U.S. Department of the Interior

U.S. Geological Survey

Fact Sheet 2009–3069

July 2009 Printed on recycled paper

Supporting Sound Management of Our Coasts and Seas Alaska 

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), a bureau of the 

Department of the Interior (DOI), is the Nation’s largest 

water, earth, and biological science and mapping agency. The 

bureau’s science strategy “Facing Tomorrow’s Challenges—

U.S. Geological Survey Science in the Decade 2007–2017” 

describes the USGS vision for its science in six integrated 

areas of societal concern: Understanding Ecosystems and 

Predicting Ecosystem Change; Climate Variability and 

Change; Energy and Minerals; Hazards, Risk, and 

Resilience; Environment and Wildlife in Human 

Health; and Water Census of the United States.

USGS has three Regions that encompass nine 

geographic Areas. This fact sheet describes examples 

of USGS science conducted in coastal, nearshore 

terrestrial, and ocean environments in the Alaska Area.

ALASKA: COASTAL FACTS

•	 Alaska has more coastline than the combined coastline

of the rest of the United States.

•	 Reductions in Arctic sea ice along Alaska’s shores have

accelerated rapidly in the past 10 years.

•	 Rates of shoreline erosion along Alaska’s coasts are

among the highest in the world.

•	 Alaska has more than 40 active volcanoes, most along

the Aleutian Islands Arc “ring of fire.”

•	 Alaska is the most earthquake-prone state; the

epicenter of the largest recorded earthquake in the

United States was in Prince William Sound on

March 28, 1964.

•	 The oil field of Prudhoe Bay on the northern

Alaskan coast accounts for 25 percent of the

oil produced in the United States. Millions of

gallons of oil travel daily through the Trans-Alaska

Pipeline to the coastal community of Valdez, where

the oil is pumped into tankers for marine transport.

•	 The 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill is widely considered to

be the largest spill worldwide in terms of damage to the

environment with effects lingering today after 20 years.

•	 More than one-half of the Nation’s seafood comes from Alaskan

waters, and Alaska leads the Nation in the value of its catch,

including salmon, crab, shrimp, halibut, herring, and cod.

•	 More than 90 percent of the migratory shorebird species in the

Western Hemisphere have breeding populations in Alaska.

U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)

Western Region: Alaska

Coastal and Ocean Science
Understanding Ecosystems and Predicting Change

Top to Bottom, Ocean to Shore

From seafloor mapping to studies of animals such as ocean-feeding pelagic seabirds, 

benthic-feeding walruses, and nearshore-dependent sea otters, USGS science informs 

resource management and broader public policy discussions with a marine ecosystembased approach. The USGS studies many 

of the nearly 70 seabird species that reside 

around Alaska’s marine waters. Research 

by the USGS on population dynamics and 

feeding of this diverse assemblage provides 

key insights into ecological consequences 

of changes in pelagic ocean environments. 

For example, walruses feed on the ocean 

bottom consuming about 45 kilograms of clams per day, which provides a tool to understand 

changes in the benthic portions of the marine community. The USGS’ satellite telemetry, 

population models, and genetic methods identify critical habitats, help define potential 

influences of sea ice changes, and inform Continental Shelf oil and gas development planning. The USGS’ seafloor mapping 

technologies and geologic studies are used to develop habitat models for benthic communities and for species such as halibut, crabs, 

and walrus. The USGS studies linkages between the dynamic sedimentary system and marine benthos of many marine systems such 

as Kachemak Bay and Glacier Bay. Closer to land, USGS scientific studies on sea otters identify continued consequences of the 1989 

Exxon Valdez oil spill and inform nearshore ecological restoration approaches. The USGS coastal monitoring protocols are now used 

by the National Park Service’s Vital Signs Program in Alaska to establish a solid foundation for tracking nearshore marine health.

Status of Sea Ice-Dependent Species into the Future

Populations of several key DOI-managed species are strongly affected by characteristics of the

declining sea ice environment. USGS research helps define and constrain the consequences of 

projected sea ice loss to species such as the polar bear, listed

as ‘Threatened’ under the Endangered Species 

Act, and the Pacific walrus, which is under 

status review. USGS research on the sea duck 

spectacled eider, listed as ‘Threatened’, indicates 

that populations can be affected by extended periods 

of dense sea-ice concentrations. Continuing research using 

satellite transmitters will help researchers monitor these 

population changes. The USGS continues to develop new 

models, forecasting approaches, and technologies to 

reduce uncertainty about the complex relationships of 

species of interest to changing sea ice conditions.

Coastal Erosion

The USGS helps better forecast future shorelines and potential 

infrastructure and ecological consequences of patterns of erosion. 

Findings show that present-day rates of coastal erosion are high and 

accelerating along segments of the Arctic coast of Alaska. Average 

annual erosion rates along parts of the coast have climbed from 20 feet 

per year during 1950–80 to 45 feet per year during 2002–07. These 

recent rates of erosion may be a result of declining sea ice and of 

increases in storm power on a coastline underpinned by 

warming permafrost.

Climate Variability and Change in Coastal and Marine Environments
Energy and Minerals

Kasatochi Volcano in 

July 2008 (left) and then 

in October 2008 (right). 

The volcano erupted in 

August 2008.

Energy Assessments

The USGS assessment strategy provides estimates of the volumes of undiscovered petroleum resources that are technically 

recoverable. The Arctic Basin has high resource potential, but limited assessment information to help constrain overall estimates of 

potential oil and gas resources. The USGS’ recent assessment provides a methodologically consistent snapshot of oil and gas potential 

onshore and offshore across the World’s circumpolar region. Through these methods, the USGS estimates that about 90 billion barrels 

of oil and 1,669 trillion cubic feet of natural gas may remain to be found in the Arctic. On the unconventional energy front, USGS’ 

investigations of onshore and offshore gas production from gas hydrates—gas trapped with water in ice-like structures—shows them 

to be a major untapped resource; 85.4 trillion cubic feet of gas on Alaska’s North Slope could heat 100 million homes for a decade.

Circumpolar Bedrock Geology

The USGS partnered with the Geological Survey of Canada, 

Geological Survey of Greenland and Denmark, Geological Survey 

of Norway, Geological Survey of Sweden, Geological Survey of 

Finland, Geological Survey of Iceland, and the Russian Geological 

Research Institute to develop and publish “The International Polar 

Year Circumpolar Geologic Map.” The map shows the bedrock 

geology of the northern Circumpolar region. This effort provides a 

comprehensive and methodological consistent view of the bedrock 

geology of coastal, marine, and interior reaches covering as far 

south as 60 degrees north latitude or just south of Anchorage, Alaska.

Monitoring Volcanoes and Their Effects

Alaska’s some 40 active volcanoes, most located along the Aleutian Islands Arc “ring of fire,” influence associated coastal ecosystems, 

and pose a hazard to North Pacific Air Routes where some 25,000–30,000 passengers pass through daily. The Alaska Volcano 

Observatory (AVO) monitors the hazard status of about 33 volcanoes in partnership with the USGS, the University of Alaska Fairbanks 

Geophysical Institute, and the State of Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and 

the USGS are studying the ecological effects of the 2009 eruption of the Kasatochi Volcano in the Aleutians that destroyed much of the 

maritime ecosystem of the island and seabird nesting areas to better understand the importance of volcanic events on the sustainability 

of such Aleutian systems.

Earthquakes and Tsunami Generation

Three of the six largest earthquakes ever recorded occurred in Alaska. The USGS is a major partner in the Advanced National Seismic 

System (ANSS) that informs the Nation of seismic events. ANSS seismic monitoring in Alaska is a partnership of the USGS, the 

National Weather Service, and the University of Alaska. The effect of earthquakes on coastal areas can be devastating, largely because 

of the tsunamis they can generate. For example, the M9.2 1964 earthquake centered in Alaska’s Prince William Sound caused tsunamis 

that impacted the U.S. west coast. Subsequent submarine landslide-generated tsunamis caused destruction along the south-central 

coast of Alaska. The USGS develops seamless digital elevation models—most recently for northern Resurrection Bay, a site of major 

destruction in 1964, and for Port Valdez, the TransAlaska Oil Pipeline terminus—to define submarine landslide tsunami generation 

models to improve hazard notification and mitigation.

Natural Hazards
Working Together

The USGS facilitates the Alaska Interagency Ecosystem Health Work Group that brings together and leverages diverse missions, skills, 

and capacities of Federal and State entities for a greater understanding of the relationships among wildlife, human health, and ecosystems 

including coastal and marine systems. One successful component of this effort has been the USGS and Alaska Native Tribal Health 

Consortium collaboration to investigate the relationships among earth and natural resource patterns and Alaska Native health records throughout 

Alaska. One topic of research is to better understand the potential transport of naturally occurring toxics, such as mercury, that are increasingly 

appearing in the natural ecosystem. These toxics persist and may eventually accumulate in Alaska Native subsistence foods, such as halibut and 

salmon, creating potential health threats to the native community.

This portal is a searchable, web map-based tool to 

facilitate public and partner access to information 

about USGS studies in Alaska. It also promotes 

access to information in numerous USGS web 

pages across the Nation.

http://alaska.usgs.gov/portal

Role of the Environment in Human Health

Water Resources

Data Integration and Evolving Technologies

Making Alaska Coastal Information Available

Freshwater from Alaska’s many rivers and glaciers eventually discharges into coastal waters and accounts for 

more than one-third of the Nation’s average annual runoff. This large volume is a key component of circulation 

patterns in the marine environment and strongly affects productivity of fish, seabirds, and marine mammals 

in near-shore ecosystems. The USGS continuously monitors water flow parameters in cooperation with local, 

State, and Federal agencies. The USGS provides photographic monitoring of many of Alaska’s coastal glaciers 

and quantitative information on glacier mass-balance, including a 40-year record of changes in glacier volume. 

These long-term records allow analyses of climate change influences on water supplies and sea-level rise.

For more information:

USGS Western Region

Leslie Holland-Bartels, Alaska Executive

4210 University Drive, 

Anchorage, AK 99508

907-786-7000

Satellite Telemetry to “See”

Using satellite telemetry, the USGS can “see” animals as they travel the globe and gain insights into previously unanswered questions. 

The USGS documented the extraordinary nonstop migration of a shorebird, the Bar-tailed Godwit, from its breeding grounds in Alaska 

to its wintering grounds in New Zealand and then the trip back to Alaska by way of Korea. The researchers are

investigating how these birds select ‘perfect storms’ that provide energy-saving wind assistance to their 

nonstop transpacific flights. This research is part of a larger effort to understand the potential transmission of 

avian influenza viruses from Asia to North America. 

The USGS continues to pioneer new satellite remote sensing methods to detect sea ice changes and to 

determine the underlying mechanisms of change. Using these new methods, the USGS can now “see” how 

climate variability is affecting the habitats of Arctic wildlife species such as polar bears and walrus even in 

the winter months of 24-hour darkness.

Molecular Ecology

USGS’ molecular genetics techniques developed for species such as polar bears, walrus, sea otters, sea 

ducks, seabirds, and eelgrass characterize breeding populations and help assess the response of species populations to natural and 

human-induced changes. These results help managers who are responsible for conserving species in Alaska and globally. Genetic 

analyses provide evidence that some birds from Asia and North America freely interbreed and thus improve our understanding of the 

role of migratory birds in the dissemination of avian influenza amongst continents.