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USGS Alaska Science Center Previous Years' Seminar Series

The USGS Alaska Science Center in Anchorage has a monthly seminar series open to the public. All are welcome to attend! For additional details, to be added to the electronic notification list, or if you would like to conduct a seminar, please contact Yvette Gillies, Outreach Coordinator, at (907)786-7039 or email ygillies@usgs.gov.

April 1, 2011
Polar Bear population ecology & management in Baffin Bay and Davis Strait, Canada & Greenland - Dr. Lily Peacock

Dr. Lily Peacock is a research wildlife biologist at the USGS Alaska Science Center. Lily will present recent research on body condition, survival, abundance and reproduction of polar bears in two seasonal ice populations of Baffin Bay and Davis Strait. The talk will also include information on management challenges in these regions, as they relate to climate change and harvest.

March 11, 2011
The Flora in Fossil and Modern Arctic Ground Squirrel Burrows - Ben Gagliotia

Ben Gaglioti is a PhD student at UAF working on various projects in Paleoecology. He will start work at the Alaska Science Center in March as a STEP ecologist. Ben will present how he identified plants and what was found in fossil caches from Interior Alaska. Ancient plants from the preserved food caches and nests of arctic ground squirrels found frozen in permafrost deposits in Beringia yield robust information about the ice age environment. The talk will include a study of modern cache selection by ground squirrels on the North Slope of Alaska. Ben will discuss the implications these results have for the modern ecology of the ground squirrel and the environmental reconstruction of ice age Beringia. Ben will also present some prospective projects for his PhD work. Please join us to learn more about Ben’s research and welcome him as one of the newest members to our USGS team.

January 28, 2011
Why Peregrine Falcons Rock: Their Genetic Structure and Colonization Why Peregrine Falcons Rock: Their Genetic Structure and Colonization - Dr. Sarah Sonsthagen, USGS Alaska Science Center

The Molecular Ecology Laboratory at the USGS Alaska Science Center is involved in collaborative research of several high latitude raptors and the January seminar series will highlight the genetic studies of Peregrine Falcons. The presentation will cover the results of several projects including the assessment of genetic relationships among the three Peregrine Falcon subspecies that occupy Alaska habitats, the impact of a severe population bottleneck in the recovered population in Colville River, Alaska, and the recolonization of peregrines to Kasatochi Island subsequent to the 2008 eruption.

December 10, 2010
Ice-Age Alaska: Glacial and Proglacial Environments - Dr. Tom Hamilton, Emeritus geologist with USGS

This talk will include the geologic record of Pleistocene glaciation and an overview of proglacial events and deposits. Because only about half of our state was ever glacier-covered, extensive areas of interior and northern Alaska remained ice-free. Those areas exhibit a rich record of sea-level changes, river displacements, glacier-dammed lakes, eolian sand and silt (loess), and intense frost action. Long records of tectonic activity such as volcanism and faulting are also preserved beyond glacier limits.

April 23, 2010
Impacts of Ground Ice and Permafrost Thaw on Groundwater Flow in Northern Ecosystems: Focus on the Yukon River Basin, Alaska - USGS Water

The Yukon River Basin in central Alaska and northwestern Canada is undergoing hydrologic change in response to climate warming that has persisted for several decades. This 852,000 km 2 basin contains sporadic to continuous permafrost and presents a unique opportunity to study climate change effects in undisturbed northern ecosystems. One focus of a multidisciplinary USGS research effort is understanding of climate-related shifts in hydrologic processes and identification of resultant impacts across a wide range of scales. Observed changes over recent decades include changes in areas of wetlands and lakes, soil moisture, and in the magnitude and seasonal variability of river discharge. Permafrost thaw is likely causing many of these changes by modifying the routing of water above and below the surface. This, in turn, impacts fish and wildlife habitat and the biogeochemistry of carbon, nitrogen, and other chemical constituents. Several complementary USGS studies seek to understand hydrology-ecology relations in permafrost-impacted watersheds at catchment to regional scales.

Groundwater modeling studies are presented here that illustrate the impact of seasonal ground ice and permafrost on hydrologic pathways. Dynamic freeze/thaw simulations of seasonal ground ice and groundwater flow illustrate dramatic shifts in groundwater flow patterns in the presence or absence of frozen ground. Regional groundwater flow simulations that consider a sequence of permafrost distributions that might occur with climate change in the Yukon Flats Basin illustrate the potential for major changes in groundwater flow quantities, in patterns of groundwater recharge/discharge, and in river baseflow. Such changes in the groundwater systems would strongly impact the existence of lakes and wetlands and thereby would strongly impact ecology.

April 8, 2010
Melding Technologies for Monitoring: Remote Sensing of Glacier Dammed Lakes Across Alaska Reflects Changing Hazards, Changing Climate - Dave F. G. Wolfe, MSc, Alaska Pacific University

Dave's research used satellite imagery acquired since 2000 to document new glacier dammed lakes and investigate changes in such lakes mapped by Austin Post and Lawrence Mayo for the USGS in 1971. By documenting loss of some lakes over time and the development of other lakes in new areas since 1971, Dave has developed a series of datasets which may be of use in natural hazard modeling and analyses of floods and landslides, climate change research, and remote sensing needs and abilities across Alaska. The significant change this research documented may have repercussions for fisheries, wildlife habitat, recreational activities, and existing and proposed infrastructure such as bridges and pipelines. Dave finished his thesis in 2009 and made it available through the ARLIS library. Portions of this research have been presented to the EGU in Vienna, MOCA in Montreal, AGU in San Francisco, and to NOAA and AWRA here in Anchorage, and the Alaska Weather Symposium in Fairbanks. His poster at the recent Alaska Surveying and Mapping Conference won an award.

March 18, 2010
The 2009 Eruption of Redoubt Volcano: Chronology of Events, Eruptive Products, and Hazards - Michelle Coombs and Chris Waythomas, USGS Alaska Volcano Observatory

After more than six months of low-level unrest, starting in summer 2008, Redoubt Volcano initiated its most recent eruptive period on March 15, 2009. One week later, the volcano began a series of explosive, phreatomagmatic and magmatic events interspersed with periods of effusive lava dome production. Major ash-producing explosions occurred from March 22-April 4 and generated multiple large ash clouds reaching as high as 19 km above sea level. Ash fallout from these events affected towns and communities throughout southern and interior Alaska, from Seldovia to Fairbanks, and resulted in the closure of Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport on March 28-29 and March 30-31. At least 400 commercial airline flights were cancelled, affecting more than 20,000 travelers, and some air cargo companies rerouted aircraft and avoided Anchorage for days or longer. Volcanic mudflows (lahars) composed of hot blocks, ice, rock debris, and water inundated the Drift River valley on the north side of the volcano from late March to early April, and twice caused significant inundation of the Drift River Marine Terminal (DRMT), an oil storage and transfer facility located near the mouth of the Drift River. No oil was spilled but operations at the facility were halted and about 17.6 ML (148,000 barrels) of oil stored in two tanks at the facility was drawn down as a precaution. This in turn severely impacted oil production on the west side of Cook Inlet, costing private companies and the State of Alaska millions of dollars in lost revenue. By late June 2009, eruptive activity ended and a large lava dome, estimated to be 60-70 x 106 m3 in volume, now resides in the summit crater above a steep bedrock gorge. In this presentation, we will review the chronology of eruptive events, describe the eruptive products, and discuss the hazards that resulted from the eruption.

February 25, 2010
To Bee or Not To Bee - How Production of BioMass for Energy in the Plains Can affect Pollination of Crops Elsewhere in the U.S. - Alisa Gallant, USGS Earth Resources Observation and Science Center

About a third of every bite of food consumed was pollinated by honey bees. Ecological implications of the decline of bee pollinators became a matter of public concern with the recent devastating losses of honey bee colonies associated with Colony Collapse Disorder. As a result, the 2008 Farm Bill for the first time ever established pollinator conservation as a national priority. Land cover and landscape configuration, interacting with climate, are emerging as substantial factors influencing resistance of honey bee colonies to the variety of stressors to which we exposed them in support of a $20 billion agricultural industry. As we homogenize the landscape to meet some agricultural goals, we remove the variety of floral species important to honey bees and impact our ability to meet other agricultural goals. Landscape features that favor honey bees also favor native biota, including amphibians, birds, and mammals, but because honey bees are so intimately woven into American agriculture, they provide a means to quantify economic impacts of broad-scale land-use change.

January 13, 2010
An Arctic Hydrologic System in Transition: Feedbacks and Impacts on Terrestrial, Marine, and Human Life - Dan White, Director, Institute of Northern Engineering - University of Alaska Fairbanks

The pace of change in the arctic system during recent decades has captured the world's attention. Observations and model simulations both indicate that the arctic experiences an amplified response to climate forcing relative to that at lower latitudes. At the core of these changes is the arctic hydrologic system, which includes ice, gaseous vapor in the atmosphere, liquid water in soils and fluvial networks on land, and the freshwater content of the ocean. The changes in stores and fluxes of freshwater have a direct impact on biological systems, not only of the arctic region itself, but also well beyond its bounds. In this investigation, we used a heuristic, graphical approach to distill the system into its fundamental parts, documented the key relationships between those parts as best we know them, and identified the feedback loops within the system. The analysis illustrates relationships that are well understood, but also reveals others that are either unfamiliar, uncertain, or unexplored. The graphical approach was used to provide a visual assessment of the arctic hydrologic system in one possible future state in which the Arctic Ocean is seasonally ice free. In this presentation the approach and the findings of the following paper will be discussed: Francis, J. A., D. M. White, J. J. Cassano, W. J. Gutowski Jr., L. D. Hinzman, M. M. Holland, M. A. Steele, and C. J. Vörösmarty (2009), An arctic hydrologic system in transition: Feedbacks and impacts on terrestrial, marine, and human life, J. Geophys. Res., 114, G04019, doi:10.1029/2008JG000902

December 1, 2009
Climate and Dynamics of the Alaska Coastal Current over the Holocene - Preliminary Evidence from Isotopic Analyses of Ancient and Modern Marine Shells - Gail Irvine, USGS Alaska Science Center

The Alaska Coastal Current (ACC), which flows in a counter-clockwise direction along the Gulf of Alaska coast from British Columbia to the western end of the Alaska Peninsula, is driven by winds and freshwater input. Since both of those parameters can be affected by climate, this marine system may be very sensitive to changing conditions. We have been investigating the dynamics of the ACC during known climate periods of the Holocene through high-resolution sampling and isotopic analyses of ancient and modern marine shells. I will present multi-year, seasonal data from shells that lived during one cooler period (the Little Ice Age), and two warmer periods (the Medieval Warm Period and Mid-Holocene Thermal Optimum) than modern conditions, and discuss implications for future climate change.

November 20, 2009
The importance of glaciers as a source of freshwater and nutrients to the Gulf of Alaska - Eran Hood, Associate Professor or Environmental Science, University of Alaska Southeast, Juneau, Alaska

Watersheds draining into the Gulf of Alaska contain 75,300 km2 of glacier ice and are experiencing some of the highest rates of glacial wastage on earth, with thinning rates exceeding 5 meters of water equivalent at low elevations. This ongoing loss of glacial ice is rapidly altering landcover in watersheds along the Gulf and has important implications for the physical and biogeochemical properties of rivers in this region. This talk will examine the relative importance of glaciers as a source of freshwater and biogeochemically reactive nutrients (C, N, and P) to marine ecosystems along the Gulf of Alaska.

October 29, 2009
Kasatochi Volcano, Nearly One Year After Eruption - Gary Drew, USGS Alaska Science Center, and Chris Waythomas, USGS Alaska Volcano Observatory

Kasatochi Volcano, an island volcano in the Aleutian chain, erupted on August 27th 2008. The resulting ash and pyroclastic flows blanketed the island, covering terrestrial habitats to an average depth of 20 meters. As a result of the eruption the island grew in size, with the Southern shoreline moving approximately 400 m seaward. USGS, in partnership with the US Fish and Wildlife Service Alaska Maritime Wildlife Refuge, undertook an integrated study of the eruption and its effects on the terrestrial and marine environments as well as the species that previously used the island.

April 16, 2009
Using Earth Sciences to Help Understand the Environmental-health Hazards Posed by Airborne Particles and Other Materials Produced by Disasters - Geoff Plumlee, geochemist, USGS

Natural and human-caused disasters (e.g., earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, wildfires, landslides, hurricanes, tsunamis, floods, urban fires, industrial spills, terrorist attacks) can produce large volumes of airborne particles and other materials that are of potential environmental and public-health concern. Examples include: contaminated and/or pathogen-bearing waters, dusts, soils, and sediments; liquids; gases; smoke; ash; and debris. Many of these materials are derived from the earth. Once released into the environment, all of these materials are modified by geologic and geochemical processes, which in turn can significantly influence their environmental and health impacts. As a result, there is an important but commonly under-recognized role for the earth sciences in disaster response and planning. Using results from USGS responses to extreme events such as the World Trade Center collapse, various volcanic eruptions, Hurricane Katrina, and the 2007 southern California wildfires, this presentation will illustrate how the physical and chemical characteristics of the materials produced by disasters can influence their health and environmental impacts, and how the earth sciences can contribute as part of broader interdisciplinary disaster response and planning efforts.

March 20, 2009
Eagle River Flats: a Remediation Success Story, Fort Richardson Alaska - Charles Collins, Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory

Eagle River Flats, a 2,000-acre salt marsh at the mouth of Eagle River on Fort Richardson, was the site of major waterfowl die-offs in the 1980's and 1990's.  Following intensive investigations, the salt marsh sediments were identified as being contaminated with white phosphorus, a smoke munition constituent.  Ducks feeding in the sediments incidentally picked up particles of white phosphorus and were poisoned. Through a major remediation effort conducted by the Army over the last dozen years, the salt marsh sediments have been remediated and waterfowl deaths due to white phosphorus have been greatly reduced.

February 20, 2009
Process-Based Predictive Coastal Erosion Modeling for Drew Point, North Slope, Alaska - Tom Ravens, UAA, School of Engineering

A predictive coastal erosion/shoreline change model has been developed for the North Slope coast by Drew Point. This coastal area consists of 3-m high permafrost bluffs with high ice content and fine grained soils. The bluffs are typically (but not always) fronted by a 10 m wide coarse grained beach. During a storm surge, the warming Beaufort Sea is able to contact the base of the bluff and erode a niche which eventually will undermine the bluff. The rate of growth of the erosional niche is assumed to be proportional to the temperature and the wave height to the ¾ power. Block collapse and erosion of the fallen blocks occur when the niche reaches an ice wedge. The wedges are typically spaced about 10 m apart. The erosion model explicitly accounts for the storm surge, the growth of the erosional niche, and the erosion of the fallen block. It is calibrated with historic shoreline change data. The model indicates that the shoreline erosion rate will continue to increase exponentially in this type of shoreline area, reaching an erosion rate of 50 m/yr by 2045.

January 16, 2009
Disappearing Glaciers and the Rising Sea - Shad O’Neel, glaciologist, USGS

Glaciers are an important player in the global sea level budget, especially during times of strongly changing climate. During this presentation we will explore key concepts in glaciology, including how glaciers form, what controls their shape, and why they change. With this knowledge base, present-day interactions between glaciers and climate will be explored, putting current changes in the global glacier volume into the framework of sea level rise.

December 18, 2008
Increase in the rate and uniformity of coastline erosion and loss of coastal features and sites along the Beaufort Sea coast - Christopher Arp, limnologist, USGS

Rates of shoreline erosion along Arctic coastlines have traditionally been among the highest in the world. However, recent changes in the arctic such as declining sea ice extent, increasing effectiveness of wind events, and warming sea surface and permafrost temperatures may be affecting the rate and pattern of coastline erosion in the arctic. Using aerial photography from 1955, 1979, 2002, and 2007 along a ~60 km segment of exposed, north-facing coastline within the Teshekpuk Lake Special Area (TLSA), National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska (NPRA), Beaufort Sea coast, we quantified erosion rates and found that mean annual erosion rates increased from 6.8 m/yr (1955-1979), to 8.7 m/yr (1979-2002), to 13.6 m/yr (2002-2007), suggesting that erosion rates are accelerating, at least in a more recent timeframe, and have allowed us to detect the loss of cultural/historic sites as well as modern infrastructure.

November 18, 2008
Submarine Landslides and Tsunamis at Seward and Valdez Triggered by the 1964 Magnitude 9.2 Alaska Earthquake - Peter Haeussler, Alaska Earthquakes Hazard Project Team Lead, USGS

Submarine-landslide generated tsunamis caused the greatest loss of life and property in the 1964 magnitude 9.2 Great Alaska earthquake. Almost 90 percent (106/122) of lives lost in the earthquake are attributed to tsunamis, and about 80 percent of those deaths (85/106) were caused by submarine landslide generated tsunamis rather than tectonically generated tsunamis. Thus, lessons learned about the origin and generation of these submarine landslide-generated tsunamis can be useful to understanding and mitigating the hazard.

October 16, 2008
Alaska Vision: Exploring the Far North - Stephen J. Spurr

Stephen J. Spurr, grandson of Josiah Edward Spurr, will discuss the Alaskan travels of his grandfather, who led two expeditions of historic importance in Alaska for the U.S. Geological Survey. In 1896, his group explored the gold districts along the Yukon River from Fortymile to Nulato. In 1898, Spurr went over the Alaska Range, down the length of the Kuskokwim River, then returning overland to Shelikof Strait where he made the first scientific observations of the Katmai volcanoes and the area that later became the "Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes". During these expeditions, he named previously undiscovered mountains, mountain ranges, creeks, rivers, lakes, and glaciers. Over the years, the favor was returned: named after him are Mt. Spurr, an active volcano near Anchorage; the mineral, spurrite; and the Spurr lunar crater.