SCIENCE TOPICS

ABOUT THE ALASKA
SCIENCE CENTER

Weekly Highlights for 03-19-2009

I. Departmental/Bureau News

A. Upcoming Events

USGS Science to be Presented at International Volcano Conference
Tina Neal of the USGS Alaska Science Center Alaska Volcano Observatory will attend the Third International Maar Conference to be held under the auspices of the Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of the Earth’s Interior. This meeting will occur in Malargue, Argentina, April 12-17. The meeting will bring together some of the world’s maar-volcanism experts to discuss modern and ancient maar eruptions, deposits, and related processes of magma-water interaction, all topics of relevance to ongoing studies of the 2008 Okmok eruption. Neal will present data from the recent Okmok eruption, participate in a field trip to a site of maar volcanism, attend technical sessions, and discuss potential Okmok field studies with colleagues. Two days before the formal conference, Neal and Tom Casadevall, USGS scientist emeritus, will present a one-day seminar on volcanic ash and aviation hazards for Latin American aviation officials.
Contact: C. (Tina) Neal Anchorage, AK, (907) 786-7458

B. Current

Small steam and ash explosion at Mount Redoubt, Alaska
On March 15, a small steam and ash explosion at Redoubt Volcano, AK, was recorded and seen by many residents of the Kenai Peninsula. Trace amounts of ash fell on the south flank of the volcano as the steam plume rose to as high as 15,000 ft above sea level. The tremor amplitude increased immediately after the event and the Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO) raised the aviation color code to Orange and returned to 24/7 staffing at the Alaska Science Center. Tremor slowly decreased in amplitude and on March 18 the color code was lowered back to Yellow and 24/7 staffing ceased, although AVO continues to monitor the volcano closely. AVO continues to post daily updates of Redoubts condition on the AVO website (http://www.avo.alaska.edu/activity/Redoubt.php ). AVO is a partnership among the USGS, the State of Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys, and The University of Alaska Geophysical Institute.
Contact: Thomas Murray Anchorage, AK, (907) 786-7042

New USGS Report on Streambed Sediment Chemistry
USGS Alaska Science Center scientist Ben Kennedy, in cooperation with the Fairbanks Soil and Water Conservation District, has recently released a Scientific Investigations Report “Occurrence of Selected Nutrients, Trace Elements, and Organic Compounds in Streambed Sediment in the Lower Chena River Watershed near Fairbanks, Alaska 2002-03.” The exploratory sampling program at 18 sites included analysis of streambed sediment from the Chena River and Chena Slough. Results were compared to streambed-sediment guidelines for the protection of aquatic life. Arsenic concentrations in Chena Slough samples ranged from 11 to 70 mg/kg and concentrations in most of the samples exceeded the probable-effect guideline for arsenic of 17 mg/kg. Arsenic concentrations in Chena River samples ranged from 9 to 12 mg/kg. The background level for arsenic in the lower Chena River watershed is naturally elevated because of significant concentrations of arsenic in local bedrock and ground water. This report may be found at http://pubs.usgs.gov/sir/2009/5067/.
Contact: Steven Frenzel Anchorage, AK, (907) 786-7107

USGS Research on Northern Fulmar Diets Published
USGS Alaska Science Center biologists Shiway Wang and Scott Hatch are co-authors of "Spatial and temporal diet segregation in northern fulmars Fulmarus glacialis breeding in Alaska: insights from fatty acid signatures" which was recently published in Marine Ecology Progress Series volume 377. Northern fulmars in the North Pacific Ocean are opportunistic, generalist predators that are effective samplers of prey populations, and their diets may provide information about forage population and ecosystem changes. The authors used fatty acid (FA) signature analysis of adipose tissue from adults and chicks to compare spatial, temporal, and age-related variation in diets of fulmars breeding at 3 colonies in Alaska. FA signatures of adult fulmars differed between colonies within years, and between seasons at individual colonies. Seasonal and spatial differences in signatures were greater than interannual differences at all colonies. Differences in FA signatures reflect differences in diets, probably because the breeding colonies are located in distinct ecoregions that create unique habitats for prey assemblages, and because interannual variation in the physical environment affects the availability of forage species. These results are the first characterization of dietary variability of nesting fulmars in Alaska and provide a basis for using these birds as indicators of environmental change (driven by factors such as a changing climate or commercial fisheries) in the North Pacific.
Contact: Scott Hatch Anchorage, AK, (907) 786-7163

II. Press Inquiries/Media

USGS scientists at the Alaska Volcano Observatory continued answering media inquiries, March 12-18, about the current period of unrest of Redoubt Volcano, including the Anchorage Daily News, LA Times, and the Associated Press.
Contact: Thomas Murray Anchorage, AK, (907) 786-7042

USGS scientists at the Alaska Volcano Observatory continued answering media inquiries, March 12-18, about the current period of unrest of Redoubt Volcano, including CBS affiliate KTVA-TV (Ch.11, Anchorage, AK), KTUU-TV (Ch. 2, Anchorage, AK), KIMO-TV (Ch. 13, Anchorage, AK), KTBY-TV (Ch. 4, Anchorage, AK), CNN, Fox News, The Weather Channel, Bloomberg News, radio KFQD (AM 750, Anchorage, AK), radio KTNA(FM 88.9, Anchorage, AK), and KSRM Radio (AM 920, Kenai, AK).
Contact: Thomas Murray Anchorage, AK, (907) 786-7042

Return to Highlights page

Accessibility FOIA Privacy Policies and Notices

U.S. Department of the Interior | U.S. Geological Survey
URL: http://alaska.usgs.gov
Page Contact Information: ascweb@usgs.gov
Page Last Modified: June 17, 2009