Josh Adams
Dr. Josh Adams is a research wildlife biologist with the U.S. Geological Survey's Western Ecological Research Center.
He is the lead biologist in charge of the Seabird Studies program located at WERC's Santa Cruz Field Station. Dr. Adams' work focuses on understanding the distribution and abundance patterns of seabirds at sea, nesting biology, foraging ecology and conservation science. Dr. Adams' current studies are focused in the California Current and Hawaii.
Education and Certifications
PhD, Zoology, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand 2011
MSc, Marine Sciences, Moss Landing Marine Laboratories, California State University San Francisco 2004
BA, Biology (Thesis Honors), University of California Santa Cruz 1992
Affiliations and Memberships*
Member Pacific Seabird Group (since 1992)
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 58
Evaluation of MPA designs that protect highly mobile megafauna now and under climate change scenarios Evaluation of MPA designs that protect highly mobile megafauna now and under climate change scenarios
Marine protected area (MPA) designs, including large-scale MPAs (LSMPAs; >150,000 km2), mobile MPAs (fluid spatiotemporal boundaries), and MPA networks, may offer different benefits to species and could enhance protection by encompassing spatiotemporal scales of animal movement. We sought to understand how well LSMPAs could benefit nine highly-mobile marine species in the tropics now and...
Authors
Morgan Gilmour, Josh Adams, Barbara Block, Jennifer Caselle, A. Friedlander, Edward Game, E. Hazen, Nick Holmes, Kevin Lafferty, S. Maxwell, Douglas J. McCauley, E. Oleson, Kenneth Pollock, S. Shaffer, N. Wolff, Alex Wegmann
Marine distribution and foraging habitat highlight potential threats at sea for Endangered Bermuda Petrel Pterodroma cahow Marine distribution and foraging habitat highlight potential threats at sea for Endangered Bermuda Petrel Pterodroma cahow
Marine spatial planning relies on detailed spatial information of marine areas to ensure effective conservation of species. To enhance our understanding of marine habitat use by the highly pelagic Bermuda petrel Pterodroma cahow, we deployed GPS tags on 6 chick-rearing adults in April 2019 and constructed a habitat suitability model using locations classified as foraging to explore...
Authors
André F Raine, Carina Gjerdrum, Isabeau Pratte, Jeremy Madeiros, Jonathan Felis, Josh Adams
Modeling at-sea density of marine birds to support renewable energy planning on the Pacific outer continental shelf of the contiguous United States Modeling at-sea density of marine birds to support renewable energy planning on the Pacific outer continental shelf of the contiguous United States
This report describes the at-sea spatial distributions of marine birds in Pacific OCS waters off the contiguous U.S. (Figure 1.1) to inform marine spatial planning in the region. The goal was to estimate long-term average spatial distributions for marine bird species using all available science-quality transect survey data and numerous bathymetric, oceanographic, and atmospheric...
Authors
Jeffery Leirness, Josh Adams, Lisa Ballance, Michael Coyne, Jonathan Felis, Trevor Joyce, David Pereksta, Arliss Winship, Christopher F G Jeffrey, David G. Ainley, Donald Croll, Joseph Evenson, Jaime Jahncke, William McIver, Peter I Miller, Scott Pearson, Craig Strong, William Sydeman, Jeannette Waddell, Jeannette Zamon, John D. Christensen
Across borders: External factors and prior behaviour influence North Pacific albatross associations with fishing vessels Across borders: External factors and prior behaviour influence North Pacific albatross associations with fishing vessels
Understanding encounters between marine predators and fisheries across national borders and outside national jurisdictions offers new perspectives on unwanted interactions to inform ocean management and predator conservation. Although seabird–fisheries overlap has been documented at many scales, remote identification of vessel encounters has lagged because vessel movement data often are...
Authors
Rachael Orben, Josh Adams, Michelle Hester, Scott Shaffer, Robert Suryan, Tomo Deguchi, Kiyoaki Ozaki, Fumio Sato, Lindsay Young, Corey Clatterbuck, Melinda Conners, David Kroodsma, Leigh G Torres
Global political responsibility for the conservation of albatrosses and large petrels Global political responsibility for the conservation of albatrosses and large petrels
Migratory marine species cross political borders and enter the high seas, where the lack of an effective global management framework for biodiversity leaves them vulnerable to threats. Here, we combine 10,108 tracks from 5775 individual birds at 87 sites with data on breeding population sizes to estimate the relative year-round importance of national jurisdictions and high seas areas for...
Authors
Martin Beal, Maria Dias, Richard Phillips, Steffen Oppel, Carolina Hazin, Elizabeth Pearmin, Josh Adams, David Anderson, Michelle Antolos, Javier Arata, Jose Arcos, John Arnould, Jill Awkerman, Elizabeth Bell, Mike Bell, Mark Carey, Ryan Carle, Thomas Clay, Jaimie Cleeland, Valentina Colodro, Melinda Conners, Marta Cruz-Flores, Richard Cuthbert, Karine Delord, Lorna Deppe, Ben J Dilley, Herculano Dinis, Graeme Elliot, Fernanda de Felipe, Jonathan Felis, Manuela Forero, Amanda Freeman, Akira Fukuda, Jacob Gonzalez-Solis, Jose Granadeiro, April Hedd, Peter Hodum, Jose Igual, Audrey Jaeger, Todd Landers, Le Corre Matthieu, Azwianewi Makhado, Benjamin Metzger, Teresa Militao, William Montevecchi, Virginia Morera-Pujol, Leia Navarro-Herrero, Deon Nel, David Nicholls, Daniel Oro, Ridha Ouni, Kiyoaki Ozaki, Flavio Quintana, Raul Ramos, Tim Reid, Jose Reyes-Gonzalez, Christopher Robertson, Graham Robertson, Mohamed Romdhane, Peter Ryan, Paul Sagar, Fumio Sato, Stefan Schoombie, R. Scofield, Scott Shaffer, Nirmal Shah, Kim Stevens, Christopher Surman, Robert Suryan, Akinori Takahashi, Vikash Tatayah, Graeme Taylor, David Thompson, Leigh Torres, Kath Walker, Ross Wanless, Susan Waugh, Henri Weimerskirch, Takashi Yamamoto, Zuzana Zajkova, Laura Zango, Paulo Catry
Population estimates for selected breeding seabirds at Kīlauea Point National Wildlife Refuge, Kauaʻi, in 2019 Population estimates for selected breeding seabirds at Kīlauea Point National Wildlife Refuge, Kauaʻi, in 2019
Kīlauea Point National Wildlife Refuge (KPNWR) is an important seabird breeding site located at the northeastern tip of Kauaʻi in the main Hawaiian Islands. Despite the regional significance of KPNWR as one of the most important breeding sites for red-tailed tropicbirds (Phaethon rubricauda), red-footed boobies (Sula sula), and wedge-tailed shearwaters (Ardenna pacifica) in the main...
Authors
Jonathan Felis, Emily Kelsey, Josh Adams, Jennilyn Stenske, Laney M. White
Multidecadal comparison of Red-footed Booby Sula sula diet at Ulupa'u Crater, O'ahu, Hawai'i Multidecadal comparison of Red-footed Booby Sula sula diet at Ulupa'u Crater, O'ahu, Hawai'i
We describe the diet of Red-footed Boobies Sula sula nesting at Ulupaʻu Crater, Oʻahu, Hawaiʻi based on 106 regurgitations collected during 2014 and 2015. We also compare our results to a diet study at this colony five decades earlier. Both studies indicate that flying squid (Ommastrephidae) and flyingfish (Exocoetidae) are important prey for this population while provisioning chicks. In
Authors
Sarah Donahue, Josh Adams, K Hyrenbach
Genetic analysis of the diet of red‐footed boobies (Sula sula) provisioning chicks at Ulupa'u Crater, O'ahu Genetic analysis of the diet of red‐footed boobies (Sula sula) provisioning chicks at Ulupa'u Crater, O'ahu
The diet of red‐footed boobies (Sula sula) provisioning chicks was quantified using 106 regurgitations collected from 81 adults over two study years with contrasting oceanographic conditions: 2014 and 2015.A total of 1,049 prey items were sorted into three broad categories (fish, squid, and other, consisting of highly‐digested ‘mush’ and parasitic isopods) and assigned a categorical...
Authors
Sarah Donahue, Josh Adams, Mark Renshaw, K Hyrenbach
Genetic diversity, population structure, and historical demography of a highly vagile and human‐impacted seabird in the Pacific Ocean: The red‐tailed tropicbird, Phaethon rubricauda Genetic diversity, population structure, and historical demography of a highly vagile and human‐impacted seabird in the Pacific Ocean: The red‐tailed tropicbird, Phaethon rubricauda
Many seabird breeding colonies have recovered from heavy anthropogenic disturbance after conservation actions. The widely distributed red‐tailed tropicbird, Phaethon rubricauda, was used as a model species to assess potential anthropogenic impacts on the genetic diversity of breeding colonies in the Pacific Ocean.Cytochrome c oxidase subunit I and control region sequences analyses were...
Authors
Andrea I Varela, Katherina Brokordt, Stefanie M.H. Ismar‐Rebitz, Chris P Gaskin, Nicholas Carlile, Terence O’Dwyer, Josh Adams, Eric Vanderwerf, Guillermo Luna‐Jorquera
Post-release survival of fallout Newell’s Shearwater fledglings from a rescue and rehabilitation program on Kauai, Hawaii Post-release survival of fallout Newell’s Shearwater fledglings from a rescue and rehabilitation program on Kauai, Hawaii
Light attraction impacts nocturnally active fledgling seabirds worldwide and is a particularly acute problem on Kaua‘i (the northern-most island in the main Hawaiian Island archipelago) for the Critically Endangered Newell’s shearwater Puffinus newelli. The Save Our Shearwaters (SOS) program was created in 1979 to address this issue and to date has recovered and released to sea more than...
Authors
Andre Raine, Tracy Anderson, Megan Vynne, Scott Driskill, Helen Raine, Josh Adams
Abundance and productivity of marbled murrelets (Brachyramphus marmoratus) off central California during the 2019 breeding season Abundance and productivity of marbled murrelets (Brachyramphus marmoratus) off central California during the 2019 breeding season
Marbled murrelets (Brachyramphus marmoratus) have been listed as “endangered” by the State of California and “threatened” by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service since 1992 in California, Oregon, and Washington. Information regarding marbled murrelet abundance, distribution, population trends, and habitat associations is critical for risk assessment, effective management, evaluation of...
Authors
Jonathan Felis, Emily Kelsey, Josh Adams, Cheryl Horton, Laura White
Pacific Continental Shelf Environmental Assessment (PaCSEA): Characterization of Seasonal Water Masses within the Northern California Current System Using Airborne Remote Sensing off Northern California, Oregon, and Washington, 2011–2012 Pacific Continental Shelf Environmental Assessment (PaCSEA): Characterization of Seasonal Water Masses within the Northern California Current System Using Airborne Remote Sensing off Northern California, Oregon, and Washington, 2011–2012
Here, we use ocean color measurements (Figure 1) and sea surface temperature (SST) data collected using sensors mounted on low-flying aircraft to characterize NCCS water masses and identify patterns among seasons and between years. To accomplish this, we applied k-means clustering to measured and derived ecologically-relevant physical and bio-optical variables (SST, Chla, absorbance by...
Authors
J Schulien, Josh Adams, Jonathan Felis
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 58
Evaluation of MPA designs that protect highly mobile megafauna now and under climate change scenarios Evaluation of MPA designs that protect highly mobile megafauna now and under climate change scenarios
Marine protected area (MPA) designs, including large-scale MPAs (LSMPAs; >150,000 km2), mobile MPAs (fluid spatiotemporal boundaries), and MPA networks, may offer different benefits to species and could enhance protection by encompassing spatiotemporal scales of animal movement. We sought to understand how well LSMPAs could benefit nine highly-mobile marine species in the tropics now and...
Authors
Morgan Gilmour, Josh Adams, Barbara Block, Jennifer Caselle, A. Friedlander, Edward Game, E. Hazen, Nick Holmes, Kevin Lafferty, S. Maxwell, Douglas J. McCauley, E. Oleson, Kenneth Pollock, S. Shaffer, N. Wolff, Alex Wegmann
Marine distribution and foraging habitat highlight potential threats at sea for Endangered Bermuda Petrel Pterodroma cahow Marine distribution and foraging habitat highlight potential threats at sea for Endangered Bermuda Petrel Pterodroma cahow
Marine spatial planning relies on detailed spatial information of marine areas to ensure effective conservation of species. To enhance our understanding of marine habitat use by the highly pelagic Bermuda petrel Pterodroma cahow, we deployed GPS tags on 6 chick-rearing adults in April 2019 and constructed a habitat suitability model using locations classified as foraging to explore...
Authors
André F Raine, Carina Gjerdrum, Isabeau Pratte, Jeremy Madeiros, Jonathan Felis, Josh Adams
Modeling at-sea density of marine birds to support renewable energy planning on the Pacific outer continental shelf of the contiguous United States Modeling at-sea density of marine birds to support renewable energy planning on the Pacific outer continental shelf of the contiguous United States
This report describes the at-sea spatial distributions of marine birds in Pacific OCS waters off the contiguous U.S. (Figure 1.1) to inform marine spatial planning in the region. The goal was to estimate long-term average spatial distributions for marine bird species using all available science-quality transect survey data and numerous bathymetric, oceanographic, and atmospheric...
Authors
Jeffery Leirness, Josh Adams, Lisa Ballance, Michael Coyne, Jonathan Felis, Trevor Joyce, David Pereksta, Arliss Winship, Christopher F G Jeffrey, David G. Ainley, Donald Croll, Joseph Evenson, Jaime Jahncke, William McIver, Peter I Miller, Scott Pearson, Craig Strong, William Sydeman, Jeannette Waddell, Jeannette Zamon, John D. Christensen
Across borders: External factors and prior behaviour influence North Pacific albatross associations with fishing vessels Across borders: External factors and prior behaviour influence North Pacific albatross associations with fishing vessels
Understanding encounters between marine predators and fisheries across national borders and outside national jurisdictions offers new perspectives on unwanted interactions to inform ocean management and predator conservation. Although seabird–fisheries overlap has been documented at many scales, remote identification of vessel encounters has lagged because vessel movement data often are...
Authors
Rachael Orben, Josh Adams, Michelle Hester, Scott Shaffer, Robert Suryan, Tomo Deguchi, Kiyoaki Ozaki, Fumio Sato, Lindsay Young, Corey Clatterbuck, Melinda Conners, David Kroodsma, Leigh G Torres
Global political responsibility for the conservation of albatrosses and large petrels Global political responsibility for the conservation of albatrosses and large petrels
Migratory marine species cross political borders and enter the high seas, where the lack of an effective global management framework for biodiversity leaves them vulnerable to threats. Here, we combine 10,108 tracks from 5775 individual birds at 87 sites with data on breeding population sizes to estimate the relative year-round importance of national jurisdictions and high seas areas for...
Authors
Martin Beal, Maria Dias, Richard Phillips, Steffen Oppel, Carolina Hazin, Elizabeth Pearmin, Josh Adams, David Anderson, Michelle Antolos, Javier Arata, Jose Arcos, John Arnould, Jill Awkerman, Elizabeth Bell, Mike Bell, Mark Carey, Ryan Carle, Thomas Clay, Jaimie Cleeland, Valentina Colodro, Melinda Conners, Marta Cruz-Flores, Richard Cuthbert, Karine Delord, Lorna Deppe, Ben J Dilley, Herculano Dinis, Graeme Elliot, Fernanda de Felipe, Jonathan Felis, Manuela Forero, Amanda Freeman, Akira Fukuda, Jacob Gonzalez-Solis, Jose Granadeiro, April Hedd, Peter Hodum, Jose Igual, Audrey Jaeger, Todd Landers, Le Corre Matthieu, Azwianewi Makhado, Benjamin Metzger, Teresa Militao, William Montevecchi, Virginia Morera-Pujol, Leia Navarro-Herrero, Deon Nel, David Nicholls, Daniel Oro, Ridha Ouni, Kiyoaki Ozaki, Flavio Quintana, Raul Ramos, Tim Reid, Jose Reyes-Gonzalez, Christopher Robertson, Graham Robertson, Mohamed Romdhane, Peter Ryan, Paul Sagar, Fumio Sato, Stefan Schoombie, R. Scofield, Scott Shaffer, Nirmal Shah, Kim Stevens, Christopher Surman, Robert Suryan, Akinori Takahashi, Vikash Tatayah, Graeme Taylor, David Thompson, Leigh Torres, Kath Walker, Ross Wanless, Susan Waugh, Henri Weimerskirch, Takashi Yamamoto, Zuzana Zajkova, Laura Zango, Paulo Catry
Population estimates for selected breeding seabirds at Kīlauea Point National Wildlife Refuge, Kauaʻi, in 2019 Population estimates for selected breeding seabirds at Kīlauea Point National Wildlife Refuge, Kauaʻi, in 2019
Kīlauea Point National Wildlife Refuge (KPNWR) is an important seabird breeding site located at the northeastern tip of Kauaʻi in the main Hawaiian Islands. Despite the regional significance of KPNWR as one of the most important breeding sites for red-tailed tropicbirds (Phaethon rubricauda), red-footed boobies (Sula sula), and wedge-tailed shearwaters (Ardenna pacifica) in the main...
Authors
Jonathan Felis, Emily Kelsey, Josh Adams, Jennilyn Stenske, Laney M. White
Multidecadal comparison of Red-footed Booby Sula sula diet at Ulupa'u Crater, O'ahu, Hawai'i Multidecadal comparison of Red-footed Booby Sula sula diet at Ulupa'u Crater, O'ahu, Hawai'i
We describe the diet of Red-footed Boobies Sula sula nesting at Ulupaʻu Crater, Oʻahu, Hawaiʻi based on 106 regurgitations collected during 2014 and 2015. We also compare our results to a diet study at this colony five decades earlier. Both studies indicate that flying squid (Ommastrephidae) and flyingfish (Exocoetidae) are important prey for this population while provisioning chicks. In
Authors
Sarah Donahue, Josh Adams, K Hyrenbach
Genetic analysis of the diet of red‐footed boobies (Sula sula) provisioning chicks at Ulupa'u Crater, O'ahu Genetic analysis of the diet of red‐footed boobies (Sula sula) provisioning chicks at Ulupa'u Crater, O'ahu
The diet of red‐footed boobies (Sula sula) provisioning chicks was quantified using 106 regurgitations collected from 81 adults over two study years with contrasting oceanographic conditions: 2014 and 2015.A total of 1,049 prey items were sorted into three broad categories (fish, squid, and other, consisting of highly‐digested ‘mush’ and parasitic isopods) and assigned a categorical...
Authors
Sarah Donahue, Josh Adams, Mark Renshaw, K Hyrenbach
Genetic diversity, population structure, and historical demography of a highly vagile and human‐impacted seabird in the Pacific Ocean: The red‐tailed tropicbird, Phaethon rubricauda Genetic diversity, population structure, and historical demography of a highly vagile and human‐impacted seabird in the Pacific Ocean: The red‐tailed tropicbird, Phaethon rubricauda
Many seabird breeding colonies have recovered from heavy anthropogenic disturbance after conservation actions. The widely distributed red‐tailed tropicbird, Phaethon rubricauda, was used as a model species to assess potential anthropogenic impacts on the genetic diversity of breeding colonies in the Pacific Ocean.Cytochrome c oxidase subunit I and control region sequences analyses were...
Authors
Andrea I Varela, Katherina Brokordt, Stefanie M.H. Ismar‐Rebitz, Chris P Gaskin, Nicholas Carlile, Terence O’Dwyer, Josh Adams, Eric Vanderwerf, Guillermo Luna‐Jorquera
Post-release survival of fallout Newell’s Shearwater fledglings from a rescue and rehabilitation program on Kauai, Hawaii Post-release survival of fallout Newell’s Shearwater fledglings from a rescue and rehabilitation program on Kauai, Hawaii
Light attraction impacts nocturnally active fledgling seabirds worldwide and is a particularly acute problem on Kaua‘i (the northern-most island in the main Hawaiian Island archipelago) for the Critically Endangered Newell’s shearwater Puffinus newelli. The Save Our Shearwaters (SOS) program was created in 1979 to address this issue and to date has recovered and released to sea more than...
Authors
Andre Raine, Tracy Anderson, Megan Vynne, Scott Driskill, Helen Raine, Josh Adams
Abundance and productivity of marbled murrelets (Brachyramphus marmoratus) off central California during the 2019 breeding season Abundance and productivity of marbled murrelets (Brachyramphus marmoratus) off central California during the 2019 breeding season
Marbled murrelets (Brachyramphus marmoratus) have been listed as “endangered” by the State of California and “threatened” by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service since 1992 in California, Oregon, and Washington. Information regarding marbled murrelet abundance, distribution, population trends, and habitat associations is critical for risk assessment, effective management, evaluation of...
Authors
Jonathan Felis, Emily Kelsey, Josh Adams, Cheryl Horton, Laura White
Pacific Continental Shelf Environmental Assessment (PaCSEA): Characterization of Seasonal Water Masses within the Northern California Current System Using Airborne Remote Sensing off Northern California, Oregon, and Washington, 2011–2012 Pacific Continental Shelf Environmental Assessment (PaCSEA): Characterization of Seasonal Water Masses within the Northern California Current System Using Airborne Remote Sensing off Northern California, Oregon, and Washington, 2011–2012
Here, we use ocean color measurements (Figure 1) and sea surface temperature (SST) data collected using sensors mounted on low-flying aircraft to characterize NCCS water masses and identify patterns among seasons and between years. To accomplish this, we applied k-means clustering to measured and derived ecologically-relevant physical and bio-optical variables (SST, Chla, absorbance by...
Authors
J Schulien, Josh Adams, Jonathan Felis
*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