Modeling at-sea density of marine birds to support renewable energy planning on the Pacific outer continental shelf of the contiguous United States

Jeffery Leirness; Josh Adams; Lisa T Ballance; Michael Coyne; Jonathan J. Felis; Trevor Joyce; David M. Pereksta; Arliss J Winship; Christopher F G Jeffrey; David G. Ainley; Donald Croll; Joseph R. Evenson; Jaime Jahncke; William McIver; Peter I Miller; Scott Pearson; Craig Strong; William J. Sydeman; Jeannette E Waddell; Jeannette E. Zamon; John D. Christensen

Modeling at-sea density of marine birds to support renewable energy planning on the Pacific outer continental shelf of the contiguous United States

OCS Study BOEM 2021-014

By: Jeffery Leirness, Josh Adams, Lisa T Ballance, Michael Coyne, Jonathan J. Felis, Trevor Joyce, David M. Pereksta, Arliss J Winship, Christopher F G Jeffrey, David G. Ainley, Donald Croll, Joseph R. Evenson, Jaime Jahncke, William McIver, Peter I Miller, Scott Pearson, Craig Strong, William J. Sydeman, Jeannette E Waddell, Jeannette E. Zamon, and John D. Christensen

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Abstract

This report describes the at-sea spatial distributions of marine birds in Pacific OCS waters off the contiguous U.S. (Figure 1.1) to inform marine spatial planning in the region. The goal was to estimate long-term average spatial distributions for marine bird species using all available science-quality transect survey data and numerous bathymetric, oceanographic, and atmospheric predictor variables. We developed seasonal habitat-based spatial models of the at-sea distribution for 33 individual species and 13 taxonomic groups of marine birds throughout the study region. A statistical modeling framework was used to estimate numerical relationships between bird sighting data (i.e., standardized counts) and a range of temporal (e.g., Pacific Decadal Oscillation [PDO] index), spatially static (e.g., depth), and spatially dynamic (e.g., sea surface chlorophyll-a concentration) environmental variables. The estimated relationships were then used to predict spatially explicit long-term average density (individuals per km²) throughout the study area for each species/group in each of four seasons. Bird sighting data came from multiple scientific survey programs and consisted of at-sea counts of birds collected between 1980 and 2017 using boat-based and fixed-wing aerial transect survey methods. Spatial environmental variables were derived from remote sensing satellite data and an ocean dynamics model.

Suggested Citation

Leirness, J., Adams, J., Ballance, L.T., Coyne, M., Felis, J.J., Joyce, T., Pereksta, D.M., Winship, A.J., Jeffrey, C., Ainley, D., Croll, D., Evenson, J.R., Jahncke, J., McIver, W., Miller, P., Pearson, S., Strong, C., Sydeman, W.J., Waddell, J.E., Zamon, J.E., Christensen, J., 2021, Modeling at-sea density of marine birds to support renewable energy planning on the Pacific outer continental shelf of the contiguous United States: OCS Study BOEM 2021-014, xix, 385 p.

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Additional publication details
Publication type	Report
Publication Subtype	Federal Government Series
Title	Modeling at-sea density of marine birds to support renewable energy planning on the Pacific outer continental shelf of the contiguous United States
Series title	OCS Study
Series number	BOEM 2021-014
Year Published	2021
Language	English
Publisher	Bureau of Ocean Energy Management
Contributing office(s)	Western Ecological Research Center
Description	xix, 385 p.
Country	United States
State	California, Oregon, Washington
Other Geospatial	Pacific Coast