Large‐scale modelling of deep‐diving cetacean habitats

Versión del editor5,14

Cooperative Research to Study Dive Patterns of Sperm Whales in the Atlantic Ocean

This report is based on the needs of the National Marine Fisheries Service and Minerals Management Service to gain data about the Sperm Whale population, comparing the population in the Gulf of Mexico to the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea. Twelve whales were tagged and observed to gather various types of data about their population and environment

Environmental predictors of habitat suitability and occurrence of cetaceans in the western North Atlantic Ocean

Abstract The objective of this study was to identify the main environmental covariates related to the abundance of 17 cetacean species/groups in the western North Atlantic Ocean based on generalized additive models, to establish a current habitat suitability baseline, and to estimate abundance that incorporates habitat characteristics. Habitat models were developed from dedicated sighting survey data collected by NOAA- Northeast and Southeast Fisheries Science Centers during July 2010 to August 2013. A group of 7 static physiographic characteristics and 9 dynamic environmental covariates were included in the models. For the small cetacean models, the explained deviance ranged from 16% to 69%. For the large whale models, the explained deviance ranged from 32% to 52.5%. Latitude, sea surface temperature, bottom temperature, primary productivity and distance to the coast were the most common covariates included and their individual contribution to the deviance explained ranged from 5.9% to 18.5%. The habitat-density models were used to produce seasonal average abundance estimates and habitat suitability maps that provided a good correspondence with observed sighting locations and historical sightings for each species in the study area. Thus, these models, maps and abundance estimates established a current habitat characterization of cetacean species in these waters and have the potential to be used to support management decisions and conservation measures in a marine spatial planning context