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Habitat Dynamics Active

By Alaska Science Center July 13, 2017

The Habitat Dynamics Project examines how short and long-term changes in the environment affect the distribution and survival of wildlife populations. 

Return to Ecosystems >> Marine Ecosystems or Terrestrial Ecosystems

Changes in snow cover, vegetation greenness, and sea ice in 1982 are displayed in 10-day intervals from April to early October
Sources/Usage: Public Domain.
Every year, the Arctic dramatically changes as the landscape transitions between winter and summer. Here, the changes in snow cover, vegetation greenness, and sea ice in 1982 are displayed in 10-day intervals from April to early October.  Satellite remote sensing products such as these provide a valuable archive from which to better understand how climate variability and climate change affect wildlife habitats worldwide.​​​​​​​(Credit: David Douglas, USGS. Public domain.)

An overarching strategy of the Project is to develop new methods that integrate satellite telemetry, remote sensing, meteorology, and GIS technologies. Studies focus on Department of Interior priorities by emphasizing the growing need to understand how changes in climate or land use practices affect wildlife migrations, habitat availability, habitat quality, and population dynamics. Climate is an overarching force that shapes suitability of wildlife habitat resources. Understanding linkages between the physical and biological environment is critical for making informed management decisions in the face of accelerating climate change and expanding human activities.

Emphasis of the Habitat Dynamics Project is placed on the Arctic, where species synchronize their reproductive and migration cycles with the landscape’s pronounced seasonal changes. The Project uses a variety of environmental data sources derived primarily from satellite remote sensing, and a variety of wildlife data through collaborations with other principal investigators.

Most studies fall under one of three general themes:

  1. observed and future changes in Arctic sea ice and the implications to polar bears and walruses
  2. variations and trends in the timing of spring vegetation growth and the implications to herbivores such as caribou and geese
  3. dynamics of daily wind conditions and the implications to bird migrations.

Links

Near-real-time sea ice monitoring and analysis
Arctic Sea Ice News, National Snow and Ice Data Center
Ice Analysis Products, National Ice Center
Arctic Sea-Ice Monitor, Arctic Data System
Daily AMSR2 Sea Ice Maps, University of Bremen

Future sea ice forecasts and projections
IPCC Special Report on the Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate
Changes in Sea Ice Cover, IPCC (see Chapter 12, Section 12.4.6.1)
Projections of an Ice-Diminished Arctic Ocean, Polar Science Center, UW
Sea Ice Prediction Network, ARCUS

Monitoring Vegetation Phenology with NDVI
Global NDVI time-series data, 1982-2016, Univ of Arizona
Global NDVI time-series data, GIMMS_3g, NASA
Global MODIS Global Subsets & Visualization , Oakridge National Lab
U.S. and Alaska eMODIS time series, USGS, 2000-present
U.S. Phenology Metrics, USGS
Alaska Phenology Metrics, GINA, Univ of Alaska
NOAA Global Vegetation Health, 1982-present

Climate data and data visualization portals
Large collection of web sites, variables and time scales, NOAA
Climate explorer, KNMI
Global wind, ocean current, SST dynamics, Cameron Beccario©
Global weather visualization portal

Satellite tracking animals
Satellite tracking data archive and acquisition portal, Movebank.org
Satellite tracking and analysis tool, Seaturtle.org
Arctic wildlife tracking data, USGS
The Argos System

Below are other science projects associated with this project.

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Ice bergs in the Chukchi Sea, Alaska

Wind - Habitat Dynamics

Several species of shorebird that nest in the Arctic make remarkable non-stop trans-oceanic migrations to non-breeding areas in the southern hemisphere. Scientists at the USGS Alaska Science Center have discovered many fascinating and previously unknown details about these long-distance migrations by instrumenting individual birds with Argos satellite transmitters (see ASC Shorebird Research web...
By
Species Management Research Program, Alaska Science Center
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Wind - Habitat Dynamics

Several species of shorebird that nest in the Arctic make remarkable non-stop trans-oceanic migrations to non-breeding areas in the southern hemisphere. Scientists at the USGS Alaska Science Center have discovered many fascinating and previously unknown details about these long-distance migrations by instrumenting individual birds with Argos satellite transmitters (see ASC Shorebird Research web...
Learn More
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Three caribou from the Porcupine Herd standing on the tundra

Vegetation Phenology - Habitat Dynamics

Vegetation Phenology
By
Alaska Science Center
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Vegetation Phenology - Habitat Dynamics

Vegetation Phenology
Learn More
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Open water, sea ice, and pressure ridges in the Beaufort Sea

Sea Ice - Habitat Dynamics

Sea Ice Present, Future and Ice Loss and Wildlife
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Land Management Research Program, Species Management Research Program, Alaska Science Center
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Sea Ice - Habitat Dynamics

Sea Ice Present, Future and Ice Loss and Wildlife
Learn More

Below are data or web applications associated with this project.

USGS Alaska Science Center Wildlife Tracking Data Collection

Understanding the short- and long-distance movements of wildlife is critical for a wide variety of ecological research studies and management decisions. Since the mid-1980s, the USGS Alaska Science Center has collected data from wildlife tracking devices to: determine locations of animals throughout their annual cycles, understand patterns of habitat use, quantify time spent on various behaviors,
By
Alaska Science Center

Below are publications associated with this project.

Filter Total Items: 29

Waterfowl occurrence and residence time as indicators of H5 and H7 avian influenza in North American Poultry

Avian influenza (AI) affects wild aquatic birds and poses hazards to human health, food security, and wildlife conservation globally. Accordingly, there is a recognized need for new methods and tools to help quantify the dynamic interaction between wild bird hosts and commercial poultry. Using satellite-marked waterfowl, we applied Bayesian joint hierarchical modeling to concurrently model specie
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Eastern Ecological Science Center, Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Alaska Science Center

Catalogue of polar bear (Ursus maritimus) maternal den locations in the Beaufort and Chukchi Seas and nearby areas, 1910–2018

This report presents data on the approximate locations and methods of discovery of 530 polar bear (Ursus maritimus) maternal dens observed in the Beaufort and Chukchi Seas and neighboring areas from 1910 to 2018, and archived partly by the U.S. Geological Survey, Alaska Science Center, and partly by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Marine Mammals Management, in Anchorage, Alaska. A description
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Alaska Science Center

The Aleutian Low – Beaufort Sea Anticyclone: A climate index for predicting the timing of springtime melt in the Pacific Arctic cryosphere

Early and late extremes in the timing of snowmelt have recently been observed in the Pacific Arctic. Subseasonal-to-seasonal forecasts of this timing are important for industry, environmental management and Arctic communities. In northern Alaska, the timing is influenced by the advection of marine air from the north Pacific by the Aleutian Low, modulated by high pressure centered in the Beaufort S
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Alaska Science Center

Satellite tracking of gulls and genomic characterization of fecal bacteria reveals environmentally mediated acquisition and dispersal of antimicrobial resistant Escherichia coli on the Kenai Peninsula, Alaska

Gulls (Larus spp.) have frequently been reported to carry Escherichia coli exhibiting antimicrobial resistance (AMR E. coli); however, the pathways governing the acquisition and dispersal of such bacteria are not well-described. We equipped 17 landfill-foraging gulls with satellite transmitters and collected gull fecal samples longitudinally from four locations on the Kenai Peninsula, Alaska to as
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Alaska Science Center

Spring fasting behavior in a marine apex predator provides an index of ecosystem productivity

The effects of declining Arctic sea ice on local ecosystem productivity are not well understood but have been shown to vary inter-specifically, spatially, and temporally. Because marine mammals occupy upper trophic levels in Arctic food webs, they may be useful indicators for understanding variation in ecosystem productivity. Polar bears (Ursus maritimus) are apex predators that primarily consume
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Alaska Science Center

Drivers and environmental responses to the changing annual snow cycle of northern Alaska

On the North Slope of Alaska, earlier spring snowmelt and later onset of autumn snow accumulation are tied to atmospheric dynamics and sea ice conditions, and result in environmental responses.Linkages between atmospheric, ecological and biogeochemical variables in the changing Arctic are analyzed using long-term measurements near Utqiaġvik (formerly Barrow), Alaska. Two key variables are the date
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Alaska Science Center

Increased Arctic sea ice drift alters adult female polar bear movements and energetics

Recent reductions in thickness and extent have increased drift rates of Arctic sea ice. Increased ice drift could significantly affect the movements and the energy balance of polar bears (Ursus maritimus) which forage, nearly exclusively, on this substrate. We used radio-tracking and ice drift data to quantify the influence of increased drift on bear movements, and we modeled the consequences for
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Alaska Science Center

Decadal declines in avian herbivore reproduction: density-dependent nutrition and phenological mismatch in the Arctic

A full understanding of population dynamics depends not only on estimation of mechanistic contributions of recruitment and survival, but also knowledge about the ecological processes that drive each of these vital rates. The process of recruitment in particular may be protracted over several years, and can depend on numerous ecological complexities until sexually mature adulthood is attained. We a
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Alaska Science Center

Seasonal movements of the Short-eared Owl (Asio flammeus) in western North America as revealed by satellite telemetry

The Short-eared Owl (Asio flammeus) is a widespread raptor whose abundance and distribution fluctuates in response to the varying amplitudes of its prey, which are predominately microtines. Previous efforts to describe the seasonal movements of Short-eared Owls have been hindered by few band recoveries and the species' cryptic and irruptive behavior. We attached satellite transmitters to adult Sho
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Alaska Science Center

Uncertainties in forecasting the response of polar bears to global climate change

Several sources of uncertainty affect how precisely the future status of polar bears (Ursus maritimus) can be forecasted. Foremost are unknowns about the future levels of global greenhouse gas emissions, which could range from an unabated increase to an aggressively mitigated reduction. Uncertainties also arise because different climate models project different amounts and rates of future warming
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Alaska Science Center

Arctic sea ice a major determinant in Mandt's black guillemot movement and distribution during non-breeding season

Mandt's black guillemot (Cepphus grylle mandtii) is one of the few seabirds associated in all seasons with Arctic sea ice, a habitat that is changing rapidly. Recent decreases in summer ice have reduced breeding success and colony size of this species in Arctic Alaska. Little is known about the species' movements and distribution during the nine month non-breeding period (September–May), when chan
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Alaska Science Center

Forecasting the relative influence of environmental and anthropogenic stressors on polar bears

Effective conservation planning requires understanding and ranking threats to wildlife populations. We developed a Bayesian network model to evaluate the relative influence of environmental and anthropogenic stressors, and their mitigation, on the persistence of polar bears (Ursus maritimus). Overall sea ice conditions, affected by rising global temperatures, were the most influential determinant
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Species Management Research Program, Alaska Science Center