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
Eco-virological approach for assessing the role of wild birds in the spread of avian influenza H5N1 along the central Asian flyway
The paradox of extreme high-altitude migration in bar-headed geese Anser indicus
Contrasting extreme long-distance migration patterns in bar-tailed godwits Limosa lapponica
Projected status of the Pacific walrus (Odobenus rosmarus divergens) in the twenty-first century
Tracking the autumn migration of the bar-headed goose (Anser indicus) with satellite telemetry and relationship to environmental conditions
Wild bird migration across the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau: A transmission route for highly pathogenic H5N1
Arctic sea ice decline: Projected changes in timing and extent of sea ice in the Bering and Chukchi Seas
Understanding the potential dispersal of HPAI H5N1 virus by migratory wildfowl
Potential spread of highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 by wildfowl: dispersal ranges and rates determined from large-scale satellite telemetry
Catalogue of polar bear (Ursus maritimus) maternal den locations in the Beaufort Sea and neighboring regions, Alaska, 1910–2010
Divergent movements of walrus and sea ice in the northern Bering Sea
Migration of waterfowl in the east asian flyway and spatial relationship to HPAI H5N1 outbreaks
Science and Products
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Eco-virological approach for assessing the role of wild birds in the spread of avian influenza H5N1 along the central Asian flyway
A unique pattern of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 outbreaks has emerged along the Central Asia Flyway, where infection of wild birds has been reported with steady frequency since 2005. We assessed the potential for two hosts of HPAI H5N1, the bar-headed goose (Anser indicus) and ruddy shelduck (Tadorna tadorna), to act as agents for virus dispersal along this ‘thoroughfare’. We useAuthorsScott H. Newman, Nichola J. Hill, Kyle A. Spragens, Daniel Janies, Igor O. Voronkin, Diann J. Prosser, Baoping Yan, Fumin Lei, Nyambayar Batbayar, Tseveenmyadag Natsagdorj, Charles M. Bishop, Patrick J. Butler, Martin Wikelski, Sivananinthaperumal Balachandran, Taej Mundkur, David C. Douglas, John Y. TakekawaThe paradox of extreme high-altitude migration in bar-headed geese Anser indicus
Bar-headed geese are renowned for migratory flights at extremely high altitudes over the world's tallest mountains, the Himalayas, where partial pressure of oxygen is dramatically reduced while flight costs, in terms of rate of oxygen consumption, are greatly increased. Such a mismatch is paradoxical, and it is not clear why geese might fly higher than is absolutely necessary. In addition, directAuthorsL.A. Hawkes, S. Balachandran, N. Batbayar, P.J. Butler, B. Chua, David C. Douglas, P.B. Frappell, Y. Hou, W.K. Milsom, S. H. Newman, D.J. Prosser, P. Sathiyaselvam, G. R. Scott, John Y. Takekawa, T. Natsagdorj, M. Wikelski, M.J. Witt, B. Yan, C.M. BishopContrasting extreme long-distance migration patterns in bar-tailed godwits Limosa lapponica
Migrating birds make the longest non-stop endurance flights in the animal kingdom. Satellite technology is now providing direct evidence on the lengths and durations of these flights and associated staging episodes for individual birds. Using this technology, we compared the migration performance of two subspecies of bar-tailed godwit Limosa lapponica travelling between non-breeding grounds in NewAuthorsPhil F. Battley, Nils Warnock, T. Lee Tibbitts, Robert E. Gill, Theunis Piersma, Chris J. Hassell, David C. Douglas, Daniel M. Mulcahy, Brett D. Gartrell, Rob Schuckard, David S. Melville, Adrian C. RiegenProjected status of the Pacific walrus (Odobenus rosmarus divergens) in the twenty-first century
Extensive and rapid losses of sea ice in the Arctic have raised conservation concerns for the Pacific walrus (Odobenus rosmarus divergens), a large pinniped inhabiting arctic and subarctic continental shelf waters of the Chukchi and Bering seas. We developed a Bayesian network model to integrate potential effects of changing environmental conditions and anthropogenic stressors on the future statusAuthorsChadwick V. Jay, Bruce G. Marcot, David C. DouglasTracking the autumn migration of the bar-headed goose (Anser indicus) with satellite telemetry and relationship to environmental conditions
The autumn migration routes of bar-headed geese captured before the 2008 breeding season at Qinghai Lake, China, were documented using satellite tracking data. To assess how the migration strategies of bar-headed geese are influenced by environmental conditions, the relationship between migratory routes, temperatures, and vegetation coverage at stopovers sites estimated with the Normalized DiffereAuthorsYaonan Zhang, Meiyu Hao, John Y. Takekawa, Fumin Lei, Baoping Yan, Diann J. Prosser, David C. Douglas, Zhi Xing, Scott H. NewmanWild bird migration across the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau: A transmission route for highly pathogenic H5N1
Background Qinghai Lake in central China has been at the center of debate on whether wild birds play a role in circulation of highly pathogenic avian influenza virus H5N1. In 2005, an unprecedented epizootic at Qinghai Lake killed more than 6000 migratory birds including over 3000 bar-headed geese (Anser indicus). H5N1 subsequently spread to Europe and Africa, and in following years has re-emergedAuthorsDiann J. Prosser, Peng Cui, John Y. Takekawa, Mingjie Tang, Yuansheng Hou, Bridget M. Collins, Baoping Yan, Nichola J. Hill, Tianxian Li, Yongdong Li, Fumin Lei, Shan Guo, Zhi Xing, Yubang He, Yuanchun Zhou, David C. Douglas, William M. Perry, Scott H. NewmanArctic sea ice decline: Projected changes in timing and extent of sea ice in the Bering and Chukchi Seas
The Arctic region is warming faster than most regions of the world due in part to increasing greenhouse gases and positive feedbacks associated with the loss of snow and ice cover. One consequence has been a rapid decline in Arctic sea ice over the past 3 decades?a decline that is projected to continue by state-of-the-art models. Many stakeholders are therefore interested in how global warming mayAuthorsDavid C. DouglasUnderstanding the potential dispersal of HPAI H5N1 virus by migratory wildfowl
We analysed wildfowl movements between 2006-2009, including 228 birds from 19 species, part of a larger international programme (see Figure 1) coordinated by the Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations aimed at understanding if there are temporal or spatial relationships between HPAI H5N1 outbreaks and movements of migratory wildfowl, the first large scale data set availableAuthorsNicolas Gaidet, Julien Cappelle, John Y. Takekawa, Diann J. Prosser, Samuel A. Iverson, David C. Douglas, William M. Perry, Taej Mundkur, Scott H. NewmanPotential spread of highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 by wildfowl: dispersal ranges and rates determined from large-scale satellite telemetry
1. Migratory birds are major candidates for long-distance dispersal of zoonotic pathogens. In recent years, wildfowl have been suspected of contributing to the rapid geographic spread of the highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 virus. Experimental infection studies reveal that some wild ducks, geese and swans shed this virus asymptomatically and hence have the potential to spread it as thAuthorsNicolas Gaidet, Julien Cappelle, John Y. Takekawa, Diann J. Prosser, Samuel A. Iverson, David C. Douglas, William M. Perry, Taej Mundkur, Scott H. NewmanCatalogue of polar bear (Ursus maritimus) maternal den locations in the Beaufort Sea and neighboring regions, Alaska, 1910–2010
This report presents data on the approximate locations and methods of discovery of 392 polar bear (Ursus maritimus) maternal dens found in the Beaufort Sea and neighboring regions between 1910 and 2010 that are archived by the U.S. Geological Survey, Alaska Science Center, Anchorage, Alaska. A description of data collection methods, biases associated with collection method, primary time periods, aAuthorsGeorge M. Durner, Anthony S. Fischbach, Steven C. Amstrup, David C. DouglasDivergent movements of walrus and sea ice in the northern Bering Sea
The Pacific walrus Odobenus rosmarus divergens is a large Arctic pinniped of the Chukchi and Bering Seas. Reductions of sea ice projected to occur in the Arctic by mid-century raise concerns for conservation of the Pacific walrus. To understand the significance of sea ice loss to the viability of walruses, it would be useful to better understand the spatial associations between the movements of seAuthorsChadwick V. Jay, Mark S. Udevitz, Ron Kwok, Anthony S. Fischbach, David C. DouglasMigration of waterfowl in the east asian flyway and spatial relationship to HPAI H5N1 outbreaks
Poyang Lake is situated within the East Asian Flyway, a migratory corridor for waterfowl that also encompasses Guangdong Province, China, the epicenter of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1. The lake is the largest freshwater body in China and a significant congregation site for waterfowl; however, surrounding rice fields and poultry grazing have created an overlap with wild waterbirds,AuthorsJohn Y. Takekawa, S. H. Newman, X. Xiao, D.J. Prosser, K.A. Spragens, E.C. Palm, B. Yan, T. Li, F. Lei, D. Zhao, David C. Douglas, S.B. Muzaffar, W. Ji - 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