| Patuxent Science Meeting 2006 Poster Abstract |
| | A database of seabird occurrence and biophysical data for the U.S. |
| | Atlantic coastal and offshore marine environment: assessing our |
| | knowledge of seabird distribution in the context of evaluating offshore |
| development | |
| | Gilbert AT, O'Connell AF, Johnston S (FWS) |
| | Offshore wind generated electricity promises to be an important source of renewable energy for |
| | the future; however, the potential for negative interactions between birds and wind energy |
| | development exists. Information on the occurrence and distribution of marine birds is available |
| | for some species, but systematic sampling of the ocean environment is infrequent, historical |
| | data collection has been haphazard, and region-wide information is lacking along the Atlantic |
| | coast of the United States. Together, these factors severely limit the ability of regulatory |
| | agencies to evaluate the placement of proposed wind structures and minimize adverse effects |
| | on seabirds. We developed a database in Microsoft Access of seabird occurrence, biophysical, |
| | and oceanographic datasets relevant to coastal and offshore Atlantic waters of the eastern |
| | United States. We searched online resources such as OBIS-SEAMAP, conducted literature |
| | searches for seabird studies in the Atlantic, and contacted agencies and scientists with |
| | potential data. Physical data (e.g., bathymetry, temperature, bottom type) were gathered from |
| | a variety of sources including National Spatial Data Infrastructure Clearinghouse, National |
| | Climatic Data Center, National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration, and others. |
| | Where possible, we retrieved data and then moved this information into a GIS program for |
| | mapping. Currently, we have documented almost 50 datasets totaling >100,000 observations |
| | spanning >30 years of species occurrence for the area of interest. These data should allow |
| | scientists to begin developing valid distribution models for selected species along the Atlantic |
| | coast. Modeled seabird distributions can be used in conjunction with existing wind energy |
| | maps to predict where future wind energy projects would likely cause conflict with seabirds. |
| | Finally, this information will allow scientists and managers to identify gaps in the knowledge of |
| | seabird ecology and distribution, thereby focusing future data collection needs critical to |
| | Friday, September 22, 2006 |