USGS Educational Resources
Antarctica | Climate Change | Glaciers and Ice | Photographs | Satellite Imagery | Wildlife | Other USGS Resources | See entire resources index
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Alaska and the Arctic
Alaska Energy Information
| What is it? | What Can I Do With It? | What Does It Look Like? |
|---|---|---|
The north slope of Alaska is a major petroleum province and holds significant potential for energy resources that are unmatched by any other onshore region of the United States The goal of USGS energy resource assessments is to provide Congress, the Administration and the public an estimate of how much oil and gas remains to be discovered—the USGS has several energy–related efforts currently under way in Alaska. |
Use these studies to explore a wealth of subsurface geologic information, as well as outlines of the known petroleum fields and coal mines. Also, examine studies offering rigorous examples of a scientific–based, economic energy forecasts that involve uncertainty. Learn more… |
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Alaska Wildlife
| What is it? | What Can I Do With It? | What Does It Look Like? |
|---|---|---|
Scientists at the Alaska Science Center study a wide range of arctic wildlife, including bears, caribou, moose, polar bears, sea otters, sheep, walrus, wolves, fish, and birds. |
See how scientists work in this extreme environment, collecting data and making observations about arctic wildlife. Find out the latest information the USGS is learning about arctic ecosystems and their response to global change. Learn more…. |
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Arctic Refuge Coastal Plain Terrestrial Wildlife Research Summaries
(Biological Science Report USGS /BRD/BSR-2002-0001, 1988–1994)
| What is it? | What Can I Do With It? | What Does It Look Like? |
|---|---|---|
First established in 1960, the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge was expanded in 1980. This report is in response to that year´s legislation, which designated almost all of the original Arctic National Wildlife Range as wilderness and directed the Secretary of the Interior to conduct studies evaluating both the biological resources and the potential petroleum reserves of 1.5 million acres on the coastal plain of the Arctic Refuge (the “1002 Area”). |
Use this extensive and well–illustrated report to investigate population dynamics, distribution, energetics, and habitat use of key wildlife species. Also read discussions about potential effects and mitigation of petroleum development on wildlife and habitats. Learn more… |
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Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) Earth and Biological Science Data
| What is it? | What Can I Do With It? | What Does It Look Like? |
|---|---|---|
This is a library of a variety of base maps and statistical data on ANWR. |
Use this site for earth and biological investigations of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Learn more… |
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Alaska Maps on Demand
| What is it? | What Can I Do With It? | What Does It Look Like? |
|---|---|---|
Using print–on–demand technology, the USGS is implementing map–on–demand (MOD) printing for selected infrequently requested map products. By providing MOD products, the USGS can provide an alternative to traditional large–volume printing; it can also improve its responsiveness to customers by providing access to USGS scientific data that otherwise might not be available. |
Use this site to access to dozens of maps of Alaska that are not currently available “off the shelf” but can be printed on demand for the cost of printing. Maps at several scales are available of Alaskan geology, minerals resources, fossils, surficial materials, glacial features, sedimentary basins, gravity measurements, and of groundwater levels. Learn more… |
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Permafrost Monitoring
| What is it? | What Can I Do With It? | What Does It Look Like? |
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The U.S. Department of the Interior's DOI permafrost network in Alaska is part of a global network of permafrost monitoring stations that monitor for changes in the solid–earth component of the Earth's cryosphere. |
Use this Web resource to understand how permafrost is monitored and why it is important in polar research. Learn more… |
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Real-Time Water Data
| What is it? | What Can I Do With It? | What Does It Look Like? |
|---|---|---|
The network of thousands of USGS gaging stations in Alaska and elsewhere in the United States offers real–time and historic streamflow, water quality, groundwater, lake levels, and other hydrologic information in graph and tabular form. |
How much water flowed through different streams 5 minutes ago? What was the flow for the last 7 days? What were the historic maximums for certain rivers? What is the level of lakes? What is the water quality like? Find the answers to these and other questions via this database. Learn more… |
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Alaska Volcano Observatory
| What is it? | What Can I Do With It? | What Does It Look Like? |
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The Observatory was formed in 1988 and uses Federal, State, and university resources to monitor and study Alaska's hazardous volcanoes, to predict and record eruptive activity, and to mitigate volcanic hazards to life and property. It is a joint program of the USGS , the Geophysical Institute of the University of Alaska–Fairbanks, and the State of Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys. |
Learn about and monitor volcanoes in Alaska—their current activity and historical eruptions, and how they affect climate, air quality, and more. Learn more… |
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Volcanoes of the Wrangell Mountains and Cook Inlet Region, Alaska—Selected Photographs
| What is it? | What Can I Do With It? | What Does It Look Like? |
|---|---|---|
Alaska is home to more than 40 active volcanoes, many of which have erupted violently and repeatedly in the last 200 years. This CD contains 97 digitized color 35–mm images which represent a small fraction of thousands of photographs taken by Alaska Volcano Observatory scientists, other researchers, and private citizens. |
Examine photographs that portray volcanoes, document recent eruptive activity, and illustrate the range of volcanic phenomena observed in the Wrangell Mountains and Cook Inlet Region of Alaska. Learn more… |
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Volcanoes of the Alaska Peninsula and Aleutian Islands—Selected Photographs
| What is it? | What Can I Do With It? | What Does It Look Like? |
|---|---|---|
This CD–ROM contains 97 digitized, color 35–mm images that represent a small fraction of thousands of photographs taken by Alaska Volcano Observatory scientists, other researchers, and private citizens. |
Examine photographs that portray volcanoes, document recent eruptive activity, and illustrate the range of volcanic phenomena observed in the Alaska Peninsula and Aleutian Islands. Learn more… |
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Alaska Geospatial Data Clearinghouse
| What is it? | What Can I Do With It? | What Does It Look Like? |
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The AGDC coordinates geospatial data activities and promotes data sharing among its Federal, State, Native, local, commercial, and non–governmental (NGO) member agencies for numerous purposes that require combinations of data on the same map. It was organized in the early 1990s to support the initiatives and goals of the Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC) in Alaska. |
Access an extensive list of Alaskan geospatial datasets that cover minerals, wildfire, parks, water resources, land cover, geology, wetlands, soils, population, and communities. Learn more… |
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Geomac Near Real-Time Wildfire Mapper
| What is it? | What Can I Do With It? | What Does It Look Like? |
|---|---|---|
Geospatial Multi–Agency Coordination is the result of collaboration by numerous Federal agencies for managing and understanding wildfires across the United States. |
Make maps of current and historical wildfires in Alaska, and examine the database behind each fire. Learn more… |
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Organic Geochemistry Data of Alaska
| What is it? | What Can I Do With It? | What Does It Look Like? |
|---|---|---|
The USGS has developed an Alaskan Organic Geochemical Database to house data resulting from investigations of the origin and occurrence of fossil fuels. |
The entire database can be downloaded in Microsoft Access 97 format. Individual geochemistry tables are also available in standard ASCII text format. You can view the summary information links to get an overview of the data table contents before downloading. Arc (ESRI) export files and ArcView shapefiles are provided to GIS users. Learn more… |
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