Assessment Tool Development for Marine Mammal Critical Habitats

The objective is to develop a mapping system to visualize the distribution and movement of marine mammals by time of year and location so that animal movement and distribution can be easily compared to bathymetry and a variety of oceanographic features. The mapping system will be integrated with the Global Information System for the Distribution of Marine Mammals that is being developed by the National Marine Mammal Laboratory (NMML). The mapping system will provide the Navy with the capability to rapidly assess potential impacts on marine wildlife, and allow it to plan operational activities accordingly. Naval operations can take place at times and locations that would otherwise be prohibited because of ambiguous, protected-species use definitions. Our ultimate goal is to develop statistical methods that are appropriate for analysis of habitat use and to develop models that predict marine mammal presence.