USGS Newsroom

Research on Rare Earth Elements in Alaska Could Help Make Them Less Rare

OC_Web@usgs.gov (Office of Communications and Publishing) — Tue, 4 Jun 2013 14:00:00 EDT

A unique deposit of heavy rare earth elements at Alaska's Bokan Mountain could help scientists understand how rare earth element deposits form, according to new research by geologists from Saint Mary's University in Halifax and the U.S. Geological Survey. Rare earth elements are important, but scarce, elements used in components in many cutting edge electronic and defense technologies.

Currently, very little is known about the geologic setting in which REE deposits form. Understanding these geologic settings and how they come to be is a crucial step to being able to determine where mineable concentrations of REE might be found.

REE are made up of 17 elements, including Yttrium, Scandium, and the 15 members of the Lanthanide series. They are divided into light and heavy REE, depending on their atomic weights. Light REE are more commonly dominant in REE deposits, which is why HREE-enriched deposits at Bokan Mountain are noteworthy.

HREE are very valuable for producing tiny high-grade magnets used in smart phones and tablets, and for increasing the ability of engines and transmissions to operate at higher temperatures. Bokan Mountain is one of the few known deposits where heavy rare earth elements are concentrated and can be more efficiently produced.

"Our work in southeastern Alaska has demonstrated the potential for a viable, world-class supply of heavy rare earths from a domestic source. The collaboration between the USGS, universities and Ucore Rare Metals is an excellent example of how public-private partnerships can directly succeed in assisting significant economic growth," said lead author Dr. Jaroslav Dostal, with Saint Mary's University in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

To determine how these deposits formed at Bokan Mountain, Dostal analyzed the granite using geochemistry and isotopic analysis, and then compared his results to other granites.

He found that the granite of Bokan Mountain is similar to granites that formed in what is known as a "rift setting," in which the Earth's crust splits apart and magma wells up from below. This magma then cools to form a distinctive type of granite.

USGS geologist Susan Karl mapped the structures in the Bokan Mountain granite and the rocks that the granite intruded. Her studies indicate the granite magma was emplaced on active structures associated with rifting.

"This research contributes to more efficient exploration for REE deposits," said Karl, who is located at the USGS Alaska Science Center in Anchorage. "By knowing more about how REE deposits form, scientists and mining companies can more accurately target rocks that might contain mineable concentrations of these critical minerals."

In 2010, USGS completed a report characterizing the principal REE deposits in the United States, including Bokan Mountain, AK and Mountain Pass, CA, which is the largest known deposit of REE in the United States. At the present time, the United States obtains its REE raw materials from foreign sources, almost exclusively from China. Import dependence upon a single country raises serious issues of supply security. This study will help to define domestic supply in the United States.

The USGS Mineral Resources External Research Program funded this research in 2009 with a grant to Saint Mary's University where Dostal is a professor emeritus. The USGS MRERP grant program is designed to support academic studies of topics such as the genesis of certain types of mineral deposits and make the information available to the general public, including the resource community and land stewards.

The USGS Mineral Resources Program delivers unbiased science and information to understand mineral resource potential, production, consumption, and how minerals interact with the environment.

In addition to his long career on the faculty at Saint Mary's University, Dostal also sits on the board of UCORE, the company that is currently developing the property at Bokan Mountain.

The report "Bokan Mountain peralkaline granitic complex, Alexander terrane (southeastern Alaska): Evidence for Early Jurassic rifting prior to accretion with North America" has been published in the Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences.

For more on this report and other USGS research on rare earth elements, please visit the USGS Rare Earths page. For more information on USGS mineral research, please visit the USGS Mineral Resources Program.

Alaska Geochemical Database Updated

OC_Web@usgs.gov (Office of Communications and Publishing) — Thu, 30 May 2013 8:00:00 EDT

Multiple sources of Alaskan geochemical information have united into one online resource.

Alaska Geochemical Database Version 2.0 (AGDB2)—Including "Best Value" Data Compilations for Rock, Sediment, Soil, Mineral, and Concentrate Sample Media, is now available, and is the first database of its kind in the United States.

"We welcome the release of the second version of the Alaska Geochemical Database (AGDB2). The incorporation of the "best value" data compilation will be a great asset to all users," said Melanie Werdon, Geological Scientist, Mineral Resources, Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys. "The determination by the USGS of which geochemical analysis is most quantitatively accurate, for each sample with multiple analyses, will save database users significant time, money, and effort,"

The database contains all USGS geochemical data for more than 264,000 samples collected between 1962 and 2009 from the State of Alaska. Each sample has one "best value" determination for each analyzed species, greatly improving speed and efficiency of use for this ArcGIS-friendly database.

"The "best value" feature is what makes the AGDB2 such an advancement over the AGDB of 2011. We are currently using the AGDB2 to map in ArcGIS over 35 elements for the entire State of Alaska," said Matthew Granitto, USGS scientist and primary author.

Crowd-Sourcing the Nation: Using Volunteers for Enhanced Data Collection

OC_Web@usgs.gov (Office of Communications and Publishing) — Mon, 1 Apr 2013 18:41:01 EDT

The USGS is expanding the involvement of volunteers to enhance data collection about structures for The National Map.

This program, known as The National Map Corps, focuses on encouraging citizens to collect data relating to structures by both adding new features and/or correcting existing data within The National Map database. These structures can include schools, hospitals, post offices, police stations and other important public places.

Collaborative pilot projects in Colorado were recently used to test the concept of crowd-sourcing. While the project is on-going, early indications point to positive results and show the success of using TNMC volunteers to enhance data sets.

Over a trial period of ten months, 143 volunteers collected, improved, or deleted data on more than 6,400 structures in Colorado. The volunteers’ actions were accurate and exceeded USGS quality standards. In the Colorado pilot project the volunteer-collected data showed an improvement of approximately 25 percent in both location and attribute accuracy for existing data points. Completeness, or the extent to which all appropriate features were identified and recorded, was nearly perfect.

The significant results of the Colorado pilot have led to a phased, nation-wide expansion of the crowd-sourcing /volunteer project. The states in the first expansion of TNMC are: Arkansas, Alaska, Colorado, Delaware, Georgia, Idaho, Maryland, Michigan, Montana, North Dakota, New Jersey, New Mexico, Ohio, Oregon, South Carolina, Utah, Washington, West Virginia

After an evaluation of the quality and procedures of the first group of states, the second set will be made available. Ultimately, by the end of 2013, the third batch of states will complete the expansion of the program.

"The response by volunteers in Colorado exceeded our expectations both in terms of the number of volunteers and the quality of the data they collected”, said Kari Craun, the Director of the USGS National Geospatial Technical Operations Center. “The Volunteered Geographic Information (VGI) community represents a fantastic, untapped resource to assist USGS in maintaining data that are part of The National Map.”

While some familiarity with the area that a volunteer chooses is helpful, one doesn’t have to live near a particular place to contribute. The tools on TNMC website, along with ancillary information available on the Internet, are generally sufficient to edit a distant area.

There have been several instances of crowd-sourced geographic information making significant contributions to research and databases in government, private sector, and non-profit organizations. The goal of the TNMC is to provide data for the nation’s primary federal mapping agency in its effort to provide accurate and authoritative spatial data via the web-based National Map.

The citizen geographers/cartographers who participate in this program will make a significant addition to the USGS’s ability to provide accurate information to the public. Data collected by volunteers become part of TNM Structures dataset which is available to users free of charge.

Without a network of volunteers, the desired information would not be collected this year and the existing data would not be updated. TNMC volunteers perform important work that otherwise will not be accomplished in the foreseeable future.

Becoming a volunteer for TNMC is easy; go to the National Map Corps website to learn more and to sign up as a volunteer. If you have access to the Internet and are willing to dedicate some time to editing map data, we hope you will consider participating!

USGS-University of Alaska Landscape Ecologist Named 2012 AAAS Fellow

OC_Web@usgs.gov (Office of Communications and Publishing) — Wed, 30 Jan 2013 18:04:57 EDT

Dave McGuire (right) and volunteer Tom Sinclair (left) collect moose browse data in a burned black spruce forest as part of graduate student Erin Julianus' project on interactions between moose browsing and fire on Kanuti National Wildlife Refuge. Photo courtesy of Erin Julianus. ((High resolution image)

FAIRBANKS, Alaska— A. David McGuire of the University of Alaska Fairbanks and the U.S. Geological Survey has been named a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the world's largest general scientific society and publisher of the journal Science.

McGuire was recognized for distinguished contributions to the field of terrestrial ecology, particularly for the role of arctic and boreal terrestrial ecosystems in the climate system. He is a professor of ecology at UAF's Institute of Arctic Biology and Department of Biology and Wildlife and assistant leader of ecology in the USGS Alaska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit.

"Dave is internationally recognized for the importance of his research on the role of the carbon cycle in arctic and subarctic environments and for his work modeling its effects on the global climate system," said Brian Barnes, IAB director and AAAS Fellow.

McGuire's research since 1990 has focused on developing a terrestrial ecosystem model that describes how carbon and nitrogen flow in terrestrial ecosystems can forecast how Alaska's landscapes might change in response to climate warming.

"We're looking at the transition of grassy tundra to shrub tundra and shrub tundra to forest tundra," said McGuire of the research done in collaboration with colleagues, graduate students and postdoctoral fellows. "The key issue is how quickly these transitions will occur and how much of a change in atmospheric heating you get going from one type of tundra to another. We’ve conducted retrospective studies to look at these effects and they have been relatively minor. It’s in the future that they have the potential to become stronger."

Climate change throughout the circumpolar arctic has the potential to affect ecosystems and the services they provide -- including food, fiber and recreation -- to the people of Alaska and the nation.

"Dave's work on plant community dynamics is important to our efforts to project changes in future wildlife habitats and the implications of these habitat changes for wildlife populations," said Brad Griffith, leader of the USGS AKCFWRU.

"The work we’ve done requires using measurements of soil, water, plants and permafrost that many other people have made and incorporating those data into models and making projections," McGuire said. "Our research is built on the work of colleagues, especially Terry Chapin, professor emeritus at UAF, who so clearly articulated the possibility of changes in tundra vegetation, and the students and post-docs in my lab who have done the heavy lifting. It’s the synergy among all these people that has allowed me to be accomplished enough to be elected as a Fellow."

McGuire is among 702 new Fellows chosen nationwide for 2012 for their scientifically or socially distinguished efforts to advance science or its applications. He will be presented with an official certificate and a gold and blue rosette pin - representing science and engineering – Saturday Feb.16 at the AAAS annual meeting in Boston, Mass., and joins more than a dozen Alaskans chosen as Fellows over the years.

The Institute of Arctic Biology at the University of Alaska Fairbanks is Alaska's principle research and educational unit for investigating high-latitude biological systems and providing the public and state of Alaska policy makers the necessary knowledge to interpret, predict and manage biological systems in the face of uncertainty.

The Alaska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit is part of a nationwide cooperative program, initiated in 1935, to promote research and graduate student training in the ecology and management of fish, wildlife and their habitats. The Alaska Unit, formed in 1991 by a merger of the Alaska Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit and Alaska Cooperative Fishery Research Unit, exists by cooperative agreement among the U.S. Geological Survey, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the University of Alaska Fairbanks and the Wildlife Management Institute.

Coping with the Cold - How Rock Sandpipers Survive Alaskan Winters

OC_Web@usgs.gov (Office of Communications and Publishing) — Wed, 30 Jan 2013 11:30:00 EDT

ANCHORAGE, Alaska —The upper Cook Inlet is the world's coldest site that regularly supports wintering shorebirds. The rock sandpiper is the only shorebird found in this region during winter and is a species that is uniquely adapted to survive the winter chill, according to new research by biologists with the USGS Alaska Science Center.

USGS scientists determined that on average 8,000 rock sandpipers spend the winter in upper Cook Inlet each year and that harsh winter conditions may actually contribute to the success of these birds.

"The rock sandpiper is a unique bird: outfitted for wintering over in cold northern climates and confined to a narrow inlet where tides maintain access to food in spite of ice cover," said USGS Director Marcia McNutt. "I never cease to be amazed at the adaptability of nature to the planet's extreme environments."

Rock sandpipers that winter in upper Cook Inlet feed principally on clams that are buried in mudflats. Sea and shore-fast ice in winter periodically cover up 80 percent of mudflats used by rock sandpipers. However, scientists found that upper Cook Inlet’s extreme tides and the scouring action of ice blocks swept away by these tides keep feeding grounds accessible during winter.

"Rock sandpipers appear to have better insulation against the cold due to heavier plumage and a thick layer of fat. That fat fuels their higher winter metabolism and provides insulation, much like blubber in marine mammals" says Dan Ruthrauff, a wildlife biologist with the USGS Alaska Science Center and lead author on the new research.

The birds found in upper Cook Inlet in winter are known as the Pribilof Island rock sandpiper. Their breeding range is restricted to just four islands in the Bering Sea: St. George, St. Paul, St. Matthew, and Hall islands. USGS estimated the size of the breeding population at around 20,000 individuals. In some years, winter survey totals in upper Cook Inlet closely match the breeding population estimate, further emphasizing the importance of the region's intertidal habitats to this unusual sandpiper.

The recent research by USGS on rock sandpipers in upper Cook Inlet, Alaska, are "Coping with the cold: an ecological context for the abundance and distribution of rock sandpipers during winter in upper Cook Inlet, Alaska" which will be published by the journal Arctic in September, 2013; "Identical metabolic rate and thermal conductance in rock sandpiper (Calidris ptilocnemis) subspecies with contrasting nonbreeding life histories", published in the journal Auk in January, 2013; and "Small population size of the Pribilof rock sandpiper confirmed through distance-sampling surveys in Alaska", published in August, 2012 by the journal Condor. The articles were written by Daniel Ruthrauff, Robert Gill, Jr., Lee Tibbitts, and Colleen Handel of the USGS Alaska Science Center, along with international collaborators Anne Dekinga and Theunis Piersma of the Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, Den Burg, The Netherlands, and Maksim Dementyev, a biologist with Moscow State University, Russia.

Invasive Pike Persist When Preferred Prey Decline

OC_Web@usgs.gov (Office of Communications and Publishing) — Wed, 23 Jan 2013 14:00:00 EDT

January 23, 2013 – Invasive northern pike in southcentral Alaska are opportunistic and adaptable predators that feed on multiple native fish species when their preferred prey, native salmonids, are no longer abundant, according to a new study released in Ecology of Freshwater Fish.

In the study, scientists with the U.S. Geological Survey's Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center and the Alaska Department of Fish and Game describe the importance of salmonids and other native fish species to pike diets in the Susitna River basin of Alaska. As a result, this invasive predator can continue to thrive while impacting native species.

"In southcentral Alaska, outside of the native range of the northern pike, fish have no natural defenses to these voracious predators, making them 'easy pickins' once the northern pike was introduced," said USGS Director Marcia McNutt. "The consequences of this unfortunate act may not end with the salmon, but could cascade to other portions of affected ecosystems and the human economy."

The economic and cultural costs of salmonid declines are considerable, as are the severe ecological consequences because these fish are a key food source for numerous species throughout Alaska.

"We sampled 274 pike in a stream where salmon are still abundant and we found over 600 salmon in the stomachs of these pike. Several of the pike had greater than 20 juvenile salmon in their stomachs." said Adam Sepulveda, USGS scientist and lead author of the study.

Researchers observed that pike preferred juvenile salmonids, but will feed on other native fish species such as lamprey and sculpin when salmonids are less abundant. In addition, the study found that smaller pike are the primary predators of native salmonids, indicating that tools that are effective at suppressing smaller pike, in addition to larger pike, are needed.

Invasive pike were introduced into southcentral Alaska in the 1950's and are thought to be a leading cause for the decline of salmonid species important to sport and commercial fisheries.

"In places like Alexander Creek, where northern pike are well established, we have seen a complete loss of salmon fisheries and the closure of several businesses that once depended on them." said Kristine Dunker, biologist with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game and co-author of the study.

The study illustrates that the adaptability of invasive pike can reduce abundance of multiple species. The article is titled "Introduced northern pike predation on salmonids in southcentral Alaska" and can be viewed at the following website.

More information about impacts and prevention of aquatic invasive species can be found on the USGS Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center web site.

USGS Study Tracks Pacific Walrus, Observes Effects of Arctic Sea Ice Loss on Behavior

OC_Web@usgs.gov (Office of Communications and Publishing) — Wed, 14 Nov 2012 18:00:00 EDT

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — Sparse summer sea ice in the Arctic over the past five years has caused behavioral changes in Pacific walruses according to research published by U.S. Geological Survey and Russian scientists. The effects on the walrus population are unknown.

"The loss of sea ice is the 'why' for the change in walrus behavior; the tracking data tells us the 'where' in terms of their new forage patterns," said USGS Director Marcia McNutt. "What awaits to be seen is 'how much will it matter?'"

Using a simple darting system, scientists attached radio-tracking tags to 251 walruses in the Chukchi Sea. The tags transmitted the animals’ whereabouts and whether they were in the water and feeding. Using the tagging data gathered from 2008-2011, scientists created detailed maps of the walruses’ seasonal movements and feeding patterns relative to the location and amount of sea ice.

The study found that due to earlier melting of the ice in the summer, walruses arrived earlier to their northern feeding grounds on the broad continental shelf of the Chukchi Sea. When the sea ice over the continental shelf melted completely in the fall, they "hauled out" onshore in large aggregations and foraged for food closer to shore. Hauling out refers to the behavior associated with seals and walruses of temporarily leaving the water for sites on land or ice.

The specific effects of these behavioral changes are not yet understood; however, it is known that while onshore, young walruses are susceptible to mortality from trampling. Additionally, hauling out onshore and using nearshore feeding areas may require more energy.

Adult female walrus on ice floe photographed shortly after receiving a behavior monitoring satellite-linked radio tag from USGS researchers.

Data acquired from such radio-tags are providing insights on the distribution and behavior of Pacific walruses during a time when their summer sea ice habitat is rapidly changing.

The longer open water season in the Arctic is creating opportunities for shipping, tourism, energy production and other human activities in this remote region. Data from this study will provide resource managers with basic information on areas important for walruses, such as the Hanna Shoal region, as human activities in the Arctic increase. The areas of walrus foraging overlap with oil and gas lease blocks administered by BOEM.

The information gained through tracking large marine mammals such as polar bears and walruses, is helping USGS scientists understand how disappearing Arctic sea ice is affecting the region's ecosystems. The Arctic sea ice is melting faster than forecasted by many of the top climate models: the first ice free summer is now predicted to occur by 2035, perhaps as soon as 2025.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Alaska Regional Director Geoffrey Haskett said, "The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service welcomes this new research from our valued partners at USGS. It will provide us with yet another piece of information to consider as we develop management actions for this iconic arctic species."

A new film, "Tracking Pacific Walrus: Expedition to the Shrinking Chukchi Sea Ice," explores the walruses habitat and follows USGS researchers as they conduct their studies in the Arctic. The USGS-produced film contains exclusive footage of the large mammals in their natural habitat. B-roll footage is also available online.

The study, published as this month’s feature article in the journal Marine Ecology Progress Series, is part of the USGS Changing Arctic Ecosystems initiative at the Alaska Science Center.

Not-So-Permanent Permafrost

OC_Web@usgs.gov (Office of Communications and Publishing) — Wed, 24 Oct 2012 12:00:00 EDT

MENLO PARK, Calif. — As much as 44 billion tons of nitrogen and 850 billion tons of carbon stored in arctic permafrost, or frozen ground, could be released into the environment as the region begins to thaw over the next century as a result of a warmer planet according to a new study led by the U.S. Geological Survey. This nitrogen and carbon are likely to impact ecosystems, the atmosphere, and water resources including rivers and lakes. For context, this is roughly the amount of carbon stored in the atmosphere today.

The release of carbon and nitrogen in permafrost could exacerbate the warming phenomenon and will impact water systems on land and offshore according to USGS scientists and their domestic and international collaborators. The previously unpublished nitrogen figure is useful for scientists who are making climate predictions with computer climate models, while the carbon estimate is consistent and gives more credence to other scientific studies with similar carbon estimates.

"This study quantifies the impact on Earth's two most important chemical cycles, carbon and nitrogen, from thawing of permafrost under future climate warming scenarios," said USGS Director Marcia McNutt. "While the permafrost of the polar latitudes may seem distant and disconnected from the daily activities of most of us, its potential to alter the planet’s habitability when destabilized is very real."

To generate the estimates, scientists studied how permafrost-affected soils, known as Gelisols, thaw under various climate scenarios. They found that all Gelisols are not alike: some Gelisols have soil materials that are very peaty, with lots of decaying organic matter that burns easily – these will impart newly thawed nitrogen into the ecosystem and atmosphere. Other Gelisols have materials that are very nutrient rich – these will impart a lot of nitrogen into the ecosystem. All Gelisols will contribute carbon dioxide and likely some methane into the atmosphere as a result of decomposition once the permafrost thaws – and these gases will contribute to warming. What was frozen for thousands of years will enter our ecosystems and atmosphere as a new contributor.

"The scientific community researching this phenomena has made these international data available for the upcoming Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. As permafrost receives more attention, we are sharing our data and our insights to guide those models as they portray how the land, atmosphere, and ocean interact," said study lead Jennifer Harden, USGS Research Soil Scientist.

The article "Field information links permafrost carbon to physical vulnerabilities of thawing" was published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters.

To learn more about the USGS Soil Biogeochemistry group visit their website.

Last Frontier Historical Topographic Maps

OC_Web@usgs.gov (Office of Communications and Publishing) — Thu, 18 Oct 2012 8:24:48 EDT

More than 8,000 historical topographic quadrangles, some over a century-old, covering all of Alaska are released for free download.

The U.S. Geological Survey announces it is now possible to see the topography and geography of Alaska in an extensive set of topographic maps dating back to 1899. This recent addition to the Historical Topographic Map Collection provides a comprehensive landscape repository of our northernmost State and shows changes through time, providing essential clues critical in the understanding our Nation’s development.

"No other State so captures the American spirit of adventure and love for the wild than Alaska, and thus it is important to preserve its history in this important map collection," said USGS Director Marcia McNutt. "And as climate change continues to alter the Alaska landscape, these historic records will only grow in value to science."

Approximately 500 maps were published in various portions of Alaska prior to 1950. In preparation for statehood in January, 1959, an intensive mapping program compiled and published more than 7,500 topographic maps. These recent era maps are mostly at 1:63,360 scale (one inch equals a mile) and provide a detailed view of Alaska topography, physiography and culture. The collection of historical topographic maps will provide valuable support to the developing Alaska Mapping Initiative, a multi-agency effort to remap the State of Alaska at 1:25,000 scale.

Historical maps are an important national resource as they provide the long-term record and documentation of the natural, physical and cultural landscape. The history documented by this collection and the analysis of distribution and spatial patterns is invaluable throughout the sciences and non-science disciplines. Genealogists, historians, anthropologists, archeologists and others use this collection for research as well as for a framework on which a myriad of information can be presented in relation to the landscape.

For more than 130 years, the USGS topographic mapping program has accurately portrayed the complex geography of our nation through maps using the lithographic printing process. The Collection contains high resolution scanned images from the USGS legacy series and other sources.

Historical maps are available to the public at no cost in GeoPDF format or as a printed copy for $15 plus a $5 handling charge from the USGS Store . The electronic maps are georeferenced and can be used in conjunction with the new USGS digital topographic map, the US Topo.

For more information visit the USGS HTMC.

Florida and Illinois Make 48

OC_Web@usgs.gov (Office of Communications and Publishing) — Wed, 19 Sep 2012 8:00:00 EDT

With the release of US Topo maps for Florida and Illinois, the continental US is now covered with the new digital quadrangles

People who want access to digital topographic maps for any of the lower 48 states can now count on the US Topo. The ongoing map project, as part of the U.S. Geological Survey's national map series, recently released new maps for Florida and Illinois – with Hawaii to soon follow. Adding more than 2,015 revised digital quadrangles has increased the collection to nearly 54,000 new US Topo maps, with plans for Alaska developing. The maps are available for free download from The National Map and the USGS Map Store website.

"USGS topo maps are one of our most recognizable agency products, full of useful, up-to-date information, free, and easily downloaded to your computer," said USGS Director Marcia McNutt. "Don't leave home without US Topo."

Other new feature additions and improvements on the updated US Topo maps include:

Contours
Rivers, lakes steams and other hydrography
Woodland tint derived from the National Land Cover Dataset
Fire Stations
Hospitals
State and County boundaries
Forest service boundaries
Commercial roads in lieu of Census roads
Forest Service roads and road numbers

"We are pleased to fulfill our commitment to the public, and ahead of schedule", said Mark DeMulder, the Director of the USGS National Geospatial Program. "With the completion of the lower 48 states, we can retire the pilot 'Digital Map-Beta' maps and start on the second national revision cycle."

"During the past year, more than 3,000 US Topo were downloaded every day, and that number continues to increase", explained Mike Cooley, the US Topo Project Manager. "We believe the US Topo program has been a success and we would love to hear what our customers are thinking. Please consider visiting our US Topo contact page and let us know how we are doing."

US Topos are derived from key layers of geographic data found in The National Map which delivers visible content such as high resolution aerial photography, which was not available on older paper-based topographic maps. The new US Topo maps provide modern technical advantages that support wider and faster public distribution and on-screen geographic analysis tools for users.

Future enhancements to the US Topo are scheduled to include additional tools and map content such as a shaded relief layer, updated structures, enhanced transportation, additional federal boundaries, and Forest Service trails. Wyoming, which was added about three weeks ago, also featured Public Land Survey System (PLSS). The USGS expects to produce more than 18,500 revised quadrangles annually. US Topo maps are updated every three years.

The new digital electronic topographic maps for these new states– along with 46 other completed states - are delivered in GeoPDF image software format and may be viewed using Adobe Reader, also available as a no cost download.

For more information, visit A New Generation of Maps website.

Scientists Explore Changing Arctic Ocean

OC_Web@usgs.gov (Office of Communications and Publishing) — Fri, 24 Aug 2012 8:00:00 EDT

Scientists are setting sail on August 25 to study ocean acidification in the Arctic and what this means for the future survival of marine and terrestrial organisms.

The Arctic Ocean is one of the most vulnerable places on the planet for acidification, yet it is the least-explored ocean. Acidification can disturb the balance of marine life in the world’s oceans, and consequently affect humans and animals that rely on those food resources.

Ocean acidification is particularly harmful to organisms such as corals, oysters, crabs, shrimp and plankton, as well as those up and down the food chain. Higher acidity decreases an organism’s calcification rate, meaning they lose their ability to build shells or skeletons.

The USGS is leading this project, and this is the third consecutive year of research. On this year's expedition, scientists will travel onboard the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Healy for four weeks, collecting water and ice samples.

"Ocean acidification is a particularly vexing problem associated with the release of CO₂ into the atmosphere from the burning of fossil fuels because it interferes with the ability of marine organisms to build hard shells of calcium carbonate," said USGS Director Marcia McNutt. "Comparatively more research has been devoted to the tropics, where coral reefs are threatened. This important expedition focuses on polar latitudes, where the acidification effects can cascade from microscopic organisms up to our economy, as the organisms at risk form the base of the food chain for some of the world's most productive fisheries."

Oceans currently absorb about one-fourth of the greenhouse gas from the atmosphere. Ocean acidification occurs when carbon dioxide (CO₂) increases in the atmosphere and is absorbed by the ocean. Ocean acidity will continue to rise as CO₂ levels are projected to increase.

The Arctic Ocean's cold surface waters absorb CO₂ more rapidly than warmer oceans, thus contributing to its vulnerability. This vulnerability is increased as the warming climate causes sea-ice to retreat and melt, leaving less of a buffer and more exposure of surface water to the atmosphere.

On the previous two cruises in 2010 and 2011, scientists collected more than 30,000 water samples and traveled throughout the Canada Basin up to very near the North Pole. Data from the cruises are currently being processed.

"This cruise offers us an opportunity to collect more information over a vast spatial extent of the Arctic Ocean," said USGS oceanographer and project chief Lisa Robbins. "These data will provide a better understanding of the current patterns of acidification and thus they will significantly contribute to society's efforts to understand, forecast, and potentially mitigate impacts to the Arctic ecosystem and its many globally important resources."

USGS field experiments on ocean acidification are currently being run in tropical, temperate, and polar environments, including the Gulf of Mexico, Florida Keys, Virgin Islands, and the Arctic Ocean.

"Sampling from a variety of environments is providing a robust dataset to give us an overall picture of ocean chemistry changes," said USGS oceanographer Kim Yates.

People interested will be able to track this year's expedition and follow the research team's cruise journal during their voyage. Additionally, a slideshow on USGS Arctic acidification research is available online.

"This study is a collaborative effort and could not be accomplished without the strong partnership the USGS has with Co-Principal Investigator Dr. Jonathan Wynn and Dr. Robert Byrne from the University of South Florida," said Robbins.

Ocean acidification research is just one project taking place on Healy during this cruise. The primary mission of the cruise is an effort to map the Arctic seafloor and collect data to help define the outer limits of the U.S. continental shelf. For more information, visit the Extended Continental Shelf Project website.

Shrews in the News -- Rapid Evolution of Shrews in Response to Climate Change

OC_Web@usgs.gov (Office of Communications and Publishing) — Tue, 26 Jun 2012 13:00:00 EDT

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — Shrews are among a diverse group of small mammals that have rapidly evolved in response to climate change, according to a new study released this month. Using historical climate data and modern molecular evidence from multiple genes, scientists found that some shrew species respond positively to periods of warmer and wetter climate through expanding geographic ranges and increased population sizes, while other shrew species respond the same way during periods of colder and drier climate.

The smallest mammals, such as mice and shrews, can reproduce rapidly yielding many generations of offspring in a short period of time. Because of this, they evolve comparatively quickly and as such are useful for studying how species in general respond to environmental changes. In addition, unlike many birds and larger mammals, they are non-migratory and thus exhibit both ecological and evolutionary responses to local conditions year-round. Shrews were therefore perfect model organisms to test predictions about the influence of historical climate change on resident species in the Arctic.

"Evolutionary adaptation is driven by necessity, favored by large gene pools, and accelerated by short intervals to reproductive maturity," said USGS Director Marcia McNutt. "All of these factors make shrews the ideal organism for examining genetic adaptation to climate change, understanding which is critical to helping manage wildlife in the decades ahead."

Climatic changes over the last 350 thousand years have caused dramatic environmental shifts at high latitudes. For example, glacial cold phases lasting approximately 75 thousand years were interspersed with warmer periods lasting 20 thousand years and the earth is now experiencing yet another of these warmer periods. Therefore, scientists conducting the current study used historical evidence to predict how small mammals in the Arctic have responded to past climate change and thus how such species may react to current and future climate scenarios.

“Our research suggests that early ancestors of this group of roughly a dozen shrew species experienced an ecological separation due to isolation in different areas, adapting to wetter or drier local conditions respectively,” said Dr. Andrew Hope, a geneticist with the USGS Alaska Science Center who led the research.

Following initial adaptation to different environments, each cold and dry glacial phase caused rapid expansion of one group of shrew species while those adapted to warmer and wetter conditions contracted into multiple small isolated areas. Then during each warm and wet interglacial phase the opposite dynamics occurred. As high-latitude climates alternated between warm and cold climate changes, species such as the shrews rode an evolutionary see-saw of alternating population growth and decline, which promoted the formation of new species. The result has been a rapid increase in number of species in the Arctic in a very short evolutionary timespan. Investigation of these shrews has also uncovered previously unrecognized genetic diversity possibly representing un-described species.

This study of historical evolutionary processes offers valuable insight into the future ecological responses of species to prevailing environmental trends. Resident small mammals constitute an important toolset for investigating biological responses to climate change.

Shrews are tiny mammals that rely on insects, worms and other invertebrates for food. Despite their diminutive size, they can be found in virtually every available terrestrial habitat in North America excluding the most arid desert regions, reflecting adaptation to a broad range of environmental conditions.

The article “A climate for speciation: Rapid spatial diversification within the Sorex cinereus complex of shrews” is published in the journal Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, written by Andrew Hope and Sandra Talbot of the USGS Alaska Science Center, Joseph Cook and Kelly Speer from the Museum of Southwestern Biology at the University of New Mexico and John Demboski from the Denver Museum of Nature & Science.

Lifetime Mates Good for the Goose and the Gander

OC_Web@usgs.gov (Office of Communications and Publishing) — Thu, 14 Jun 2012 13:00:00 EDT

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — Not all birds mate for life, but for those species that do, wildlife biologists have found a clear benefit to the birds from such long-term relationships: greater longevity and breeding success, according to a study recently published in Behavioral Ecology

The study's authors found that when female black brant (a small arctic goose) lose their mate, their chances for survival are greatly diminished. The study is the first to characterize health effects of mate loss to female geese, and its conclusions have implications for wildlife population management.

"Scientists now have evidence to demonstrate that in species that mate for life, harvesting of males can have the unintended consequence of reducing the survival prospects for their female mates, in some cases, 'killing two birds with one stone'," said USGS Director Marcia McNutt. "The evidence says that only the very fittest and strongest of the females will survive the loss of her mate to breed again."

"In fluctuating waterfowl populations, as has occurred in black brant, female health is often the most sensitive factor that regulates populations," says David Ward, a research wildlife biologist with the U.S. Geological Survey’s Alaska Science Center and co-author of the study.

In the study, led by Chris Nicolai and Jim Sedinger of the University of Nevada, Reno, the researchers followed over 2,000 known pairs of black brant to examine the effect on female survival and their subsequent reproduction after they lost their mate during regular sport-hunting seasons. The authors found that female brant survival declined about 16 percent after losing a mate. The authors also found evidence that only widowed females in better body condition were able to re-pair with a new male and again reproduce.

"Mate loss increases the vulnerability of females to harvest and natural mortality because females need protection by males during feeding, nesting, and migration. It may take an especially fit female to survive mate loss, re-pair with a new mate, and continue reproducing in the future," says Nicolai, now a migratory bird biologist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. "In situations where goose populations are fluctuating, population management actions could focus on improving the maintenance of pair bonds and female health by informing harvest policy, management of natural mortality, and habitat improvements."

The study is part of a decades-long investigation into the Brant, initiated by Sedinger, the lead scientist on the project.

"Since 1984 we’ve had a rustic summer basecamp near a brant nesting area 500 miles west of Anchorage near Chevak, a small Eskimo village on the Bering Sea," Sedinger said. "The birds are also followed, using unique tagging codes, while they winter in Mexico."

The paper, "Mate loss affects survival but not breeding in black brant geese," was recently published in Behavioral Ecology. The paper was authored by Christopher A. Nicolai and James S. Sedinger from the University of Nevada, Reno, David H. Ward from the U.S. Geological Survey Alaska Science Center, and W. Sean Boyd from the Pacific Wildlife Research Centre, Canadian Wildlife Service.

Media Advisory: Free Public Lecture Marks Centennial of 20th Century�s Largest Volcanic Eruption

OC_Web@usgs.gov (Office of Communications and Publishing) — Mon, 4 Jun 2012 9:00:00 EDT

"Exploring the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes: A Centennial Perspective on the Novarupta-Katmai Eruption of 1912"

MENLO PARK, Calif. — 100 years ago, in June 1912, the largest volcanic eruption of the 20^th century took place in what is now Alaska's Katmai National Park and Preserve. U.S. Geological Survey geologist Judy Fierstein, co-author of a new landmark study on this huge volcanic event, shares her work with the community in a free public lecture Wednesday, June 6, a century to the day after the Novarupta-Katmai Eruption of 1912 began. Today, study of Novarupta and Katmai volcanoes sheds light on how future events in Alaska’s volcanic regions could affect air quality and air-transportation safety across the globe.

Who:	Judy Fierstein, USGS research geologist
What:	Illustrated lecture on "Exploring the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes: A Centennial Perspective on the Novarupta-Katmai Eruption of 1912"
Where:	U.S. Geological Survey Menlo Park Campus, 345 Middlefield Road, Menlo Park CA 94025; Building 3 Auditorium, second floor
When:	Wednesday, June 6, 2012 Noon preview for USGS employees and reporters 7 p.m. public lecture (also streamed over the Internet)
More Information and Directions:	Lecture Schedule Menlo Park Science Center Campus Map

A Big Day for Science: Citizens Have Contributed One Million Observations to Top Nature Database

OC_Web@usgs.gov (Office of Communications and Publishing) — Thu, 3 May 2012 9:00:00 EDT

RESTON, Va. — Thanks to citizen-scientists around the country, the USA National Phenology Network hit a major milestone this week by reaching its one millionth nature observation.

The millionth observation was done by Lucille Tower, a citizen-scientist in Portland, Ore., who entered a record about seeing maple vines flowering. Her data, like all of the entries, came in through USA-NPN’s online observation program, Nature's Notebook, which engages more than 4,000 volunteers across the country to observe and record phenology – the timing of the recurring life events of plants and animals such as when cherry trees or lilacs blossom, when robins build their nests, when salmon swim upstream to spawn or when leaves turn colors in the fall.

Each record not only represents a single data point — the status of a specific life stage of an individual plant or animal on one day – but also benefits both science and society by helping researchers understand how plants and animals are responding to climate change and, in turn, how those responses are affecting people and ecological systems.

"My dream is that through the wonders of modern technology and the National Phenology Network we could turn the more than six billion people on the planet into components of our scientific observing system," said USGS Director Marcia McNutt. "We could make giant leaps in science education, improve the spatial and temporal coverage of the planet, lower the cost of scientific data collection, and all while making ordinary citizens feel a part of the scientific process."

Jake Weltzin, a U.S. Geological Survey scientist and the executive director of USA-NPN, concurs. "Hitting the one millionth observation is exciting because researchers and decision-makers need more information to understand and respond to our rapidly changing planet. More information means better-informed decisions that ensure the continued vitality of our natural areas that we all depend on and enjoy."

For example, said Weltzin, the data in Nature's Notebook are already being used to benefit society, including the development of more accurate indicators of spring, forecasting the onset of allergy seasons or the chances of western wildfires, managing wildlife and invasive plants, and setting goals for habitat restoration. Ultimately, such information can be used for better managing water resources, wildlife and ecosystem management, and even help farmers and ranchers across the nation.

Changes in phenology are among the most sensitive biological indicators of global change. Across the world, many springtime events are occurring earlier — and fall events happening later — than in the past. These changes are happening quickly for some species and more slowly, or not at all, for others, altering relationships and processes that have been dynamically stable for thousands of years. Some wildlife —like caribou and butterflies — are becoming mismatched from their plant food resources, which are responding differently. Migrations for some birds are changing too, as they can now overwinter instead of moving south for the winter, or as they fly north more quickly to keep pace with an advancing front of spring flowering.

Because of this, said Weltzin, scientists need more and better information about the pace and pattern of nature — locally to nationally — to answer important scientific and societal questions, and to build the tools and models needed to help people understand and adapt to the changes.

"So much of our improved understanding about global environmental changes is driven by varied and valuable sources of information that include networks of citizen-scientists," said John Wingfield, National Science Foundation’s assistant director for biological sciences. "The public at large has played an important role collecting observations and data for a hundred years and more. Knowledge and data gained from their work will continue to have a lasting effect on how we understand regularly recurring biological phenomena for hundreds of plant and animal species and contribute to the policy arena."

Gwen Lundburg in Seattle is one citizen-scientist who has contributed hundreds of entries into Nature’s Notebook. "Just noticing small changes like tiny purple lilac buds suddenly turning green has taught me to look more closely at my plants," Lundburg said. "I see things in my garden I never saw before."

With the help of citizen-scientist volunteers, working in concert with professionals, the USA-NPN, which was established in 2007, collects, stores and freely shares phenological data on more than 800 species of plants and animals. The Nature’s Notebook observing program has been in operation since 2009. The coordinating office of the organization is located at 1955 E. 6^th St., Tucson, Ariz., 85721. For more information, visit the USA National Phenology Network, or contact Jake Weltzin at 520-626-3821 or jweltzin@usgs.gov.