The curious case of the old dog in the sand
The discovery of a large fossil canid jawbone in Idaho gives clues to the region’s diverse, verdant past.
Park Science↗
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Search indexed USGS publications on groundwater, aquifers, geologic maps, mineral resources and earthquakes. Explore source records by subject and place.
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Biofluorescence in tiger salamanders documented in Rocky Mountain National Park for the first time
No abstract available.
Colorado↗
So goes the snow: Alaska snowpack changes and impacts on pacific salmon in a warming climate
In Alaska’s watersheds, climate change is altering the nature and role of the snowpack, defined as snow accumulation that melts in spring. Generally, the amount of precipitation that falls as snow and the length of the snow-cover season both decrease as temperatures exceed 0°C (32°F) more frequently. The impacts of climate change on snowpack vary among watersheds. In southern, coastal parts of Alaska, large decreases in spring snowpack are expected by the mid-21st century, even with more winter precipitation because temperatures warm to above freezing, causing a shift from snow to rain or more melt during the winter. In contrast, modest early spring increases in the snowpack are expected in watersheds where temperatures remain below freezing. In these locations temperatures warm but remain cold enough for the extra winter precipitation to fall as snow, even though the snowpack will begin accumulating later in the fall and melt earlier in the spring as temperatures rise during those warmer seasons. Because potential impacts on hydrological and ecological systems will vary among watersheds, it is difficult to generalize the resulting ecological impacts at broad spatial scales. Here, we explore likely impacts on hydrology in critical anadromous fish habitat in southwest Alaska.
Alaska↗
Drought, fire, and archeology in the Jemez Mountains, New Mexico
In the Jemez Mountains of New Mexico, cultural resources and traditional cultural landscapes are vulnerable to compounded impacts of changing climate and wildfires. Here, we discuss impacts to archeological resources observed in recent, high-severity fires, including at Bandelier National Monument and Valles Caldera National Preserve, and describe an interdisciplinary effort to quantity archeological fire effects.
New Mexico↗
Volcanic ash resuspension from the Katmai Region
Volcanic ash is not only a hazard during an eruptive event; in strong winds, previously deposited loose volcanic ash can be picked up and reworked into dust clouds. Resuspension and transport of fine-grained volcanic ash from Katmai National Park and Preserve, Alaska has been observed and documented many times over the past several decades and has likely been occurring throughout the time interval since the 1912 Novarupta-Katmai eruption (Hadley et al. 2004). This eruption, the largest in the world during the 20th Century, produced approximately 4 cubic miles (17 cubic km) of ash deposits and 2.6 cubic miles (11 cubic km) of pyroclastic material that filled nearby valleys, creating what is today known as the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes (VTTS; Fierstein and Hildreth 1992). Ash in this valley is up to 660 feet (200 m) thick and the valley remains almost entirely free of vegetation (Figure 1).
Alaska↗
Volcanic hazards in Alaska’s National Parks
There are over 100 volcanoes in Alaska, 54 of which are considered historically active. A historically active volcano is one that fits one of the following criteria: a documented or strongly suspected eruption since the year 1700, persistent fumaroles near boiling point, significant deformation with a volcanic cause, or an earthquake swarm with a volcanic cause (Cameron and Schaefer, 2016). Alaska’s National Parks, Preserves, and Monuments contain a total of 14 historically active volcanoes (Fig. 1). There are numerous other volcanoes within Alaska’s National Parks, Preserves, and Monuments that are not considered historically active but which could erupt at some point in the future. In the past 100 years, there have been seven confirmed eruptions from historically active volcanoes within Alaska’s National Parks, Preserves, and Monuments. The Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO) monitors and conducts research on volcanoes in Alaska in order to better understand volcanic processes and determine the likelihood of future volcanic hazards, with a primary goal of informing the public and local, state, and federal entities about volcanic hazards and impending volcanic activity. Volcanic hazards in Alaska’s National Parks, Preserves, and Monuments include both proximal hazards (within 30 km or 19 mi of the vent) and distal hazards that are capable of impacting areas at the regional, national, or international scale.
Alaska↗
Planning for future climates at Wrangell-St. Elias: Mainstreaming park-based actions
No abstract available.
Alaska↗
Understanding flooding and channel dynamics along the Taiya River: Providing context for resource management
Flooding and channel change in the Taiya River Basin in recent decades have directly affected park infrastructure and cultural resources. The complexities of flooding and channel change are compounded by the changing sediment and flow regime from a changing climate and shrinking glaciers, which will continue to drive dynamic riverine change. Streamflow data and geomorphic interpretation helped us place these events in context to inform decision making that takes dynamic natural processes into account.
Alaska↗
Brewing change in the (glacier) percolation zone
Alaska's glaciers are losing mass at the fastest rate of any region globally, significantly affecting both the volume and distribution of water across the landscape. Though glaciers in the Alaska region (as defined by glaciologists this includes both Alaska and portions of adjacent Canada) range from sea level to nearly 6200 m (20,320 ft), the majority of glacier area in the Alaska region is concentrated between 900 and 2100 m (2950 to 6890 ft). Long term glacier monitoring in Alaska by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Benchmark Glacier Project is on moderate-sized glaciers with distributions of glacier area in this elevation range. These are some of the longest in-situ records of glacier mass change in the world. The process-based understanding of glacier change on those “Benchmark Glaciers” is robust, but it is limited to the range of conditions present on those particular glaciers—at moderate elevations—where large amounts of melt water and rain pass through the glacier and into the downstream ecosystem on an annual basis.
Alaska↗
Intertidal community responses to perturbations along Alaska park coastlines
Nearshore ecosystems are highly productive zones with strong connections to both terrestrial and open ocean ecosystems. The rocky intertidal is a highly dynamic ecosystem and changes over a variety of spatial and temporal scales depending on the factors contributing to the change. Here we summarize how nearshore communities and species responded to several perturbations to intertidal communities within Alaska’s coastal national parks.
Alaska↗
Exploring how Dolly Varden in Arctic streams respond to changes from permafrost thaw
The influence of permafrost thaw on aquatic ecosystems is complex. Carbon, nutrients, and metals in stream discharge result in changing stream color, chemistry, and temperature. These different processes create a mosaic of spatially and temporally dynamic disturbances across the landscape with complex effects on the ecology.
Alaska↗
Investigating the role of lake environments and food chains on the transfer of mercury to lake trout
Mercury contamination can pose threats to fish, wildlife, and people. Methylmercury, found in fish, can be particularly detrimental, especially to children. This study explores the sources and concentrations of mercury and proposes how people can become aware and limit their exposure.
Alaska↗
Connecting the dots: Using multiple datasets to monitor the brown bear population in Katmai National Park and Preserve
Monitoring wide-ranging wildlife populations is challenging. Surveys are time consuming, expensive, and observation conditions need to be just right. But confidently assessing the number of animals, and if their numbers are increasing or decreasing is important for park management and ecological understanding. This article describes survey methods and how they can be combined for the most accurate estimates.
Alaska↗
Monitoring for the future of Central Alaska streams
Streams are good indicators of change and the health of watersheds. By monitoring stream chemical composition and the kinds of life they support, we can learn about how they are being stressed (by activities such as mining or climate change) or recovering from a stress (after restoration efforts). But Central Alaska watersheds and the natural stream conditions they produce are diverse. From long-term monitoring, and repeat measurements, we can start to understand the related baselines and fine-tune our understanding of changes.
Alaska↗
Using monitoring data to understand lake water quality trends in southwest Alaskan National Parks
Lakes are vital ecosystems in southwest Alaska, supporting Pacific salmon, wildlife, and people. In Katmai and Lake Clark National Parks and Preserves, lakes span diverse landscapes containing volcanic uplands, glacier-fed valleys, and tundra all of which combine to influence their temperature, water quality, and ability to support critical uses. As the regional climate shifts, our understanding of lake responses requires more than just measurements of the lake surface water. Through long-term sampling of lakes from the surface to deep waters, we track how the environment —shaped by weather, geology, and land cover—governs lake water quality, including temperature, dissolved oxygen, specific conductance, pH, and turbidity. These data help us understand and predict how lake water quality will change across seasons and landscapes, and what this will mean for lake ecology and the habitats fish and wildlife depend on. This work builds a foundation for predicting how Alaska’s lakes are changing and what that means for the ecosystems and communities they support.
Alaska↗
Protecting national parks from air pollution effects: Making sausage from science and policy
The story of air pollution research, policy development, and management in national parks is a fascinating blend of cultural change, vision, interdisciplinary and interagency collaboration, and science-policy-management-stakeholder collaborations. Unable to ignore the loss of iconic vistas from regional haze and loss of fish from acid rain in the 1980s, the National Park Service (NPS) embraced an obligation to protect resources from threats originating outside park boundaries. Upholding the Organic Act requirement for parks to remain "unimpaired" for the enjoyment of future generations, and using the Clean Air Act statement that NPS has an “affirmative responsibility” to protect park resources, NPS has supported, and effectively used, research as a means to protect lands, waters, and vistas from a mostly unseen threat. Using visibility and atmospheric nitrogen deposition as examples, we will illustrate some success stories where NPS led the way to benefit not only parks, but the Nation.
Book chapter↗
U.S. Geological Survey Science Support Strategy for Biscayne National Park and Surrounding Areas in Southeastern Florida
The U.S. Geological Survey conducts a wide range of research in and around the Biscayne National Park region of southern Florida. This research encompasses the biologic, ecologic, meteorologic, geologic, and hydrologic components of the system, including water-quality analyses, ground-water modeling, hydrogeologic-data collection, ecologic-habitat evaluations, wetlands characterizations, biogeochemistry of ecosystems, and paleo-ecologic analyses. Relevant information is provided herein for researchers and managers interested in the Biscayne Bay area and about current U.S. Geological Survey efforts that address important resource protection and management issues. Specifically, managers and scientists are provided with information on current and recently completed U.S. Geological Survey projects and a sample listing of potential U.S. Geological Survey research projects addressing relevant issues that face the study area.
Open-File Report↗
Inventory of montane-nesting birds in the Arctic Network of National Parks, Alaska
The Alaska Science Center of the U.S. Geological Survey conducted an inventory of birds in montane areas of the four northern parks in the Arctic Network of National Parks, Alaska. This effort represents the first comprehensive assessment of breeding range and habitat associations for the majority of avian species in the Arctic Network. Ultimately, these data provide a framework upon which to design future monitoring programs. A stratified random sampling design was used to select sample plots (n = 73 plots) that were allocated in proportion to the availability of ecological subsections. Point counts (n = 1,652) were conducted to quantify abundance, distribution, and habitat associations of birds. Field work occurred over three years (2001 to 2003) during two-week-long sessions in late May through early June that coincided with peak courtship activity of breeding birds. Totals of 53 species were recorded in Cape Krusenstern National Monument, 91 in Noatak National Preserve, 57 in Kobuk Valley National Park, and 96 in Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve. Substantial proportions of species in individual parks are considered species of conservation concern (18 to 26%) or species of stewardship responsibility of the land managers in the region (8 to 18%). The most commonly detected passerines on point counts included Redpoll spp. ( Carduelis flammea and C. hornemanni ), Savannah Sparrow ( Passerculus sandwichensis ), and American Tree Sparrow ( Spizella arborea ). The most numerous shorebirds were American Golden-Plover ( Pluvialis dominica ), Wilson’s Snipe ( Gallinago delicata ), and Whimbrel ( Numenius phaeopus ). Most species were detected at low rates, reflecting the low breeding densities (and/or low detectabilities) of birds in the montane Arctic. Suites of species were associated with particular ranges of elevation and showed strong associations with particular habitat types.
Alaska↗