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#           Science Support Program and Quick Response Program      

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      By Alaska Science Center      May 9, 2024    

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This is a nation-wide collaborative program, supported by the USGS Ecosystems Mission Area, through which USGS and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service staff address priority research needs identified by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.  On this page, we highlight research taking place in Alaska as part of this program.

**Return to Ecosystems >> Collaborative Science for Priority Information Needs**

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service priorities change annually through this program. Results of past studies can be found under Data and Tools and Publications on this page.

For 2020-2023, the USGS Alaska Science Center is focusing on the following science needs identified by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Alaska Region:
                                - Processing and publication of high-resolution coastal walrus haulout survey imagery 
                                - Quantifying groundwater and aufeis and their contribution to surface water availability and habitat in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Alaska 
                                - Distribution and abundance of breeding waterbirds in relation to habitat type on the 1002 Area of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Alaska 
                                - Development of a population monitoring plan for the Southern Beaufort Sea polar bear subpopulation 
                                - Assessing the population status of two rare taxa endemic to the central Bering Sea, Alaska: McKay's Bunting and Pribilof Rock Sandpiper 
                                - Improved mapping of historical fire perimeters on Alaska National Wildlife Refuges 

### Study Area

### Contacts

#### John M. Pearce, Ph.D.

##### Associate Center Director for Ecosystems

Alaska Science Center

jpearce@usgs.gov

907-786-7094

#### Christian E Zimmerman, Ph.D.

##### Center Director

Alaska Science Center

czimmerman@usgs.gov

907-786-7071

#### Jeff Conaway

##### Associate Center Director for Water, Ice, and Landscape Dynamics

Alaska Science Center

jconaway@usgs.gov

907-786-7041

### Explore Search

                      - Biology
                      - Ecosystems
                      - Water

View All **

Below are other science projects associated with this project.

link

January 9, 2024

####                 Q&A: Vessel Cruise for Estimates of Pacific Walrus Demography              

Alaska Science Center

link

January 9, 2024

####   Q&A: Vessel Cruise for Estimates of Pacific Walrus Demography

Learn More

link

January 12, 2023

####                 Q&A: Improving Aerial Surveys of Geese in Alaska with Aerial Imagery              

Alaska Science Center

link

January 12, 2023

####   Q&A: Improving Aerial Surveys of Geese in Alaska with Aerial Imagery

Learn More

link

May 6, 2019

####                 Winter Habitat of Juvenile Dolly Varden in the Canning River              

Alaska Science Center

link

May 6, 2019

####   Winter Habitat of Juvenile Dolly Varden in the Canning River

Learn More

Below are data or web applications associated with this project.

April 30, 2024

####                 Corrected Fire Perimeters of Alaska's National Wildlife Refuges              

Alaska Science Center

August 30, 2023

####                 Data for Estimating McKay's Bunting (Plectrophenax hyperboreus) Population Change on St. Matthew and Hall Islands, Alaska              

Alaska Science Center

June 30, 2022

####                 Aerial Photo Imagery from Fall Waterfowl Surveys, Izembek Lagoon, Alaska, 2017-2019              

Alaska Science Center

April 6, 2022

####                 Counts of Birds in Aerial Photos from Fall Waterfowl Surveys, Izembek Lagoon, Alaska, 2017-2019              

Alaska Science Center

August 24, 2021

####                 Blood Parasite Infection, Body Mass, and Survival Data from Emperor Geese (Anser canagicus), Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, Alaska, 2006-2016              

Alaska Science Center, Molecular Ecology Laboratory

June 16, 2021

####                 Predicted Calving and Post-calving Season Resource Use of the Porcupine Caribou Herd During 2012-2018 With Future Projections for the 2030s, 2040s, and 2050s              

Alaska Science Center

March 4, 2021

####                 Fatty Acid Composition of Polar Bear Adipose Tissue and Ringed and Bearded Seal Blubber Collected in the Chukchi Sea, 2008-2017              

Alaska Science Center

January 12, 2021

####                 Counts and Abdominal Profile Indices of Wintering Emperor Geese (Anser canagicus) at Three Islands in Alaska, 2003 and 2015-2017              

Alaska Science Center

January 11, 2021

####                 Serum Urea and Creatinine Levels of Spring-Caught Polar Bears (Ursus maritimus) in the Southern Beaufort and Chukchi Seas              

Alaska Science Center

December 15, 2020

####                 Sex and Age Composition of Walrus Groups Hauled Out on Ice Floes in the Bering and Chukchi Seas, 2013-2015              

Alaska Science Center

February 9, 2020

####                 Measurement Data of Polar Bears Captured in the Chukchi and Southern Beaufort Sea, 1981-2017              

Alaska Science Center

December 16, 2019

####                 Tracking data for Yellow-billed Loons (Gavia adamsii)              

Alaska Science Center

Below are multimedia items associated with this project.

Evaluation of Satellite Imagery Monitoring Pacific Walruses haulouts

October 1, 2021

#### Evaluation of Satellite Imagery Monitoring Pacific Walruses haulouts

link

This is a graphical abstract for a publication by the USGS that evaluates satellite imagery for monitoring large Pacific walrus haulouts in northwestern Alaska.

Alaska Science Center

October 1, 2021

#### Evaluation of Satellite Imagery Monitoring Pacific Walruses haulouts

link

#### Evaluation of Satellite Imagery Monitoring Pacific Walruses haulouts

link

This is a graphical abstract for a publication by the USGS that evaluates satellite imagery for monitoring large Pacific walrus haulouts in northwestern Alaska.

Alaska Science Center

Aerial survey for Black Brant at Izembek Lagoon, Alaska

January 21, 2020

#### Aerial survey for Black Brant at Izembek Lagoon, Alaska

link

Example of a photo from the USFWS fall aerial survey for geese at Izembek Lagoon. Inset shows a closer view of four Black Brant (bottom) with a Cackling Goose (top) foraging on eelgrass. Scientists from the USGS Alaska Science Center and the U.S.

Alaska Science Center

January 21, 2020

#### Aerial survey for Black Brant at Izembek Lagoon, Alaska

link

#### Aerial survey for Black Brant at Izembek Lagoon, Alaska

link

Example of a photo from the USFWS fall aerial survey for geese at Izembek Lagoon. Inset shows a closer view of four Black Brant (bottom) with a Cackling Goose (top) foraging on eelgrass. Scientists from the USGS Alaska Science Center and the U.S.

Alaska Science Center

USGS Employee Loading Helicopter At Gage 15955000 Canning River, AK. 

May 31, 2012

#### USGS Employee Loading Helicopter At Gage 15955000 Canning River, AK. 

link

USGS gage 15955000 Canning River above Staines River near Deadhorse, AK. Derek Frohbelter loading helicopter for return to Kavik.

Water Resources Mission Area

May 31, 2012

#### USGS Employee Loading Helicopter At Gage 15955000 Canning River, AK. 

link

#### USGS Employee Loading Helicopter At Gage 15955000 Canning River, AK. 

link

USGS gage 15955000 Canning River above Staines River near Deadhorse, AK. Derek Frohbelter loading helicopter for return to Kavik.

Water Resources Mission Area

Caribou Tracks Along Alaska's Coast

August 8, 2006

#### Caribou Tracks Along Alaska's Coast

link

This photograph shows caribou tracks on ice-wedge polygons near Garry Creek in Alaska. Coastal erosion along the Arctic coast is chronic, widespread and potentially accelerating, posing threats to infrastructure important for defense and energy purposes, natural shoreline habitats and nearby Native communities.

Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Communications and Publishing

August 8, 2006

#### Caribou Tracks Along Alaska's Coast

link

#### Caribou Tracks Along Alaska's Coast

link

This photograph shows caribou tracks on ice-wedge polygons near Garry Creek in Alaska. Coastal erosion along the Arctic coast is chronic, widespread and potentially accelerating, posing threats to infrastructure important for defense and energy purposes, natural shoreline habitats and nearby Native communities.

Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Communications and Publishing

Spectacled Female Eider on Nest

June 18, 2006

#### Spectacled Female Eider on Nest

link

Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge, Alaska.

Communications and Publishing

June 18, 2006

#### Spectacled Female Eider on Nest

link

#### Spectacled Female Eider on Nest

link

Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge, Alaska.

Communications and Publishing

Below are publications associated with this project.

March 28, 2024

####                 A comparison of contemporary and historical hydrology and water quality in the foothills and coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Arctic Slope, northern Alaska              

Alaska Science Center

March 3, 2024

####                 Seasonal and decadal subsurface thaw dynamics of an Aufeis feature investigated through numerical simulations              

Alaska Science Center

December 19, 2023

####                 Rapid population decline in McKay's Bunting, an Alaskan endemic, highlights the species’ current status relative to international standards for vulnerable species              

Alaska Science Center

July 25, 2023

####                 Status of spectacled eiders (Somateria fischeri) on the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, Alaska, 2022—Testing and updating predictive models              

Alaska Science Center

December 13, 2022

####                 Optimizing surveys of fall-staging geese using aerial imagery and automated counting              

Ecosystems Mission Area, Alaska Science Center, Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center

June 28, 2022

####                 Evaluating the efficacy of aerial infrared surveys to detect artificial polar bear dens              

Ecosystems Mission Area, Alaska Science Center

October 23, 2021

####                 Evaluation of satellite imagery for monitoring Pacific walruses at a large coastal haulout              

Ecosystems Mission Area, Alaska Science Center

August 26, 2021

####                 Negligible evidence for detrimental effects of Leucocytozoon infections among Emperor Geese (Anser canagicus) breeding on the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, Alaska              

Ecosystems Mission Area, Alaska Science Center

May 16, 2021

####                 Spring phenology drives range shifts in a migratory Arctic ungulate with key implications for the future              

Ecosystems Mission Area, Western Ecological Research Center (WERC)

February 28, 2021

####                 Seal body condition and atmospheric circulation patterns influence polar bear body condition, recruitment, and feeding ecology in the Chukchi Sea              

Ecosystems Mission Area, Alaska Science Center

December 7, 2020

####                 Shifts in the wintering distribution and abundance of Emperor Geese in Alaska              

Ecosystems Mission Area, Alaska Science Center

August 27, 2020

####                 Evidence of prevalent heat stress in Yukon River Chinook salmon              

Ecosystems Mission Area, Alaska Science Center

#### Pagination

-                Current page            1 
-                Page            2 
-                Page            3 
-  Next page›› 
-  Last pageLast » 

Below are news stories associated with this project.

USGS Alaska Science Center Project Updates for Collaborative Science with USFWS, NPS, and BOEM

May 1, 2023

####   USGS Alaska Science Center Project Updates for Collaborative Science with USFWS, NPS, and BOEM

One of the primary missions of the USGS is to provide science for decision making, particularly for Department of Interior management bureaus such as...

Read Article

This is a nation-wide collaborative program, supported by the USGS Ecosystems Mission Area, through which USGS and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service staff address priority research needs identified by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.  On this page, we highlight research taking place in Alaska as part of this program.

**Return to Ecosystems >> Collaborative Science for Priority Information Needs**

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service priorities change annually through this program. Results of past studies can be found under Data and Tools and Publications on this page.

For 2020-2023, the USGS Alaska Science Center is focusing on the following science needs identified by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Alaska Region:
                                - Processing and publication of high-resolution coastal walrus haulout survey imagery 
                                - Quantifying groundwater and aufeis and their contribution to surface water availability and habitat in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Alaska 
                                - Distribution and abundance of breeding waterbirds in relation to habitat type on the 1002 Area of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Alaska 
                                - Development of a population monitoring plan for the Southern Beaufort Sea polar bear subpopulation 
                                - Assessing the population status of two rare taxa endemic to the central Bering Sea, Alaska: McKay's Bunting and Pribilof Rock Sandpiper 
                                - Improved mapping of historical fire perimeters on Alaska National Wildlife Refuges 

### Study Area

### Contacts

#### John M. Pearce, Ph.D.

##### Associate Center Director for Ecosystems

Alaska Science Center

jpearce@usgs.gov

907-786-7094

#### Christian E Zimmerman, Ph.D.

##### Center Director

Alaska Science Center

czimmerman@usgs.gov

907-786-7071

#### Jeff Conaway

##### Associate Center Director for Water, Ice, and Landscape Dynamics

Alaska Science Center

jconaway@usgs.gov

907-786-7041

### Explore Search

                      - Biology
                      - Ecosystems
                      - Water

View All **

Below are other science projects associated with this project.

link

January 9, 2024

####                 Q&A: Vessel Cruise for Estimates of Pacific Walrus Demography              

Alaska Science Center

link

January 9, 2024

####   Q&A: Vessel Cruise for Estimates of Pacific Walrus Demography

Learn More

link

January 12, 2023

####                 Q&A: Improving Aerial Surveys of Geese in Alaska with Aerial Imagery              

Alaska Science Center

link

January 12, 2023

####   Q&A: Improving Aerial Surveys of Geese in Alaska with Aerial Imagery

Learn More

link

May 6, 2019

####                 Winter Habitat of Juvenile Dolly Varden in the Canning River              

Alaska Science Center

link

May 6, 2019

####   Winter Habitat of Juvenile Dolly Varden in the Canning River

Learn More

Below are data or web applications associated with this project.

April 30, 2024

####                 Corrected Fire Perimeters of Alaska's National Wildlife Refuges              

Alaska Science Center

August 30, 2023

####                 Data for Estimating McKay's Bunting (Plectrophenax hyperboreus) Population Change on St. Matthew and Hall Islands, Alaska              

Alaska Science Center

June 30, 2022

####                 Aerial Photo Imagery from Fall Waterfowl Surveys, Izembek Lagoon, Alaska, 2017-2019              

Alaska Science Center

April 6, 2022

####                 Counts of Birds in Aerial Photos from Fall Waterfowl Surveys, Izembek Lagoon, Alaska, 2017-2019              

Alaska Science Center

August 24, 2021

####                 Blood Parasite Infection, Body Mass, and Survival Data from Emperor Geese (Anser canagicus), Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, Alaska, 2006-2016              

Alaska Science Center, Molecular Ecology Laboratory

June 16, 2021

####                 Predicted Calving and Post-calving Season Resource Use of the Porcupine Caribou Herd During 2012-2018 With Future Projections for the 2030s, 2040s, and 2050s              

Alaska Science Center

March 4, 2021

####                 Fatty Acid Composition of Polar Bear Adipose Tissue and Ringed and Bearded Seal Blubber Collected in the Chukchi Sea, 2008-2017              

Alaska Science Center

January 12, 2021

####                 Counts and Abdominal Profile Indices of Wintering Emperor Geese (Anser canagicus) at Three Islands in Alaska, 2003 and 2015-2017              

Alaska Science Center

January 11, 2021

####                 Serum Urea and Creatinine Levels of Spring-Caught Polar Bears (Ursus maritimus) in the Southern Beaufort and Chukchi Seas              

Alaska Science Center

December 15, 2020

####                 Sex and Age Composition of Walrus Groups Hauled Out on Ice Floes in the Bering and Chukchi Seas, 2013-2015              

Alaska Science Center

February 9, 2020

####                 Measurement Data of Polar Bears Captured in the Chukchi and Southern Beaufort Sea, 1981-2017              

Alaska Science Center

December 16, 2019

####                 Tracking data for Yellow-billed Loons (Gavia adamsii)              

Alaska Science Center

Below are multimedia items associated with this project.

Evaluation of Satellite Imagery Monitoring Pacific Walruses haulouts

October 1, 2021

#### Evaluation of Satellite Imagery Monitoring Pacific Walruses haulouts

link

This is a graphical abstract for a publication by the USGS that evaluates satellite imagery for monitoring large Pacific walrus haulouts in northwestern Alaska.

Alaska Science Center

October 1, 2021

#### Evaluation of Satellite Imagery Monitoring Pacific Walruses haulouts

link

#### Evaluation of Satellite Imagery Monitoring Pacific Walruses haulouts

link

This is a graphical abstract for a publication by the USGS that evaluates satellite imagery for monitoring large Pacific walrus haulouts in northwestern Alaska.

Alaska Science Center

Aerial survey for Black Brant at Izembek Lagoon, Alaska

January 21, 2020

#### Aerial survey for Black Brant at Izembek Lagoon, Alaska

link

Example of a photo from the USFWS fall aerial survey for geese at Izembek Lagoon. Inset shows a closer view of four Black Brant (bottom) with a Cackling Goose (top) foraging on eelgrass. Scientists from the USGS Alaska Science Center and the U.S.

Alaska Science Center

January 21, 2020

#### Aerial survey for Black Brant at Izembek Lagoon, Alaska

link

#### Aerial survey for Black Brant at Izembek Lagoon, Alaska

link

Example of a photo from the USFWS fall aerial survey for geese at Izembek Lagoon. Inset shows a closer view of four Black Brant (bottom) with a Cackling Goose (top) foraging on eelgrass. Scientists from the USGS Alaska Science Center and the U.S.

Alaska Science Center

USGS Employee Loading Helicopter At Gage 15955000 Canning River, AK. 

May 31, 2012

#### USGS Employee Loading Helicopter At Gage 15955000 Canning River, AK. 

link

USGS gage 15955000 Canning River above Staines River near Deadhorse, AK. Derek Frohbelter loading helicopter for return to Kavik.

Water Resources Mission Area

May 31, 2012

#### USGS Employee Loading Helicopter At Gage 15955000 Canning River, AK. 

link

#### USGS Employee Loading Helicopter At Gage 15955000 Canning River, AK. 

link

USGS gage 15955000 Canning River above Staines River near Deadhorse, AK. Derek Frohbelter loading helicopter for return to Kavik.

Water Resources Mission Area

Caribou Tracks Along Alaska's Coast

August 8, 2006

#### Caribou Tracks Along Alaska's Coast

link

This photograph shows caribou tracks on ice-wedge polygons near Garry Creek in Alaska. Coastal erosion along the Arctic coast is chronic, widespread and potentially accelerating, posing threats to infrastructure important for defense and energy purposes, natural shoreline habitats and nearby Native communities.

Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Communications and Publishing

August 8, 2006

#### Caribou Tracks Along Alaska's Coast

link

#### Caribou Tracks Along Alaska's Coast

link

This photograph shows caribou tracks on ice-wedge polygons near Garry Creek in Alaska. Coastal erosion along the Arctic coast is chronic, widespread and potentially accelerating, posing threats to infrastructure important for defense and energy purposes, natural shoreline habitats and nearby Native communities.

Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Communications and Publishing

Spectacled Female Eider on Nest

June 18, 2006

#### Spectacled Female Eider on Nest

link

Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge, Alaska.

Communications and Publishing

June 18, 2006

#### Spectacled Female Eider on Nest

link

#### Spectacled Female Eider on Nest

link

Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge, Alaska.

Communications and Publishing

Below are publications associated with this project.

March 28, 2024

####                 A comparison of contemporary and historical hydrology and water quality in the foothills and coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Arctic Slope, northern Alaska              

Alaska Science Center

March 3, 2024

####                 Seasonal and decadal subsurface thaw dynamics of an Aufeis feature investigated through numerical simulations              

Alaska Science Center

December 19, 2023

####                 Rapid population decline in McKay's Bunting, an Alaskan endemic, highlights the species’ current status relative to international standards for vulnerable species              

Alaska Science Center

July 25, 2023

####                 Status of spectacled eiders (Somateria fischeri) on the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, Alaska, 2022—Testing and updating predictive models              

Alaska Science Center

December 13, 2022

####                 Optimizing surveys of fall-staging geese using aerial imagery and automated counting              

Ecosystems Mission Area, Alaska Science Center, Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center

June 28, 2022

####                 Evaluating the efficacy of aerial infrared surveys to detect artificial polar bear dens              

Ecosystems Mission Area, Alaska Science Center

October 23, 2021

####                 Evaluation of satellite imagery for monitoring Pacific walruses at a large coastal haulout              

Ecosystems Mission Area, Alaska Science Center

August 26, 2021

####                 Negligible evidence for detrimental effects of Leucocytozoon infections among Emperor Geese (Anser canagicus) breeding on the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, Alaska              

Ecosystems Mission Area, Alaska Science Center

May 16, 2021

####                 Spring phenology drives range shifts in a migratory Arctic ungulate with key implications for the future              

Ecosystems Mission Area, Western Ecological Research Center (WERC)

February 28, 2021

####                 Seal body condition and atmospheric circulation patterns influence polar bear body condition, recruitment, and feeding ecology in the Chukchi Sea              

Ecosystems Mission Area, Alaska Science Center

December 7, 2020

####                 Shifts in the wintering distribution and abundance of Emperor Geese in Alaska              

Ecosystems Mission Area, Alaska Science Center

August 27, 2020

####                 Evidence of prevalent heat stress in Yukon River Chinook salmon              

Ecosystems Mission Area, Alaska Science Center

#### Pagination

-                Current page            1 
-                Page            2 
-                Page            3 
-  Next page›› 
-  Last pageLast » 

Below are news stories associated with this project.

USGS Alaska Science Center Project Updates for Collaborative Science with USFWS, NPS, and BOEM

May 1, 2023

####   USGS Alaska Science Center Project Updates for Collaborative Science with USFWS, NPS, and BOEM

One of the primary missions of the USGS is to provide science for decision making, particularly for Department of Interior management bureaus such as...

Read Article