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
Wind - Habitat Dynamics
Sea Ice - Habitat Dynamics
Habitat Dynamics
Circumpolar assessment of ecological mismatch between avian herbivores and plant phenology
Locations Collected 1985-2015 from Female Polar Bears (Ursus maritimus) with Dependent Young Instrumented in the Southern Beaufort Sea with Satellite-linked Transmitters by the USGS
Tracking Data for Tundra Swans (Cygnus columbianus)
Tracking data for Yellow-billed Loons (Gavia adamsii)
Tracking Data for Northern Pintails (Anas acuta)
Tracking Data for Blue-winged Teal (Anas discors)
Tracking Data for Marbled Godwits (Limosa fedoa)
High altitude flights by ruddy shelduck Tadorna ferruginea during trans-Himalayan migrations
Drivers and environmental responses to the changing annual snow cycle of northern Alaska
Increased Arctic sea ice drift alters adult female polar bear movements and energetics
Decadal declines in avian herbivore reproduction: density-dependent nutrition and phenological mismatch in the Arctic
Migration trends of Sockeye Salmon at the northern edge of their distribution
Seasonal movements of the Short-eared Owl (Asio flammeus) in western North America as revealed by satellite telemetry
Uncertainties in forecasting the response of polar bears to global climate change
Habitat degradation affects the summer activity of polar bears
Collar temperature sensor data reveal long-term patterns in southern Beaufort Sea polar bear den distribution on pack ice and land
Arctic sea ice a major determinant in Mandt's black guillemot movement and distribution during non-breeding season
Forecasting the relative influence of environmental and anthropogenic stressors on polar bears
Evidence for the exchange of blood parasites between North America and the Neotropics in blue-winged teal (Anas discors)
Science and Products
Wind - Habitat Dynamics
Sea Ice - Habitat Dynamics
Habitat Dynamics
Circumpolar assessment of ecological mismatch between avian herbivores and plant phenology
Locations Collected 1985-2015 from Female Polar Bears (Ursus maritimus) with Dependent Young Instrumented in the Southern Beaufort Sea with Satellite-linked Transmitters by the USGS
Tracking Data for Tundra Swans (Cygnus columbianus)
Tracking data for Yellow-billed Loons (Gavia adamsii)
Tracking Data for Northern Pintails (Anas acuta)
Tracking Data for Blue-winged Teal (Anas discors)
Tracking Data for Marbled Godwits (Limosa fedoa)
High altitude flights by ruddy shelduck Tadorna ferruginea during trans-Himalayan migrations
Drivers and environmental responses to the changing annual snow cycle of northern Alaska
Increased Arctic sea ice drift alters adult female polar bear movements and energetics
Decadal declines in avian herbivore reproduction: density-dependent nutrition and phenological mismatch in the Arctic
Migration trends of Sockeye Salmon at the northern edge of their distribution
Seasonal movements of the Short-eared Owl (Asio flammeus) in western North America as revealed by satellite telemetry
Uncertainties in forecasting the response of polar bears to global climate change
Habitat degradation affects the summer activity of polar bears
Collar temperature sensor data reveal long-term patterns in southern Beaufort Sea polar bear den distribution on pack ice and land
Arctic sea ice a major determinant in Mandt's black guillemot movement and distribution during non-breeding season
Forecasting the relative influence of environmental and anthropogenic stressors on polar bears
Evidence for the exchange of blood parasites between North America and the Neotropics in blue-winged teal (Anas discors)
*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