John Piatt, Ph.D.
Seabirds, marine food webs and impact of climate change on marine ecosystems
My research has been conducted mostly in the north Pacific and Atlantic oceans, with a focus on studies of seabird biology at colonies and ecological factors that influence seabird populations and distribution at sea. Research topics also include feeding ecology of seabirds (especially Auks), forage fish (such as capelin and sand lance), groundfish, marine mammals, food webs, oceanography, marine ecosystems; and threats to seabirds from climate change, heatwaves, overfishing, net bycatch, and oil spills.
Professional Experience
1987-Present Sr Scientist, USGS Alaska Science Center, AK
1982-1987 Res. Assoc., Nfld. Inst. for Cold Ocean Sci., MUN, NL
1978-1981 Fish. Obs./Wildl. Biol., DFO Canada/MacLaren Marex, NL
1974-1977 Res. Asst., Chemistry & Biochemistry Departments, MUN, NL
Education and Certifications
Ph.D. 1987 Marine Biology, Memorial Univ. of Newfoundland (MUN), Canada
B.Sc. (Honours) 1977 Biochemistry, MUN, Canada
Affiliations and Memberships*
Member (2021): Am. Assoc. Adv. Sci., Am. Ornith. Soc., Pac. Seabird Grp., Am. Fish. Soc.
Editorial, Boards, Panels and Offices
Editor, Marine Ecology Progress Series (2007-2021)
Assoc. Editor, The Auk (2006-2013)
Chairman (1993-1994), Pacific Seabird Group (Research and Conservation)
Board or Science Panel service to North Pacific Research Board (2004-2011), Sound Experience (2014-2018), CA Fish & Game Commission (2003-2006), NMFS Alaska Fisheries Science Center (2000-2002)
Board or Science Panel service to Steller Sea Lion Recovery Team Advisory Panel (1999-2001), Cook Inlet Keepers (1996-2003), Alaska Sea Life Center (1995-1999)
Affiliate Professor – U. Washington (UW, 2004-2020); Oregon State U. (OSU, 2011-2015), MUN (1992-1996)
Visiting Scholar – UW (1997-1998)
Invited Scholar - Norwegian Inst. Nature Res., Norway (1991)
Supervisor for 3 PhD, 13 MSc students at 9 univ. in the UK (Glasgow, Durham), Canada (MUN, U.Vic), & the U.S. (UW, U.Alaska, UCSC, OSU)
Ext. examiner for 6 PhD. & 2 MSc theses (CAN, US, AUS)
Honors and Awards
Lifetime Achievement Award (2016), Pacific Seabird Group
US DOI, Secretary, Award for Exceptional Service (1990)
US DOI, Secretary, Award for Extraordinary Contributions (2011)
USGS, Director, Certificate of Appreciation (2011)
USGS, Certificate of Appreciation for Outstanding Contributions (2006)
USGS, Special Act Service Award (1997)
USFS, Certificate of Appreciation for Outstanding Service (1997)
USGS Quality (Step) Awards (2) for Exceptional Performance
USGS/NBS/FWS Performance/Star Awards (24 during 1987-2020) for Outstanding Achievement
USFWS, Regional Director, Special Action Award (1990)
Science and Products
Population genetic structure and conservation of marbled murrelets (Brachyramphus marmoratus)
Variability in colony attendance of crevice-nesting horned puffins: Implications for population monitoring
The adrenocortical response of tufted puffin chicks to nutritional deficits
Oceanographic conditions structure forage fishes into lipid-rich and lipid-poor communities in lower Cook Inlet, Alaska, USA
Prey consumption and energy transfer by marine birds in the Gulf of Alaska
Biology and conservation of Xantus's Murrelet: Discovery, taxonomy and distribution
Oceanographic conditions structure forage fishes into lipid-rich and lipid-poor communities in lower Cook Inlet, Alaska, USA
Ground-nesting marine bird distribution and potential for human disturbance in Glacier Bay National Park
Parallel structure among environmental gradients and three trophic levels in a subarctic estuary
Ground-nesting marine birds and potential for human disturbance in Glacier Bay National Park
Energy density and variability in abundance of pigeon guillemot prey: Support for the quality-variability trade-off hypothesis
Identifying marine bird distribution and evaluating visitor impacts
Science and Products
- Science
- Data
Filter Total Items: 14No Result Found
- Multimedia
- Publications
Filter Total Items: 197
Population genetic structure and conservation of marbled murrelets (Brachyramphus marmoratus)
Marbled murrelets (Brachyramphus marmoratus) are coastal seabirds that nest from California to the Aleutian Islands. They are declining and considered threatened in several regions. We compared variation in the mitochondrial control region, four nuclear introns and three microsatellite loci among 194 murrelets from throughout their range except Washington and Oregon. Significant population geneticAuthorsVicki L. Friesen, T.P. Birt, John F. Piatt, R.T. Golightly, S. H. Newman, P.N. Hebert, B.C. Congdon, G. GissingVariability in colony attendance of crevice-nesting horned puffins: Implications for population monitoring
It is difficult to survey crevice-nesting seabirds because nest-sites are hard to identify and count, and the number of adult birds attending a colony can be extremely variable within and between days. There is no standardized method for surveying crevice-nesting horned puffins (Fratercula corniculata), and consequently little is known about abundance or changes in their numbers. We examined the vAuthorsA.M.A. Harding, John F. Piatt, G.V. Byrd, Scott A. Hatch, N. B. Konyukhov, E.U. Golubova, J.C. WilliamsThe adrenocortical response of tufted puffin chicks to nutritional deficits
In several seabirds, nutritional state of a nest-bound chick is negatively correlated with the activity of its hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. Increased corticosterone (cort) secretion has been shown to facilitate changes in behavior that allow hungry chicks to obtain more food from parents. However, if parents are not willing/able to buffer their young from temporary food shortages, inAuthorsA.S. Kitaysky, Marc D. Romano, John F. Piatt, J.C. Wingfield, M. KikuchiOceanographic conditions structure forage fishes into lipid-rich and lipid-poor communities in lower Cook Inlet, Alaska, USA
Forage fishes were sampled with a mid-water trawl in lower Cook Inlet, Alaska, USA, from late July to early August 1996 to 1999. We sampled 3 oceanographically distinct areas of lower Cook Inlet: waters adjacent to Chisik Island, in Kachemak Bay, and near the Barren Islands. In 163 tows using a mid-water trawl, 229 437 fishes with fork length < 200 mm were captured. More than 39 species were captAuthorsAlisa A. Abookire, John F. PiattPrey consumption and energy transfer by marine birds in the Gulf of Alaska
We investigated prey consumption by marine birds and their contribution to cross-shelf fluxes in the northern Gulf of Alaska. We utilized data from the North Pacific Pelagic Seabird Database for modeling energy demand and prey consumption. We found that prey consumption by marine birds was much greater over the continental shelf than it was over the basin. Over the shelf, subsurface-foraging marinAuthorsG.L. Hunt, G.S. Drew, J. Jahncke, John F. PiattBiology and conservation of Xantus's Murrelet: Discovery, taxonomy and distribution
The biology of Xantus's Murrelets Synthliboramphus hypoleucus is similar in many respects to better-studied Ancient Murrelets S. antiquus, especially regarding morphology and the species' precocial mode of post-hatching development. It nests mainly in rock crevices but also under shrubs on islands in southern California, United States, and northwestern Baja California, Mexico (27oN to 34oN). The sAuthorsHarry R. Carter, Spencer G. Sealy, Esther E. Burkett, John F. PiattOceanographic conditions structure forage fishes into lipid-rich and lipid-poor communities in lower Cook Inlet, Alaska, USA
Forage fishes were sampled with a mid-water trawl in lower Cook Inlet, Alaska, USA, from late July to early August 1996 to 1999. We sampled 3 oceanographically distinct areas of lower Cook Inlet: waters adjacent to Chisik Island, in Kachemak Bay, and near the Barren Islands. In 163 tows using a mid-water trawl, 229437 fishes with fork lengthAuthorsAlisa A. Abookire, John F. PiattGround-nesting marine bird distribution and potential for human disturbance in Glacier Bay National Park
No abstract available.AuthorsMayumi L. Arimitsu, Marc D. Romano, John F. PiattParallel structure among environmental gradients and three trophic levels in a subarctic estuary
We assessed spatial and temporal variability in the physical environment of a subarctic estuary, and examined concurrent patterns of chlorophyll α abundance (fluorescence), and zooplankton and forage fish community structure. Surveys were conducted in lower Cook Inlet, Alaska, during late July and early August from 1997 through 1999. Principle components analysis (PCA) revealed that spatial heteroAuthorsSuzann G. Speckman, John F. Piatt, C. V. Minte-Vera, Julia K. ParrishGround-nesting marine birds and potential for human disturbance in Glacier Bay National Park
Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve contains a diverse assemblage of marine birds that use the area for nesting, foraging and molting. The abundance and diversity of marine bird species in Glacier Bay is unmatched in the region, due in part to the geomorphic and successional characteristics that result in a wide array of habitat types (Robards and others, 2003). The opportunity for proactive maAuthorsMayumi L. Arimitsu, Marc D. Romano, John F. PiattEnergy density and variability in abundance of pigeon guillemot prey: Support for the quality-variability trade-off hypothesis
1. The quality-variability trade-off hypothesis predicts that (i) energy density (kJ g-1) and spatial-temporal variability in abundance are positively correlated in nearshore marine fishes; and (ii) prey selection by a nearshore piscivore, the pigeon guillemot (Cepphus columba Pallas), is negatively affected by variability in abundance. 2. We tested these predictions with data from a 4-year studyAuthorsMichael A. Litzow, John F. Piatt, Alisa A. Abookire, Martin D. RobardsIdentifying marine bird distribution and evaluating visitor impacts
No abstract available.AuthorsMayumi L. Arimitsu, Marc D. Romano, John F. Piatt - News
*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