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
Improve wildlife species tracking—Implementing an enhanced global positioning system data management system for California condors
Influence of basin- and local-scale environmental conditions on nearshore production in the northeast Pacific Ocean
Rapid environmental change drives increased land use by an Arctic marine predator
Increased land use by Chukchi Sea polar bears in relation to changing sea ice conditions
Multi-decadal trends in spring arrival of avian migrants to the central Arctic coast of Alaska: Effects of environmental and ecological factors
Distribution and movements of Alaska-breeding Steller's Eiders in the nonbreeding period
Movement ecology of five Afrotropical waterfowl species from Malawi, Mali and Nigeria
Evidence of bottom-up limitations in nearshore marine systems based on otolith proxies of fish growth
Polar bear population dynamics in the southern Beaufort Sea during a period of sea ice decline
Evaluating and ranking threats to the long-term persistence of polar bears
Density dependence and phenological mismatch: consequences for growth and survival of sub-arctic nesting Canada Geese
Hemispheric-scale wind selection facilitates bar-tailed godwit circum-migration of the Pacific
Science and Products
Improve wildlife species tracking—Implementing an enhanced global positioning system data management system for California condors
Influence of basin- and local-scale environmental conditions on nearshore production in the northeast Pacific Ocean
Rapid environmental change drives increased land use by an Arctic marine predator
Increased land use by Chukchi Sea polar bears in relation to changing sea ice conditions
Multi-decadal trends in spring arrival of avian migrants to the central Arctic coast of Alaska: Effects of environmental and ecological factors
Distribution and movements of Alaska-breeding Steller's Eiders in the nonbreeding period
Movement ecology of five Afrotropical waterfowl species from Malawi, Mali and Nigeria
Evidence of bottom-up limitations in nearshore marine systems based on otolith proxies of fish growth
Polar bear population dynamics in the southern Beaufort Sea during a period of sea ice decline
Evaluating and ranking threats to the long-term persistence of polar bears
Density dependence and phenological mismatch: consequences for growth and survival of sub-arctic nesting Canada Geese
Hemispheric-scale wind selection facilitates bar-tailed godwit circum-migration of the Pacific
*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