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
Rapid environmental change drives increased land use by an Arctic marine predator
Influence of basin- and local-scale environmental conditions on nearshore production in the northeast Pacific Ocean
Increased land use by Chukchi Sea polar bears in relation to changing sea ice conditions
Multi-decadal trends in spring arrival of avian migrants to the central Arctic coast of Alaska: Effects of environmental and ecological factors
Distribution and movements of Alaska-breeding Steller's Eiders in the nonbreeding period
Movement ecology of five Afrotropical waterfowl species from Malawi, Mali and Nigeria
Evidence of bottom-up limitations in nearshore marine systems based on otolith proxies of fish growth
Polar bear population dynamics in the southern Beaufort Sea during a period of sea ice decline
Evaluating and ranking threats to the long-term persistence of polar bears
Density dependence and phenological mismatch: consequences for growth and survival of sub-arctic nesting Canada Geese
Hemispheric-scale wind selection facilitates bar-tailed godwit circum-migration of the Pacific
Post-breeding migration of Dutch-breeding black-tailed godwits: timing, routes, use of stopovers, and nonbreeding destinations
Science and Products
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Rapid environmental change drives increased land use by an Arctic marine predator
In the Arctic Ocean’s southern Beaufort Sea (SB), the length of the sea ice melt season (i.e., period between the onset of sea ice break-up in summer and freeze-up in fall) has increased substantially since the late 1990s. Historically, polar bears (Ursus maritimus) of the SB have mostly remained on the sea ice year-round (except for those that came ashore to den), but recent changes in the extentAuthorsTodd C. Atwood, Elizabeth L. Peacock, Melissa A. McKinney, Kate Lillie, Ryan H. Wilson, David C. Douglas, Susanne Miller, Pat TerletzkyInfluence of basin- and local-scale environmental conditions on nearshore production in the northeast Pacific Ocean
Nearshore marine habitats are productive and vulnerable owing to their connections to pelagic and terrestrial landscapes. To understand how ocean basin- and local-scale conditions may influence nearshore species, we developed an annual index of nearshore production (spanning the period 1972–2010) from growth increments recorded in otoliths of representative pelagic-feeding (Black Rockfish SebastesAuthorsVanessa R. von Biela, Christian E. Zimmerman, Gordon H. Kruse, Franz J. Mueter, Bryan A. Black, David C. Douglas, James L. BodkinIncreased land use by Chukchi Sea polar bears in relation to changing sea ice conditions
Recent observations suggest that polar bears (Ursus maritimus) are increasingly using land habitats in some parts of their range, where they have minimal access to their preferred prey, likely in response to loss of their sea ice habitat associated with climatic warming. We used location data from female polar bears fit with satellite radio collars to compare land use patterns in the Chukchi Sea bAuthorsKaryn D. Rode, Ryan H. Wilson, Eric V. Regehr, Michelle St. Martin, David C. Douglas, Jay OlsonMulti-decadal trends in spring arrival of avian migrants to the central Arctic coast of Alaska: Effects of environmental and ecological factors
Warming in the Arctic has caused the transition from winter to summer to occur weeks earlier over the last half century, yet little is known about whether avian migrants have altered their timing of arrival on breeding areas to match this earlier seasonal transition. Over a 50-yr period, we examined trends in the timing of the first arrival for 16 avian migrant species at the terminus of their norAuthorsDavid H. Ward, J. Helmericks, Jerry W. Hupp, L. McManus, Michael Budde, David C. Douglas, K.D. TapeDistribution and movements of Alaska-breeding Steller's Eiders in the nonbreeding period
No abstract available.AuthorsPhilip D. Martin, David C. Douglas, Tim Obritschkewitsch, Shannon TorrenceMovement ecology of five Afrotropical waterfowl species from Malawi, Mali and Nigeria
Habitat availability for Afrotropical waterbirds is highly dynamic with unpredictable rainfall patterns and ephemeral wetlands resulting in diverse movement strategies among different species. Movement strategies among waterfowl encompass resident, regional and intercontinental migrants, but little quantitative information exists on their specific movement patterns. We studied the movement ecologyAuthorsJohn Y. Takekawa, Shane R. Heath, S. R. L. Iverson, Nicolas Gaidet, Julien Cappelle, Tim Dodman, Ward Hagemeijer, William D. Eldridge, Scott A. Petrie, Gregory S. Yarris, Shiiwua Manu, Glenn H. Olsen, Diann J. Prosser, Kyle A. Spragens, David C. Douglas, Scott H. NewmanEvidence of bottom-up limitations in nearshore marine systems based on otolith proxies of fish growth
Fish otolith growth increments were used as indices of annual production at nine nearshore sites within the Alaska Coastal Current (downwelling region) and California Current (upwelling region) systems (~36–60°N). Black rockfish (Sebastes melanops) and kelp greenling (Hexagrammos decagrammus) were identified as useful indicators in pelagic and benthic nearshore food webs, respectively. To examineAuthorsVanessa R. von Biela, Gordon H. Kruse, Franz J. Mueter, Bryan A. Black, David C. Douglas, Thomas E. Helser, Christian E. ZimmermanPolar bear population dynamics in the southern Beaufort Sea during a period of sea ice decline
In the southern Beaufort Sea of the United States and Canada, prior investigations have linked declines in summer sea ice to reduced physical condition, growth, and survival of polar bears (Ursus maritimus). Combined with projections of population decline due to continued climate warming and the ensuing loss of sea ice habitat, those findings contributed to the 2008 decision to list the species asAuthorsJeffrey F. Bromaghin, Trent L. McDonald, Ian Stirling, Andrew E. Derocher, Evan S. Richardson, Eric V. Regehr, David C. Douglas, George M. Durner, Todd C. Atwood, Steven C. AmstrupEvaluating and ranking threats to the long-term persistence of polar bears
The polar bear (Ursus maritimus) was listed as a globally threatened species under the U.S. Endangered Species Act (ESA) in 2008, mostly due to the significant threat to their future population viability from rapidly declining Arctic sea ice. A core mandate of the ESA is the development of a recovery plan that identifies steps to maintain viable populations of a listed species. A substantive evaluAuthorsTodd C. Atwood, Bruce G. Marcot, David C. Douglas, Steven C. Amstrup, Karyn D. Rode, George M. Durner, Jeffrey F. BromaghinDensity dependence and phenological mismatch: consequences for growth and survival of sub-arctic nesting Canada Geese
The extent to which species are plastic in the timing of their reproductive events relative to phenology suggests how change might affect their demography. An ecological mismatch between the timing of hatch for avian species and the peak availability in quality and quantity of forage for rapidly growing offspring might ultimately affect recruitment to the breeding population unless individuals canAuthorsRodney W. Brook, James O. Leafloor, David C. Douglas, Kenneth F. AbrahamHemispheric-scale wind selection facilitates bar-tailed godwit circum-migration of the Pacific
The annual 29 000 km long migration of the bar-tailed godwit, Limosa lapponica baueri, around the Pacific Ocean traverses what is arguably the most complex and seasonally structured atmospheric setting on Earth. Faced with marked variation in wind regimes and storm conditions across oceanic migration corridors, individuals must make critical decisions about when and where to fly during nonstop fliAuthorsRobert E. Gill, David C. Douglas, Colleen M. Handel, T. Lee Tibbitts, Gary Hufford, Theunis PiersmaPost-breeding migration of Dutch-breeding black-tailed godwits: timing, routes, use of stopovers, and nonbreeding destinations
Conservation of long-distance migratory shorebirds is complex because these species use habitats spread across continents and hemispheres, making identification of critical habitats and potential bottlenecks in the annual cycle especially difficult. The population of Black-tailed Godwits that breeds in Western Europe, Limosa limosa limosa, has declined precipitously over the past few decades. DespAuthorsJos C. E. W. Hooijmeijer, Nathan R. Senner, T. Lee Tibbitts, Robert E. Gill, David C. Douglas, Leo W. Bruinzeel, Eddy Wymenga, Theunis Piersma - 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