Elmendorf Air Force Base Research Articles

Conversation with a master: Brian L. Cochran

AbstractBrian Cochran was born in 1930 and raised in Los Angeles, California. He attended the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), and graduated in 1954. He met his wife‐to‐be, Nancy, at UCLA, and they were married in March 1954 before Brian went into the Air Force. Brian spent 2 years with the Air Force at Elmendorf Air Force Base in Anchorage, Alaska. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Don't throw in the towel

Lori Flori, a member of the U.S. Air Force Nurse Corp., is an emergency department nurse at Elmendorf Air Force Base near Anchorage, Alaska. The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the official policy or position of the U.S. Air Force, Department of Defense, or the U.S. Government.

Accident on Mount McKinley

Accident on Mount McKinley

Monitoring sediment infilling at the Ship Creek Reservoir, Fort Richardson, Alaska, using GPR

Abstract The Ship Creek Reservoir serves as the municipal water supply for Fort Richardson, Elmendorf Air Force Base, and Anchorage, the largest city in Alaska. The reservoir is located at the base of a ∼4.8 km-long canyon along the flanks of the Chugach Mountains, where it is fed by a 234 km 2 unglaciated drainage basin. High sediment production within the watershed results in rapid infilling of the reservoir and a need for periodic dredging. During March 2001, we conducted a ground penetrating radar (GPR) survey of the reservoir to document the current state of sedimentation and to evaluate sediment trap designs. These data are presented here as a case study in which the utility of GPR for evaluating sediment infilling in a shallow reservoir is evaluated The survey was conducted from a 45 cm-thick ice cover in the lower reservoir that thinned to about 6 cm at a distance of 220 m above the dam. A total of 49 radar profiles were collected from the ice cover and an additional 10 profiles were collected on a gravel bar in the upper parts of the reservoir. Water depth near the dam was about 6 m and sediment in that reach forms a blanket deposit. More hummocky and asymmetric bed topography was found away from the dam, apparently controlled by palaeochannel geometry and bedrock sills. GPR profiles collected on the gravel bar document a sedimentary wedge that thickens downvalley and toward the southern edge of the reservoir, apparently the palaeothalweg of Ship Creek. Transverse profiles across the bar indicate that an average of about 2 m of sediment can be removed across this reach, with 3 m or more being available adjacent to the active channel. This survey indicates that infilling of the entire reservoir had reached a level approaching that of the pre-1995 dredging. Analysis of sediment-yield data and basin geometry showed that a weir built across the reservoir approximately 215 m from the dam would produce a trap capable of storing 60% to 70% of that currently held in the reservoir. Sediment trapped within this portion can be excavated using standard machinery, providing a more cost-effective alternative to periodic dredging.

Hazing and movements of Canada geese near Elmendorf Air Force Base in Anchorage, Alaska

Bird strikes to aircraft are a serious economic and safety problem in the United States, annually causing millions of dollars in damage to civilian and military aircraft and the occasional loss of human life. We observed movements of 1236 neckbanded lesser Canada geese ( Branta canadensis parvipes) to determine efficacy of hazing as a means to reduce goose presence at Elmendorf Air Force Base (EAFB), Anchorage, Alaska from August to October 1997. Emphasis was on movements of geese onto EAFB with additional data collected at the other two major airports in the area, Anchorage International Airport (AIA) and Merrill Field Airport (MFA). Daily observations indicated the presence of 208 individual neckbanded geese on EAFB, and 20% returned more than once after being hazed from EAFB. We identified three staging areas, geese utilized prior to entering EAFB, and three post-hazing dispersal sites. Collared geese began moving onto EAFB 30–40 days post-molt with the largest proportions moving onto EAFB 70–90 days post-molt. We observed 75 neckbanded geese on AIA from seven molting sites, and 23% returned more than once after being hazed from AIA. We observed 141 neckbanded geese on MFA from 14 molting sites, and 21% returned more than once after being hazed from MFA. Our data indicated that as long as local goose populations increase, large numbers of Anchorage area geese are likely to enter one of the airports creating a variety of management problems. Hazed geese returning to airports multiple times present a special hazard to aircraft safety because they appear to have become habituated to non-lethal scare tactics. We recommend an integrated management approach to limit the Anchorage area goose population utilizing various control techniques which are acceptable to Anchorage residents while continuing the hazing program at area airports.

Movements and Distribution of Radio-Collared Canada Geese in Anchorage, Alaska

We monitored radio-equipped (n = 50) and neck-collared (n = 205) lesser Canada geese (Branta canadensis parvipes) during August through October 1996 in Anchorage, Alaska, to ascertain local patterns of movement and post-molt dispersal; to identify geese from molting sites that frequent Elmendorf Air Force Base (EAFB); and to evaluate the effectiveness of hazing at EAFB. Telemetry data and visual observations of collared geese indicated 59% of geese ob- served at EAFB were from molting sites ?10 km from EAFB. We observed 93 marked geese from 11 molting sites 1 or more times in the EAFB airdrome, and 63% of geese observed >2 times on EAFB were from molting sites ?10 km from EAFB. A significant direct relationship was found between proportion of geese invading the EAFB airdrome and the distance molting sites were located from EAFB. After attaining flight, geese from the northeast and northwest quadrants of Anchorage initially moved greater distances from molt sites to feeding sites than geese from other parts of Anchorage. Intensive hazing proved effective in preventing 67% of marked geese from returning to the exclusion zone. However, hazed geese dispersed only 3.53 + 0.2 km from the exclusion zone. Most observations of marked geese at EAFB occurred during afternoon from 1200 through 1759 hr. Although hazing efforts provided an increased measure of flying safety, we suggest that managing geese at the spatial level of the entire city will be more successful at reducing danger to aircraft.

Examination of bioelectrical impedance errors using generalizability theory

In this study, generalizability theory, an extension of classic true‐score reliability theory, was used to investigate the relative and absolute generalizability of the observed measurements of total body bioelectrical impedance (resistance, reactance, and phase angle) for men and women, using the bioelectrical impedance analysis (Spectrum Lightweight Instrument; RJL Systems, Detroit MI) for whole body composition. Eighty Alaskan military men (19 to 56 years old) and 83 Alaskan military women (19 to 54 years old) volunteered as subjects from Elmendorf Air Force Base, Anchorage, Alaska. The rules of RJL for testing whole body bioelectrical impedance were followed. The design was a four‐faceted cross: person by day by occasion by trial. All facets were treated as random. Each subject was tested by one tester on 2 days, 2 occasions, and 3 trials. Data were analyzed independently for each impedance measurement and each sex group. The analyses showed that the person by day interaction contributed a significant...

Experimenting with feasibility of telemedicine in Alaska: successes and lessons learned.

Alaska may be ideally suited as a test site for telemedicine. It is by far the nation's largest state, with a population of only 550,000 clustered around a few cities and towns or widely spread across an area almost two and a half times as large as Texas. Its ratio of doctors to patients is the second lowest in the nation, and the cost of medical care exceeds that in the lower 48 states by 90%. Almost half of its residents are affiliated with the federal government in some way. Active duty and retired members of the military and their families (including children) represent 70,000 of the state's residents, and another 160,000 are affiliated with the Coast Guard, the Indian Health Service, and the Department of Veteran Affairs. In 1995, a telemedicine initiative was launched under the auspices of the 3rd Medical Center at Elmendorf Air Force Base. Its mission was to integrate video conferencing and store-and-forward technology into patient care. Brief but well-documented efforts yielded many valuable lessons on how relatively simple, low-bandwidth technology can be effectively used and its limitations. In addition, unexpected changes were observed in the way health care was delivered. This experience should provide valuable lessons for those embarking on this path to health care delivery.

Space Disturbance Monitoring Station, Environmental Science Services Administration, Alaska

The Space Disturbance Monitoring Station of the Institute for Telecommunication Sciences and Aeronomy is located on Elmendorf Air Force Base, near Anchorage, Alaska. The station was formerly the North Pacific Radio Warning Service of the Central Radio Propagation Laboratory, and as such served the government and civilian agencies which operated high frequency communication circuits in the North Pacific area. It was first opened in 1950, and since the military were prime users of the services, the location on Elmendorf Air Force Base was a natural selection.