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ABOUT THE ALASKA
SCIENCE CENTER

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David C. Douglas Title: Research Wildlife Biologist Address: 3100 National Park Service Rd., Juneau, AK 99801-8413 Phone: (907) 364-1576 Fax: (907) 364-1540 Email: ddouglas@usgs.gov

Education and/or Training

M.S.	1986	Washington State University, Pullman, WA	Wildlife Biology
B.S.	1982	Utah State University, Logan, UT	Biology

Areas of Specialization and/or Research Interests

Integration of satellite remote sensing and geographic information system (GIS) capabilities with a variety of biological field data to address ecological issues of arctic environments. Remote sensing emphasis investigating dynamic processes of wildlife habitats (seasonal and annual changes, as well as global climate changes) using multi-temporal satellite imaging to study sea-ice distribution, snow ablation, vegetation phenology, fire, and sea-surface temperature. Extensive experience in wildlife satellite tracking using the Argos system aboard the NOAA polar-orbiters. Analyses of species spatial and temporal distributions relative to environmental characteristics using homerange and GIS software. Image processing of AVHRR, Landsat, SAR, and SSM/I satellite data using IMAGINE, IDRISI, and TeraScan software; data analyses using SAS software; all executed on UNIX-based computer workstations.

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

Professional Activities and/or Memberships

American Geophysical Union (AGU)

Significant Recent Publications

Belchansky, G. I., D. C. Douglas, and N. G. Platonov. 2005. Spatial and temporal variations in the age structure of Arctic sea ice. Geophys. Res. Lett., 32, L18504, doi:10.1029/2005GL023976

Belchansky, G. I., D. C. Douglas, V. A. Eremeev, and N. G. Platonov. 2005. Variations in the Arctic's multiyear sea ice cover: A neural network analysis of SMMR-SSM/I data, 1979-2004. Geophys. Res. Lett. Vol. 32, No. 9, L09605, doi:10.1029/2005GL022395

Stone, R. S., D. C. Douglas, G. I. Belchansky, S. D. Drobot, and J. Harris. 2005. Cause and effect of variations in western Arctic snow and sea ice cover. 8.3, Proc. Am. Meteorol. Soc. 8th Conf. on Polar Oceanogr. and Meteorol., San Diego, CA, 9–13 January.

G. I. Belchansky, D. C. Douglas, I. V. Alpatsky, and N. G. Platonov. 2004. Spatial and temporal multiyear sea ice distributions in the Arctic: A neural network analysis of SSM/I data, 1988–2001. J. Geophys. Res.,109, C10017, doi:10.1029/2004JC002388.

Belchansky, G. I., D. C. Douglas, and N. G. Platonov. 2004. Duration of the Arctic sea ice melt season: Regional and interannual variability, 1979-2001. J. Climate 17(1):67-80. [PDF file - 1,997 kb]

Belchansky, G. I., D. C. Douglas, I. N. Mordvintsev, and N. G. Platonov. 2004. Estimating the time of melt onset and freeze onset over Arctic sea-ice area using active and passive microwave data. Remote Sens. Environ. 92:21-39.

Stone, R. S., G. Belchansky, S. Drobot, and D. C. Douglas. 2004. Diminishing sea ice in the western Arctic Ocean. Pages S32-S33 in D. H. Levinson and A. M. Waple (eds.), State of the Climate in 2003, Bull. Amer. Meteorol. Soc., Vol. 85, No. 6, June 2004.

Petersen, M. R. and D. C. Douglas. 2004. Winter ecology of spectacled eiders: Environmental characteristics and population change. Condor 106:79-94.

Stow, D. A., A. Hope, D. McGuire, D. Verbyla, J. Gamon, F. Huemmrich, S. Houston, C. Racine, M. Sturm, K. Tap, L. Hinzman, K. Yoshikawa, C. Tweedie, B. Noyle, C. Silapaswan, D. Douglas, B. Griffith, G. Jia, H. Epstein, D. Walker, S. Daeschner, A. Petersen, L. Zhou, R. Myneni. 2004. Remote sensing of vegetation and land-cover change in Arctic tundra ecosystems. Remote Sens. Environ. 89:281–308.

Ward, D.H., A. Morton, T.L. Tibbitts, D.C. Douglas, and E. Carrera-Gonzas. 2003. Long-term change in eelgrass distribution at Baha San Quint Baja California, Mexico, using satellite imagery. Estuaries 26(6):1529-1539.

Meka, J. M., E. E. Knudsen, D. C. Douglas, and R. E. Benter. 2003. Variable migratory patterns of different rainbow trout life history types in a southwest Alaska watershed. Trans. Amer. Fisheries Soc. 132:717-732.

Stow, D., S. Daeschner, A. Hope, D. Douglas, A. Petersen, R. Myneni, L. Zhou and W. Oechel. 2003. Variability of the seasonally integrated Normalized Difference Vegetation Index across the North Slope of Alaska in the 1990's. Int. J. Remote Sensing 24(5):1111-1117.

Kenow, K. P., M. W. Meyer, D. C. Evers, D. C. Douglas, and J. Hines. 2002. Use of satellite telemetry to identify common loon migration routes, staging areas and wintering range. Waterbirds 25(4):449-458.

Griffith, B., D. C. Douglas, N. E. Walsh, D. D. Young, T. R. McCabe, D. E. Russell, R. G. White, R. D. Cameron, and K. R. Whitten. 2002. The Porcupine caribou herd. Pages 8-37 in D. C. Douglas, P. E. Reynolds, and E. B. Rhode, editors. Arctic Refuge coastal plain terrestrial wildlife research summaries, USGS Biological Science Report, USGS/BRD/BSR-2002-0001. http://alaska.usgs.gov/BSR-2002/pdf/usgs-brd-bsr-2002-0001-sec03.pdf

Griffith, B., D. C. Douglas, D. E. Russell, R. G. White, T. R. McCabe, and K. R. Whitten. 2001. Effects of recent climate warming on caribou habitat and calf survival. Pages 17-19 in R. E. Green, M. Harley, M. Spalding, and C. Zockler, eds. Impacts of climate change on wildlife. Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, Cambridge, UK. 71 pp..

Belchansky, G. I. and D. C. Douglas. 2001. Seasonal comparisons of sea ice concentration estimates derived from SSM/I, OKEAN and RADARSAT data. Remote Sens. Env. 81:1-15.

Meka, J., D. Douglas, and E. E. Knudsen. 2000. Alagnak watershed rainbow trout investigations. Pages 35-42 in J.H. Eiler, D.J. Alcorn, and M.R. Neuman, editors. Biotelemetry 15: Proceedings of the 15th International Symposium on Biotelemetry, Juneau, Alaska, USA. International Society on Biotelemetry. Wageningen, The Netherlands.. [PDF file - 52 KB]

Hatch, S. A., P. M. Meyers, D. M. Mulcahy, and D. C. Douglas. 2000. Seasonal movements and pelagic habitat use of murres and puffins determined by satellite telemetry. Condor 102(1):145-154.

Hatch, S. A., P. M. Meyers, D. M. Mulcahy, and D. C. Douglas . 2000. Performance of implantable satellite transmitters in diving seabirds. Waterbirds 23(1):84-94.

Javed, S., J. Takekawa, D. C. Douglas, A. R. Rahmani, Y. Kanai, M. Nagendran, B. C. Choudhury, and S. Sharma. 2000. Tracking the spring migration of a bar-headed goose (Anser indicus) across the Himalaya with satellite telemetry. Global Environ. Res. 4(2):195-205.

Petersen, M. R., W. W. Larned, and D. C. Douglas. 1999. At-sea distribution of spectacled eiders (Somateria fischeri): 120 year-old mystery resolved. Auk 116:1009-1020.

Ward, D. H., C. J. Markon, and D. C. Douglas. 1997. Distribution and stability of eelgrass beds at Izembek Lagoon, Alaska. Aquatic Botany 58:229-240.

Ely, C. R., D. C. Douglas, A. C. Fowler, C. A. Babcock, D. V. Derksen and J. Y. Takekawa. 1997. Migration behavior of tundra swans from the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, Alaska. Wilson Bull. 109:679-692.

Petersen,M.R., D.C. Douglas, and D.M. MULCAHY. 1995. Use of implanted satellite transmitters to locate spectacled eiders at-sea. The Condor 97:276-278.

Douglas, D. C., M. S. Udevitz, J. R. Gilbert, and D. O. Hunter. 1990. Evaluation of airborne videography for enumerating Pacific walruses (Odobenus rosmarus divergens) on sea-ice haulouts. Pages 507-513 in Proc. Resour. Technology 90, Int. Symp. on Advanced Technology in Nat. Resour. Manage. Am. Soc. Photogram. and Remote Sensing, Falls Church, Virginia.

Douglas, D., T. McCabe, S. Amstrup, and G. Garner, et al. 1988. Applications of Satellite Telemetry to Wildlife Research and Management in Alaska. Pages 5-12 in ate du colloque international: "suivi des vertebres terrestres par radiotelemetrie", Principality of Monaco. 191 pp.

Websites of Interest

Satellite remote sensing, satellite telemetry, and geographic information systems
Population dynamics and ecology of Spectacled and Steller's eiders
Seasonal movements and pelagic habitat use of murres and puffins determined by satellite telemetry
Climate influences on the phenology of Alaskan north slope vegetation