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
Tracking Data for Black Scoter (Melanitta americana)
Tracking Data for Pacific Loons (Gavia pacifica)
Tracking Data for Tundra Swans (Cygnus columbianus)
Tracking Data for Yellow-billed Loons (Gavia adamsii)
Tracking Data for Blue-winged Teal (Anas discors)
Tracking Data for Red-throated Loons (Gavia stellata)
Tracking Data for Northern Pintails (Anas acuta)
Tracking Data for Marbled Godwits (Limosa fedoa)
Ecosystem Shifts in Arctic Seas
Primary Production Sources and Bottom-up Limitations in Nearshore Ecosystems
Wind - Habitat Dynamics
Tracking Data for Tufted Puffins (Fratercula cirrhata)
Tracking data for Thick-billed murres (Uria lomvia)
Tracking data for Common murres (Uria aalge)
Tracking data for Red-faced cormorants (Phalacrocorax urile)
Tracking data for Pelagic cormorants (Phalacrocorax pelagicus)
Multistate capture and search data from the southern Beaufort Sea polar bear population in Alaska, 2001-2016
Waterfowl occurrence and residence time as indicators of H5 and H7 avian in?uenza in North American Poultry
Tracking Data for Black Scoter (Melanitta americana)
Tracking Data for Surf Scoter (Melanitta perspicillata)
Tracking data for Red-throated Loons (Gavia stellata)
Tracking Data for Pacific Loons (Gavia pacifica)
Locations Collected 1985-2015 from Female Polar Bears (Ursus maritimus) with Dependent Young Instrumented in the Southern Beaufort Sea with Satellite-linked Transmitters by the USGS
The Aleutian Low – Beaufort Sea Anticyclone: A climate index for predicting the timing of springtime melt in the Pacific Arctic cryosphere
Are polar bear habitat resource selection functions developed from 1985-1996 data still useful?
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
Non‐linear effect of sea ice: Spectacled Eider survival declines at both extremes of the ice spectrum
Density‐dependent and phenological mismatch effects on growth and survival in lesser snow and Ross's goslings
Movements and dive patterns of pygmy killer whales (Feresa attenuata) released in the Gulf of Mexico following rehabilitation
Biogeography of pelagic food webs in the North Pacific
Avian predator buffers against variability in marine habitats with flexible foraging behavior
Den phenology and reproductive success of polar bears in a changing climate
Summary of wildlife-related research on the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Alaska, 2002–17
Spring fasting behavior in a marine apex predator provides an index of ecosystem productivity
High altitude flights by ruddy shelduck Tadorna ferruginea during trans-Himalayan migrations
Science and Products
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Filter Total Items: 41
Tracking Data for Black Scoter (Melanitta americana)
Available here are tracking data of Black Scoter, a duck species that breeds throughout higher latitudes of Alaska and Canada and winters along coastal areas of North America. These data were collected to better understand the timing and patterns of migratory movements between breeding and wintering areas.Tracking Data for Pacific Loons (Gavia pacifica)
Available here are tracking data of Pacific Loons, a species that breeds throughout much of Alaska and winters throughout the Pacific Ocean basin, along the costs of East Asia and the U.S. These data were collected to better understand timing of spring arrival, fall departure, and habitat use patterns on the North Slope of Alaska.Tracking Data for Tundra Swans (Cygnus columbianus)
Available here are tracking data of Tundra Swans, a species that nests in coastal areas throughout Alaska and winters across a broad area of North America from the Pacific to Atlantic coasts. These data were collected to better understand the timing and patterns of migratory movements and seasonal use of habitats in breeding, wintering, and migratory areas of North America.Tracking Data for Yellow-billed Loons (Gavia adamsii)
Available here are tracking data of Yellow-billed loons, a species that breeds in coastal areas of western and northern Alaska and adjacent regions of Russia and Canada. This species winters along the Pacific coasts of North America and Eurasia. These data were collected to better understand the patterns of migratory movements and seasonal use of different regions of AlaskaTracking Data for Blue-winged Teal (Anas discors)
Available here are tracking data of Blue-winged Teal, a duck species that breeds throughout much of North America and whose wintering range includes neotropical areas of the Caribbean and Central and South America, thus providing a migratory link between the continents of North and South America. These data were collected to better understand the timing and patterns of migratory movement of Blue...Tracking Data for Red-throated Loons (Gavia stellata)
Available here are tracking data of Red-throated Loons, a species that breeds in coastal areas throughout Alaska and winters along the Pacific coasts of North America and Eurasia. These data were collected to better understand the patterns of migratory movements and seasonal use of different regions of Alaska.Tracking Data for Northern Pintails (Anas acuta)
Available here are tracking data of Northern Pintails, a duck species that, in Alaska, nests throughout the state and in adjacent regions of Russia and Canada. These data were collected to better understand the timing and patterns of migratory movements of Northern Pintails from wintering grounds in Japan as part of a project on the possible spread of Eurasian forms of avian influenza to North...Tracking Data for Marbled Godwits (Limosa fedoa)
Available here are tracking data of Marbled Godwits, a large-bodied shorebird that, in Alaska, nests in the southwestern portion of the state. These data were collected to better understand the timing and patterns of migratory movements and seasonal use of different coastal areas in the Pacific region.Ecosystem Shifts in Arctic Seas
In addition to the direct effects of sea ice loss on walrus ( Odobenus rosmarus divergens ) and polar bears ( Ursus maritimus ) that use ice as a platform, the decline of Arctic sea ice is predicted to promote a fundamental ecosystem shift from benthic animals that forage on the sea floor to pelagic animals that forage near the sea surface.Primary Production Sources and Bottom-up Limitations in Nearshore Ecosystems
Kelp forests are among the world’s most productive habitats, but recent evidence suggests that production is highly variable.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... - Data
Filter Total Items: 41
Tracking Data for Tufted Puffins (Fratercula cirrhata)
This metadata document describes the data contained in the "rawData" folder of this data package. This data package contains all data collected by the Argos System from 5 satellite transmitters attached to Tufted puffins on the Barren Islands in the northern Gulf of Alaska, 1995. Five data files are included in the "rawData" folder of this data package. Two data files (with identical content) contTracking data for Thick-billed murres (Uria lomvia)
This metadata document describes the data contained in the "rawData" folder of this data package. This data package contains all data collected by the Argos System from 20 satellite transmitters attached to Thick-billed murres on their breeding range in arctic and western Alaska, 1995-1996. Five data files are included in the "rawData" folder of this data package. Two data files (with identical coTracking data for Common murres (Uria aalge)
This metadata document describes the data contained in the "rawData" folder of this data package. This data package contains all data collected by the Argos System from 28 satellite transmitters attached to Common murres on their breeding range in arctic and western Alaska, 1994-1996. Five data files are included in the "rawData" folder of this data package. Two data files (with identical content)Tracking data for Red-faced cormorants (Phalacrocorax urile)
This metadata document describes the data contained in the "rawData" folder of this data package. This data package contains all data collected by the Argos System from 2 satellite transmitters attached to Red-faced cormorants on Attu Island Alaska, 2006. Five data files are included in the "rawData" folder of this data package. Two data files (with identical content) contain the raw Argos DIAG (DTracking data for Pelagic cormorants (Phalacrocorax pelagicus)
This metadata document describes the data contained in the "rawData" folder of this data package. This data package contains all data collected by the Argos System from 8 satellite transmitters attached to Pelagic cormorants on Middleton and Attu Islands, Alaska, 2000-2006. Five data files are included in the "rawData" folder of this data package. Two data files (with identical content) contain thMultistate capture and search data from the southern Beaufort Sea polar bear population in Alaska, 2001-2016
This data release contains two tables of information on polar bear distributions in the southern Beaufort Sea during spring, from 2001 to 2016. One table provides location (classified into 5 broad regions) of individual bears during the spring. The other table presents the aerial search effort by year and area.Waterfowl occurrence and residence time as indicators of H5 and H7 avian in?uenza in North American Poultry
This data release contains model outputs depicting the probability of an H5 or H7 avian influenza outbreak at any given point in the continental United States for each week of the year.Tracking Data for Black Scoter (Melanitta americana)
This metadata document describes the data contained in the "processedData" folder of this data package. This data package contains all data collected by the Argos System from 53 satellite transmitters attached to Black Scoters on their breeding and winter ranges in western Alaska, 2003-2007. The raw data were processed to accomplish two goals: flag implausible location estimates and decode raw senTracking Data for Surf Scoter (Melanitta perspicillata)
This metadata document describes the data contained in the "rawData" folder of this data package. This data package contains all data collected by the Argos System from 25 satellite transmitters attached to Surf Scoters on their winter ranges in southeast Alaska and Baja California, Mexico, 2005-2008. Five data files are included in the "rawData" folder of this data package. Two data files (with iTracking data for Red-throated Loons (Gavia stellata)
This metadata document describes the data contained in the "rawData" folder of this data package. This data package contains all data collected by the Argos System from 92 satellite transmitters attached to Red-throated Loons on their breeding range in coastal areas throughout Alaska, 2000-2010. Five data files are included in the "rawData" folder of this data package. Two data files (with identicTracking Data for Pacific Loons (Gavia pacifica)
This metadata document describes the data contained in the "processedData" folder of this data package. This data package contains data collected by the Argos System from 12 satellite transmitters attached to Pacific Loons on their breeding range in arctic, 2015-2016. The raw data were processed to accomplish two goals: flag implausible location estimates and decode raw sensor data. Two Comma SepaLocations Collected 1985-2015 from Female Polar Bears (Ursus maritimus) with Dependent Young Instrumented in the Southern Beaufort Sea with Satellite-linked Transmitters by the USGS
This dataset contains a select subset of Argos and GPS locations collected by satellite data collection systems from collared adult female polar bears that were instrumented in the southern Beaufort Sea between 1985-2015. These data were collected to gain insights into movements of southern Beaufort Sea polar bears. These data were collected from adult female polar bears who had dependent young at - Multimedia
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Filter Total Items: 149
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 SAuthorsChristopher J. Cox, Robert S. Stone, David C. Douglas, Diane Stanitski, Michael GallagherAre polar bear habitat resource selection functions developed from 1985-1996 data still useful?
1. Greenhouse gas-induced warming in the Arctic has caused declines in sea ice extent and changed its composition, raising concerns by all circumpolar nations for polar bear conservation. 2. Negative impacts have been observed in three well-studied polar bear subpopulations. Most subpopulations, however, receive little or no direct monitoring, hence, resource selection functions (RSF) may provideAuthorsGeorge M. Durner, David C. Douglas, Todd C. AtwoodSatellite 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 asAuthorsChristina Ahlstrom, Jonas Bonnedahl, Hanna Woksepp, Jorge Hernandez, John Reed, T. Lee Tibbitts, Björn Olsen, David C. Douglas, Andrew M. RameyNon‐linear effect of sea ice: Spectacled Eider survival declines at both extremes of the ice spectrum
Understanding the relationship between environmental factors and vital rates is an important step in predicting a species’ response to environmental change. Species associated with sea ice are of particular concern because sea ice is projected to decrease rapidly in polar environments with continued levels of greenhouse gas emissions. The relationship between sea ice and the vital rates of the SpeAuthorsKatherine S. Christie, Tuula E. Hollmen, Paul L. Flint, David C. DouglasDensity‐dependent and phenological mismatch effects on growth and survival in lesser snow and Ross's goslings
Strong seasonality of high‐latitude environments imposes temporal constraints on forage availability and quality for keystone herbivores in terrestrial arctic ecosystems, including hyper‐abundant colonial geese. Changes in food quality due to intraspecific competition, or food availability relative to the breeding phenology of birds, may have consequences for growth and survival of young. We usedAuthorsMegan V. Ross, Ray T. Alisauskas, David C. Douglas, Dana K. Kellett, Kiel L. DrakeMovements and dive patterns of pygmy killer whales (Feresa attenuata) released in the Gulf of Mexico following rehabilitation
The habits and habitats of pygmy killer whales (Feresa attenuata) in the Gulf of Mexico (GoM) are poorly known outside of strandings and line-transect surveys. Two adult male pygmy killer whales were found live-stranded in the state of Mississippi (USA) on 1 September 2015 and were subsequently rehabilitated and returned to the offshore waters of the GoM on 11 July 2016. To monitor the animals posAuthorsEric Pulis, Randall S. Wells, Gregory S. Schorr, David C. Douglas, Mystera M. Samuelson, Moby SolangiBiogeography of pelagic food webs in the North Pacific
The tufted puffin (Fratercula cirrhata) is a generalist seabird that breeds throughout the North Pacific and eats more than 75 different prey species. Using puffins as samplers, we characterized the geographic variability in pelagic food webs across the subarctic North Pacific from the composition of ~10,000 tufted puffin meals (~56,000 prey items) collected at 35 colonies in the Gulf of Alaska (GAuthorsJohn F. Piatt, Mayumi L. Arimitsu, William J. Sydeman, Sarah Ann Thompson, Heather Renner, Stephani Zador, David C. Douglas, Scott A. Hatch, Arthur B. Kettle, Jeffrey C. WilliamsAvian predator buffers against variability in marine habitats with flexible foraging behavior
How well seabirds compensate for variability in prey abundance and composition near their breeding colonies influences their distribution and reproductive success. We used tufted puffins (Fratercula cirrhata) as forage fish samplers to study marine food webs from the western Aleutian Islands (53°N, 173°E) to Kodiak Island (57°N, 153°W), Alaska, during August 2012–2014. Around each colony we obtainAuthorsSarah K. Schoen, John F. Piatt, Mayumi L. Arimitsu, Brielle Heflin, Erica N. Madison, Gary S. Drew, Martin Renner, Nora A. Rojek, David C. Douglas, Anthony R. DeGangeDen phenology and reproductive success of polar bears in a changing climate
Synchrony between reproduction and food availability is important in mammals due to the high energetic costs of gestation and lactation. Female polar bears (Ursus maritimus) must accumulate sufficient energy reserves during spring through autumn to produce and nurse cubs during the winter months in snow dens. Adequate time in a den is important to optimize cub development for withstanding harsh ArAuthorsKaryn D. Rode, Jay Olson, Dennis L. Eggett, David C. Douglas, George M. Durner, Todd C. Atwood, Eric V. Regehr, Ryan H. Wilson, Tom Smith, Michelle St. MartinSummary of wildlife-related research on the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Alaska, 2002–17
We summarize recent (2002–17) publicly available information from studies within the 1002 Area of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge as well as terrestrial and coastal ecosystems elsewhere on the Arctic Coastal Plain that are relevant to the 1002 Area. This report provides an update on earlier research summaries on caribou (Rangifer tarandus), forage quality and quantity, polar bears (Ursus maritAuthorsJohn M. Pearce, Paul L. Flint, Todd C. Atwood, David C. Douglas, Layne G. Adams, Heather E. Johnson, Stephen M. Arthur, Christopher J. LattySpring 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 consumeAuthorsKaryn D. Rode, Ryan H. Wilson, David C. Douglas, Vanessa L Muhlenbruch, Todd C. Atwood, Eric V. Regehr, Evan Richardson, Nicholas Pilfold, Andrew E. Derocher, George M. Durner, Ian Stirling, Steven C. Amstrup, Michelle St. Martin, Anthony M. Pagano, Kristin S. SimacHigh altitude flights by ruddy shelduck Tadorna ferruginea during trans-Himalayan migrations
Birds that migrate across high altitude mountain ranges are faced with the challenge of maintaining vigorous exercise in environments with limited oxygen. Ruddy shelducks are known to use wintering grounds south of the Tibetan Plateau at sea level and breeding grounds north of Himalayan mountain range. Therefore, it is likely these shelducks are preforming high altitude migrations. In this study wAuthorsN. Parr, S. Bearhop, David C. Douglas, J.Y. Takekawa, Diann J. Prosser, S.H. Newman, W.M. Perry, S. Balachandran, M.J. Witt, Y. Hou, Z. Lu, L.A. Hawkes - 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