Several bureaus within the Department of Interior compiled available information from seabird observation datasets from the
Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf into a single database, with the goal of conducting research and informing coastal and offshore
planning activities. The cooperators were the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management's (BOEM) Environmental Studies Program (http://www.boem.gov/Environmental-Stewardship/Environmental-Studies/Environmental-Studies.aspx),
the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's (USFWS) Division of Migratory Bird Management (http://www.fws.gov/migratorybirds/) and
the U.S. Geological Survey's (USGS) Patuxent Wildlife Research Center (http://www.pwrc.usgs.gov). The resulting product is
the Atlantic Offshore Seabird Dataset Catalog, which characterizes the survey effort and bird observations that have been
collected across space and time. Currently, the database contains ~60 datasets from 1906-2009 with over 260,000 records of
seabird observations. Data will initially be provided as summary web mapping services, with web feature services (for downloading
and looking at single-species data) at the linkage given elsewhere in this document. USAGE: Seabirds provide unique challenges
even when using estimation techniques to sample populations (e.g., Tasker et al. 1984, Spear et al. 1992). To date, there
has been little consistency among survey designs. Surveys have varied by the type of vessel from which they are conducted
(ship, plane), the methodology that counts are made, the width of the area being counted, and equipment used, among many other
differences. Under such circumstances, comparing results and making inferences can be difficult. Because these estimates of
effort-adjusted counts do not account for detection probability, they are likely biased by factors that affect this parameter
such as weather, survey method, observer, or other environmental variables (MacKenzie et al. 2006). Such results may be considered
nave in that they do not account for factors that can affect the ability to detect an animal. Furthermore, these results contain
data collected over a 30 year period without regard for any long term temporal changes that may have occurred with species
or the environment. Further analysis is necessary to determine if such changes have occurred with any species. While it is
possible to separate data collected recently from historical (>20 years old) datasets, the amount of recent data is limited
and therefore maps showing only these data may be limited spatially. Finally, effort calculations do not account for survey
width, while normally static during a survey, can be reduced during certain conditions and does vary by survey method, especially
boat vs. plan surveys. The vast majority of survey data collected offshore U.S. Atlantic waters were collected using similar
techniques and so effort data will not be greatly affected by such discrepancies. Still, such differences do exist and were
not accounted for; therefore, this estimate of survey effort is a rough surrogate for effort. Consequently, the effort-adjusted
counts will also be affected by differences in survey methodology and should be considered only roughly offset by effort.
Citation
Title Atlantic Offshore Seabird Dataset Catalog
publication Date
2011-09-02
presentationForm
mapDigital
other Citation Details
U.S. Geological Survey, Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, 2011.
cited responsible party
-
publisher
organisation Name
U.S. Geological Survey
Contact information
Address
, Laurel, MD
cited responsible party
-
originator
organisation Name
USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center
Currently, the database is based on ~60 datasets from 1906-2009 with over 260,000 records of seabird observations. Summary
maps provided as web services (see linkage) include representations of survey effort and bird detections. Effort was standardized
into "five minute equivalents" so that both discrete and continuous transect data could be combined. This unit is essentially
"five minutes of survey effort from a vessel traveling 10 knots." Species data were prepared for occurrence maps by adjusting
counts using these five minute equivalents. The resulting species maps are referred to as "Naive occurrence maps" because,
although some effort standardization has been applied, there are no corrections for biases introduced by differences in survey
methodology, observers, and species detectability.
Resource language:
eng; USA
Resource progress code:
underDevelopment
Resource Maintenance Information
maintenance or update frequency:
irregular
Constraints on resource usage:
Constraints
Use limitation statement:
Although these data have been processed successfully on a computer system at the U.S. Geological Survey, no warranty expressed
or implied is made regarding the accuracy or utility of the data on any other system or for general or scientific purposes,
nor shall the act of distribution constitute any such warranty. It is also strongly recommended that careful attention be
paid to the contents of the metadata file associated with these data to evaluate data set limitations, and to the corrsponding
printed publications for detailed interpretation of the data. The USGS shall not be held liable for improper or incorrect
use of the data described and/or contained herein.
Constraints on resource usage:
Legal Constraints
use constraint:
otherRestrictions
Other constraints
Use Constraints: Seabirds provide unique challenges even when using estimation techniques to sample populations (e.g., Tasker
et al. 1984, Spear et al. 1992). To date, there has been little consistency among survey designs. Surveys have varied by the
type of vessel from which they are conducted (ship, plane), the methodology that counts are made, the width of the area being
counted, and equipment used, among many other differences. Under such circumstances, comparing results and making inferences
can be difficult. Because these estimates of effort-adjusted counts do not account for detection probability, they are likely
biased by factors that affect this parameter such as weather, survey method, observer, or other environmental variables (MacKenzie
et al. 2006). Such results may be considered nave in that they do not account for factors that can affect the ability to detect
an animal. Furthermore, these results contain data collected over a 30 year period without regard for any long term temporal
changes that may have occurred with species or the environment. Further analysis is necessary to determine if such changes
have occurred with any species. While it is possible to separate data collected recently from historical (>20 years old) datasets,
the amount of recent data is limited and therefore maps showing only these data may be limited spatially. Finally, effort
calculations do not account for survey width, while normally static during a survey, can be reduced during certain conditions
and does vary by survey method, especially boat vs. plan surveys. The vast majority of survey data collected offshore U.S.
Atlantic waters were collected using similar techniques and so effort data will not be greatly affected by such discrepancies.
Still, such differences do exist and were not accounted for; therefore, this estimate of survey effort is a rough surrogate
for effort. Consequently, the effort-adjusted counts will also be affected by differences in survey methodology and should
be considered only roughly offset by effort.
Constraints on resource usage:
Legal Constraints
Access Constraints
otherRestrictions
Other constraints
Access Constraints: At this time, data use must take into account use constraints (data limitations) listed here, and cite
the Atlantic Offshore Seabird Dataset Catalog. USGS, 2011.
Constraints on resource usage:
Security Constraints
Classification
NO CONFIDENTIALITY
Classification
System FIPS Pub 199
Handling
Description Standard Technical Controls
Spatial representation type code:
vector
Processing environment:
Native Dataset Environment: ESRI ArcGIS, and PostGIS
Resource extent
Geographic Extent
Geographic Bounding Box
westBoundLongitude
-99.8626
eastBoundLongitude
-51.935
northBoundLatitude
64.9086
southBoundLatitude
23.3786
Temporal Extent
1906-01-01
2009-01-01
Additional information on resource:
A rough description of the available layers: **Web Mapping Services** 1. Survey Effort Total; all years' effort data represented
in "five minute equivalent" units. 2. Survey Effort, Seasonal all years - winter; like the Total Survey Effort, but divided
by season 3. Survey Effort, Decadal all seasons - 2000s; breaks out effort by decade. 4. Naive Species Effort-adjusted Counts,
Seasonal - Audubon s Shearwater, winter; this is the species data layer. All species codes are listed in this metadata record.
Species counts were adjusted using the five-minute equivalent effort units; however due to biases in methods, etc (see elsewhere
in this document) these maps combining multiple surveys should be used with caution. 5. Survey Effort Background, Seasonal
- winter; derived from previous layer, but designed to show as background for a species map, showing empty grid cells with
effort but no detections. 6. Focal Species (combined) Effort-adjusted Counts, Seasonal - winter; this is a summary layer essentially
"stacking" the naive species occurrence maps for 24 selected species. This list of species is not inclusive of all important
species, but was selected as a representative list for discussion purposes for a June 2011 workshop. The species are: (Audubon's
Shearwater, Black-capped Petrel, Black Scoter, Common Loon, Common Murre, Cory's Shearwater, Double-crested Cormorant, Dovekie,
Great Black-backed Gull, Great Cormorant, Greater Shearwater, Long-tailed Duck, Northern Fulmar, Northern Gannet, Razorbill,
Red Phalarope, Red-necked Phalarope, Roseate Tern, Red-throated Loon, Surf Scoter, Unidentified Cormorant, Unidentified Scoter,
White-tailed Tropicbird, White-winged Scoter) **Web Feature Services** These more flexible services allow for downloading
of data and more control over data display, querying, and so on.
Credits:
This dataset catalog was compiled from dozens of sources primarily by Andrew Gilbert, working for USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research
Center. Many agency, private, and academic partners contributed datasets. This compilation was part of a project to model
seabird distribution in the Atlantic offshore area, conducted by Beth Gardner and Allan O'Connell, also at USGS Patuxent Wildlife
Research Center. Initiation of the compilation and support for the analysis were provided by the Minerals Management Service,
now Bureau of Ocean Energy Management and the US Fish and Wildlife Service.
point of contact
-
pointOfContact
individual Name Allan O'Connell
organisation Name
U.S. Geological Survey, Patuxent Wildlife Research Center
source description
Source Contribution: Individual survey datasets; these are described in the paper report; we are working to create an online
list as well, once the web mapping services for summarized data are completed.Source Type web mapping services
name Of Measure Horizontal Positional Accuracy Report
evaluation Method Description
Shipboard gps devices were used to collect location data concurrently with surveys. Positional accuracy is not known to have
been conducted.
AbsoluteExternalPositionalAccuracy
name Of Measure Vertical Positional Accuracy Report
evaluation Method Description
None - observations recorded onboard ships at sea level.
Completeness Commission
evaluation Method Description
We believe this database to contain up to 85% of the known surveys for seabirds in the U.S. Atlantic. Some of the missing
ones are restricted, others are in progress, and there are a few we have not been able to import yet.
Completeness Omission
evaluation Method Description
We believe this database to contain up to 85% of the known surveys for seabirds in the U.S. Atlantic. Some of the missing
ones are restricted, others are in progress, and there are a few we have not been able to import yet.
ConceptualConsistency
measure Description
Polygon consistency and locations checked extensively using ArcMap.
notes: This metadata was automatically generated from the FGDC Content Standard for Digital Geospatial Metadata standard (version
FGDC-STD-001-1998) using the 2012-06-20T17:21:00 version of the FGDC RSE to ISO 19115-2 transform.
Metadata Constraints
Legal Constraints
Access Constraints
otherRestrictions
Other constraints
Metadata Access Constraints: None
Metadata Constraints
Legal Constraints
Access Constraints
otherRestrictions
Other constraints
Metadata Use Constraints: Please see use constraints.
Metadata contact
-
pointOfContact
individual Name Allan O'Connell
organisation Name
U.S. Geological Survey, Patuxent Wildlife Research Center