Northern Pintail
Robert G. Clark, Joseph P. Fleskes, Karla L. Guyn, David A. Haukos, Jane E. Austin, Michael R. Miller
2014, The Birds of North America
This medium-sized dabbling duck of slender, elegant lines and conservative plumage coloration is circumpolar in distribution and abundant in North America, with core nesting habitat in Alaska and the Prairie Pothole Region of southern Canada and the northern Great Plains. Breeders favor shallow wetlands interspersed throughout prairie grasslands or arctic...
Evaluation of potential protective factors against metabolic syndrome in bottlenose dolphins:feeding and activity patterns of dolphins in Sarasota Bay, Florida
Randall S. Wells, Katherine A. McHugh, David C. Douglas, Steve Shippee, Elizabeth Berens McCabe, Nélio B. Barros, Goldie T. Phillips
2014, Frontiers in Endocrinology (4) 1-16
Free-ranging bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) living in Sarasota Bay, Florida appear to have a lower risk of developing insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome compared to a group of dolphins managed under human care. Similar to humans, differences in diet and activity cycles between these groups may explain why Sarasota dolphins...
Free-living waterfowl and shorebirds
Daniel M. Mulcahey
2014, Book chapter, Zoo animal and wildlife immobilization and anesthesia
No abstract available....
Demography and behavior of polar bears summering on land in Alaska
Elizabeth L. Peacock
2014, Report
Polar bears (Ursus maritimus) in the southern Beaufort Sea population (SB) are spending increased time on the coastal North Slope of Alaska between July and October (Gleason and Rode 2010). The duration spent on land by polar bears, satellite collared on the sea-ice in the spring, during the summer and...
New imaging of submarine landslides from the 1964 earthquake near Whittier, Alaska, and a comparison to failures in other Alaskan fjords
Peter J. Haeussler, Thomas E. Parsons, David P. Finlayson, Patrick J. Hart, Jason D. Chaytor, Holly F Ryan, Homa J. Lee, Keith A. Labay, Andrew Peterson, Lee Liberty
2014, Book chapter, Submarine mass movements and their consequences, Advances in Natural and Technological Hazards Research Vol. 37
The 1964 Alaska M w 9.2 earthquake triggered numerous submarine slope failures in fjords of southern Alaska. These failures generated local tsunamis, such as at Whittier, where they inundated the town within 4 min of the beginning of shaking. Run-up was up to 32 m, with 13 casualties....
Spatial distribution of mercury in southeastern Alaskan streams influenced by glaciers, wetlands, and salmon
Sonia A. Nagorski, Daniel R. Engstrom, John P. Hudson, David P. Krabbenhoft, Eran Hood, John F. DeWild, George R. Aiken
2014, Environmental Pollution (184) 62-72
Southeastern Alaska is a remote coastal-maritime ecosystem that is experiencing increased deposition of mercury (Hg) as well as rapid glacier loss. Here we present the results of the first reported survey of total and methyl Hg (MeHg) concentrations in regional streams and biota. Overall, streams draining large wetland areas had...
Change-in-ratio
Mark S. Udevitz
2014, Book chapter, Encyclopedia of Environmetrics
Change-in-ratio (CIR) methods are used to estimate parameters for ecological populations subject to differential removals from population subclasses. Subclasses can be defined according to criteria such as sex, age, or size of individuals. Removals are generally in the form of closely monitored sport or commercial harvests. Estimation is based on...
Variation in the response of an Arctic top predator experiencing habitat loss: Feeding and reproductive ecology of two polar bear populations
Karyn D. Rode, Eric V. Regehr, David C. Douglas, George M. Durner, Andrew E. Derocher, Gregory W. Thiemann, Suzanne M. Budge
2014, Global Change Biology (20) 76-88
Polar bears (Ursus maritimus) have experienced substantial changes in the seasonal availability of sea ice habitat in parts of their range, including the Beaufort, Chukchi, and Bering Seas. In this study, we compared the body size, condition, and recruitment of polar bears captured in the Chukchi and Bering Seas (CS)...
Abdominally implanted satellite transmitters affect reproduction and survival rather than migration of large shorebirds
Jos C. E. W. Hooijmeijer, Robert E. Gill Jr., Daniel M. Mulcahey, T. Lee Tibbitts, Rosemarie Kentie, Gerrit J. Gerritsen, Leo W. Bruinzeel, David C. Tijssen, Christopher M. Harwood, Theunis Piersma
2014, Journal of Ornithology (155) 447-457
Satellite telemetry has become a common technique to investigate avian life-histories, but whether such tagging will affect fitness is a critical unknown. In this study, we evaluate multi-year effects of implanted transmitters on migratory timing and reproductive performance in shorebirds. Shorebirds increasingly are recognized as good models in ecology and...
Commercial possibilities for stranded conventional gas from Alaska's North Slope
E.D. Attanasi, P.A. Freeman
2014, Natural Resources Research (23) 175-193
Stranded gas resources are defined for this study as gas resources in discrete accumulations that are not currently commercially producible, or producible at full potential, for either physical or economic reasons. Approximately 35 trillion cubic feet (TCF) of stranded gas was identified on Alaska’s North Slope. The commercialization of this...
Remote biopsy darting and marking of polar bears
Anthony M. Pagano, Elizabeth L. Peacock, Melissa A. McKinney
2014, Marine Mammal Science (30) 169-183
Remote biopsy darting of polar bears (Ursus maritimus) is less invasive and time intensive than physical capture and is therefore useful when capture is challenging or unsafe. We worked with two manufacturers to develop a combination biopsy and marking dart for use on polar bears. We had an 80% success...
Trails through time: A geologist's guide to Jefferson County open space parks
John C. Reed
2014, Book
Introduction Jefferson County straddles one of the most conspicuous and important geographic and geologic boundaries in westernNorth America, the eastern flank of the Rocky Mountains. To the east you can travel 1,100 miles across Great Plains andCentral Lowlands before you sight the western foothills of the Appalachians. If you...
Sources of global climate data and visualization portals
David C. Douglas
2014, Conference Paper, Gyrfalcons and Ptarmigan in a Changing World, Conference Proceedings
Climate is integral to the geophysical foundation upon which ecosystems are structured. Knowledge about mechanistic linkages between the geophysical and biological environments is essential for understanding how global warming may reshape contemporary ecosystems and ecosystem services. Numerous global data sources spanning several decades are available that document key geophysical metrics...
LANDFIRE 2001 and 2008 refresh: geographic area report: Alaska
Joel A. Connot
2014, Report
The LANDFIRE National Project (LF_1.0.0) was successfully completed in 2009. The goal of LANDFIRE National was to generate consistent 2001 vintage 30 meter spatial data sets for all 50 States for fire and other natural resource applications. This report highlights results from the continuation of LANDFIRE as a program to update the spatial...
Modeling erosion of ice-rich permafrost bluffs along the Alaskan Beaufort Sea coast
Katherine R. Barnhart, Robert S. Anderson, Irina Overeem, Cameron Wobus, Gary D. Clow, Frank E. Urban
2013, Journal of Geophysical Research F: Earth Surface (119) 1155-1179
The Arctic climate is changing, inducing accelerating retreat of ice-rich permafrost coastal bluffs. Along Alaska’s Beaufort Sea coast, erosion rates have increased roughly threefold from 6.8 to 19 m yr−1 since 1955 while the sea ice-free season has increased roughly twofold from 45 to 100 days since 1979. We develop a numerical model...
Triggered tremor sweet spots in Alaska
Joan Gomberg, Stephanie Prejean
2013, Journal of Geophysical Research B: Solid Earth (118) 6203-6218
To better understand what controls fault slip along plate boundaries, we have exploited the abundance of seismic and geodetic data available from the richly varied tectonic environments composing Alaska. A search for tremor triggered by 11 large earthquakes throughout all of seismically monitored Alaska reveals two tremor “sweet spots”—regions where...
Executive summary: Climate change in the northwest: Implications for our landscapes, waters, and communities
Meghan M. Dalton, Jeffrey Bethel, Susan M. Capalbo, J.E. Cuhaciyan, Sanford D. Eigenbrode, Patty Glick, Laurie L. Houston, Jeremy S. Littell, Kathy Lynn, Philip W. Mote, Rick R. Raymondi, W. Spencer Reeder, Sarah L. Shafer, Amy K. Snover
2013, Book chapter, Climate change in the northwest: Implications for our landscapes, waters, and communities
Climate Change in the Northwest: Implications for Our Landscapes, Waters, and Communities is aimed at assessing the state of knowledge about key climate impacts and consequences to various sectors and communities in the northwest United States. It draws on a wealth of peer-reviewed literature, earlier state-level assessment reports conducted for...
Powassan virus in mammals, Alaska and New Mexico, USA, and Russia, 2004–2007
Eleanor R. Deardorff, Robert A. Nofchissey, Joseph A. Cook, Andrew G. Hope, Albina Tsvetkova, Sandra L. Talbot, Gregory D. Ebel
2013, Emerging Infectious Diseases (19)
Powassan virus is endemic to the United States, Canada, and the Russian Far East. We report serologic evidence of circulation of this virus in Alaska, New Mexico, and Siberia. These data support further studies of viral ecology in rapidly changing Arctic environments....
Megathrust splay faults at the focus of the Prince William Sound asperity, Alaska
Lee M. Liberty, Shaun P. Finn, Peter J. Haeussler, Thomas L. Pratt, Andrew Peterson
2013, Journal of Geophysical Research (118) 5428-5441
High-resolution sparker and crustal-scale air gun seismic reflection data, coupled with repeat bathymetric surveys, document a region of repeated coseismic uplift on the portion of the Alaska subduction zone that ruptured in 1964. This area defines the western limit of Prince William Sound. Differencing of vintage and modern bathymetric surveys...
Insights and issues with simulating terrestrial DOC loading of Arctic river networks
David W. Kicklighter, Daniel J. Hayes, James W. McClelland, Bruce J. Peterson, A. David McGuire, Jerry M. Melillo
2013, Ecological Applications (23) 1817-1836
Terrestrial carbon dynamics influence the contribution of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) to river networks in addition to hydrology. In this study, we use a biogeochemical process model to simulate the lateral transfer of DOC from land to the Arctic Ocean via riverine transport. We estimate that, over the 20th century,...
Brant (Branta bernicla)
T.L. Lewis, David H. Ward, James S. Sedinger, Austin Reed, Dirk V. Derksen
2013, The Birds of North America
No abstract available...
Rapid chemical evolution of tropospheric volcanic emissions from Redoubt Volcano, Alaska, based on observations of ozone and halogen-containing gases
Cynthia A. Werner, Peter J. Kelly, Christoph Kern, T.J. Roberts, A. Aluppe
2013, Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research (259) 317-333
We report results from an observational and modeling study of reactive chemistry in the tropospheric plume emitted by Redoubt Volcano, Alaska. Our measurements include the first observations of Br and I degassing from an Alaskan volcano, the first study of O3 evolution in a volcanic plume, as well as the first...
Water-quality data of lakes and wetlands in the Yukon Flats, Alaska, 2007–2009
Douglas R. Halm, Nikki Guldager
2013, Open-File Report 2012-1208
Over a three-year period (2007–2009), in-situ measurements were taken and water-quality samples were collected from 111 lakes and wetlands located in the Yukon Flats, Alaska, during a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service wetlands inventory. The U.S. Geological Survey performed the chemical analyses on the retrieved water-quality samples. Results from the...
The 3D Elevation Program: summary for Florida
William J. Carswell Jr.
2013, Fact Sheet 2013-3058
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 Florida, elevation data are critical for natural resources conservation; flood risk management; infrastructure and construction management; coastal zone management; sea level rise...
Field guide to the geology of the Denali National Park Road and the Parks Highway from Cantwell to Healy
Chad P. Hults, Danny L. Capps, Phil F. Brease
2013, Book
The Denali National Park & Preserve area provides one of the few opportunities in Alaska for road-side access to good rock outcrops. The rocks and surficial deposits exposed in the Denali area span from the Paleozoic to the Quaternary. It is a structurally complex area that contains a history of...
