Fatty acid profiles of feeding and fasting bears: Estimating calibration coefficients, the timeframe of diet estimates, and selective mobilization during hibernation
Gregory W. Thiemann, Karyn D. Rode, Joy A Erlenbach, Suzanne Budge, Charles T. Robbins
2022, Journal of Comparative Physiology B: Biochemical, Systemic, and Environmental Physiology (192) 379-395
Accurate information on diet composition is central to understanding and conserving carnivore populations. Quantitative fatty acid signature analysis (QFASA) has emerged as a powerful tool for estimating the diets of predators, but ambiguities remain about the timeframe of QFASA estimates and the need to account for...
Central-West Siberian-breeding Bar-tailed Godwits (Limosa lapponica) segregate in two morphologically distinct flyway populations
Roeland A. Bom, Jesse R. Conklin, Yvonne I. Verkuil, José A. Alves, Jimmy De Fouw, Anne Dekinga, Chris J. Hassell, Raymond H. G. Klaassen, Eldar Rakhimberdiev, Andy Y. Kwarteng, Afonso Rocha, Job ten Horn, T. Lee Tibbitts, Pavel S. Tomkovich, Reginald Victor, Theunis Piersma
Zhijun Ma, editor(s)
2022, Ibis (164) 468-485
Long-distance migratory species often include multiple breeding populations, with distinct migration routes, wintering areas and annual-cycle timing. Detailed knowledge on population structure and migratory connectivity provides the basis for studies on the evolution of migration strategies and for species conservation. Currently, five subspecies of Bar-tailed Godwits Limosa...
Improved fire severity mapping in the North American boreal forest using a hybrid composite method
Lisa M. Holsinger, Sean Parks, Lisa Saperstein, Rachel A. Loehman, Ellen Whitman, Jennifer L. Barnes, Marc-André Parisien
2022, Remote Sensing in Ecology and Conservation (8) 222-235
Fire severity is a key driver shaping the ecological structure and function of North American boreal ecosystems, a biome dominated by large, high-intensity wildfires. Satellite-derived burn severity maps have been an important tool in these remote landscapes for both fire and resource management. The conventional methodology to produce satellite-inferred fire...
A stable isotope record of late Quaternary hydrologic change in the northwestern Brooks Range, Alaska (eastern Beringia)
Amanda L. King, Lesleigh Anderson, Mark B. Abbott, Mary Edwards, Matthew S. Finkenbinder, Bruce P. Finney, Matthew Wooller
2022, Journal of Quaternary Science (37) 928-943
A submillennial-resolution record of lake water oxygen isotope composition (δ18O) from chironomid head capsules is presented from Burial Lake, northwest Alaska. The record spans the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM; ~20–16k cal a bp) to the present and shows a series of large lake δ18O shifts (~5‰)....
Integrating seabird dietary and groundfish stock assessment data: Can puffins predict pollock spawning stock biomass in the North Pacific?
William J. Sydeman, Sarah Ann Thompson, John F. Piatt, Stephani Zador, Martin W. Dorn
2022, Fish and Fisheries (23) 213-226
Information on the annual variability in abundance and growth of juvenile groundfish can be useful for predicting fisheries stocks, but is often poorly known owing to difficulties in sampling fish in their first year of life. In the Western Gulf of Alaska (WGoA) and Eastern Bering...
Evidence for interannual persistence of infectious influenza A viruses in Alaska wetlands
Andrew M. Ramey, Andrew B. Reeves, Benjamin Joel Lagassé, Vijay P. Patil, Laura E. Hubbard, Dana W. Kolpin, R. Blaine McCleskey, Deborah A. Repert, David E. Stallknecht, Rebecca L. Poulson
2022, Science of the Total Environment (803)
Influenza A viruses (IAVs) deposited by wild birds into the environment may lead to sporadic mortality events and economically costly outbreaks among domestic birds. There is a paucity of information, however, regarding the persistence of infectious IAVs within the environment following deposition. In this investigation, we assessed the persistence of...
NGA-subduction global ground motion models with regional adjustment factors
Grace Alexandra Parker, Jonathan P. Stewart, David Boore, Gail M. Atkinson, Behzad Hassani
2022, Earthquake Spectra (38) 456-493
We develop semi-empirical ground motion models (GMMs) for peak ground acceleration, peak ground velocity, and 5%-damped pseudo-spectral accelerations for periods from 0.01 to 10 s, for the median orientation-independent horizontal component of subduction earthquake ground motion. The GMMs are applicable to interface and intraslab subduction earthquakes in Japan, Taiwan, Mexico, Central...
Understanding the effects of climate change via disturbance on pristine arctic lakes — Multitrophic level response and recovery to a 12-yr, low-level fertilization experiment
Phaedra E. Budy, Casey A. Pennock, Anne E. Giblin, Chris Luecke, D. L. White, George Kling
2022, Limnology and Oceanography (67) S224-S241
Effects of climate change-driven disturbance on lake ecosystems can be subtle; indirect effects include increased nutrient loading that could impact ecosystem function. We designed a low-level fertilization experiment to mimic persistent, climate change-driven disturbances (deeper thaw, greater weathering, or thermokarst failure) delivering nutrients to arctic lakes. We measured responses of...
Piscine predation on juvenile salmon in sub-arctic Alaskan rivers: Associations with season, habitat, predator size and streamflow
Erik R. Schoen, Kristen W. Sellmer, Mark S. Wipfli, Juan A. López, Benjamin E. Meyer, Renae Ivanoff
2022, Ecology of Freshwater Fish (31) 243-259
Predation on anadromous salmon can have important consequences for both predators and prey. Salmon provide large seasonal pulses of energy and nutrients via carcasses, eggs and juveniles to many freshwater consumers, and conversely, predation can represent a significant source of mortality for juvenile salmon. Recent declines of Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus...
High-resolution remote sensing and multistate occupancy estimation identify drivers of spawning site selection in fall chum salmon (Oncorhynchus keta) across a sub-Arctic riverscape
Chelsea M. Clawson, Jeffrey A. Falke, Larissa L. Bailey, Joshua Rose, Anupma Prakash, Aaron E. Martin
2022, Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences (79) 380-394
Groundwater upwellings provide warmer, stable overwinter temperatures for developing salmon embryos, which may be particularly important in cold, braided, gravel-bed sub-Arctic rivers. We used a three-year time series of aerial counts and remote sensing to estimate the distribution of low and high aggregations of spawning fall chum salmon (Oncorhynchus keta),...
Late Quaternary deglaciation of Prince William Sound, Alaska
Peter J. Haeussler, Ari Matmon, Maurice Arnold, Georges Aumaitre, Didier Bourles, Karim Keddadouche
2022, Quaternary Research (105) 115-134
To understand the timing of deglaciation of the northernmost marine-terminating glaciers of the Cordilleran Ice Sheet (CIS), we obtained 26 10Be surface-exposure ages from glacially scoured bedrock surfaces in Prince William Sound (PWS), Alaska. We sampled six elevation transects between sea level and 620 m and spanning...
Metabolic flexibility of aerobic methanotrophs under anoxic conditions in Arctic lake sediments
Ruoying He, Jing Wang, John Pohlman, Zhongjun Jia, Yi-Xuan Chu, Matthew Wooller, Mary Beth Leigh
2022, The ISME Journal (16) 78-90
Methane (CH4) emissions from Arctic lakes are a large and growing source of greenhouse gas to the atmosphere with critical implications for global climate. Because Arctic lakes are ice covered for much of the year, understanding the metabolic flexibility of methanotrophs under anoxic conditions would aid in characterizing the mechanisms...
Multivariate Bayesian clustering using covariate-informed components with application to boreal vegetation sensitivity
Henry R. Scharf, Ann M. Raiho, Sierra Pugh, Carl A. Roland, David K. Swanson, Sarah E. Stehn, Mevin Hooten
2022, Biometrics (78) 1427-1440
Climate change is impacting both the distribution and abundance of vegetation, especially in far northern latitudes. The effects of climate change are different for every plant assemblage and vary heterogeneously in both space and time. Small changes in climate could result in large vegetation responses in sensitive assemblages but weak...
Developing common protocols to measure tundra herbivory across spatial scales
Isabel C. Barrio, D. Ehrich, E. M. Soininen, V. T. Ravolainen, C. G. Bueno, O. Gilg, A. M. Koltz, J. D. M. Speed, D. S. Hik, M. Mörsdorf, J. M. Alatalo, A. Angerbjörn, J. Bêty, L. Bollache, N. Boulanger-Lapointe, G. S. Brown, I. Eischeid, Marie-Andree Giroux, T. Hájek, B. B. Hansen, S. P. Hofhuis, Jean-François Lamarre, J. R. Lang, C. Latty, N. Lecomte, P. Macek, L. Mckinnon, Isla H. Myers-Smith, Å. Ø. Pedersen, Janet S. Prevey, J. D. Roth, Sarah T. Saalfeld, N. M. Schmidt, P. Smith, A. Sokolov, N. Sokolova, C. Stolz, R. van Bemmelen, Ø Varpe, P. F. Woodard, I. S. Jónsdóttir
2022, Arctic Science (8) 638-679
Understanding and predicting large-scale ecological responses to global environmental change requires comparative studies across geographic scales with coordinated efforts and standardized methodologies. We designed, applied and assessed standardized protocols to measure tundra herbivory at three spatial scales: plot, site (habitat), and study area (landscape). The plot and site-level...
Sr, Nd, Hf and Pb isotope geochemistry of Early Miocene shoshonitic lavas from the South Fiji Basin: Note
Nick Mortimer, Delphine Bosch, Christine Laporte-Magoni, Erin Todd, James B Gill
2022, New Zealand Journal of Geology and Geophysics (65) 374-379
We present new Sr, Nd, Hf and Pb isotope data for Early Miocene shoshonitic and high-K lavas dredged from seamounts in the South Fiji Basin, southwest Pacific Ocean. Our analyses provide a useful reference dataset for this distinctive compositional suite. The shoshonitic lavas formed in an intra-oceanic back-arc basin setting...
Tungsten skarn potential of the Yukon-Tanana Upland, eastern Alaska, USA—A mineral resource assessment
George N. D. Case, Garth E. Graham, Erin E. Marsh, Ryan D. Taylor, Carlin J. Green, Philip J. Brown, Keith A. Labay
2022, Journal of Geochemical Exploration (232)
Tungsten (W) is used in a variety of industrial and technological applications and has been identified as a critical mineral for the United States, India, the European Union, and other countries. These countries rely on W imports mostly from China, which leaves them vulnerable to supply disruption. Consequently, the U.S. government has...
Diversity of diatoms, benthic macroinvertebrates, and fish varies in response to different environmental correlates in Arctic rivers across North America
Jennifer Lento, Sarah M. Laske, Isabelle Lavoie, Daniel Bogan, Bob Brua, Stéphane Campeau, Krista Chin, Joseph M. Culp, Brianna Levenstein, Michael Power, Émilie Saulnier-Talbot, Rebecca Shaftel, Heidi K. Swanson, Matthew Whitman, Christian E. Zimmerman
2022, Freshwater Biology (67) 95-115
Climate change poses a significant threat to Arctic freshwater biodiversity, but impacts depend upon the strength of organism response to climate‐related drivers. Currently, there is insufficient knowledge about Arctic freshwater biodiversity patterns to guide assessment, prediction, and management of biodiversity change.As part of the Circumpolar Biodiversity Monitoring Program's first...
Circumpolar patterns of Arctic freshwater fish biodiversity: A baseline for monitoring
Sarah M. Laske, Per-Arne Amundsen, Kirsten Christoffersen, Jaakko Erkinaro, Guðni Guðbergsson, Brian Hayden, Jani Heino, Kerstin Holmgren, Kimmo K. Kahilainen, Jennifer Lento, Panu Orell, Johan Östergren, Michael Power, Ruslan Rafikov, Atso Romakkaniemi, Martin-A. Svenning, Heidi K. Swanson, Matthew Whitman, Christian E. Zimmerman
2022, Freshwater Biology (67) 176-193
Climate change, biological invasions, and anthropogenic disturbance pose a threat to the biodiversity and function of Arctic freshwater ecosystems. Understanding potential changes in fish species distribution and richness is necessary, given the great importance of fish to the function of freshwater ecosystems and as a resource to humans. However,...
Developing a set of indicators to identify, monitor, and track impacts and change in forests of the United States
Sarah M. Anderson, Linda S. Heath, Marla R. Emery, Jeffrey A. Hicke, Jeremy Littell, Alan Lucier, Jeffrey G. Masek, David L. Peterson, Richard Pouyat, Kevin M. Potter, Guy Robertson, Jinelle Sperry
2021, Climatic Change (165)
United States forestland is an important ecosystem type, land cover, land use, and economic resource that is facing several drivers of change including climatic. Because of its significance, forestland was identified through the National Climate Assessment (NCA) as a key sector and system of concern to...
Eelgrass (Zostera marina) and seaweed assessment Alaska Peninsula-Becharof National Wildlife Refuges, 2010
David H. Ward, Kyle R. Hogrefe, Tyronne F. Donnelly, Lucretia L. Fairchild, Ron Britton
2021, Open-File Report 2020-1144
We conducted the first assessment of eelgrass and seaweed distribution and abundance along the coast of the Alaska Peninsula-Becharof National Wildlife Refuges in Chignik Lagoon and Mud Bay. Areal extent of eelgrass, as determined from remote-sensing techniques, was estimated to be 2,414 hectares in Chignik Lagoon and 188 hectares...
The effect of changing sea ice on wave climate trends along Alaska's central Beaufort Sea coast
Cornelis M. Nederhoff, Li H. Erikson, Anita C Engelstad, Peter A. Bieniek, Jeremy L. Kasper
2021, The Cryosphere (16) 1609-1629
Diminishing sea ice is impacting the wave field across the Arctic region. Recent observation- and model-based studies highlight the spatiotemporal influence of sea ice on offshore wave climatologies, but effects within the nearshore region are still poorly described. This study characterizes the wave climate in the central Beaufort Sea coast...
Another bad year for seabirds on Gull Island
Sarah K. Schoen, Caitlin Elizabeth Marsteller, John F. Piatt, Mayumi L. Arimitsu
2021, Report, State of Kachemak Bay
The USGS monitored Black-legged Kittiwake and Common Murre populations on Gull Island from 1995-1999, and from 2016-2021, following the 2014-2016 northeast Pacific marine heatwave. USGS research, which is supported by the USGS and BOEM, includes population monitoring, and quantifying breeding success and predator disturbances. This information is preliminary or provisional...
NGA-Subduction research program
Yousef Bozorgnia, Norman A. Abrahamson, Sean Kamran Ahdi, Timothy D. Ancheta, Linda Al Atik, Ralph J. Archuleta, Gail M. Atkinson, David M Boore, Kenneth W. Campbell, Brian S-J Chiou, Victor Contreras, Robert B. Darragh, Sahar Derakhshan, Jennifer L Donahue, Nick Gregor, Zeynep Gulerce, Izzat M Idriss, Chengxin Jiang, Tadahiro Kishida, Albert R. Kottke, Nicolas Kuehn, Dongyoup Kwak, Annie O-L Kwok, Person Lin, Jorge Macedo, Silvia Mazzoni, Saburoh Midorikawa, Sifat Muin, Grace Alexandra Parker, Sanaz Rezaeian, Hongjun Si, Walter J Silva, Jonathan P. Stewart, Melanie Walling, Katie Wooddell, Robert R Youngs
2021, Earthquake Spectra (38) 783-798
This article summarizes the Next Generation Attenuation (NGA) Subduction (NGA-Sub) project, a major research program to develop a database and ground motion models (GMMs) for subduction regions. A comprehensive database of subduction earthquakes recorded worldwide was developed. The database includes a total of 214,020 individual records from...
Kittlitz’s murrelet seasonal distribution and post-breeding migration from the Gulf of Alaska to the Arctic Ocean
John F. Piatt, David C. Douglas, Mayumi L. Arimitsu, Michelle Kissling, Erica N. Madison, Sarah K. Schoen, Kathy J. Kuletz, Gary S. Drew
2021, Arctic (74) 482-495
Kittlitz’s Murrelets (Brachyramphus brevirostris) nest during summer in glaciated or recently deglaciated (post-Wisconsin) landscapes. They forage in adjacent marine waters, especially those influenced by glacial meltwater. Little is known of their movements and distribution outside the breeding season. To identify post-breeding migrations of murrelets, we attached satellite transmitters to...
Revealing migratory path, important stopovers and non-breeding areas of a boreal songbird in steep decline
Julie C Hagelin, Michael T. Hallworth, Christopher P Barger, James A. Johnson, Kristin A DuBour, Grey W Pendelton, Lucas H. DeCicco, Laura A McDuffie, Steven M. Matsuoka, Marian A Snively, Peter P. Marra
2021, Animal Migration (8) 168-191
The Olive-sided Flycatcher (Contopus cooperi) is a steeply declining aerial insectivore with one of the longest migrations of any North American passerine. We deployed light-level geolocators and archival GPS tags on breeders in boreal Alaska to determine migratory routes, important stopovers and non-breeding locations. Data from 16 individuals revealed a...
