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
Winter ecology of Spectacled Eiders: Environmental characteristics and population change
Remote sensing of vegetation and land-cover change in Arctic Tundra Ecosystems
Estimating the time of melt onset and freeze onset over Arctic sea-ice area using active and passive microwave data
Spatial and temporal multiyear sea ice distributions in the Arctic: A neural network analysis of SSM/I data, 1988-2001
Interannual growth dynamics of vegetation in the Kuparuk River watershed, Alaska based on the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index
Variability of the seasonally integrated normalized difference vegetation index across the north slope of Alaska in the 1990s
Long-term change in eelgrass distribution at Bahía San Quintín, Baja California, Mexico, using satellite imagery
Variable migratory patterns of different adult rainbow trout life history types in a southwest Alaska watershed
Forage quantity and quality
Muskoxen
The central arctic caribou herd
The porcupine caribou herd
Science and Products
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- Publications
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Winter ecology of Spectacled Eiders: Environmental characteristics and population change
We described characteristics of the wintering area used by Spectacled Eiders (Somateria fischeri) in the Bering Sea, Alaska, and evaluated these characteristics in relation to long-term population trends. Remoteness, limited daylight, and extreme weather conditions precluded direct observations, so we derived the location of the wintering area from satellite telemetry, ice conditions from remotelyAuthorsMargaret R. Petersen, David C. DouglasRemote sensing of vegetation and land-cover change in Arctic Tundra Ecosystems
The objective of this paper is to review research conducted over the past decade on the application of multi-temporal remote sensing for monitoring changes of Arctic tundra lands. Emphasis is placed on results from the National Science Foundation Land–Air–Ice Interactions (LAII) program and on optical remote sensing techniques. Case studies demonstrate that ground-level sensors on stationary or moAuthorsDouglas A. Stow, Allen Hope, David McGuire, David Verbyla, John A. Gamon, Fred Huemmrich, Stan Houston, Charles H. Racine, Matthew Sturm, Ken D. Tape, Larry D. Hinzman, Kenji Yoshikawa, Craig E. Tweedie, Brian Noyle, Cherie Silapaswan, David C. Douglas, Brad Griffith, Gensuo Jia, Howard E. Epstein, Donald A. Walker, Scott Daeschner, Aaron Petersen, Liming Zhou, Ranga B. MyneniEstimating the time of melt onset and freeze onset over Arctic sea-ice area using active and passive microwave data
Accurate calculation of the time of melt onset, freeze onset, and melt duration over Arctic sea-ice area is crucial for climate and global change studies because it affects accuracy of surface energy balance estimates. This comparative study evaluates several methods used to estimate sea-ice melt and freeze onset dates: (1) the melt onset database derived from SSM/I passive microwave brightness teAuthorsGennady I. Belchansky, David C. Douglas, Ilia N. Mordvintsev, Nikita G. PlatonovSpatial and temporal multiyear sea ice distributions in the Arctic: A neural network analysis of SSM/I data, 1988-2001
Arctic multiyear sea ice concentration maps for January 1988-2001 were generated from SSM/I brightness temperatures (19H, 19V, and 37V) using modified multiple layer perceptron neural networks. Learning data for the neural networks were extracted from ice maps derived from Okean and ERS satellite imagery to capitalize on the stability of active radar multiyear ice signatures. Evaluations of threeAuthorsG. I. Belchansky, David C. Douglas, I.V. Alpatsky, Nikita G. PlatonovInterannual growth dynamics of vegetation in the Kuparuk River watershed, Alaska based on the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index
Interannual above-ground production patterns are characterized for three tundra ecosystems in the Kuparuk River watershed of Alaska using NOAA-AVHRR Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) data. NDVI values integrated over each growing season (SINDVI) were used to represent seasonal production patterns between 1989 and 1996. Spatial differences in ecosystem production were expected to followAuthorsA.S. Hope, W.L. Boynton, D.A. Stow, David C. DouglasVariability of the seasonally integrated normalized difference vegetation index across the north slope of Alaska in the 1990s
The interannual variability and trend of above-ground photosynthetic activity of Arctic tundra vegetation in the 1990s is examined for the north slope region of Alaska, based on the seasonally integrated normalized difference vegetation index (SINDVI) derived from local area coverage (LAC) National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) data.AuthorsD. Stow, Scott Daeschner, A. Hope, David C. Douglas, A. Petersen, Ranga B. Myneni, L. Zhou, W. OechelLong-term change in eelgrass distribution at Bahía San Quintín, Baja California, Mexico, using satellite imagery
Seagrasses are critically important components of many marine coastal and estuarine ecosystems, but are declining worldwide. Spatial change in distribution of eelgrass, Zostera marina L., was assessed at Bahía San Quintín, Baja California, Mexico, using a map to map comparison of data interpreted from a 1987 Satellite Pour l'Observation de la Terre multispectral satellite image and a 2000 LandsatAuthorsDavid H. Ward, Alexandra Morton, T. Lee Tibbitts, David C. Douglas, Eduardo Carrera-GonzalezVariable migratory patterns of different adult rainbow trout life history types in a southwest Alaska watershed
Radiotelemetry was used to document population structure in adult rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss from the Alagnak River, southwest Alaska. Rainbow trout (N = 134) longer than 440 mm were implanted with radio transmitters and tracked for varying periods from July 1997 to April 1999. Fifty-eight radio-tagged fish were tracked for sufficient duration (at least 11 months) to allow description of seAuthorsJulie M. Meka, E. Eric Knudsen, David C. Douglas, Robert B. BenterForage quantity and quality
The Porcupine caribou herd has traditionally used the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Alaska, for calving. Availability of nutritious forage has been hypothesized as one of the reasons the Porcupine caribou herd migrates hundreds of kilometers to reach the coastal plain for calving (Kuropat and Bryant 1980, Russell et al. 1993).Forage quantity and quality and the chronology oAuthorsJanet C. Jorgenson, Mark S. Udevitz, Nancy A. FelixMuskoxen
Muskoxen (Ovibos moschatus) disappeared from Alaska in the late 1800s, but returned to the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge when animals were reestablished into areas of former range in 1969-1970 (Klein 1988). Released at Barter Island (Kaktovik) and the Kavik River, muskoxen initially moved into regions that encompassed the 1002 Area on the coastal plain of the Arctic Refuge. From 1974 to 1986 theAuthorsPatricia E. Reynolds, Kenneth J. Wilson, David R. KleinThe central arctic caribou herd
From the mid-1970s through the mid-1980s, use of calving and summer habitats by Central Arctic herd caribou (Rangifer tarandus granti) declined near petroleum development infrastructure on Alaska's arctic coastal plain (Cameron et al. 1979; Cameron and Whitten 1980, Smith and Cameron 1983. Whitten and Cameron 1983a, 1985: Dau and Cameron 1986).With surface development continuing to expand westwardAuthorsRaymond D. Cameron, Walter T. Smith, Robert G. White, Brad GriffithThe porcupine caribou herd
Documentation of the natural range of variation in ecological, life history, and physiological characteristics of caribou (Rangifer tarandus) of the Porcupine caribou herd is a necessary base for detecting or predicting any potential effects of industrial development on the performance (e.g., distribution, demography, weight-gain of individuals) of the herd. To demonstrate an effect of developmentAuthorsBrad Griffith, David C. Douglas, Noreen E. Walsh, Donald D. Young, Thomas R. McCabe, Donald E. Russell, Robert G. White, Raymond D. Cameron, Kenneth R. Whitten - 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