The Davis Field Station is home to research programs that focus on coastal ecosystem dynamics, ecological stressors, and their effects on wildlife populations. These studies primarily take place along the Pacific coast from the Aleutian Islands to southern California. Current projects investigate sea-level rise along both coasts of North America, landscape-scale aquatic and terrestrial ecology, and disease susceptibility/immune function in a variety of marine and terrestrial organisms.
Located on the campus of the University of California, Davis, USGS ecologists collaborate with university faculty and federal and state agencies nationwide to address the following issues:
- Distribution, fate, and effects of contaminants on marine vertebrates and invertebrates along the Pacific coast
- Effects of thermal stress on migrating Chinook salmon
- Effects of sea level rise on tidal wetlands along the Pacific coast
- Ecological stressors on mangroves and marshes
- Assessing impacts from sea-level rise and storms on wildlife
Scientists at the Davis Field Station assist or partner with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Park Service, Bureau of Reclamation, and other federal, state, and local client agencies that include the California Bay Delta Authority, California Coastal Conservancy, and California Department of Fish and Game.
ENVIRONMENTAL CONTAMINANTS RESEARCH
Project Lead/Lead Ecologist: Lizabeth Bowen
https://www.usgs.gov/staff-profiles/lizabeth-bowen
Lead ecologist, Dr. Lizabeth Bowen, and staff biologists study the physiological responses of diverse wildlife to stressors and changes in their environment. Their research is providing new insight into stressors affecting both coastal and desert ecosystems and informing the management of listed species such as the southern sea otter and Desert Bighorn Sheep. Broadly, Dr. Bowen’s research investigates:
- Distribution, fate, and effects of contaminants on marine vertebrates and invertebrates in Alaska
- Chinook salmon response to heat stress in the Yukon River, Alaska
- Desert Bighorn Sheep
- Polar bears
- Brown bears
SEA LEVEL RISE STUDIES
Principal Investigator: Karen Thorne
https://www.usgs.gov/staff-profiles/karen-thorne
Tidal wetlands provide for both human and wildlife communities along coastlines. Threatened and endangered species depend on wetland habitat for food and shelter, while coastal towns benefit from healthier fisheries and protection from storm surges and flooding.
Projected rates of sea-level rise have the potential to drown these unique ecosystems and eliminate the services they offer. To inform their management, Dr. Karen Thorne and staff biologists are using field and laboratory data to predict how tidal wetlands worldwide will respond to anticipated rates of sea level rise through the end of the century.
Explore specific projects conducted at the Davis Field Station:
Polar Bear Health and Disease Diagnostics
Developing Physiological Diagnostics for the Desert Tortoise
Coastal Ecosystem Response to Sea-level Rise
Supporting Informed Responses to Sea-Level Rise
Ecological Stressors - Rocky Coastlines, Mangroves, Marshes, Droughts, and Storms
Modeling Sea-Level Rise in San Francisco Bay Estuary
Environmental Stressors and Wildlife Health
Below are multimedia items associated with this project.
- Overview
The Davis Field Station is home to research programs that focus on coastal ecosystem dynamics, ecological stressors, and their effects on wildlife populations. These studies primarily take place along the Pacific coast from the Aleutian Islands to southern California. Current projects investigate sea-level rise along both coasts of North America, landscape-scale aquatic and terrestrial ecology, and disease susceptibility/immune function in a variety of marine and terrestrial organisms.
Located on the campus of the University of California, Davis, USGS ecologists collaborate with university faculty and federal and state agencies nationwide to address the following issues:
- Distribution, fate, and effects of contaminants on marine vertebrates and invertebrates along the Pacific coast
- Effects of thermal stress on migrating Chinook salmon
- Effects of sea level rise on tidal wetlands along the Pacific coast
- Ecological stressors on mangroves and marshes
- Assessing impacts from sea-level rise and storms on wildlife
Scientists at the Davis Field Station assist or partner with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Park Service, Bureau of Reclamation, and other federal, state, and local client agencies that include the California Bay Delta Authority, California Coastal Conservancy, and California Department of Fish and Game.
Sources/Usage: Public Domain.Photo credit: Jim Pfeiffenberger/NPS. WERC ecologist Lizabeth Bowen, right, and colleague search for intertidal clams in Katmai National Park & Preserve, AK. These clams serve as sentinels for the nearshore marine ecosystem, as well as provide food for grizzlies and other wildlife. ENVIRONMENTAL CONTAMINANTS RESEARCH
Project Lead/Lead Ecologist: Lizabeth Bowen
https://www.usgs.gov/staff-profiles/lizabeth-bowen
Lead ecologist, Dr. Lizabeth Bowen, and staff biologists study the physiological responses of diverse wildlife to stressors and changes in their environment. Their research is providing new insight into stressors affecting both coastal and desert ecosystems and informing the management of listed species such as the southern sea otter and Desert Bighorn Sheep. Broadly, Dr. Bowen’s research investigates:
- Distribution, fate, and effects of contaminants on marine vertebrates and invertebrates in Alaska
- Chinook salmon response to heat stress in the Yukon River, Alaska
- Desert Bighorn Sheep
- Polar bears
- Brown bears
Sources/Usage: Public Domain.Photo credit: Erika Sanchez-Chopitea/USGS. WERC biologists are measuring the elevation and other characteristics of Pacific tidal wetlands to anticipate how rising seas will affect them as far as a century into the future. SEA LEVEL RISE STUDIES
Principal Investigator: Karen Thorne
https://www.usgs.gov/staff-profiles/karen-thorne
Tidal wetlands provide for both human and wildlife communities along coastlines. Threatened and endangered species depend on wetland habitat for food and shelter, while coastal towns benefit from healthier fisheries and protection from storm surges and flooding.
Projected rates of sea-level rise have the potential to drown these unique ecosystems and eliminate the services they offer. To inform their management, Dr. Karen Thorne and staff biologists are using field and laboratory data to predict how tidal wetlands worldwide will respond to anticipated rates of sea level rise through the end of the century.
- Science
Explore specific projects conducted at the Davis Field Station:
Polar Bear Health and Disease Diagnostics
In 2012, scientists noticed that nearly a third of polar bears sampled in a study in Alaska were suffering from hair loss and poor health. Drs. Lizabeth Bowen and A. Keith Miles of WERC used new technology to track down and identify the factors responsible for driving disease in Alaskan polar bears.Developing Physiological Diagnostics for the Desert Tortoise
The Mojave desert tortoise is listed as “threatened” under the Endangered Species Act and faces threats from habitat loss, predators, and disease. Drs. Lizabeth Bowen and A. Keith Miles with WERC are designing new methods to determine the type and influence of stressors present in the environment for the tortoise and other wildlife.Coastal Ecosystem Response to Sea-level Rise
USGS WERC’s Dr. Karen Thorne, her team of reseachers, and her partners are currently taking a local site network approach to describe current and future conditions and projected responses of coastal ecosystems to sea-level rise and other stressors. The Coastal Ecosystem Response to Climate Change (CERCC) program’s goal is to understand how ecosystems vary in their ability to keep up with sea-level...Supporting Informed Responses to Sea-Level Rise
To facilitate communication and outreach of sea level rise research results and implications, Dr. Karen Thorne and members of USGS WERC are hosting in-person workshops along the Pacific coast at different sites in Washington, Oregon, and California.Ecological Stressors - Rocky Coastlines, Mangroves, Marshes, Droughts, and Storms
Coastal estuaries that contain marshes and mangroves are currently being reshaped by changing ocean and atmospheric conditions through prolong drought, sea-level rise and increased extreme storm events. Many projected increases in sea-level are expected to result in loss of tidal wetlands and their component species. In addition, changing sediment loads, extreme tide and storm events, and shifting...Modeling Sea-Level Rise in San Francisco Bay Estuary
With sea level rise, how will the coastal habitats of the San Francisco Bay Estuary change over the next 100 years? Mapping and modeling studies by Dr. Karen Thorne, WERC scientists, and partners have produced scenarios for this important coastal ecosystem.Environmental Stressors and Wildlife Health
Environmental stressors such as contaminants and disease can cause physiological imbalance in all types of wildlife. WERC’s Drs. Lizabeth Bowen and A. Keith Miles develop gene transcription profiles to detect organisms’ physiological responses to environmental stressors and provide resource managers with early warnings for potential effects on wildlife and ecosystem health. - Multimedia
Below are multimedia items associated with this project.