Glacier Bay, Alaska
Nikita N. Avdievitch, Jeffrey A. Coe
2022, Frontiers in Earth Science (10)
Submarine mass wasting events have damaged underwater structures and propagated waves that have inundated towns and affected human populations in nearby coastal areas. Susceptibility to submarine landslides can be pronounced in degrading cryospheric environments, where existing glaciers can provide high volumes of sediment, while cycles of glaciation and ice-loss can...
Using carbon, nitrogen, and mercury isotope values to distinguish mercury sources to Alaskan lake trout
Ryan F. Lepak, Jacob M. Ogorek, Krista K. Bartz, Sarah E. Janssen, Michael T. Tate, Yin Runsheng, James P. Hurley, Daniel B. Young, Collin A. Eagles-Smith, David P. Krabbenhoft
2022, Environmental Science and Technology Letters (9) 312-319
Lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush), collected from 13 remote lakes located in southwestern Alaska, were analyzed for carbon, nitrogen, and mercury (Hg) stable isotope values to assess the importance of migrating oceanic salmon, volcanic activity, and atmospheric deposition to fish Hg burden. Methylmercury (MeHg) bioaccumulation in phytoplankton (5.0–6.9 kg L–1) was...
Heterogeneous patterns of aged organic carbon export driven by hydrologic flow paths, soil texture, fire, and thaw in discontinuous permafrost headwaters
Joshua C. Koch, Matthew Bogard, David Butman, Kerri Finlay, Brian A. Ebel, Jason James, Sarah Ellen Johnston, Torre Jorgenson, Neal Pastick, Rob Spencer, Rob Striegl, Michelle A. Walvoord, Kimberly Wickland
2022, Global Biogeochemical Cycles (36)
Climate change is thawing and potentially mobilizing vast quantities of organic carbon (OC) previously stored for millennia in permafrost soils of northern circumpolar landscapes. Climate-driven increases in fire and thermokarst may play a key role in OC mobilization by thawing permafrost and promoting transport of OC. Yet, the extent of...
Quantifying large-scale continental shelf margin growth and dynamics across mid-Cretaceous Arctic Alaska with detrital zircon U-Pb dating
Richard O. Lease, David W. Houseknecht, Andrew R. C. Kylander-Clark
2022, Geology (50) 620-625
Sequence stratigraphy provides a unifying framework for integrating diverse observations to interpret sedimentary basin evolution; however, key time assumptions about stratigraphic elements spanning hundreds of kilometers are rarely quantified. We integrate new detrital zircon U-Pb (DZ) dates from 28 samples with seismic mapping to establish a chronostratigraphic framework across 800...
Advanced distributed acoustic sensing vertical seismic profile imaging of an Alaska North Slope gas hydrate field
Cullen Young, Jeffrey Shragge, Whitney Shultz, Seth S. Haines, Can Oren, James Simmons, Timothy Collett
2022, Journal of Energy and Fuels (36) 3481-3495
Gas hydrates are found in significant quantities on the North Slope of Alaska in subpermafrost sand units and intermixed in lower portions of permafrost within the hydrate stability window. While conventional surface seismic data and established imaging methods can indicate the presence of gas hydrate reservoirs,...
Planning and operations of the Hydrate 01 Stratigraphic Test Well, Prudhoe Bay Unit, Alaska North Slope
Timothy S. Collett, Margarita V. Zyrianova, Norihiro Okinaka, Motoi Wakatsuki, Ray Boswell, Scott Marsteller, David Minge, Stephen Crumley, David Itter, Robert D. Hunter, Ana Garcia-Ceballos, Ge Jin
2022, Journal of Energy and Fuels (36) 3016-3039
The National Energy Technology Laboratory, the Japan Oil, Gas and Metals National Corporation, and the U.S. Geological Survey are leading an effort to conduct an extended gas hydrate production test in northern Alaska. The proposed production test required the drilling of an initial stratigraphic test well...
Why are human-black bear conflicts increasing? Assessing the mechanisms driving conflicts in Durango, Colorado
Heather E. Johnson
2022, Newsletter
No abstract available....
Gas hydrate saturation estimates, gas hydrate occurrence, and reservoir characteristics based on well log data from the hydrate-01 stratigraphic test well, Alaska North Slope
Seth S. Haines, Timothy Collett, Jun Yoneda, Naoyuki Shimoda, Ray Boswell, Norihiro Okinaka
2022, Journal of Energy and Fuels (36) 3040-3050
The Hydrate-01 Stratigraphic Test Well was drilled at the Kuparuk 7-11-12 site on the Alaska North Slope in December 2018. Sonic log data provide compressional (P) and shear (S) slowness from which we determine gas hydrate saturation (Sgh) estimates using effective medium theory. The sonic Sgh estimates compare...
Permeability measurement and prediction with nuclear magnetic resonance analysis of gas hydrate-bearing sediments recovered from Alaska North Slope 2018 Hydrate-01 Stratigraphic Test Well
Jun Yoneda, Kiyofumi Suzuki, Yusuke Jin, Satoshi Ohtsuki, Timothy S. Collett, Ray Boswell, Yuki Maehara, Norihiro Okinaka
2022, Energy and Fuels Journal (36) 2515-2529
Permeability of porous media, such as oil and gas reservoirs, is the crucial material parameter for predicting their hydraulic behavior. A nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) analyzer is widely used as a powerful tool to predict permeability of various media. NMR T2 (transverse or spin–spin) relaxation time distribution, which...
Characterizing unrest: A retrospective look at 20 years of gas emissions and seismicity at Iliamna Volcano, Alaska
Cynthia Werner, John Power, Peter J. Kelly, Stephanie Prejean, Christoph Kern
2022, Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research (422)
Episodes of unrest are not as well documented as eruptions at most volcanoes globally. Iliamna is an andesitic stratovolcano in the Cook Inlet of Alaska that has experienced several episodes of unrest. Unrest in 1996 was previously studied. Here we present data...
Unravelling a 2300 year long sedimentary record of megathrust and intraslab earthquakes in proglacial Skilak Lake, south-central Alaska
Nore Praet, Maarten Van Daele, Jasper Moernaut, Thomas Mestdagh, Thomas Vandorpe, Britta J.L. Jensen, Robert C. Witter, Peter J. Haeussler, Marc De Batist
2022, Sedimentology (69) 2151-2180
Seismic hazards in subduction settings typically arise from megathrust, intraslab and crustal earthquake sources. Despite the frequent occurrence of intraslab earthquakes in subduction zones and their potential threat to communities, their long-term recurrence behaviour is barely studied. Sedimentary sequences in lakes may register ground shaking from different seismic sources. This...
Genomically diverse carbapenem resistant Enterobacteriaceae from wild birds provide insight into global patterns of spatiotemporal dissemination
Christina Ahlstrom, Hanna Woksepp, Linus Sandegren, Mashkoor Mohsin, Badrul Hasan, Denys Muzyka, Jorge Hernandez, Filip Aguirre, Atalay Tok, Jan Söderman, Bjorn Olsen, Andrew M. Ramey, Jonas Bonnedahl
2022, Science of the Total Environment (824)
Carbapenem resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) are a threat to public health globally, yet the role of the environment in the epidemiology of CRE remains elusive. Given that wild birds can acquire CRE, likely from foraging in anthropogenically impacted areas, and may aid in the maintenance and dissemination...
Premature mortality observations among Alaska’s Pacific salmon during record heat and drought in 2019
Vanessa R. von Biela, Christopher J. Sergeant, Michael P. Carey, Zachary Liller, Charles M. Russell, Stephanie Quinn-Davidson, Peter S. Rand, P. A. H. Westley, Christian E. Zimmerman
2022, Fisheries (47) 157-168
Widespread mortality of Pacific salmon Oncorhynchus spp. returning to spawn in Alaska coincided with record-breaking air temperatures and prolonged drought in summer 2019. Extreme environmental conditions are expected to happen more frequently with rapid climate change and challenge the notion that Alaska could indefinitely provide abundant, cool freshwater habitat for Pacific salmon....
Genetic assignment of fisheries bycatch reveals disproportionate mortality among Alaska Northern Fulmar breeding colonies
Diana S. Baetscher, Jessie Beck, Eric C. Anderson, Kristen Ruegg, Andrew M. Ramey, Scott Hatch, HannahRose M. Nevins, Shannon Fitzgerald, J Carlos Garza
2022, Evolutionary Applications (15) 447-458
Global fisheries kill millions of seabirds annually through bycatch, but little is known about population-level impacts, particularly in species that form metapopulations. U.S. North Pacific groundfish fisheries catch thousands of Northern Fulmars (Fulmarus glacialis rodgersii) each year, making fulmars the most frequently caught seabird in federally...
Juvenile continental crust evolution in a modern oceanic arc setting: Petrogenesis of Cenozoic felsic plutons in Fiji, SW Pacific
Chris S. Marien, Elizabeth Kathleen Drewes-Todd, Allen Stork, Erin Todd, James B Gill, J. Elis Hoffman, Kenichiro Tani, Charlotte M. Allen, Carsten Münker
2022, Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta (320) 339-365
Viti Levu, Fiji, provides one of the best exposed Phanerozoic analogues for the formation of juvenile continental crust in an intra-oceanic setting. Tonalites and trondhjemites are present in several large (75–150 km2) adjacent, mid-Cenozoic plutons. We report major and trace element data...
The Pacific as the world’s greatest theater of bird migration: Extreme flights spark questions about physiological capabilities, behavior, and the evolution of migratory pathways
Theunis Piersma, Robert E. Gill Jr., Daniel R. Ruthrauff, Christopher G. Guglielmo, Jesse R. Conklin, Colleen M. Handel
2022, Ornithology (139)
The Pacific Basin, by virtue of its vastness and its complex aeroscape, provides unique opportunities to address questions about the behavioral and physiological capabilities and mechanisms through which birds can complete spectacular flights. No longer is the Pacific seen just as a formidable barrier between terrestrial habitats in the north...
Spreading like wildfire: The rising threat of extraordinary landscape fires - A rapid response assessment
Alexandra Popescu, Allison Paulson, Amy C. Christianson, Andrew S. Sullivan, A. Tulloch, Bibiana Bilbao, Camilla Mathison, Catherine Robinson, David Ganz, David Nangoma, David Saah, Dolors Armenteras, Don A. Driscoll, Don L. Hankins, Douglas I. Kelley, E. R. (Lisa) Langer, Elaine Baker, Fabienne Reisen, François-Nicholas Robinne, Gamma Galudra, Glynis Humphrey, Hugh Safford, Ian G. Baird, Imma Oliveras, Jeremy Littell, Johan Kieft, J. Chew, Kirsten Maclean, Lea Wittenberg, Liana O. Anderson, Lindsey Gillson, Matt Plucinski, Max A. Moritz, Megan Brown, Miguel Castillo Soto, M. Flannigan, Oliver Costello, Patricia S. Silva, Paulo Fernandes, Peter Moore, Randi Jandt, Raphaele Blanchi, Renata Libonati, Sally Archibald, Sarah Dunlop, Sarah McCaffrey, Susan Page, Tania Marisol Gonzalez Delgado, Tiina Kurvits, Tol Sokchea, Val Charlton
Andrew S. Sullivan, Elaine Baker, Tiina Kurvits, editor(s)
2022, Book
Free-burning landscape fire is an important natural phenomenon critical to the healthy functioning of many ecosystems. It is an important land management tool, culturally, economically, and ecologically. Therefore, not all vegetation fires are unwanted. This Rapid Response Assessment (RRA) focuses on the apparent increase in the occurrence, extent, duration, and...
