Vijay P Patil
Population Ecology, Ecosystem Modeling, Arctic Climate Change, Ecohydrology, Trophic mismatch
Biography
Education
Ph.D. 2018 University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK Biology and Wildlife
M.Sc. 2010 University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta Biological Sciences
B.S. 2005 Cornell University, Ithaca, NY Natural Resources
Professional Experience
Dec 2015 - Present Wildlife Biologist, USGS, Alaska Science Center, Anchorage, AK
2012 - 2015 Graduate Research Assistant, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK
2010 - 2012 Field Crew Leader, Lab Supervisor, USGS Yukon River Basin Project
2010 Research Technician, USFWS BSEIRP Project, St. George AK
2007 - 2010 Teaching Assistant, Biology Department, University of Alberta
2006 Research Technician, various projects, USFWS/USGS, AK and Greenland
2005 - 2006 Intern, PRBO Conservation Science, Cape Crozier, Antarctica
2005 Biological Science Technician, USNPS, King's Canyon Natl. Park, CA
Professional Activities and/or Memberships
GLEON (Global Lake Ecology Observation Network)
Co-PI, GEISHA (Global Evaluation of the Impacts of Storms on Freshwater Habitat and Structure of Phytoplankton Assemblages), USGS Powell Center Working Group
Honors and/or Awards
- Graduate Thesis Completion Grant, University of Alaska Fairbanks ($7500), 2015
- Institute of Arctic Biology Summer Fellowship ($7000), 2015
- Global Lake Ecology Observation Network (GLEON) Graduate Research Fellowship, 2013-2014
- Canadian Circumpolar Institute C-Bar grant ($5000), 2008
- International Student Scholarship, University of Alberta ($3600), 2007
- Graduate Recruitment Scholarship, University of Alberta ($4000), 2007
Science and Products
Ecosystems Analytics
Ecosystems Analytics is a group of quantitative biologists and research statisticians with a diverse range of expertise and experience (summarized below). We collaborate with internal and external partners to answer challenging ecological questions that are a high priority of the U.S. Geological Survey Alaska Science Center, sister agencies within the Department of the Interior (DOI), and...
Annual Data and Model-based Estimates of Pacific Black Brant Age Ratios
Pacific brant are an Arctic-breeding sea goose that stage and feed on seagrasses during the non-breeding season in coastal areas of Alaska. Brant are an important subsistence and sport harvest species and the focus of several population surveys by state and federal agencies. Each fall the entire population stages during migration in Izembek Lagoon, Alaska, presenting a unique opportunity to...
Global Evaluation of the Impacts of Storms on freshwater Habitat and Structure of phytoplankton Assemblages (GEISHA)
Climate change is expected to cause more intense and frequent extreme weather events, but we only have a basic understanding of how these events might alter freshwater systems. Storms are likely to impact lake systems through delivery of sediments from watersheds and mixing of the water column, both of which could have important consequences for phytoplankton. Phytoplankton are the base of the...
USGS permafrost research determines the risks of permafrost thaw to biologic and hydrologic resources
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in collaboration with university, Federal, Tribal, and independent partners, conducts fundamental research on the distribution, vulnerability, and importance of permafrost in arctic and boreal ecosystems. Scientists, land managers, and policy makers use USGS data to help make decisions for development, wildlife...
Waldrop, Mark P.; Anderson, Lesleigh; Dornblaser, Mark; Erikson, Li H.; Gibbs, Ann E.; Herman-Mercer, Nicole M.; James, Stephanie R.; Jones, Miriam C.; Koch, Joshua C.; Leewis, Mary-Cathrine; Manies, Kristen L.; Minsley, Burke J.; Pastick, Neal J.; Patil, Vijay; Urban, Frank; Walvoord, Michelle A.; Wickland, Kimberly P.; Zimmerman, Christian
Analyses on subpopulation abundance and annual number of maternal dens for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on polar bears (Ursus maritimus) in the southern Beaufort Sea, Alaska
The long-term persistence of polar bears (Ursus maritimus) is threatened by sea-ice loss due to climate change, which is concurrently providing an opportunity in the Arctic for increased anthropogenic activities including natural resource extraction. Mitigating the risk of those activities, which can adversely affect the population dynamics of the...
Atwood, Todd C.; Bromaghin, Jeffrey F.; Patil, Vijay P.; Durner, George M.; Douglas, David C.; Simac, Kristin S.
Prioritizing habitats based on abundance and distribution of molting waterfowl in the Teshekpuk Lake Special Area of the National Petroleum Reserve, Alaska
The National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska (NPR-A) encompasses more than 9.5 million hectares of federally managed land on the Arctic Coastal Plain of northern Alaska, where it supports a diversity of wildlife, including millions of migratory birds. Within the NPR-A, Teshekpuk Lake and the surrounding area provide important habitat for migratory...
Flint, Paul L.; Patil, Vijay; Shults, Bradley; Thompson, Sarah J.
Storm impacts on phytoplankton community dynamics in lakes
In many regions across the globe, extreme weather events such as storms have increased in frequency, intensity, and duration due to climate change. Ecological theory predicts that such extreme events should have large impacts on ecosystem structure and function. High winds and precipitation associated with storms can affect lakes via short‐term...
Stockwell, Jason D.; Doubek, Jonathan P.; Adrian, Rita; Anneville, Orlane; Carey, Cayelan C.; Carvalho, Laurence; Frassl, Marieke A.; Domis, Lisette N. De Senerpont; Ibelings, Bas W; Grossart, Hans-Peter; Dur, Gaël; Lajeunesse, Marc J.; Lewandowska, Aleksandra M.; Llames , María E.; Matsuzaki, Shin-Ichiro S.; Nodine, Emily; Noges, Peeter; Patil, Vijay P.; Pomati, Francesco; Rinke, Karsten; Rudstam, Lars G.; Rusak, James A.; Salmaso, Nico; Seltmann, Christian T.; Straile, Dietmar; Thackeray, Stephen J.; Thiery, Wim; Urrutia‐Cordero, Pablo; Venail, Patrick; Verburg, Piet; Woolway, R. Iestyn; Zohary, Tamar; Andersen, Mikkel R.; Bhattacharya, Ruchi; Hejzlar, J.; Janatian, Nasime; Kpodonu, Alfred T. N. K. ; Williamson, Tanner J.; Wilson, Harriet
Visualizing populations of North American sea ducks: Maps to guide research and management planning
North American sea ducks generally breed in mid- to northern-latitude regions and nearly all rely upon marine habitats for much of their annual cycle. Most sea duck species remained poorly studied until the 1990s when declines were noted in several species and populations. Subsequent research, much of which was funded by the Sea Duck Joint Venture...
Pearce, John M.; Flint, Paul L.; Whalen, Mary E.; Sonsthagen, Sarah A.; Stiller, Josh; Patil, Vijay P.; Bowman, Timothy D.; Boyd, Sean; Badzinski, Shannon S.; Gilchrist, H.G.; Gilliland, Scott G; Lepage, Christine; Loring, Pam; McAuley, Daniel; McLellan, Nic; Osenkowski, Jason; Reed, Eric T.; Roberts, Anthony J.; Robertson, Myra; Rothe, Tom; Safine, David E.; Silverman, Emily D.; Spragens, Kyle A. Factors promoting the recolonization of Oahu, Hawaii, by Bristle-thighed Curlews
Suitable habitat for Arctic-breeding migratory shorebirds is decreasing at their traditional wintering islands and atolls in the Central Pacific Flyway (i.e., Oceania) due to habitat degradation, reclamation, and sea-level rise. To maintain the size and resiliency of their populations, migratory shorebirds will need to expand their winter ranges...
Tibbitts, Lee; Ruthrauff, Daniel R.; Underwood, Jared G.; Patil, Vijay P. Survival of Bristle-thighed Curlews equipped with externally mounted transmitters
Telemetry devices are widely used in avian research, but the degree to which the deployment of such devices affects the survival of study subjects is often not addressed. It is generally assumed that such effects are less pronounced in large-bodied species that conduct relatively short migrations and carry relatively light telemetry devices. We...
Ruthrauff, Daniel R.; Tibbitts, Lee; Patil, Vijay P. Normalized difference vegetation index as an estimator for abundance and quality of avian herbivore forage in arctic Alaska
Tools that can monitor biomass and nutritional quality of forage plants are needed to understand how arctic herbivores may respond to the rapidly changing environment at high latitudes. The Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) has been widely used to assess changes in abundance and distribution of terrestrial vegetative communities....
Hogrefe, Kyle R.; Patil, Vijay P.; Ruthrauff, Daniel R.; Meixell, Brandt W.; Budde, Michael E.; Hupp, Jerry W.; Ward, David H. Consequences of gas flux model choice on the interpretation of metabolic balance across 15 lakes
Ecosystem metabolism and the contribution of carbon dioxide from lakes to the atmosphere can be estimated from free-water gas measurements through the use of mass balance models, which rely on a gas transfer coefficient (k) to model gas exchange with the atmosphere. Theoretical and empirically based models of krange in complexity from wind-...
Dugan, Hilary; Woolway, R. Iestyn; Santoso, Arianto; Corman, Jessica; Jaimes, Aline; Nodine, Emily; Patil, Vijay P.; Zwart, Jacob A.; Brentrup, Jennifer A.; Hetherington, Amy; Oliver, Samantha K.; Read, Jordan S.; Winters, Kirsten; Hanson, Paul; Read, Emily; Winslow, Luke; Weathers, Kathleen