Seabird and marine mammal modelled distribution files – 2022. Metadata.

These data layers describe temporal and spatial patterns of density for seabird and marine mammal species in the eastern waters of Scotland from digital aerial surveys.
The data were collected between February 2020 and March 2021.

File characteristics
The files are supplied as ESRI format shapefiles, vector – polygon.
The shapefile coordinate reference system of the GIS files is CGS WGS 1984.

In total 143 shapefiles are available that describe the modelled densities of 13 species, ten species of seabird and three species of marine mammal.
Each species has 11 files, one for each of the 11 months data was collected, (May has no data).

Individual data files for a species/month are in the region of 1.2 Mb. The total files, unzipped, amount to 169 Mb.

Content of the GIS data files
The primary consideration of this work was to obtain distribution and abundances from the digital aerial survey data. The data under consideration consisted of counts of animals from digitally referenced images from the survey.
The numbers were modelled based on the number of animals detected in photos of known area (“the count method”; see Hedley 2000, Hedley & Buckland 2004, Hedley et al. 2004).

The data were collected in the form of temporally and spatially indexed photos from planes collected between February 2020 and March 2021 by APEM Ltd.

Eleven bird species recorded sufficiently regularly within the surveys for modelling and abundance estimation included northern fulmar (Fulmarus glacialis), northern gannet (Morus bassanus), great skua (Stercorarius skua), common gull (Larus canus), herring gull (Larus argentatus), great black-backed gull (Larus marinus), black-legged kittiwake (Rissa tridactyla), common guillemot (Uria aalge), razorbill (Alca torda), and Atlantic puffin (Fratercula arctica). Design-based estimates were obtained for abundance only for lesser black-backed gull (Larus fuscus) where a model could not be fitted.

For SCOTS users the full report can be downloaded here: Production of Seabird and Marine Mammal Distribution Models for the East of Scotland - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

Species distribution maps available

Seabirds
Northern fulmar
Northern gannet
Great skua
Common gull
Herring gull
Great black backed gull
Black-legged kittiwake
Common guillemot
Razorbill
Atlantic puffin
Lesser black backed gull (abundance only)
Marine mammals
White beaked dolphin
Harbour porpoise
Minke whale