DUML vessel-based photo-id and biopsy surveys for proposed JAX USWTR site 2012-2015

Duke University Marine Laboratory

The United States (US) Navy proposed constructing an Undersea Warfare Training Range (USWTR) along the US Atlantic coast. In 2008, the US Navy chose the area off of Jacksonville, FL (JAX OPAREA) to be the preferred site of the USWTR. The JAX USWTR site and, like that in Onslow Bay, is 25 nm (46 km) long and 20 nm (37 km) wide (approximately 1700 km2). The survey area straddles the continental shelf and Blake Plateau and includes neritic, shelf waters and pelagic, offshore waters. As part of the Navy's Atlantic Fleet Training and Testing (AFTT) Monitoring Program, shipboard and aerial line transect surveys were implemented in 2009 to estimate density and document distribution and seasonal residency of marine mammals and sea turtles in the proposed USWTR (see "DUML vessel-based surveys for proposed JAX USWTR site 2009-2010" dataset). In January 2012, shipboard line-transect survey methods transitioned to biopsy and photo-identification sampling to address questions of residency and population structure in the area. Vessel survey effort was expended along the 200 m depth contour and occasionally around eddies and fronts generated by the Gulf Stream. We are focusing on residency and population structure with our shipboard surveys because we are:
(1) obtaining adequate data with which to estimate density from aerial line transect sampling;
(2) interested in addressing questions of residency in this area.
Sightings within this dataset are from shipboard photo-ID and biopsy surveys conducted from 2012-2015.

The primary objectives of these surveys are to:
(1) document species occurrence and examine patterns of residency of marine mammals and turtles in the defined study area
(2) determine relatedness among individuals, populations and species within the study area
(3) supplement the visual surveys with acoustic monitoring using a High-frequency Acoustic Recording Package (HARP).

[2016-04-14] Sightings from Jul to Dec 2015 were appended. The following columns were added (these columns are blank for the sightings before Jul 2015):
end_time, end_lat, end_long, behav_state, totminest, totmaxest, mincalves, maxcalves, minyoy, maxyoy, totposid, totnoid, totfinbest, calfposid, calfnoid, calfinbest, yoyposid, comments, photo_notes, sighting_notes, observations, photo_grades, acoustics
of which totposid, totnoid, totfinbest, calfposid, calfnoid, calfinbest, yoyposid, comments, sighting_notes, observations, photo_grades are blank for the newly added sightings.

[2015-05-13] The 2014-2015 data were appended.
[2014-03-21] The 2013-14 data were appended. The following attributes were added since May 2013:
SIGHTNO, BEAUSCALE, DEPTH, WATERTEMP, BESTCALVES, BESTYOY, PHOTOS
[2013-03-19] Additional survey data for the JAX USWTR site are available on OBIS-SEAMAP in the "DUML vessel-based surveys for proposed JAX USWTR site 2009-2010" dataset.

Overview

This section explains attributes included in the original dataset. OBIS-SEAMAP restricts the attributes available to the public to date/time, lat/lon and species names/counts only. Should you need other attributes described here, you are encouraged to contact the data provider.

Attributes described below represent those in the original dataset provided by the provider.
All attributes are included in the downloadable file (CSV or ESRI File Geodatabase) for "Complete Set of Dataset".

Attributes in dataset

Attribute (table column)	Description
oid	Unique ID (created by OBIS-SEAMAP)
obs_date	Date of observation
sightno	Sighting No
obs_time	Time of the observation (local time zone)
location2	AFTT area location
location	Location
project	Project name
latitude	Latitude in decimal degrees
longitude	Longitude in decimal degrees
beauscale	Beaufort sea state
bottom_depth	Bottom depth im meters
watertemp	Water temperature in degree Celsius
sp_obs	Species observed
sp_tsn	Taxonomic Serial Number added by OBIS-SEAMAP
obs_count	Number of animals
bestcalves	Best estimate of calves
bestyoy	Best estimate of young of year
photos	Number of photos
end_time	definition not provided
end_lat	definition not provided
end_long	definition not provided
behav_state	definition not provided
totminest	definition not provided
totmaxest	definition not provided
mincalves	definition not provided
maxcalves	definition not provided
minyoy	definition not provided
maxyoy	definition not provided
totposid	definition not provided
totnoid	definition not provided
totfinbest	definition not provided
calfposid	definition not provided
calfnoid	definition not provided
calfinbest	definition not provided
yoyposid	definition not provided
comments	definition not provided
photo_notes	definition not provided
sighting_notes	definition not provided
observations	definition not provided
photo_grades	definition not provided
acoustics	definition not provided
geom	Geometry field added by OBIS-SEAMAP