David Douglas
Satellite remote sensing of landscape features that possess high-frequency dynamics, such as sea ice distribution and vegetation phenology, and spatial analyses of how wildlife migrations are influenced by habitat and weather dynamics.
My projects aim to pioneer new analytical avenues in applied wildlife research by combining remote sensing with traditional wildlife studies to answer questions about habitat use and animal movements at landscape scales. The studies I engage align with Department of Interior priorities in the Arctic by addressing a growing need to understand how changes in climate or land use practices affect wildlife migrations, habitat availability, habitat quality, and population dynamics. Climate is the overarching force that controls wildlife habitat resources in the Arctic, so understanding linkages between the physical and biological environment is critical for making informed management decisions in the face of accelerating warming and expanding human activities. My expertise includes tracking wildlife by satellite, monitoring sea ice and vegetation changes by satellite, and the implications of future climate change on Arctic wildlife in general.
Professional Experience
1986 - Present Research Wildlife Biologist USGS Alaska Science Center, Anchorage, Alaska
1985 - 1986 Biological Technician Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Fairbanks, Alaska
1980 - 1984 Biological Technician US Forest Service, Region 4, Ogden, Utah
Education and Certifications
M.S. 1986 Washington State University, Pullman, WA Wildlife Biology
B.A. 1982 Utah State University, Logan, UT Biology
Affiliations and Memberships*
American Geophysical Union (AGU)
Science and Products
Land cover
Introduction
Polar Bears
Seasonal comparisons of sea ice concentration estimates derived from SSM/I, OKEAN, and RADARSAT data
Predators
Arctic Refuge coastal plain terrestrial wildlife research summaries
Use of satellite telemetry to identify common loon migration routes, staging areas and wintering range
Snow geese
Effects of recent climate warming on caribou habitat and calf survival
Tracking the spring migration of a bar-headed goose (Anser indicus) across the Himalaya with satellite telemetry
Documenting trans-Himalayan migration through satellite telemetry: A report on capture, deployment, and tracking of bar-headed goose (Anser indicus)
Performance of implantable satellite transmitters in diving seabirds
Science and Products
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Land cover
Documenting the distribution of land-cover types on the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge coastal plain is the foundation for impact assessment and mitigation of potential oil exploration and development. Vegetation maps facilitate wildlife studies by allowing biologists to quantify the availability of important wildlife habitats, investigate the relationships between animal locations and the distriAuthorsJanet C. Jorgenson, Peter C. Joria, David C. DouglasIntroduction
The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in northeastern Alaska is one of 16 refuges in Alaska and 539 refuges nationwide within the National Wildlife Refuge System administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. First established as the Arctic National Wildlife Range in 1960 by Public Land Order 2214, it initially had a three-fold purpose to preserve unique wildlife, wilderness, and recreation valPolar Bears
Polar bears (Ursus maritimus) are hunted throughout most of their range. In addition to hunting polar bears of the Beaufort Sea region are exposed to mineral and petroleum extraction and related human activities such as shipping road-building, and seismic testing (Stirling 1990).Little was known at the start of this project about how polar bears move about in their environment, and although it wasAuthorsSteven C. AmstrupSeasonal comparisons of sea ice concentration estimates derived from SSM/I, OKEAN, and RADARSAT data
The Special Sensor Microwave Imager (SSM/I) microwave satellite radiometer and its predecessor SMMR are primary sources of information for global sea ice and climate studies. However, comparisons of SSM/I, Landsat, AVHRR, and ERS-1 synthetic aperture radar (SAR) have shown substantial seasonal and regional differences in their estimates of sea ice concentration. To evaluate these differences, we cAuthorsGennady I. Belchansky, David C. DouglasPredators
Calving caribou (Rangifer tarandus) of the Central Arctic herd, Alaska, have avoided the infrastructure associated with the complex of petroleum development areas from Prudhoe Bay to Kuparuk (Cameron et al. 1992, Nellemann and Cameron 1998, and Section 4 of this document). Calving females of the Porcupine caribou herd may similarly avoid any oil field roads and pipelines developed in areas traditiAuthorsDonald D. Young, Thomas R. McCabe, Robert E. Ambrose, Gerald W. Garner, Greg J. Weiler, Harry V. Reynolds, Mark S. Udevitz, Dan J. Reed, Brad GriffithArctic Refuge coastal plain terrestrial wildlife research summaries
In 1980, when the U.S. Congress enacted the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA), it also mandated a study of the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Section 1002 of ANILCA stated that a comprehensive inventory of fish and wildlife resources would be conducted on 1.5 million acres of the Arctic Refuge coastal plain (1002 Area). Potential petroleum reserves inUse of satellite telemetry to identify common loon migration routes, staging areas and wintering range
We developed a satellite transmitter attachment technique for adult Common Loons (Gavia immer) that would help in identifying important migration routes, staging areas, and the location of wintering grounds of birds that breed in the north central United States. During the autumn and winter of 1998, the migration of six adult loons that were radio marked in northern Wisconsin and Minnesota was monAuthorsKevin P. Kenow, Michael W. Meyer, David Evers, David C. Douglas, J. HinesSnow geese
Part of the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Alaska, is used as an autumn staging area by lesser snow geese (Chen caerulescens caerulescens) from the Western Canadian Arctic population (hereafter called the Western Arctic population). There were approximately 200,000 breeding adults in the Western Arctic population through the mid-1980s (Johnson and Herter 1989), but the populAuthorsJerry W. Hupp, Donna G. Robertson, Alan W. BrackneyEffects of recent climate warming on caribou habitat and calf survival
Migratory Barren-Ground Caribou Rangifer tarandus granti are the most important subsistence resource for northern indigenous peoples. They are likely to respond to global climatic changes that affect the distribution of their forage resources and the availability of forage through the year. The Porcupine Caribou herd is a large, internationally migratory herd of about 128,000 individuals that occuAuthorsBrad Griffith, David C. Douglas, Donald E. Russell, Robert G. White, Thomas R. McCabe, Kenneth R. WhittenTracking the spring migration of a bar-headed goose (Anser indicus) across the Himalaya with satellite telemetry
Soil-food-chain-pesticide wildlife relationships were investigated to learn the concentration of pesticide residues present in soils, macro-invertebrates, vertebrates, and seeds as a result of annual applications of aldrin at recommended rates for pest control. Two central Missouri cornfields treated witb aldrin at 1 lb/acre, for 16 and 15 of the past 17 years, were selected for study during 1965AuthorsSàlim Javed, John Y. Takekawa, David C. Douglas, Asad R. Rahmani, Yutaka Kanai, Meenakshi Nagendran, Binod C. Choudhury, Shruti SharmaDocumenting trans-Himalayan migration through satellite telemetry: A report on capture, deployment, and tracking of bar-headed goose (Anser indicus)
Animal movement and migration studies have made significant progress with the use of telemetry. Conventional radio telemetry has been used in numerous studies in different regions. However, the use of this technology is restricted to species with limited range of movement. Applying this tool for long distance migrants is usually unsatisfactory. Other challenges such as hilly terrain or dense vegetAuthorsSàlim Javed, John Y. Takekawa, David C. Douglas, Asad R. Rahmani, Binod C. Choudhury, Steven L. Landfried, Shruti SharmaPerformance of implantable satellite transmitters in diving seabirds
We report on the first deployment of satellite transmitters in large alcids. In 1995 and 1996, we surgically implanted 51 transmitters in Common and Thick-billed murres (Uria aalge and U. lomvia) and Tufted Puffins (Fratercula cirrhata) at three colonies in Alaska. These devices furnished more than 2,900 locations over succeeding months (eight months maximum transmitter life), some 30-40% of whichAuthorsScott A. Hatch, P.M. Meyers, D.M. Mulcahy, David C. Douglas - Software
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*Disclaimer: Listing outside positions with professional scientific organizations on this Staff Profile are for informational purposes only and do not constitute an endorsement of those professional scientific organizations or their activities by the USGS, Department of the Interior, or U.S. Government