• Testing nuclear power in Alaska: the reactor at Fort Greely

  Johnson, William R.; Naske, Clause-M.; Ellanna, Linda; Pearson, Roger (1993-05)

  Since WWII Alaska not only has been a major player in the defensive strategy of the United States, but it also has been considered an important military testing ground. This paper will advance the thesis that military operations are often detrimental and, indeed, hazardous to the resident population. Specifically, the SM-1A, a nuclear reactor the Army built at Fort Greely, Alaska in 1962, will be examined with emphasis on the fact that it was used to test nuclear energy production. Additionally, because of the discharge of low level radioactive waste into Jarvis Creek, which runs through Delta, there may be an abnormally high incidence of cancer within the nearby community. Furthermore, this is not an isolated case and other examples of nuclear tests will be presented as evidence.
• A phenomenological exploration of providers’ telehealth experiences with rural Alaska Native and American Indian beneficiaries in Interior Alaska

  Yatsushiro, Kimi; Gifford, Valerie; Rivkin, Inna; Campbell, Kendra; Lopez, Ellen (2024-08)

  People of Alaska Native and American Indian heritage living in rural areas of Interior Alaska experience significant barriers to accessing healthcare, including availability and accessibility of mental health services and varying levels of acceptance by communities. Telehealth has been used to enhance health access in underserved areas. Little is known about how mental health providers use and experience telehealth while working with tribal health beneficiaries in rural Alaska. This dissertation sought to explore the phenomenological experiences of mental health providers using a Community Based Participatory Research approach. Eight in-depth interviews were conducted with providers at Tanana Chiefs Conference about their post-COVID experiences using telehealth. Qualitative analysis revealed that providers experienced a paradigm shift after COVID, whereby telehealth became a predominant mode of communication. Telehealth improved health access and was acceptable and effective for clients and telesupervision. They noted differences in rapport building, client engagement, and attendance of appointments. Internet access, privacy, and mental health stigma were reported barriers to accessing telehealth. Recommended best practices include understanding the clients’ context in depth, practicing patience and flexibility, and being mindful of clients’ safety, privacy, and local resources. The first implication of the findings is that telehealth is a beneficial tool that increases the availability and accessibility of health services in rural areas, but does not resolve health provider shortages. Second, limits on telesupervision hours, despite its perceived efficacy, may inhibit capacity building in rural and underserved areas. Further provider training and soundproofing may improve acceptability of health services in rural areas.
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  Adaptive strategies and energetic profiles of bacteria in permafrost and temperate environments: a comparative study

  Woody, Hannah; Muscarella, Mario; Wolf, Diana; Barbato, Robyn (2024-08)

  Exploring microbial life in extreme conditions has not only challenged our definition of habitability but is expanding our understanding of where extraterrestrial life may occur. Permafrost, which covers approximately 27% of Earth’s surface, offers a unique window into microbial resilience in an extreme sub-zero environment, which is considered analogous to environments found on icy planets like Mars. Despite such harsh conditions, permafrost sustains diverse and active microbial communities. However, the energy dynamics and genomic adaptations that enable their survival remain largely unexplored. Here, we compare the maintenance energy requirements and genomic traits of permafrost-derived bacteria with bacteria from temperate environments to gain a better understanding of how these microbes survive in permafrost. We find that permafrost bacteria maintain stable maintenance energy levels as temperatures decrease, suggesting the presence of energy-use efficiency adaptations. Further genomic analysis of permafrost bacteria identified distinct gene adaptations related to stress response and resource acquisition, highlighting increased gene copies in pathways such as transporters and folding proteins. These results not only challenge previous assumptions about microbial energy dynamics but also provide insights into the complex mechanisms enabling microbial life to thrive under some of the most extreme conditions on Earth.
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  Body condition of Pacific common eiders breeding along the Beaufort Sea coast of Alaska

  Watford, Elyssa M.; Hollmén, Tuula; Latty, Christopher; Williams, Cory; Brinkman, Todd (2024-08)

  Pacific common eiders (Somateria mollissima v-nigrum; common eiders) are capital breeding seaducks that fast throughout their ~26 day incubation period. The incubation fast includes three metabolic phases: (I) a transition from feeding to using energy stored during the pre-breeding season, (II) the use of stored lipids for energy, and (III) the use of stored protein for energy as lipid reserves near depletion. With limited energy reserves for incubation, common eiders are more vulnerable to factors that increase the metabolic demands of reproduction, such as climate change or disturbance. We assessed the following metrics of body condition: mass, packed-cell volume, β-hydroxybutyrate, uric acid, and triacylglycerol, to estimate fasting phase of incubating common eiders. Our primary goal was to understand if common eiders breeding along the Beaufort Sea coast of Alaska entered phase III of fasting and, if so, at what point during incubation. We analyzed blood samples throughout incubation from 230 common eiders captured between Spy Island, west of Prudhoe Bay, and the U.S.-Canada Border from 2014 to 2019. Mass and packed-cell volume decreased throughout incubation which was expected as females lose up to 45% of their body mass while fasting. Serum β-hydroxybutyrate increased during incubation, indicating an increased use of stored lipids, typical during phase II of fasting. Serum uric acid decreased during incubation, also suggesting common eiders remained in phase II of fasting and were effective at protein sparing. On average, serum triacylglycerol initially decreased during incubation, consistent with phase II of fasting, then increased towards the end suggesting that some females may be feeding to augment the metabolic needs of incubation. Our body condition analysis suggests that the majority of common eiders breeding along the Beaufort Sea coast of Alaska are primarily using lipids for energy, sparing protein, and finishing incubation in phase II of fasting.
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  Time series production forecasting and uncertainty quantification using probabilistic decline curve analysis and machine learning techniques for unconventional reservoirs

  Sachdev, Kapil Hari; Awoleke, Obadare; Das, Arghya; Goddard, Scott (2024-08)

  Researchers have long been engaged in the challenging task of production forecasting and uncertainty quantification, often by combining Decline Curve Analysis (DCA) models with Probabilistic algorithms. Also, deep-learning approaches have been explored for production forecasting. In this work, we present the application of three probabilistic algorithms combined with various deterministic DCA models. We have also applied two machine learning (deep learning) algorithms for production forecasting and uncertainty quantification. Finally, we have compared the results of ML algorithms with the probabilistic algorithms based on the obtained MAPE values to conclude whether probabilistic or ML algorithms are better for production forecasting. Our analysis commences with the utilization of three probabilistic algorithms, namely Approximate Bayesian Computation (ABC), Conventional Bootstrap (CBM), and Modified Bootstrap methods (MBM). Each algorithm was integrated with three deterministic DCA models: Arps, Duong, and Logarithmic Growth Analysis (LGA). We then harnessed the power of machine learning (ML) algorithms called long-short-term memory (LSTM) and Transformer neural networks. The hyperparameters for the LSTM algorithm were chosen using Bayesian Optimization. We conducted a comprehensive study on 400 gas wells from the Marcellus Unconventional shale basin, evaluating LSTM, Transformer, and each probabilistic-DCA combination. Our hindcasting, which employed 12, 24, 36, 48, and 60 months of historical production data (hind-casts) to forecast up to 96 months, yielded forecasts that are essentially 10th, 50th, and 90th percentiles, providing the P10, P50, and P90 estimates, respectively. These estimates, which we refer to as uncertainty bands, vividly demonstrate uncertainty quantification as we progress from 12-60 months of hind-casts. In simple words, as we increase the use of historical data from 12 to 60 months, the P10 and P90 bands tighten, depicting that uncertainty decreases in the forecasts. Furthermore, we present the Mean Absolute Percentage Error (MAPE) for each probabilistic algorithm-DCA combination and LSTM algorithm for each hind-cast length for comprehensive comparison and conclusive insights. Our findings are helpful and should inspire confidence in the potential of ML algorithms for production forecasting and uncertainty quantification. We demonstrate the superior performance of both ML algorithms (LSTM and Transformers), particularly for 12 to 36 months of hind-cast for MAPE values and uncertainty bands. The compression of uncertainty bands with increasing hind-cast lengths indicates a decrease in uncertainty as production history increases; a promising result. Furthermore, the MAPE value decreases as we extend the hind-cast period from 12 to 60 months, suggesting improved accuracy with longer hind-casts. The uniqueness of this work is in the comparison of the ML algorithms (Transformers and LSTM) with the probabilistic DCA approach as discussed above. Also, the proportionality scaling function (PSF) that is introduced in this work allows the analyst to be able to capture the uncertainty associated with machine learning forecasts in a relatively simple manner.
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  Sea otter interactions with mariculture oyster farms

  Reynolds, Emily; Konar, Brenda; Horstmann, Lara; Monson, Daniel (2024-08)

  Sea otters (Enhydra lutris) are considered a keystone species and can be found around mariculture oyster farms. While oyster farms and sea otters have been coexisting in some locations, sustaining these farms, and the growing interest in expanding them, necessitates a comprehensive evaluation of potential interactions. Here, sea otter interactions with oyster farms were assessed through behavioral observations (i.e., activity and foraging dives) in oyster farms, adjacent non-farm areas (controls), and bays with no farming activity (references). Behavioral observations, conducted through scan surveys, captured sea otter activities (e.g., resting, grooming, swimming, and foraging). Targeted foraging observations tracked foraging success and prey (species and count). This study hypothesized that sea otters preferentially use oyster farms for foraging and resting activities compared to non-farm areas. Contrary to our hypothesis, sea otter activities showed no significant difference in these behaviors between oyster farms and controls. Similarly, foraging behavior, including success and prey diversity did not significantly differ among the areas. The dominant prey items in our study included clams (e.g., Saxidomus gigantea), crabs (e.g., Telmessus cheiragonus, Cancer productus), and mussels (e.g., Mytilus trossulus). Notably, there were no observations of farm oysters being consumed by sea otters. There were significant differences in the average number of prey consumed per sea otter per dive between the control and reference areas, with the control area averaging 2.6 prey items per dive (SD = 3.6), and the reference area nearly doubling to 4.8 prey items per dive (SD = 7.3). These differences may be attributed to variations in prey biomass and environmental conditions. Our observations indicate that there are no discernible differences in overall sea otter activity or foraging behavior in the presence of oyster farms.
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  Ice velocity and basal motion evolution of mountain glaciers on multi-decadal to centennial timescales

  Polashenski, David; Truffer, Martin; Armstrong, William; Aschwanden, Andy; Grapenthin, Ronni (2024-08)

  The surface velocity of a glacier or ice sheet consists of two components, viscous deformation throughout the ice column and basal motion comprised of sliding along the bed and the deformation of subglacial till. Changes in basal motion on multi-decadal to centennial timescales could result in either a positive or negative feedback which accelerates or delays ice mass loss rates. Most glacier systems maintain a relatively stable ice flux, while surge type glaciers are prone to large flow instabilities between their surging and quiescent phases. How fast and how much basal motion will change in response to higher temperatures is not well understood. In this dissertation, my coauthors and I utilized models, modern observations of ice deformation, and a 50-year-old baseline dataset from Athabasca Glacier, Alberta, Canada. We used recent field observations of Athabasca Glacier borehole deformation from tiltmeters to constrain the internal ice velocity and basal motion in the modern day. Both our modeling and field observations show that the surface velocity of the glacier has decreased over this period and reduced basal motion is mostly responsible for the observed slow-down. Lower basal velocities could result in a stabilizing feedback, which reduces the rate of ice mass loss in the coming decades. We then investigated the dynamics of the 2020-22 Henteel No’ Loo’ (Muldrow Glacier), Alaska, USA surge. My coauthors and I utilized satellite data, GPS stations, and a ground-based radar interferometer to observe the surface velocity before, during, and after, the surge. We find that the surge reached maximum velocities of 20-25 meters per day and find evidence suggesting this may be an upper velocity limit for the surge. This dissertation shows that basal motion is a primary control on glacier velocities for both surging and non-surging glaciers over multi-decadal to centennial timescales.
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  The effect of permafrost thaw on merucry- and methane-cycling microbes and their potential interactions

  Olson, Rebecca; Muscarella, Mario E.; Barst, Benjamin D.; Leigh, Mary Beth (2024-08)

  In this study, I investigated potential interactions between methane and mercury cycles in boreal forest soils. Additionally, I examined the changes in these cycles relative to shifts in soil moisture along an environmental soil moisture gradient. This investigation is pertinent due to the escalating rate of permafrost thaw driven by climate change in Arctic and subarctic ecosystems. Permafrost thaw leads to increased soil moisture, fostering favorable conditions for anaerobic microbial processes such as mercury methylation, methanogenesis, and anaerobic methanotrophy. Microbial mercury methylation creates monomethylmercury, a neurotoxin that accumulates in aquatic food webs. Methane cycling results in the production of greenhouse gases that can create a climate-warming feedback loop. In this study, I explored the mercury and methane cycles and analyzed the microbial communities involved in these cycles along an environmental soil moisture gradient. Microbial communities were analyzed by quantifying the relative abundance of taxonomic groups and by quantifying functional genes associated with mercury methylation, methanogenesis, and anaerobic methanotrophy. The relationship between soil water content and functional gene quantities was not significant. However, my findings did reveal a significant relationship between relative beta diversity and gravimetric water content along the environmental soil moisture gradient. The functional potential was predicted by quantifying net methane and net monomethylmercury production through incubations designed to measure total production in completely saturated, anoxic conditions I found that total mercury increases as soil moisture increases, methane efflux increases as soil moisture increases, and carbon dioxide efflux increases as soil moisture increases. This suggests that the activity of the mercury and methane cycles may change as permafrost continues to thaw and soil moisture content increases. In a changing climate, continuing to monitor these cycles in Alaska is pertinent due to its robust fishing industry, indigenous communities, subsistence fishing practices.
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  Divergence and adaptation in Beringian birds

  Oliver Brown, Caitlyn C.; Winker, Kevin; Takebayashi, Naoki; Ickert-Bond, Stefanie (2024-08)

  Beringia is a high-latitude hotspot of avian divergence and speciation. The unique biogeography of Beringia impacted avian speciation in two ways: through the cyclic appearance of the land bridge between the Asian and North American continents and through glacial refugia. These cyclic processes repeatedly split and connected avian populations, alternately reducing and increasing opportunities for gene flow between populations. In this thesis, I examine how this dynamic system impacted Beringian avian taxa using population genomic analyses. First, I examine broad patterns of divergence and gene flow across 11 lineages of birds using ultraconserved elements (UCEs), which are a multi-locus subsampling of the nuclear genome. These bird lineages contain two or more sister taxa at the population, subspecies, or species level that were likely impacted by the Bering land bridge and/or by glacial refugia. I tested models that provided key demographic information, such as population size, gene flow, and divergence time estimates. Demographic modeling showed gene flow in all cases at a wide range of rates between pairwise comparisons, and all inferred models included a divergence event during the Quaternary. Next, I focus on one species, the Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia), in the Beringian part of its range. Five subspecies of the Song Sparrow reside in southern Alaska, from the Aleutian Islands to southeast Alaska, and have a wide range of body sizes. Using whole- genomic sequencing and morphology, I examine the phenotypic and genomic differences in these subspecies. I quantified the morphological differences, showing that the western subspecies are significantly larger than the eastern subspecies. I then determined that two candidate genes are under positive selection in the most isolated subspecies, M. m. maxima. Finally, I reconstructed a phylogeny and found that M. m. maxima is sister to the other M. melodia subspecies. These results highlight how the unique biogeography of Beringia impacted the generation of avian diversity in the region.
• Transformations and deep intrusions of particles and plankton in the global oceans: which particles sink deeper and why

  O'Daly, Stephanie Hicks; Hennon, Gwenn M. M.; Kelly, Thomas B.; Kiko, Rainer; McDonnell, Andrew M. P.; Mueter, Franz; Strom, Suzanne L. (2024-08)

  Sinking marine particles transport carbon from the ocean’s surface to the deep ocean, thereby contributing to atmospheric carbon dioxide modulation and benthic food supply. Many studies have shown that particle size is not a good predictor of particle sinking speed or behavior. Thus, the overarching question of this dissertation: why do certain particles sink faster or deeper than others, and is there a way to predict what depth a particle will reach in the ocean? Multiple facets of the ocean’s biological carbon pump are investigated using a combination of sediment traps, in situ particle imaging, and machine learning technology. In the Gulf of Alaska, we find aggregates contributed 61% to total carbon flux, suggesting that aggregation processes, not zooplankton repackaging, played a dominant role in carbon export. The role of the physical environment on the biological carbon pump was investigated in the Southern Ocean. Fluffy aggregates and grazers were most common at the surface during a phytoplankton bloom, whereas 1-3 months after a bloom, grazers are in the mesopelagic and feces and dense aggregates are in high abundance in the bathypelagic. These results shed light on how frontal structures in the Southern Ocean influence patterns of particle export and remineralization in the mesopelagic with implications for how this influences global biogeochemical cycles. Finally, the effect of biogeochemical province and carbonate saturation state was investigated in the tropical and subtropical North Atlantic and Pacific. We find that plankton distribution and marine particle morphology in the Atlantic Ocean are more strongly impacted by aragonite and calcite saturation state, despite much shallower saturation horizons in the Pacific. This research can help better predict how the strength of carbon storage in the ocean may change with climate change, which is critical for climate modelers to predict the effects of climate change more accurately.
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  Unlocking over a decade of insights: large bull shark (Carcharhinus leucas) movement behaviors in the Western North Atlantic Ocean

  Nyce, Jasmine D.; Seitz, Andrew; Cunningham, Curry; Smukall, Matthew; Grubbs, R. Dean (2024-08)

  Marine predators, particularly elasmobranch species like bull sharks (Carcharhinus leucas), play crucial roles in maintaining marine ecosystems but face threats due to anthropogenic impacts and global climate change. Management and conservation of these species incorporate an understanding of their movement behaviors and spatial distribution, which is currently understudied for large bull sharks in the Western North Atlantic (WNA). Therefore, this thesis focuses on understanding bull shark movement patterns in the WNA, including pregnant females. We first examine the movement behaviors of bull sharks from 2009 to 2023 using extensive passive acoustic telemetry data from the Bimini Biological Field Station (BBFS) and its collaborators. Network analysis of acoustic detections revealed partial migration, based on the presence of mobile and resident clusters of bull sharks in the WNA, which are theorized to represent behavioral contingents. The presence of contingents is thought to influence the resilience of populations by spreading risk from external threats, but on the other hand may also increase the risk of localized depletion from fishery pressure. Additionally, this research qualitatively examined the movements of pregnant bull sharks. By determining the locations of pregnant individuals during the theorized pupping window, we were able to infer pupping locations and identify differences in the regional dispersal of individuals that gave birth in either the Gulf of Mexico or the Atlantic Ocean. Furthermore, three female bull sharks exhibited site fidelity behavior to waters near Bimini, The Bahamas, as they returned annually following a seasonal migration during both pregnant and non-pregnant periods, suggesting Bimini is a seasonally important area for mature female bull sharks of all reproductive stages. Overall, the findings of this research provide valuable insights into the movement dynamics of bull sharks, which may contribute to conservation and management strategies.
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  Seasonal marine inorganic carbon dynamics on the Northern Gulf of Alaska continental shelf

  Norgaard, Addie; Hauri, Claudine; Danielson, Seth L.; Hennon, Gwenn M.; Doney, Scott C. (2024-08)

  The Northern Gulf of Alaska supports many socioeconomic and ecosystem services but is subject to increasing ocean temperatures, marine heatwaves, and freshwater runoff, harmful algal blooms, and ocean acidification. In addition, large natural variability in biological and physical drivers complicates characterization of the progression of ocean acidification and variability in seawater inorganic carbon conditions. Here, we present two years (2019-2021) of in situ moored upper-ocean partial pressure of carbon dioxide (pCO2) and pH data on the outer continental shelf of the Northern Gulf of Alaska. The observations show that subsurface pCO2, pH and aragonite mineral saturation state (Ωarag) were highly seasonal, although generally remained at a moderate level with pH varying between 7.9 and 8.2, and Ωarag > 2 throughout the year. The influence of biogeochemistry, either from in situ or vertical exchange changes, strongly drove pCO2, pH and Ωarag anomaly variations throughout the year, while temperature also exerted a strong influence on pCO2 and pH. The thermal and biogeochemical drivers generally compensated each other, lessening the amplitude of seasonal variations; exceptions generated the highest and lowest pH and pCO2 conditions of the year. In spring, primary production and seasonally cold temperatures led to the highest pH and lowest pCO2 of the year. The lowest pH and highest pCO2 of the year occurred in fall as high-frequency events when subseasonal mixing events entrained deeper, CO2-enriched water, coincident with seasonally warm temperatures. Air-sea CO2 flux calculations suggest a greater wintertime atmospheric CO2 source than previously measured. This work complements other ongoing hydrographic and nearshore monitoring, modeling, and experimental work needed to understand the regional progression and impact of ocean acidification on this variable and changing ecosystem.
• Sound attenuation of air entrainment devices with hybrid acoustic silencer

  Nelson, Tad; Chen, Cheng-fu; Peterson, Rorik; Ray, Dustin (2024-08)

  The sound from operating traditional medical ventilators have been found to exceed recommended sound levels. This thesis addresses the sound attenuation by numerically studying the feasibility of an integrated ventilation system that connects a medical Venturi device serially to a slit-type Helmholtz resonator (SHR) embedded with an optional micro-perforated panel (MPP), with the goal of preserving ventilation while attenuating any undesired noise in the audible range. Compared with a base SHR model, the SHR embedded with a 0.9-mm-pored MPP exhibits an improved broadband transmission loss (TL) by 4 dB but without any adverse influence on the ventilation. Through finite element acoustic and flow simulations, the results also exhibit apparent nonlinearity in the integrated ventilation system. Further research should be conducted to experimentally validate the results found and improve on the design by addressing other flow rates and ventilation methods.
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  Pinpointing magma processes in time and space

  Moshrefzadeh, Jamshid Akbar; Larsen, Jessica; Izbekov, Pavel; Loewen, Matthew; Regan, Sean (2024-08)

  Volcanic eruptions pose major threats to society, including loss of human life, negative economic impacts, and environmental ramifications. As the global population continues to grow, so does the amount of people living in proximity to volcanoes. Volcanic eruptions are often triggered by perturbations in the magmatic system, which are caused by a variety of magmatic processes, such as magma recharge, magma ascent, and magma mingling. We applied diffusion chronometry, the technique of modeling chemical diffusion across mineral zones, to the 2009 eruption of Redoubt, and the 2016-2017 eruption of Bogoslof, in order to determine and date the pre- and syn-eruptive magmatic processes that triggered and drove the recent eruptions of these two, high-threat, Alaskan volcanoes. At Redoubt, our results, combined with multidisciplinary observations preceding the 2009 eruption, indicate that Redoubt experienced protracted magma recharge between the 1989-1990 and 2009 eruptions, with notably drastic increases in monitoring parameters occurring 3-4 months before the 2009 eruption. At Bogoslof, we analyze both the first and final products from the 9-month long 2016-2017 eruption. Analyses of the early products indicate that pre- eruptive magma recharge occurred in the weeks to months before eruption onset. This interpretation is supported by the seismic swarm that occurred approximately two months before the eruption began. Conversely, our analyses of the final erupted products of Bogoslof reveal that the distinct boundaries in mineral phases formed due to magma decompression caused by the shallow emplacement of magma occurring throughout the second phase of the eruption. The oldest crystal timescales from the second eruptive phase correspond to March 2017, correlating with increases in both seismicity and SO2 emissions. By determining and pinpointing the magma processes associated with volcanic eruptions in time and space, we gain insights into the pre- and syn-eruptive nature of the magma system. Our results aid in interpreting interdisciplinary monitoring data, and contribute to the development of new eruption forecasting tools.
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  Alaska basketball: leadership on the court and success beyond the game

  McCormick, Kelly Jo; Koskey, Michael; John, Theresa Arevgaq; Black, Jessica; Boylan, Brandon; Jones, Alberta (2024-08)

  The importance of extra-curricular basketball programs in Alaska provokes diametrically opposed viewpoints. Some parents and school officials believe basketball advances students’ overall educational experiences, while others believe it detracts from them. In response, the parents and officials do provide programs but enact eligibility requirements and policies to regulate who can participate and how they do. Should students settle by simply doing just enough to remain eligible for a high school basketball season, or should the goal be to aim for a higher return on the investment of participating in high school sports? As coaches, teachers, parents and boosters, is lowering the bar for our youth the answer? Is basketball that important? Should Indigenous athletes be focusing less on their jump shots and more on their academics and traditional, cultural practices (dancing, Native Youth Olympic events, hunting, fishing, trapping)? Which students are successfully balancing both endeavors? Whether or not involvement in a high school, extra-curricular basketball program leads to later success in life (as determined by Alaska Native male participants) is the focus of this research project.
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  Exploring the COVID-19 infodemic in Alaska

  Maxwell, Emily; Reynolds, Arleigh; Parker, David; Meyer, Jennifer; Hollmen, Tuula (2024-08)

  The onset of the COVID-19 global health crisis coincided with an unprecedented rise in health misinformation and false narratives related to the disease. This simultaneous spread of accurate and inaccurate information, referred to as an infodemic, has had observable impacts on the trajectory of the pandemic and the future of public health. While health misinformation has been a factor in previous outbreaks, the increased prominence of social media as an information platform allowed misinformation to spread more widely and rapidly than ever before. This investigation aims to assess the impacts of COVID-19 misinformation in Alaska using a mixed methods approach. The first study uses a machine learning model to describe themes from popular public-facing Alaska-based Facebook pages in which posts or comments containing misinformation proliferated. The second study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of a brief educational intervention in lowering vaccine hesitancy using an online, randomized controlled trial survey. The final study uses a One Health framework to explore how the circulation of false, incomplete, and excessive information affected professionals responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. Findings from these studies offer insight into infodemic dynamics in Alaska, including trends in online misinformation, the need for highly targeted, coordinated communication strategies, and the challenges posed by misinformation across response sectors. First-hand knowledge of the effects of the infodemic revealed a direct impact on the community, professional practice, mental and physical health. The erosion of trust in science and public health along with the unprecedented politicization experienced during the pandemic not only impaired the immediate response but appears to have lasting repercussions on the field of public health. By leveraging these findings, we can enhance emergency preparedness for future public health threats with an informed, proactive, and nimble response.
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  Tectonic controls on the emplacement of the McGonagall Pluton, Alaska Range, Alaska

  Marble, Sean; Regan, Sean; Nadin, Elisabeth; Roeske, Sarah (2024-08)

  The role lithospheric-scale strike-slip faults play during the transport and emplacement of plutonic systems is widely debated. The 2000 km long dextral strike-slip Denali fault hosts a suite of Eocene calc-alkaline plutons emplaced directly adjacent to the fault, including the 33-43 Ma structurally complex McGonagall pluton. Detailed mapping, petrographic analysis, geochemistry, and geochronology work was completed to determine the role tectonic control played on the emplacement of the McGonagall pluton. Mapping conducted perpendicular to strike of the Denali fault yielded two high resolution strip maps. Two major textural units were mapped: an equigranular biotite-hornblende-plagioclase granodiorite (Eogd) and a texturally heterogeneous porphyritic hornblende-plagioclase granodiorite (Eogdp). Contacts between these units occur along SW striking faults/shear zones preserving sinistral asymmetric unit displacement. The McGonagall pluton was emplaced shallowly, evident from fine-grained crystallization textures and the presence of volcanic rocks in faulted contact within the pluton. Geochemical analyses of the two units indicate a common origin, with textural variations controlled by differing cooling histories. Field relationships paired with new zircon U-Pb LA- ICP-MS and CA-ID-TIMS ages indicate that the McGonagall pluton was built incrementally, even within the same unit. Analyses from the McGonagall pluton overlap with published geochronology and geochemistry data from the nearby Mt Galen volcanics, establishing them as an intrusive-extrusive system. The geometry of the internal contacts within the McGonagall pluton as well as the distribution of units are consistent with emplacement during dextral slip along the Denali fault. The McGonagall pluton was emplaced via dilational bookshelf faulting between dextral strike-slip faults during strain partitioning through clockwise rotation. Given the asymmetric spatial distribution of major units, geochemistry, and geochronology results about the Denali fault, the McGonagall pluton is an example of a kinematically-controlled pluton emplaced during active dextral deformation along the Denali Fault.
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  Ballad of the Laablaaqs: the relational worlds of Sámi reindeer herders in Alaska

  Lotvonen, Varpu; Plattet, Patrick; Koester, David; Yamin-Pasternak, Sveta; Koskey, Michael; Lincoln, Amber (2024-08)

  The recruitment of Sami reindeer herders from North Sapmi to Alaska by the United States government, starting in 1894, opened a new transnational space between Fennoscandia and North America. Known for their deep Indigenous knowledge of reindeer herding, Sami experts were hired to pass on their art to Alaska Native apprentices and facilitate the expansion of reindeer herding in Alaska at the turn of the 20th century. The legacies of their involvement, which lasted until 1937, include family lines that unite people in Sapmi and North America, unique artistic expressions, broad circulation of visual culture, and multifaceted interest in Alaskan Sami ethnohistory both in North America and in Sapmi. However, the nature of the various contributions made by the Sami diaspora in Alaska is not well understood. To shed new light on the role played by Sami reindeer herders in Alaska and its far-reaching impact, this research utilizes a multi-method approach that combines critical analysis of archival sources and collections from North America and Sapmi, cross-examination of oral history sources from Alaska and Sapmi, ethnographic fieldwork in Northwest Alaska (Unalakleet, Shishmaref, Bethel) and Norwegian Sapmi (Guovdageaidnu/Kautokeino), and photo-elicitation fieldwork in Guovdageaidnu. Through these methods, I offer a comprehensive exploration of the Sami participation in the Alaska Reindeer Service— a profoundly cosmopolitan endeavor—as captured in the reporting of government agents and in the words and memories of Sami herders themselves (and their descendants). The use of archival photographs as a tool for photo elicitation has been instrumental in augmenting the existing data and enhancing the documentation of Sami perspectives. Focusing on Sami perspectives reveals a relational world in which ecological, cultural, and political forces intersect in many different ways and many different places. My analysis of the written bureaucracy of the Reindeer Service highlights shifting views of reindeer herding within governing bodies, and the role government agents played in eroding the influence of Sami herders in Alaska. In contrast, oral history sources tell a story of resiliency and adaptation. The Sami diaspora in Alaska, and reindeer herders in particular, changed and thrived through sustained contact with Alaska Native communities and cultures. In the end, however, new legislation passed in 1937 made it impossible for Sámi herders to keep doing what they did best—caring for reindeer. Some moved out of Alaska, some stayed, and some went back ‘home’ to Sapmi. Following these trajectories, and through collaboration with various Sami institutions as well as knowledge bearers in Guovdageaidnu, this dissertation ends with an investigation of the transnational connections built among descendant communities in North America and Sapmi. My findings contribute to anthropological discussions of circumpolar reindeer herding (past and present), Sami ethnohistory, multicultural encounters, imagined communities, as well as to ongoing conversations within the field of Indigenous studies, particularly regarding northern Indigenous diasporas and the incorporation of visual materials as part of a decolonizing research agenda.
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  Development of a Bayesian framework for Canadian-origin Yukon River Chinook salmon inseason abundance projection and the exploration of run timing information on run size projection accuracy

  Lambert, Aaron Wallace; Cunningham, Curry J.; Adkison, Milo; Liller, Zachary; Brenner, Rich (2024-08)

  The Yukon River is the longest river in Alaska, stretching 3,700 km from British Columbia, Canada to the Bering Sea. Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) harvest in the U.S. portion of the river is managed by the Alaska Department of Fish & Game (ADF&G), which requires robust inseason abundance predictions for returning Canadian-origin Chinook salmon to regulate fisheries and comply with the Yukon River Salmon Agreement. Chinook salmon returning to the Yukon River are an important resource for residents of the region; however, in recent years little-to-no harvest opportunity has been available due to low run sizes which are complicated by a high degree of uncertainty in annual run size predictions. Currently, the ADF&G treats the preseason run size forecast separately from inseason run size projections based on information collected at the Pilot Station Sonar (PSS) and Eagle Sonar projects. As a result, the ADF&G inseason projection methods may not fully account for uncertainty in the data or the increase in precision and accuracy of inseason information relative to preseason forecasts as the season progresses. To address lack of integration between preseason and inseason projections, I implemented a Bayesian updating approach where preseason forecasts for Canadian-origin Chinook salmon are updated with inseason sonar passage information to project the total end of season abundance. I explored differences in inseason projection accuracy among multiple methods for relating PSS and Eagle Sonar daily passage to the season total Canadian-origin Chinook salmon abundance, as well as genetic stock identification data collected at PSS. Next, I developed a run timing model based on environmental covariates, to address uncertainty in abundance projections associated with interannual variation in run timing. I found that treating the preseason forecast as a prior and updating it daily with inseason passage observations resulted in more accurate projections of the season total Canadian-origin Chinook salmon run size and that run timing information did not improve run size projection accuracy.
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  Socio-historical construction and representation of space in the Schieffelin expedition

  Kerscher, Simon G.; Wight, Philip; Rossiter, David; Speight, Jeremy (2024-08)

  America’s continental expansion tells a story of conquest coined by settlers and supported through natural resources that Indigenous peoples used sustainably since time immemorial. Exploratory prospecting ventures and their tools of achievement are at the forefront of bringing about change to these landscapes gazed upon by the rapacious nation. For prospectors like Edward Schieffelin, remote spaces, such as the interior of Alaska, exert a daring pull to strike it rich or find self-discovery in nature. Schieffelin’s expedition employed and introduced new technologies - the sternwheeler and dry plate photography, allowing for the integration of Alaska's interior into the nation's commercial mining endeavors and capturing the public imagination and collective effervescence. The party’s new means of transportation shaped the perception of the space by compressing space-time and enhancing trading opportunities while showcasing Tanana Athabascan's contributions to the local success of the steamship technology. Charles Farciot, the engineer and licensed pilot of the expedition, employed the new tool of photography in the interior - namely dry plate technology, that presented the party’s colonial lens to an audience in the contiguous states. Interpreted as displays of reality, the resulting images influenced settler attitudes and anticipatory geographies in helping to reinforce colonial and capitalist agendas while promoting a romanticized and often misleading view of the Alaskan interior. For Alaska’s historical records, the study uncovered the underappreciated contributions of the Schieffelin expedition in bringing Alaska into the nation's collective consciousness by contextualizing the technological advancements that facilitated the opening of this frontier.

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