Release Date: May 24, 2005
Contacts: Stephanie Hanna (206) 331-0335 shanna@usgs.gov
Durelle Smith (907) 786-7104 dpsmith@usgs.gov
A New Partnership for the Earth Science Information Center Enhances Public
Access to USGS Maps and Information in Alaska
In commemoration of the 110th Anniversary of the U.S. Geological Survey
(USGS) in Alaska, there will be a special Open House in the map sales area
of the USGS Alaska Science Center in Anchorage. The Open House will also
celebrate the new partnership between the USGS and the Alaska Natural
History Association to operate the Earth Science Information Center.
USGS scientists and their new partners: the Alaska Natural History
Association.
Grace Hall, Alaska Pacific University, University Drive, Anchorage.
For driving directions to the university see Map & Directions at
http://www.alaskapacific.edu/university_info/
Saturday, June 4, noon to 5:00 p.m.
More than 4000 maps, satellite imagery, USGS studies, reports and
other products about Alaska and the nation; and resource materials from the
Alaska Natural History Association. In addition, there will be new
interactive displays, including 'Science Portal' a new web-based tool to
improve public access to USGS studies in Alaska; 'Wandering Wildlife' (a
look into the far-ranging movements of polar bears, salmon, walrus, and sea
ducks through USGS satellite and radio telemetry data); '3-D Bridge Scour'
(USGS models used to protect our bridges during floods), and 'Tephra' (a look
at how USGS uses volcanic ash to understand Alaska's eruptive past).
In 1895, Congress appropriated $5,000 for the USGS to begin
land surveying and mineral exploration activities in Alaska. In 2005, the
USGS Alaska Science Center¹s 200 scientists and support staff provide high
quality science on a wide range of resources valued by the citizens of
Alaska and the Nation. USGS operates a partnership network of water
monitoring stations to develop a better understanding of Alaska's water
resources; provides land cover imagery and maps essential to land planning
and hazard response; conducts regional mineral, oil, and gas assessments;
studies the far-ranging animals of the arctic; warns of volcano activity,
and much more. In short, USGS science is present in the day-to-day lives
and interests of nearly all Alaskans (http://alaska.usgs.gov).
The USGS serves the nation by providing reliable scientific information to
describe and understand the Earth; minimize loss of life and property from
natural disasters; manage water, biological, energy, and mineral resources;
and enhance and protect our quality of life.
(pdf file 913 kb) USGS Alaska Science Center scientists are releasing a report on the first season of work on the DOI Landscape Initiative the week of January 18. This report will be useful to Federal land management agencies and Alaska native organizations who have jurisdiction over the Arctic Coastal Plain, including the National Petroleum Reserve, Alaska (NPRA) because it assesses how recent environmental changes influence the distribution and abundance of important bird species in the region. The scientists analyzed long-term distribution of four species of geese and found that they have shifted significantly since the original designation of the Teshepuk Lake Special Area (TLSA) within the NPRA in 1979. Time-series aerial photographs of lakes used by geese were used to discover significant changes over the last two decades in structure and landcover characteristics of the area and documented a decrease of important feeding habitats near the margins of lakes. These results are consistent with higher evaporative water loss due to elevated temperatures in recent decades. Additionally, lake structures have been breached by the Beaufort Sea due to significant shoreline erosion. High rates of coastal erosion have resulted in saltwater intrusion in freshwater habitats, particularly in the northeast part of the TLSA. Saltwater intrusion is expected to quickly alter foraging habitats for geese, important subsistence species for Alaska Natives. The report confirms that ecosystems within the NPRA are highly dynamic and are capable of changing dramatically in just a couple decades. These lakes provide important habitat for geese, loons, many other waterbirds, and for a variety of fish species of ecological and subsistence importance. Understanding and predicting these ongoing, broad scale changes within Arctic ecosystems is essential for minimizing and mitigating potential future perturbations. Citation: Schmutz, J., P. Flint, M. Anthony, E. Mallek, C. Markon, G. Clow, S. Frenzel, and D. Houseknecht. 2005. Avian Population Response to Ecological Change Along the Arctic Coastal Plain. U.S. Geological Survey Report, Alaska Science Center, Anchorage, Alaska. The report will be available for distribution via hard copy and CD, as well as being posted on the Alaska Science Center website (http://alaska.usgs.gov/). (Dirk Derksen, Anchorage, AK, 907-786-3531)
