SCIENCE TOPICS

• • Alaska Geospatial Data
  • Alaska Volcano Observatory
  • Biology
  • Earth Science Information Center
  • Geography
  • Geology
  • Water

ABOUT THE ALASKA
SCIENCE CENTER

• • Alaska Science Center Fact Sheet (2007)
  • Office Information
  • Employee Directory
  • Employment
  • Invitation to Bid
  • USGS Phonebook

Weekly Highlights for 07-22-2009

I. Departmental/Bureau News

A. Upcoming Events

No Upcoming Events highlights for this week

B. Current

New Geologic Map Available of Cook Inlet, Alaska
A new digital geologic map of the Cook Inlet Region, Alaska has been released. The map includes substantive updates of previous regional maps and includes parts of the Talkeetna, Talkeetna Mountains, Tyonek, Anchorage, Lake Clark, Kenai, Seward, Iliamna, Seldovia, Mount Katmai, and Afognak 1:250,000-scale quadrangles. This map will assist in energy resource assessments of Cook Inlet, and will be used as part of the geologic map data sets of Katmai and Lake Clark National Parks that are currently being generated. This map can be found online at: http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2009/1108/ .
Contact: Frederic Wilson Anchorage, AK, (907) 786-7448

USGS Scientists Track International Migrations of Yellow-billed Loons
Scientists with the USGS Alaska Science Center are traveling in late July to Cambridge Bay, Victoria Island in the Canadian territory of Nunavut to mark yellow-billed loons with satellite transmitters and collect blood samples for contaminants analysis. This species is sparsely distributed in the circumpolar Arctic and it is presently unknown whether breeding populations in the United States (Alaska), Canada, and Russia overlap during migration or winter. Understanding these international connections among populations is critical for assessing impacts of human harvest, sources of contaminants exposure, and potential for genetic differentiation. Conservation concern has recently heightened regarding harvest during migration in Alaska coastal waters and contaminants exposure while wintering in east Asia. Data from this marking trip will continue to build on similar marking efforts that have occurred in multiple populations in Alaska.
Contact: Joel Schmutz Anchorage, AK, (907) 786-7186

USGS Coordinating with State on Hazard Response in Alaska
Christina Neal, USGS Alaska Science Center geologist with the Alaska Volcano Observatory, will participate in the Alaska State Hazard Mitigation Advisory Committee conference call on July 23, 2009. These calls happen several times per year and involve representatives from state, federal, and local agencies dealing with hazards and emergency response in Alaska. The purpose of this call is to review the 2008 Tanana Basin flood disaster, the 2009 spring floods in Alaska, hazard mitigation activities and grant program for 2010, and the update of the State of Alaska Hazard Mitigation Plan.
Contact: Edward Neal Juneau, AK, (907) 586-7216 x33

II. Press Inquiries/Media

On July 14 USGS Alaska Science Center biologist Steve Amstrup was interviewed on the topic of polar bears and their environment by writer Peter Lourie for a book on the Arctic.
Contact: Steven Amstrup Anchorage, AK, (907) 786-7111

On July 15 USGS Alaska Science Center biologist Steve Amstrup was interviewed by NPR for their program "Environment Report" about the recent meeting of the Polar Bear Specialist Group in Copenhagen, Denmark. The program is expected to air the week of July 20th.
Contact: Steven Amstrup Anchorage, AK, (907) 786-7111

On July 21 USGS Alaska Science Center geologist Peter Haeussler was contacted by the internet newspaper Anchorage Daily Planet regarding a newly released study on the potential of the West Coast, including Alaska, experiencing a destructive earthquake or tsunami.
Contact: Peter Haeussler Anchorage, AK, (907) 786-7447

Return to Highlights page