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
Migration of waterfowl in the east asian flyway and spatial relationship to HPAI H5N1 outbreaks
No evidence of trophic mismatch for caribou in Greenland
Greenhouse gas mitigation can reduce sea-ice loss and increase polar bear persistence
Movements of juvenile Gyrfalcons from western and interior Alaska following departure from their natal areas
Extreme endurance flights by landbirds crossing the Pacific Ocean: Ecological corridor rather than barrier?
Predicting 21st-century polar bear habitat distribution from global climate models
Satellite-marked waterfowl reveal migratory connection between H5N1 outbreak areas in China and Mongolia
Geographic variation in Bar-headed geese Anser indicus: connectivity of wintering and breeding grounds across a broad front
Migration of whooper swans and outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 virus in Eastern Asia
Rebuttal of "Polar bear population forecasts: a public-policy forecasting audit"
Seasonal movements and migration of Pallas's Gulls Larus ichthyaetus from Qinghai Lake, China
Fluctuating Arctic Sea ice thickness changes estimated by an in situ learned and empirically forced neural network model
Science and Products
Migration of waterfowl in the east asian flyway and spatial relationship to HPAI H5N1 outbreaks
No evidence of trophic mismatch for caribou in Greenland
Greenhouse gas mitigation can reduce sea-ice loss and increase polar bear persistence
Movements of juvenile Gyrfalcons from western and interior Alaska following departure from their natal areas
Extreme endurance flights by landbirds crossing the Pacific Ocean: Ecological corridor rather than barrier?
Predicting 21st-century polar bear habitat distribution from global climate models
Satellite-marked waterfowl reveal migratory connection between H5N1 outbreak areas in China and Mongolia
Geographic variation in Bar-headed geese Anser indicus: connectivity of wintering and breeding grounds across a broad front
Migration of whooper swans and outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 virus in Eastern Asia
Rebuttal of "Polar bear population forecasts: a public-policy forecasting audit"
Seasonal movements and migration of Pallas's Gulls Larus ichthyaetus from Qinghai Lake, China
Fluctuating Arctic Sea ice thickness changes estimated by an in situ learned and empirically forced neural network model
*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