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USGS Alaska Science Center Seminar Series

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.

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% (106/122) of lives lost in the earthquake are attributed to tsunamis, and about 80% 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.