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Madeleine Rubenstein

Madeleine Rubenstein is a Biologist with the U.S. Geological Survey’s National Climate Adaptation Science Center. Her research examines how climate change affects migratory birds, with an emphasis on understanding and responding to the information needs of wildlife and habitat managers.

Madeleine earned a B.A. from Barnard College and a Master of Environmental Science from the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies. Prior to graduate school, she was the Research Coordinator with the Columbia Climate Center at the Earth Institute of Columbia University, and a research intern with the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center. In addition to studying the ecological impacts of global environmental change, Madeleine has also worked on issues of international sustainable development with the Frankfurt Zoological Society and the Women’s Environment and Development Organization.  

 

Education and Certifications

  • M.S. in Environmental Science, Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies

  • B.A., Barnard College

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Rim Fire in Yosemite National Park.

CASC Network Climate Adaptation Postdoctoral Fellows Program

The USGS Climate Adaptation Science Centers (CASC) hosts an innovative nationally-coordinated postdoctoral research program that provides cohorts of early-career researchers with management-relevant research experiences on the effects of climate change on fish, wildlife and ecosystems.

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CASC Network Climate Adaptation Postdoctoral Fellows Program

The USGS Climate Adaptation Science Centers (CASC) hosts an innovative nationally-coordinated postdoctoral research program that provides cohorts of early-career researchers with management-relevant research experiences on the effects of climate change on fish, wildlife and ecosystems.

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Image: Blue Ridge Parkway With Fall Foliage

Understanding Changing Climate Variables to Clarify Species’ Exposure and Responses to Changing Environments across North America

Species across North America are being impacted by changing climate conditions. Plants and animals can respond to these changes in a variety of ways, including by shifting their geographic distributions. Determining whether or not observed biological changes, such as range shifts, are indeed the result of climate change is a key challenge facing natural resource managers and requires clarifying wh
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Climate Adaptation Science Centers, Climate Adaptation Science Center
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Understanding Changing Climate Variables to Clarify Species’ Exposure and Responses to Changing Environments across North America

Species across North America are being impacted by changing climate conditions. Plants and animals can respond to these changes in a variety of ways, including by shifting their geographic distributions. Determining whether or not observed biological changes, such as range shifts, are indeed the result of climate change is a key challenge facing natural resource managers and requires clarifying wh
Learn More
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Image: Blue Ridge Parkway With Fall Foliage

Understanding Changing Climate Variables to Clarify Species’ Exposure and Responses to Changing Environments across North America

Species across North America are being impacted by changing climate conditions. Plants and animals can respond to these changes in a variety of ways, including by shifting their geographic distributions. Determining whether or not observed biological changes, such as range shifts, are indeed the result of climate change is a key challenge facing natural resource managers and requires clarifying wh
By
Climate Adaptation Science Centers, Climate Adaptation Science Center
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Understanding Changing Climate Variables to Clarify Species’ Exposure and Responses to Changing Environments across North America

Species across North America are being impacted by changing climate conditions. Plants and animals can respond to these changes in a variety of ways, including by shifting their geographic distributions. Determining whether or not observed biological changes, such as range shifts, are indeed the result of climate change is a key challenge facing natural resource managers and requires clarifying wh
Learn More
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USGS science for a changing world logo

Understanding Species' Range Shifts in Response to Climate Change: Results from a Systematic National Review

Climate change represents one of the foremost drivers of ecological change, yet its documented impacts on biodiversity remain uncertain and complex. Although there have been many published studies on species shifting their geographic ranges in response to climate change, it is still challenging to identify the specific mechanisms and conditions that facilitate range shifts in some species and not
By
Climate Adaptation Science Centers, Climate Adaptation Science Center
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Understanding Species' Range Shifts in Response to Climate Change: Results from a Systematic National Review

Climate change represents one of the foremost drivers of ecological change, yet its documented impacts on biodiversity remain uncertain and complex. Although there have been many published studies on species shifting their geographic ranges in response to climate change, it is still challenging to identify the specific mechanisms and conditions that facilitate range shifts in some species and not
Learn More
link
USGS science for a changing world logo

Understanding Species' Range Shifts in Response to Climate Change: Results from a Systematic National Review

Climate change represents one of the foremost drivers of ecological change, yet its documented impacts on biodiversity remain uncertain and complex. Although there have been many published studies on species shifting their geographic ranges in response to climate change, it is still challenging to identify the specific mechanisms and conditions that facilitate range shifts in some species and not
By
Climate Adaptation Science Centers, Climate Adaptation Science Center
link

Understanding Species' Range Shifts in Response to Climate Change: Results from a Systematic National Review

Climate change represents one of the foremost drivers of ecological change, yet its documented impacts on biodiversity remain uncertain and complex. Although there have been many published studies on species shifting their geographic ranges in response to climate change, it is still challenging to identify the specific mechanisms and conditions that facilitate range shifts in some species and not
Learn More

Advancing the national fish, wildlife, and plants climate adaptation strategy into a new decade

No abstract available.
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Ecosystems, Climate Adaptation Science Centers, Climate Adaptation Science Center

Research priorities for migratory birds under climate change—A qualitative value of information assessment

The mission of the U.S. Geological Survey National Climate Adaptation Science Center is to provide actionable, management-relevant research on climate change effects on ecosystems and wildlife to U.S. Department of the Interior bureaus. Providing this kind of useful scientific information requires understanding how natural-resource managers make decisions and identifying research priorities that s
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Ecosystems, Climate Adaptation Science Centers, Eastern Ecological Science Center, Climate Adaptation Science Center, Patuxent Wildlife Research Center

Do empirical observations support commonly-held climate change range shift hypotheses? A systematic review protocol

Background Among the most widely anticipated climate-related impacts to biodiversity are geographic range shifts, whereby species shift their spatial distribution in response to changing climate conditions. In particular, a series of commonly articulated hypotheses have emerged: species are expected to shift their distributions to higher latitudes, greater elevations, and deeper depths in respon
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Ecosystems, Climate Adaptation Science Centers, Climate Adaptation Science Center

Using value of information to prioritize research needs for migratory bird management under climate change: A case study using federal land acquisition in the United States

In response to global habitat loss, many governmental and non‐governmental organizations have implemented land acquisition programs to protect critical habitats permanently for priority species. The ability of these protected areas to meet future management objectives may be compromised if the effects of climate change are not considered in acquisition decisions. Unfortunately, the effects of clim
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Ecosystems, Eastern Ecological Science Center, Patuxent Wildlife Research Center

Climate change effects on biodiversity, ecosystems, ecosystem services, and natural resource management in the United States

Climate change is a pervasive and growing global threat to biodiversity and ecosystems. Here, we present the most up-to-date assessment of climate change impacts on biodiversity, ecosystems, and ecosystem services in the U.S. and implications for natural resource management. We draw from the 4th National Climate Assessment to summarize observed and projected changes to ecosystems and biodiversity,
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Ecosystems, Climate Adaptation Science Centers, Climate Adaptation Science Center

Integrating broad‐scale data to assess demographic and climatic contributions to population change in a declining songbird

Climate variation and trends affect species distribution and abundance across large spatial extents. However, most studies that predict species response to climate are implemented at small spatial scales or are based on occurrence‐environment relationships that lack mechanistic detail. Here, we develop an integrated population model (IPM) for multi‐site count and capture‐recapture data for a decli
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Ecosystems, Climate Adaptation Science Centers, Climate Adaptation Science Center

Relative contribution of climate and non-climate drivers in determining dynamic rates ofboreal birds at the edge of their range

The Adirondack Park in New York State contains a unique and limited distribution of boreal ecosystem types, providing habitat for a number of birds at the southern edge of their range. Species are projected to shift poleward in a warming climate, and the limited boreal forest of the Adirondacks is expected to undergo significant change in response to rising temperatures and changing precipitation
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Ecosystems, Climate Adaptation Science Centers, Climate Adaptation Science Center

Temporal changes in avian community composition in lowland conifer habitats at the southern edge of the boreal zone in the Adirondack Park, NY

Climate change represents one of the most significant threats to human and wildlife communities on the planet. Populations at range margins or transitions between biomes can be particularly instructive for observing changes in biological communities that may be driven by climate change. Avian communities in lowland boreal habitats in the Adirondack Park, located at the North American boreal-temper
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Ecosystems, Climate Adaptation Science Centers, Climate Adaptation Science Center

Planning for ecological drought: Integrating ecosystem services and vulnerability assessment

As research recognizes the importance of ecological impacts of drought to natural and human communities, drought planning processes need to better incorporate ecological impacts. Drought planning currently recognizes the vulnerability of some ecological impacts from drought (e.g., loss of instream flow affecting fish populations). However, planning often does not identify all the ecological aspect
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Ecosystems, Climate Adaptation Science Centers, Climate Adaptation Science Center, Fort Collins Science Center, Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center

Ecosystems, Ecosystem Services, and Biodiversity

Biodiversity—the variety of life on Earth—provides vital services that support and improve human health and well-being. Ecosystems, which are composed of living things that interact with the physical environment, provide numerous essential benefits to people. These benefits, termed ecosystem services, encompass four primary functions: provisioning materials, such as food and fiber; regulating crit
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Office of Science Quality and Integrity

Trophic implications of a phenological paradigm shift: Bald eagles and salmon in a changing climate

Climate change influences apex predators in complex ways, due to their important trophic position, capacity for resource plasticity, and sensitivity to numerous anthropogenic stressors. Bald eagles, an ecologically and culturally significant apex predator, congregate seasonally in high densities on salmon spawning rivers across the Pacific Northwest. One of the largest eagle concentrations is in t
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Ecosystems, Climate Adaptation Science Centers, Climate Adaptation Science Center

Hypotheses from recent assessments of climate impacts to biodiversity and ecosystems in the United States

Climate change poses multiple threats to biodiversity, and has already caused demonstrable impacts. We summarize key results from a recent national assessment of observed climate change impacts to terrestrial, marine, and freshwater ecosystems in the United States, and place results in the context of commonly articulated hypotheses about ecosystem response to climate change for global implications
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Ecosystems, Climate Adaptation Science Centers, Climate Adaptation Science Center

Pre-USGS Publications

Villarreal, D., de Obeso, J-C., Rubenstein, M., Carr, M-E. 2014. “A New Tool to Quantify Carbon Dioxide Emissions from Energy Use and the Impact of Energy Policies.” Journal of Greenhouse Gas Management and Measurement. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/20430779.2013.874260
Carr, M-E., Rubenstein, M., Graff, A., Villarreal, D. 2013. “Sea Level Rise in a Changing Climate: What Do We Know?” Threatened Island Nations: Legal Implications of Rising Seas and a Changing Climate. Eds. Michael B. Gerrard and Gregory E. Wannier. Cambridge University Press. http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00358533.2013.834651?journalCode=ctrt20
Carr, M-E., & Rubenstein, M., 2011. “Challenges to Authority: Understanding Critiques of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.” Union Theological Seminary Quarterly Review, Vol. 63: 1&2. http://usqr.utsnyc.edu/article/challenges-to-authority-understanding-critiques-of-the-intergovernmental-panel-on-climate-change/
Rubenstein, M., & Glennon, M. 2015. Phenological asynchrony in populations of migratory birds as a consequence of climate change: a literature review. Wildlife Conservation Society, Adirondack Program Technical Paper #6.
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New Paper Explores A New Method to Assess Population Change in Declining Songbirds

National CASC biologist Madeleine Rubenstein and colleague, James Saracco with The Institute for Bird Populations, co-authored a scientific paper...

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When Timing is Everything: Migratory Bird Phenology in a Changing Climate

Many ecological relationships, especially those of migratory birds, exist in a delicate synchronization that may be altered by climate change.

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