Seismicity of the Earth 1900-2013 offshore British Columbia-southeastern Alaska and vicinity
Gavin P. Hayes, Gregory M. Smoczyk, Jonathan G. Ooms, Daniel E. McNamara, Kevin P. Furlong, Harley M. Benz, Antonio H. Villaseñor
2014, Open-File Report 2010-1083-O
The tectonics of the Pacific margin of North America between Vancouver Island and south-central Alaska are dominated by the northwest motion of the Pacific plate with respect to the North America plate at a velocity of approximately 50 mm/yr. In the south of this mapped region, convergence between the northern...
The 3D Elevation Program: Summary for New Jersey
William J. Carswell Jr.
2014, Fact Sheet 2014-3091
Elevation data are essential to a broad range of applications, including forest resources management, wildlife and habitat management, national security, recreation, and many others. For the State of New Jersey, elevation data are critical for water supply and quality, flood risk management, natural resources conservation, agriculture and precision farming, infrastructure...
The 3D Elevation Program initiative: a call for action
Larry J. Sugarbaker, Eric W. Constance, Hans Karl Heidemann, Allyson L. Jason, Vicki Lukas, David L. Saghy, Jason M. Stoker
2014, Circular 1399
The 3D Elevation Program (3DEP) initiative is accelerating the rate of three-dimensional (3D) elevation data collection in response to a call for action to address a wide range of urgent needs nationwide. It began in 2012 with the recommendation to collect (1) high-quality light detection and ranging (lidar) data for...
The 3D Elevation Program: summary for Illinois
William J. Carswell Jr.
2014, Fact Sheet 2014-3086
Elevation data are essential to a broad range of applications, including forest resources management, wildlife and habitat management, national security, recreation, and many others. For the State of Illinois, elevation data are critical for flood risk management, water supply and quality, infrastructure and construction management, agriculture and precision farming, and...
The 2013 eruption of Pavlof Volcano, Alaska: a spatter eruption at an ice- and snow-clad volcano
Christopher F. Waythomas, Matthew M. Haney, David Fee, David J. Schneider, Aaron G. Wech
2014, Bulletin of Volcanology (76) 1-12
The 2013 eruption of Pavlof Volcano, Alaska began on 13 May and ended 49 days later on 1 July. The eruption was characterized by persistent lava fountaining from a vent just north of the summit, intermittent strombolian explosions, and ash, gas, and aerosol plumes that reached as high as 8...
Changing Arctic ecosystems: ecology of loons in a changing Arctic
Brian D. Uher-Koch, Joel A. Schmutz, Mary E. Whalen, John M. Pearce
2014, Fact Sheet 2014-3093
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Changing Arctic Ecosystems (CAE) initiative informs key resource management decisions for Arctic Alaska by providing scientific information on current and future ecosystem response to a changing climate. From 2010 to 2014, a key study area for the USGS CAE initiative has been the Arctic Coastal...
Changing Arctic ecosystems: sea ice decline, permafrost thaw, and benefits for geese
Paul L. Flint, Mary E. Whalen, John M. Pearce
2014, Fact Sheet 2014-3088
Through the Changing Arctic Ecosystems (CAE) initiative, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) strives to inform resource management decisions for Arctic Alaska by providing scientific information on current and future ecosystem response to a warming climate. A key area for the USGS CAE initiative has been the Arctic Coastal Plain of...
Annual migratory patterns of long-billed curlews in the American west
Gary W. Page, Nils Warnock, T. Lee Tibbitts, Dennis Jorgensen, C. Alex Hartman, Lynne E. Stenzel
2014, The Condor (116) 50-61
Effective conservation of migratory species requires comprehensive knowledge of annual movement patterns. Such information is sparse for the Long-billed Curlew (Numenius americanus), a North American endemic shorebird of conservation concern. To test hypotheses about individual and area differences in migratory patterns across western North America, we tagged 29 curlews with...
The 3D Elevation Program: summary for Arizona
William J. Carswell Jr.
2014, Fact Sheet 2014-3085
Elevation data are essential to a broad range of applications, including forest resources management, wildlife and habitat management, national security, recreation, and many others. For the State of Arizona, elevation data are critical for infrastructure and construction management, natural resources conservation, flood risk management, geologic resource assessment and hazard mitigation,...
Patterns of lake occupancy by fish indicate different adaptations to life in a harsh Arctic environment
Trevor B. Haynes, Amanda E. Rosenberger, Mark S. Lindberg, Matthew Whitman, Joel A. Schmutz
2014, Freshwater Biology (59) 1884-1896
Summary For six fish species sampled from 86 lakes on the Arctic Coastal Plain, Alaska, we examined whether lake occupancy was related to variables representing lake size, colonisation potential and/or the presence of overwintering habitat. We found the relative importance of each factor for a given species could be related to its...
Using sightability-adjusted brood-pair ratios to estimate waterfowl productivity
Anthony M. Pagano, Courtney L. Amundson, Matt Pieron, Todd W. Arnold, Timothy C. Kimmel
2014, Wildlife Society Bulletin (38) 566-573
Historically, biologists used brood-pair ratios (BPRs) as an index to waterfowl productivity to help guide management decisions and evaluate conservation practices. However, BPRs are biased by imperfect detection probabilities, especially for broods. We conducted roadside surveys for breeding waterfowl pairs on 7–8 study sites in the springs of 2006–2008 in...
Phenological adjustment in arctic bird species: relative importance of snow melt and ecological factors
Joseph R. Liebezeit, K. E. B. Gurney, Michael E. Budde, Steve Zack, David H. Ward
2014, Polar Biology (37) 1309-1320
Previous studies have documented advancement in clutch initiation dates (CIDs) in response to climate change, most notably for temperate-breeding passerines. Despite accelerated climate change in the Arctic, few studies have examined nest phenology shifts in arctic breeding species. We investigated whether CIDs have advanced for the most abundant breeding shorebird...
Survival of surf scoters and white-winged scoters during remigial molt
Brian D. Uher-Koch, Daniel Esler, Rian D. Dickson, Jerry W. Hupp, Joseph R. Evenson, Eric M. Anderson, Jennifer Barrett, Joel A. Schmutz
2014, Journal of Wildlife Management (78) 1189-1196
Quantifying sources and timing of variation in demographic rates is necessary to determine where and when constraints may exist within the annual cycle of organisms. Surf scoters (Melanitta perspicillata) and white-winged scoters (M. fusca) undergo simultaneous remigial molt during which they are flightless for >1 month. Molt could result in...
Cross-scale assessment of potential habitat shifts in a rapidly changing climate
Catherine S. Jarnevich, Tracy R. Holcombe, Elizabeth Bell, Matthew L. Carlson, Gino Graziano, Melinda Lamb, Steven S. Seefeldt, Jeffrey T. Morisette
2014, Invasive Plant Science and Management (7) 491-502
We assessed the ability of climatic, environmental, and anthropogenic variables to predict areas of high-risk for plant invasion and consider the relative importance and contribution of these predictor variables by considering two spatial scales in a region of rapidly changing climate. We created predictive distribution models, using Maxent, for three...
Development and characterization of microsatellite markers for the Hawaiian coot, Fulica alai, and Hawaiian gallinule, Gallinula galeata sandvicensis, through next-generation sequencing
Sarah A. Sonsthagen, Robert E. Wilson, Jared G. Underwood
2014, Conservation Genetics Resources (6) 765-767
We used next generation shotgun sequencing to develop novel microsatellite markers for two endangered waterbirds; the Hawaiian coot (Fulica alai) and Hawaiian gallinule (Gallinula galeata sandvicensis). The 20 loci polymorphic in the Hawaiian coot displayed moderate allelic diversity (average 3.8 alleles/locus) and heterozygosity (average 59.5 %). The 12 loci variable for...
Accounting for rate variation among lineages in comparative demographic analyses
Andrew G. Hope, Simon Y. W. Ho, Jason L. Malaney, Joseph A. Cook, Sandra L. Talbot
2014, Evolution (68) 2689-2700
Genetic analyses of contemporary populations can be used to estimate the demographic histories of species within an ecological community. Comparison of these demographic histories can shed light on community responses to past climatic events. However, species experience different rates of molecular evolution, and this presents a major obstacle to comparative...
2012 volcanic activity in Alaska: Summary of events and response of the Alaska Volcano Observatory
Julie A. Herrick, Christina A. Neal, Cheryl E. Cameron, James P. Dixon, Robert G. McGimsey
2014, Scientific Investigations Report 2014-5160
The Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO) responded to eruptions, possible eruptions, volcanic unrest, or suspected unrest at 11 volcanic centers in Alaska during 2012. Of the two verified eruptions, one (Cleveland) was clearly magmatic and the other (Kanaga) was most likely a single phreatic explosion. Two other volcanoes had notable seismic...
2011 volcanic activity in Alaska: summary of events and response of the Alaska Volcano Observatory
Robert G. McGimsey, J. Zebulon Maharrey, Christina A. Neal
2014, Scientific Investigations Report 2014-5159
The Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO) responded to eruptions, possible eruptions, and volcanic unrest at or near three separate volcanic centers in Alaska during 2011. The year was highlighted by the unrest and eruption of Cleveland Volcano in the central Aleutian Islands. AVO annual summaries no longer report on activity at...
Irruptive dynamics of introduced caribou on Adak Island, Alaska: an evaluation of Riney-Caughley model predictions
Mark A. Ricca, Dirk H. Van Vuren, Floyd W. Weckerly, Jeffrey C. Williams, A. Keith Miles
2014, Ecosphere (5)
Large mammalian herbivores introduced to islands without predators are predicted to undergo irruptive population and spatial dynamics, but only a few well-documented case studies support this paradigm. We used the Riney-Caughley model as a framework to test predictions of irruptive population growth and spatial expansion of caribou (Rangifer tarandus granti)...
Guidelines for the collection of continuous stream water-temperature data in Alaska
Ryan C. Toohey, Edward G. Neal, Gary L. Solin
2014, Open-File Report 2014-1182
Objectives of stream monitoring programs differ considerably among many of the academic, Federal, state, tribal, and non-profit organizations in the state of Alaska. Broad inclusion of stream-temperature monitoring can provide an opportunity for collaboration in the development of a statewide stream-temperature database. Statewide and regional coordination could reduce overall monitoring...
Effects of permafrost thaw on CO2 and CH4 exchange in a western Alaska peatland chronosequence
Carmel E. Johnston, Stephanie A. Ewing, Jennifer W. Harden, Ruth K. Varner, Kimberly P. Wickland, Joshua C. Koch, Christopher C. Fuller, Kristen L. Manies, M. Torre Jorgenson
2014, Environmental Research Letters (8) 1-12
Permafrost soils store over half of global soil carbon (C), and northern frozen peatlands store about 10% of global permafrost C. With thaw, inundation of high latitude lowland peatlands typically increases the surface-atmosphere flux of methane (CH4), a potent greenhouse gas. To examine the effects of lowland permafrost thaw over...
Resource manager information needs regarding hydrologic regime shifts for the North Pacific Landscape Conservation
Andrea Woodward, Karen Jenni
2014, Open-File Report 2014-1178
Landscape Conservation Cooperatives (LCCs) are a network of 22 public-private partnerships, defined by ecoregion, that share and provide science to ensure the sustainability of land, water, wildlife, and cultural resources in North America. LCCs were established by the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) in recognition of the fact that...
The 3D Elevation Program: summary for Georgia
William J. Carswell Jr.
2014, Fact Sheet 2014-3058
Elevation data are essential to a broad range of applications, including forest resources management, wildlife and habitat management, national security, recreation, and many others. For the State of Georgia, elevation data are critical for infrastructure and construction management, natural resources conservation, flood risk management, agriculture and precision farming, forest resources...
The 3D Elevation Program: summary for Mississippi
William J. Carswell Jr.
2014, Fact Sheet 2014-3057
Elevation data are essential to a broad range of applications, including forest resources management, wildlife and habitat management, national security, recreation, and many others. For the State of Mississippi, elevation data are critical for infrastructure and construction management, flood risk management, agriculture and precision farming, natural resources conservation, forest resources...
Strategic needs of water on the Yukon: an interdisciplinary approach to studying hydrology and climate change in the Lower Yukon River Basin
Nicole M. Herman-Mercer, Paul F. Schuster
2014, Fact Sheet 2014-3060
Strategic Needs of Water on the Yukon (SNOWY) is an interdisciplinary research project funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF; http://www.nsf.gov/). The SNOWY team is made up of a diverse group of researchers from different backgrounds and organizations. This partnership between scientists from different disciplines (hydrology, geography, and...
