National assessment of shoreline change: historical shoreline change along the Pacific Northwest coast
Peter Ruggerio, Meredith G. Kratzmann, Emily A. Himmelstoss, David Reid, Jonathan Allan, George Kaminsky
2013, Open-File Report 2012-1007
Beach erosion is a chronic problem along most open ocean shores of the United States. As coastal populations continue to increase and infrastructure is threatened by erosion, there is increased demand for accurate information regarding past and present trends and rates of shoreline movement. There is also a need for...
Loess origin, transport, and deposition over the past 10,000 years, Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, Alaska
Daniel R. Muhs, James R. Budahn, John P. McGeehin, E. Arthur Bettis III, Gary L. Skipp, James B. Paces, Elisabeth A. Wheeler
2013, Aeolian Research (11) 85-99
Contemporary glaciogenic dust has not received much attention, because most research has been on glaciogenic dust of the last glacial period or non-glaciogenic dust of the present interglacial period. Nevertheless, dust from modern glaciogenic sources may be important for Fe inputs to primary producers in the ocean. Adjacent to the...
Sampling design for long-term regional trends in marine rocky intertidal communities
Gail V. Irvine, Alice Shelley
2013, Environmental Monitoring and Assessment (185) 6963-6987
Probability-based designs reduce bias and allow inference of results to the pool of sites from which they were chosen. We developed and tested probability-based designs for monitoring marine rocky intertidal assemblages at Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve (GLBA), Alaska. A multilevel design was used that varied in scale and...
Effect of ultramafic intrusions and associated mineralized rocks on the aqueous geochemistry of the Tangle Lakes Area, Alaska
Bronwen Wang, Larry P. Gough, Richard B. Wanty, Gregory K. Lee, James Vohden, J. Michael O’Neill, L. Jack Kerin
2013, Professional Paper 1795-C
Stream water was collected at 30 sites within the Tangle Lakes area of the Delta mineral belt in Alaska. Sampling focused on streams near the ultramafic rocks of the Fish Lake intrusive complex south of Eureka Creek and the Tangle Complex area east of Fourteen Mile Lake, as well as...
Inundation, sedimentation, and subsidence creates goose habitat along the Arctic coast of Alaska
Ken D. Tape, Paul L. Flint, Brandt W. Meixell, Benjamin V. Gaglioti
2013, Environmental Research Letters (8)
The Arctic Coastal Plain of Alaska is characterized by thermokarst lakes and drained lake basins, and the rate of coastal erosion has increased during the last half-century. Portions of the coast are <1 m above sea level for kilometers inland, and are underlain by ice-rich permafrost. Increased storm surges or...
Mercury in gray wolves (Canis lupus) in Alaska: Increased exposure through consumption of marine prey
Ashley K. McGrew, Lora R. Ballweber, Sara K. Moses, Craig A. Stricker, Kimberlee B. Beckmen, Mo D. Salman, Todd M. O’Hara
2013, Science of the Total Environment (468-469) 609-613
Mercury (Hg) bioaccumulates in the tissues of organismsand biomagnifies within food-webs. Graywolves (Canis lupus) in Alaska primarily acquire Hg through diet; therefore, comparing the extent of Hg exposure inwolves, in conjunction with stable isotopes, from interior and coastal regions of Alaska offers important insight into their feeding ecology. Liver,...
Estuarine environments as rearing habitats for juvenile Coho Salmon in contrasting south-central Alaska watersheds
Tammy D. Hoem Neher, Amanda E. Rosenberger, Christian E. Zimmerman, Coowe M. Walker, Steven J. Baird
2013, Transactions of the American Fisheries Society (142) 1481-1494
For Pacific salmon, estuaries are typically considered transitional staging areas between freshwater and marine environments, but their potential as rearing habitat has only recently been recognized. The objectives of this study were two-fold: (1) to determine if Coho Salmon Oncorhynchus kisutch were rearing in estuarine habitats, and (2) to characterize...
Controls on ecosystem and root respiration across a permafrost and wetland gradient in interior Alaska
Nicole A. McConnell, Merritt R. Turetsky, A. David McGuire, Evan S. Kane, Mark P. Waldrop, Jennifer W. Harden
2013, Environmental Research Letters (8)
Permafrost is common to many northern wetlands given the insulation of thick organic soil layers, although soil saturation in wetlands can lead to warmer soils and increased thaw depth. We analyzed five years of soil CO2 fluxes along a wetland gradient that varied in permafrost and soil moisture conditions. We...
Evaluation of blood and muscle tissues for molecular detection and characterization of hematozoa infections in northern pintails (Anas acuta) wintering in California
Andrew M. Ramey, Joel A. Schmutz, Joseph P. Fleskes, Michael J. Yabsley
2013, International Journal for Parasitology: Parasites and Wildlife (2) 102-109
Information on the molecular detection of hematozoa from different tissue types and multiple years would be useful to inform sample collection efforts and interpret results of meta-analyses or investigations spanning multiple seasons. In this study, we tested blood and muscle tissue collected from northern pintails (Anas acuta) during autumn and...
Constructing a reference tephrochronology for Augustine Volcano, Alaska
Kristi L. Wallace, Michelle L. Coombs
2013, Book, American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting 2013
Augustine Volcano is the most historically active volcano in Alaska's populous Cook Inlet region. Past on-island work on pre-historic tephra deposits mainly focused on using tephra layers as markers to help distinguish among prevalent debris-avalanche deposits on the island (Waitt and Beget, 2009, USGS Prof Paper 1762), or as source...
Choosing and using climate change scenarios for ecological-impact assessments and conservation decisions
Amy K. Snover, Nathan J. Mantua, Jeremy S. Littell, Michael A. Alexander, Michelle M. McClure, Janet Nye
2013, Conservation Biology (27) 1147-1157
Increased concern over climate change is demonstrated by the many efforts to assess climate effects and develop adaptation strategies. Scientists, resource managers, and decision makers are increasingly expected to use climate information, but they struggle with its uncertainty. With the current proliferation of climate simulations and downscaling methods, scientifically credible...
Differentiation of subspecies and sexes of Beringian Dunlins using morphometric measures
H. River Gates, Stephen Yezerinac, Abby N. Powell, Pavel S. Tomkovich, Olga P. Valchuk, Richard B. Lanctot
2013, Journal of Field Ornithology (84) 389-402
Five subspecies of Dunlins (Calidris alpina) that breed in Beringia are potentially sympatric during the non-breeding season. Studying their ecology during this period requires techniques to distinguish individuals by subspecies. Our objectives were to determine (1) if five morphometric measures (body mass, culmen, head, tarsus, and wing chord) differed between...
Geomorphic factors related to the persistence of subsurface oil from the Exxon Valdez oil spill
Zachary Nixon, Jacqueline Michel, Miles O. Hayes, Gail V. Irvine, Jeff Short
2013, Journal of Coastal Research 115-127
Oil from the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill has persisted along shorelines of Prince William Sound, Alaska, for more than two decades as both surface and subsurface oil residues. To better understand the distribution of persistent subsurface oil and assess the potential need for further restoration, a thorough and quantitative...
Genetic diversity and mutation of avian paramyxovirus serotype 1 (Newcastle disease virus) in wild birds and evidence for intercontinental spread
Andrew M. Ramey, Andrew B. Reeves, Haruko Ogawa, Hon S. Ip, Kunitoshi Imai, V. N. Bui, Emi Yamaguchi, N. Y. Silko, C.L. Afonso
2013, Archives of Virology (158) 2495-2503
Avian paramyxovirus serotype 1 (APMV-1), or Newcastle disease virus, is the causative agent of Newcastle disease, one of the most economically important diseases for poultry production worldwide and a cause of periodic epizootics in wild birds in North America. In this study, we examined the genetic diversity of APMV-1 isolated...
Modeling the effects of fire severity and climate warming on active layer and soil carbon dynamics of black spruce forests across the landscape in interior Alaska
H. Genet, Anthony D. McGuire, K. Barrett, A. Breen, E.S. Euskirchen, J.F. Johnstone, E.S. Kasischke, A.M. Melvin, A. Bennett, M.C. Mack, T.S. Rupp, A.E.G. Schuur, M.R. Turetsky, F. Yuan
2013, Environmental Research Letters (8)
There is a substantial amount of carbon stored in the permafrost soils of boreal forest ecosystems, where it is currently protected from decomposition. The surface organic horizons insulate the deeper soil from variations in atmospheric temperature. The removal of these insulating horizons through consumption by fire increases the vulnerability of...
The 3D Elevation Program: summary for Alabama
William J. Carswell Jr.
2013, Fact Sheet 2013-3105
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 Alabama, elevation data are critical for flood risk management; infrastructure and construction management; wildfire management, planning, and response; natural resources conservation; geologic...
Two flysch belts having distinctly different provenance suggest no stratigraphic link between the Wrangellia composite terrane and the paleo-Alaskan margin
Chad P. Hults, Frederic H. Wilson, Raymond A. Donelick, Paul B. O'Sullivan
2013, Lithosphere (5) 575-594
The provenance of Jurassic to Cretaceous flysch along the northern boundary of the allochthonous Wrangellia composite terrane, exposed from the Lake Clark region of southwest Alaska to the Nutzotin Mountains in eastern Alaska, suggests that the flysch can be divided into two belts having different sources. On the north, the...
Brant (Branta bernnicla)
David H. Ward, Dirk V. Derksen, A. Reed, J.S. Sedinger
2013, Report, The Birds of North America Online
The Brant (called Brent Goose in Europe) is a small dark goose that occurs throughout much of the northern hemisphere. In contrast to other goose species, Brant are characterized by their extensive use of native coastal habitats outside the breeding season. Three to four subspecies are recognized (see Systematics), mainly on the...
Species data: National inventory of range maps and distribution models
Kevin J. Gergely, Alexa McKerrow
2013, Fact Sheet 2013-3087
The Gap Analysis Project (GAP) produces data and tools that help meet critical national challenges such as biodiversity conservation, renewable energy development, climate change adaptation, and infrastructure investment. The GAP species data includes vertebrate range maps and distribution models for the continental United States, as well as Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto...
Terrestrial ecosystems: national inventory of vegetation and land use
Kevin J. Gergely, Alexa McKerrow
2013, Fact Sheet 2013-3085
The Gap Analysis Project (GAP)/Landscape Fire and Resource Management Planning Tools (LANDFIRE) National Terrestrial Ecosystems Data represents detailed data on the vegetation and land-use patterns of the United States, including Alaska, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico. This national dataset combines detailed land cover data generated by the GAP with LANDFIRE data...
Recent lake ice-out phenology within and among lake districts of Alaska, U.S.A.
Christopher D. Arp, Benjamin M. Jones, Guido Grosse
2013, Limnology and Oceanography (58) 2013-2028
The timing of ice-out in high latitudes is a fundamental threshold for lake ecosystems and an indicator of climate change. In lake-rich regions, the loss of ice cover also plays a key role in landscape and climatic processes. Thus, there is a need to understand lake ice phenology at multiple...
Genetics, recruitment, and migration patterns of Arctic Cisco (Coregonus autumnalis) in the Colville River, Alaska and Mackenzie River, Canada
Christian E. Zimmerman, Andrew M. Ramey, S. Turner, Franz J. Mueter, S. Murphy, Jennifer L. Nielsen
2013, Polar Biology (36) 1543-1555
Arctic cisco Coregonus autumnalis have a complex anadromous life history, many aspects of which remain poorly understood. Some life history traits of Arctic cisco from the Colville River, Alaska, and Mackenzie River basin, Canada, were investigated using molecular genetics, harvest data, and otolith microchemistry. The Mackenzie hypothesis, which suggests that...
Atmospheric deposition and critical loads for nitrogen and metals in Arctic Alaska: Review and current status
Greg L. Linder, William G. Brumbaugh, Peter Neitlich, Edward Little
2013, Open Journal of Air Pollution (2) 76-99
To protect important resources under their bureau’s purview, the United States National Park Service’s (NPS) Arctic Network (ARCN) has developed a series of “vital signs” that are to be periodically monitored. One of these vital signs focuses on wet and dry deposition of atmospheric chemicals and further, the establishment of...
Forest ecosystems: Vegetation, disturbance, and economics
Jeremy S. Littell, Jeffrey A. Hicke, Sarah L. Shafer, Susan M. Capalbo, Laurie L. Houston, Patty Glick
2013, Book chapter, Climate change in the northwest: Implications for our landscapes, waters, and communities
Forests cover about 47% of the Northwest (NW–Washington, Oregon, and Idaho) (Smith et al. 2009, fig. 5.1, table 5.1). The impacts of current and future climate change on NW forest ecosystems are a product of the sensitivities of ecosystem processes to climate and the degree to which humans depend on...
Early and late Holocene glacial fluctuations and tephrostratigraphy, Cabin Lake, Alaska
Paul D. Zander, Darrell S. Kaufman, Stephen C. Kuehn, Kristi L. Wallace, R. Scott Anderson
2013, Journal of Quaternary (28) 761-771
Marked changes in sediment types deposited in Cabin Lake, near Cordova, Alaska, represent environmental shifts during the early and late Holocene, including fluctuations in the terminal position of Sheridan Glacier. Cabin Lake is situated to receive meltwater during periods when the outwash plain of the advancing Sheridan Glacier had aggraded....
