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Western Ecological Research Center
Data and Tools
Below, you can find our stand alone data releases. For contemporary articles and their associated data, please visit our publications tab. We include tools that were developed to streamline analysis using different mediums. For further information, please contact authors.
Climate Distance Mapper
Climate Distance Mapper is a spatial decision-support tool designed to help land managers match seed sources with restoration sites. Plant populations are commonly adapted to local climate gradients and frequently exhibit a home-site advantage.
web applicationAnnual California sea otter stranding data
The California Sea Otter Stranding Network is part of the USGS effort to monitor southern sea otters (Enhydra lutris nereis) and provide data to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Data
Principal components of climate variation in the Desert Southwest for the time periods 1980-2010, 2040-2070 (RCP8.5) and (RCP4.5) - data release
Five principal components are used to represent the climate variation in an original set of 12 climate variables reflecting precipitation and temperature gradients. The dataset provides coverage for four regions (the Sonoran Desert, Mojave Desert, Colorado Plateau, and Southern Great Basin) and two time periods: current climate (defined as the 1980-2010 normal period) and future climate (...
Climate Distance Mapper - web application
Climate Distance Mapper is a spatial decision-support tool designed to help land managers match seed sources with restoration sites. Plant populations are commonly adapted to local climate gradients and frequently exhibit a home-site advantage. For this reason, climate information may serve as a proxy for local adaptation in restoration designs. Climate Distance Mapper allows users to rank the...
Geospatial Data for Object-Based High-Resolution Classification of Conifers within Greater Sage-Grouse Habitat across Nevada and a Portion of Northeastern California
These products were developed to provide scientific and correspondingly spatially explicit information regarding the distribution and abundance of conifers (namely, singleleaf pinyon (Pinus monophylla), Utah juniper (Juniperus osteosperma), and western juniper (Juniperus occidentalis)) in Nevada and portions of northeastern California.
Annual California Sea Otter Census: 2018 Range Extent Shapefile
The GIS shapefile "Range extent of southern sea otters 2018" is a simple polyline representing the geographic distribution of the southern sea otter (Enhydra lutris nereis) in mainland California, based on data collected during the spring 2018 range-wide census. The USGS range-wide sea otter census has been undertaken each year since 1982, using consistent methodology involving both ground-...
Hourly wave-height observations from 2013 to 2017 at 32 sites throughout the Channel Islands National Park and San Nicolas Island
Hourly wave-height observations at 32 sites throughout the Channel Islands National Park and San Nicolas Island, site-specific hind casts from the Coastal Data Information Program (CDIP), and contemporary wave height, period, and direction from regional buoys taken during intervals between 2013 and 2017.
Spatial predictions of habitat suitability for present-day (1950 – 2000 yr) and mid-Holocene (8.3 ka – 4.2 ka) time intervals
This dataset provides spatial predictions of habitat suitability for current (1950 – 2000 yr) and mid-Holocene (8.3 ka – 4.2 ka) intervals using hindcasting, and three separate paleo-distributions calibrated on the packrat midden archive: those without bias correction (naïve), those created with a standard method (standard), and those created with a novel...
Data for: A conservation planning tool for greater sage-grouse using indices of species distribution, resilience, and resistance
Managers require quantitative yet tractable tools that can identify areas for restoration yielding effective benefits for targeted wildlife species and the ecosystems they inhabit. A spatially explicit conservation planning tool that guides effective sagebrush restoration for sage-grouse can be made more effective by integrating baseline maps describing existing (pre-restoration) habitat...
Annual California Sea Otter Census: 2018 Census Summary Shapefile
The GIS shapefile "Census summary of southern sea otter 2018" provides a standardized tool for examining spatial patterns in abundance and demographic trends of the southern sea otter (Enhydra lutris nereis), based on data collected during the spring 2018 range-wide census. The USGS spring range-wide sea otter census has been undertaken each year since 1982, using consistent methodology...
Fire caused tree mortality in western US national parks (2018)
This data consists of observations of individual trees that were subjected to prescribed fire in western US national parks. Information on individual trees include measurements of tree size, competition, and fire-caused damage. The data also includes estimates of plot-level vapor pressure deficit anomaly before fire.
Principal components of climate variation in the Desert Southwest for the future time period 2040-2070 (RCP 8.5)
Five principal components are used to represent the climate variation in an original set of 12 composite climate variables reflecting complex precipitation and temperature gradients. The dataset provides coverage for future climate (defined as the 2040-2070 normal period) under the RCP8.5 emission scenarios. Climate variables were chosen based on their known influence on local adaptation in...
Sage-grouse habitat management categories within phase 1 Pinyon-Juniper expansion in Nevada and northeastern California, derived from 2016 and 2017 Raster Products
This raster dataset depicts phase 1 pinyon-juniper expansion , where shrubs and herbs are the dominant vegetation and conifers occupy greater than zero percent to ten percent, intersecting documented sage-grouse habitat management categories (Coates et al., 2016a, Coates et al., 2016b). These data support the following publication: K. Benjamin Gustafson, Peter S. Coates, Cali L. Roth,...
Annual California Sea Otter Census—2018 Spring Census Summary
The spring 2018 mainland sea otter count began on April 26, and was completed by May 24, 2018. Overall viewing conditions this year were good and rounded off to the same conditions experienced during the 2017 spring census (View Score 2.4, where 0=poor, 1=fair, 2=good, 3=very good, and 4=excellent). The surface canopies of kelp (Macrocystis sp.) were considered by most participants to be above...