Abstract
 An Ecological Characterization of the Gulf of Maine Region Track: Ocean, Coastal, and Marine Resources Author(s): Bryan Costa, Tim Battista, Simon Pittman, Randy Clark, Connie Kot, Kate Eschelbach, Falk Huettmann, Ian Hartwell The National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Center for Coastal Monitoring and Assessment's (CCMA) Biogeography Team collaborated with the National Marine Sanctuaries Program (NMSP) to perform a biogeographic assessment of the marine region surrounding Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary. This work integrated physical and biological GIS and remotely sensed datasets in an effort to temporally and spatially characterize fish, seabird, macroinvertebrate, and marine mammal distributions in the Gulf of Maine. The resulting statistical relationships among these variables were used to predict cetacean and seabird species distributions where there were gaps in the survey effort. Predictive models such as these offer promising opportunities to extrapolate information to broad spatial scales, allowing resource managers make informed decisions in support of ecosystem-based management. Bryan Costa National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration CCMA, Biogeography Team 1305 East West Highway SSMC 4, 9th Floor Silver Spring , MD 20910 US Phone: 301-713-3028 Fax: 301-713-4384 E-mail: Bryan.Costa@noaa.gov Tim Battista National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration CCMA, Biogeography Team 1305 East West Highway SSMC 4, 9th Floor Silver Spring , MD 20910 US Phone: 301-713-3028 Fax: 301-713-4384 E-mail: tim.battista@noaa.gov Simon Pittman National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration CCMA, Biogeography Team 1305 East West Highway SSMC 4, 9th Floor Silver Spring , MD 20910 US Phone: 301-713-3028 Fax: 301-713-4384 E-mail: simon.pittman@noaa.gov Randy Clark National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration CCMA, Biogeography Team 1305 East West Highway SSMC 4, 9th Floor Silver Spring , MD 20910 US Phone: 301-713-3028 Fax: 301-713-4384 E-mail: randy.clark@noaa.gov Connie Kot Duke University Geospatial Analysis Program 135 Duke Marine Lab Road Beaufort , NC 28516 US Phone: 252-507-7640 Fax: 252-504-7648 E-mail: connie.kot@duke.edu Kate Eschelbach U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service 2493 Portola Road Ste B Ventura , CA 93003 US Phone: 805-644-1766 Fax: 805-644-3958 E-mail: kate_eschelbach@fws.gov Falk Huettmann University of Alaska EWHALE Lab, Institute of Arctic Biology 4410 Woodriver Drive Fairbanks , AK 99709-3401 US Phone: 907-474-7882 E-mail: fffh@uaf.edu; cokol99@mail.ru Ian Hartwell National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration Coastal and Oceanographic Assessment Status and Trends Team 1305 East West Highway SSMC 4, 9th Floor Silver Spring , MD 20910 US Phone: 301-713-3028 Fax: 301-713-4384 E-mail: ian.hartwell@noaa.gov |
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