Density of Cetaceans and Turtles in the Gulf of Mexico

Description

The goal of this research was to develop Gulf-wide cetacean and sea turtle spatial density models (SDMs) based on line-transect surveys conducted in the U.S. waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Surveys used to develop the SDMs for species occupying continental shelf and oceanic waters of the Gulf of Mexico were conducted during the Gulf of Mexico Marine Assessment Program for Protected Species (GoMMAPPS) project and comparable-prior-year surveys. Aerial survey data from seasonal surveys conducted during 2011/2012 and 2017/2018 (GoMMAPPS Surveys) were used to develop SDMs for cetacean and sea turtle species over the continental shelf. Data collected from vessel surveys, including the two-team surveys conducted during summer 2017, winter 2018, and summer/fall 2018 (GoMMAPPS Surveys) and 2003, 2004, and 2009 (that included only one survey team), were used to develop SDMs for cetaceans in oceanic waters. In addition, for Rice's whale, surveys conducted in 2018 and 2019 were also used in developing the SDMs specific for this species. Habitat-based SDMs were developed using a generalized additive modeling (GAM) framework to determine the relationship between cetacean and sea turtle abundance and environmental variables. Samples for modeling were created by summarizing survey effort and environmental variables with a hexagon grid developed by the Environmental Protection Agency expanded to fit the entire Gulf of Mexico. The grid was created in a Lambert azimuthal equal area projection and the area of each hexagon is 40 km2. For all hexagons that contained survey effort segments, cetacean and sea turtle density was calculated using total number of animals observed, segment effort length and average sighting condition covariates in the hexagon, and the parameters estimated in distance sampling abundance models. A total of 19 SDMs were developed for individual or groups of species. For each modeled taxon, predictions were made for the period 2015-2019 on the hexagon grid, summarized into mean monthly densities for the 5-year period, and then resampled into traditional raster grids. Models were extrapolated beyond the U.S. waters of the Gulf of Mexico to provide insight into potential high density areas throughout the Gulf. However, extrapolations of this type should be interpreted with caution. This website contains the predictions as raster grids. The hexagon predictions are available as shapefiles in NCEI Accession 0256800. These models can be used by managers and federal agencies to assist with population assessments, environmental impact analyses, and conservation of these species. As of October 2022, these are the latest available models for the Gulf of Mexico produced from NOAA Southeast Fisheries Science Center (SEFSC) surveys. The prior series of Gulf of Mexico models, produced by a collaboration between the Duke Marine Geospatial Ecology Lab (MGEL) and SEFSC and published as Roberts et al. 2016, are archived here. As of October 2022, SEFSC and MGEL consider the Roberts et al. 2016 models obsolete and recommend the GoMMAPPS models available here be used instead.

Resources

Name Format Description Link
0 Website listed for Dias, Laura A https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9378-4577
0 The information provided on this page seeks to define how the GCMD Keywords are structured, used and accessed. It also provides information on how users can participate in the further development of the keywords. https://www.earthdata.nasa.gov/learn/find-data/idn/gcmd-keywords
33 NOAA Data Management Plan for this record on InPort. https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/inportserve/waf/noaa/nmfs/sefsc/dmp/pdf/70316.pdf
57 all models in a single zip file. All documentation is included in that zip https://seamap.env.duke.edu/seamap-models-files/SEFSC/GOM_all_models_20221005.zip
0 View the complete metadata record on InPort for more information about this dataset. https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/inport/item/70316
0 About SEFSC https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/about/southeast-fisheries-science-center
0 Gulf-wide cetacean and sea turtle spatial density models (SDMs) based on line-transect surveys conducted in the US waters of the GOM. Surveys used to develop the SDMs for species occupying continental shelf and oceanic waters of the Gulf of Mexico were conducted during the Gulf of Mexico Marine Assessment Program for Protected Species (GoMMAPPS) project and comparable-prior-year surveys. Aerial survey data from seasonal surveys conducted during 2011/2012 and 2017/2018 (GoMMAPPS Surveys) were used to develop SDMs for cetacean and sea turtle species over the continental shelf. Data collected from vessel surveys, including the two-team surveys conducted during summer 2017, winter 2018, and summer/fall 2018 (GoMMAPPS Surveys) and 2003, 2004, and 2009 (that included only one survey team), were used to develop SDMs for cetaceans in oceanic waters. In addition, for Rice's whale, surveys conducted in 2018 and 2019 were also used in developing the SDMs specific for this species. https://seamap.env.duke.edu/models/SEFSC/GOM/
0 The Model Mapper has been developed by OBIS-SEAMAP hosted by Marine Geospatial Ecology Lab, Duke University with contributions from partners. As the Model Mapper is a platform for different projects, models or products, its implementation differs by project. Most of the features described in this help are commonly available to all the projects but the interface and details may be different. The descriptions and screen shots are based on the Cetacen Density project. https://seamap.env.duke.edu/help/dsm/dsm_help
0 This has been Referred to as Roberts et al. 2016, Models were created by Northeast Fisheries Science Center / NOAA Fisheries, Southeast Fisheries Science Center / NOAA Fisheries, Department of Biology and Marine Biology / UNC Wilmington, Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center These models are now considered obsolete https://seamap.env.duke.edu/models/Duke-EC-GOM-2015/
0 View the complete metadata record on InPort for more information about this dataset. https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/inport/item/70316
0 About SEFSC https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/about/southeast-fisheries-science-center
0 Website listed for Dias, Laura A https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9378-4577
0 The Model Mapper has been developed by OBIS-SEAMAP hosted by Marine Geospatial Ecology Lab, Duke University with contributions from partners. As the Model Mapper is a platform for different projects, models or products, its implementation differs by project. Most of the features described in this help are commonly available to all the projects but the interface and details may be different. The descriptions and screen shots are based on the Cetacen Density project. https://seamap.env.duke.edu/help/dsm/dsm_help
0 This has been Referred to as Roberts et al. 2016, Models were created by Northeast Fisheries Science Center / NOAA Fisheries, Southeast Fisheries Science Center / NOAA Fisheries, Department of Biology and Marine Biology / UNC Wilmington, Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center These models are now considered obsolete https://seamap.env.duke.edu/models/Duke-EC-GOM-2015/
0 Global Change Master Directory (GCMD). 2024. GCMD Keywords, Version 19. Greenbelt, MD: Earth Science Data and Information System, Earth Science Projects Division, Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). URL (GCMD Keyword Forum Page): https://forum.earthdata.nasa.gov/app.php/tag/GCMD+Keywords https://forum.earthdata.nasa.gov/app.php/tag/GCMD%2BKeywords
33 NOAA Data Management Plan for this record on InPort. https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/inportserve/waf/noaa/nmfs/sefsc/dmp/pdf/70316.pdf
57 all models in a single zip file. All documentation is included in that zip https://seamap.env.duke.edu/seamap-models-files/SEFSC/GOM_all_models_20221005.zip
0 Gulf-wide cetacean and sea turtle spatial density models (SDMs) based on line-transect surveys conducted in the US waters of the GOM. Surveys used to develop the SDMs for species occupying continental shelf and oceanic waters of the Gulf of Mexico were conducted during the Gulf of Mexico Marine Assessment Program for Protected Species (GoMMAPPS) project and comparable-prior-year surveys. Aerial survey data from seasonal surveys conducted during 2011/2012 and 2017/2018 (GoMMAPPS Surveys) were used to develop SDMs for cetacean and sea turtle species over the continental shelf. Data collected from vessel surveys, including the two-team surveys conducted during summer 2017, winter 2018, and summer/fall 2018 (GoMMAPPS Surveys) and 2003, 2004, and 2009 (that included only one survey team), were used to develop SDMs for cetaceans in oceanic waters. In addition, for Rice's whale, surveys conducted in 2018 and 2019 were also used in developing the SDMs specific for this species. https://seamap.env.duke.edu/models/SEFSC/GOM/

Tags

  • ships
  • visual observation
  • dermochelys coriacea
  • cetaceans
  • nesdis
  • balaenoptera ricei
  • visual observations
  • chelonia mydas
  • dhc-6
  • inclinometer
  • stenella coeruleoalba
  • ziphius
  • grampus griseus
  • noaa ship gordon gunter
  • caretta caretta
  • stenella attenuata
  • noaa
  • lepidochelys kempii
  • dehavilland twin otter
  • dolphins
  • southeast fisheries science center
  • caribbean sea
  • mammals
  • biological classification
  • kogia
  • national oceanographic data center
  • stenella clymene
  • inclinometers
  • doc/noaa/nmfs/sefsc
  • pseudorca crassidens
  • atlantic ocean
  • gulf of mexico
  • u.s. department of commerce
  • animals/vertebrates
  • earth science
  • tursiops truncatus
  • noaa ship pisces
  • binocular
  • national marine fisheries service
  • ocean
  • marine mammals
  • doc/noaa/nesdis/ncei
  • stenella frontalis
  • reptiles
  • 2003-2019
  • species abundance
  • physeter macrocephalus
  • cetacean
  • density of cetaceans and turtles in the gulf of mexico
  • peponocephala electra
  • mesoplodon
  • visual estimate
  • 779-1633
  • stenella longirostris
  • distance sampling
  • sea turtles
  • globicephala
  • big eye binoculars
  • doc/noaa/nesdis/nodc
  • turtles
  • gulf of mexico marine assessment program for protected species (gommapps)
  • north atlantic ocean
  • 14450
  • orcinus orca
  • gulf of america
  • feresa attenuata
  • national centers for environmental information
  • line transect sampling

Topics

Categories