Pelagic seabird density and vulnerability in the Gulf of Mexico to oiling from the Deepwater Horizon/MC-252 spill

Haney, J. Christopher; Hemming, Jon M.; Tuttle, Peter L.

doi:10.1007/s10661-019-7921-2

Cited by 6 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 6 publications

(6 reference statements)

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“…eBird records include 3 observations in April from inside the western Florida Straits near the Florida Keys and Dry Tortugas. A single black-capped petrel was also observed on 23 April 2011 headed northwards towards the Yucatan Channel southwest of Cozumel Island, Mexico (Haney et al 2019). Observations of black-capped petrels in these areas would be consistent with likely migratory paths between the Gulf and known breeding sites on Hispaniola.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 54%

“…Surveys to support the post-spill injury assessment for the Deepwater Horizon oil spill Natural Resources Damage Assessment (NRDA) were designed to record occurrences of seabirds and assess mortality and visible oiling (hereafter NRDA cruises; Haney 2011). NRDA cruises (n = 27; see Haney et al 2019 for a detailed description) were conducted in the northern Gulf within the US exclusive economic zone (EEZ) from July 2010−July 2011 by experienced seabird observers (Fig. 2A).…”

Section: At-sea Surveysmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Revising the marine range of the endangered black-capped petrel Pterodroma hasitata: occurrence in the northern Gulf of Mexico and exposure to conservation threats

Jodice

Michael

Gleason

et al. 2021

Endang. Species. Res.

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The black-capped petrel Pterodroma hasitata is an Endangered seabird endemic to the western North Atlantic. Although estimated at ~1000 breeding pairs, only ~100 nests have been located at 2 sites in Haiti and 3 sites in the Dominican Republic. At sea, the species primarily occupies waters of the western Gulf Stream in the Atlantic and the Caribbean Sea. Due to limited data, there is currently no consensus on the geographic marine range of the species although no current proposed ranges include the Gulf of Mexico. Here, we report on observations of black-capped petrels during 2 vessel-based survey efforts throughout the northern Gulf of Mexico from 2010-2011 and 2017-2019. During 558 d and ~54700 km of surveys, we tallied 40 black-capped petrels. Most observations occurred in the eastern Gulf, although birds were observed over much of the east-west and north-south footprint of the survey area. Predictive models indicated that habitat suitability for black-capped petrels was highest in areas associated with dynamic waters of the Loop Current. We used the extent of occurrence and area of occupancy concepts to delimit the geographic range of the species within the northern Gulf. We suggest that the marine range for black-capped petrels be modified to include the northern Gulf of Mexico, recognizing that distribution may be more clumped in the eastern Gulf and that occurrence in the southern Gulf remains unknown due to a lack of surveys there. To date, however, it remains unclear which nesting areas are linked to the Gulf of Mexico.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 54%

Section: At-sea Surveysmentioning

confidence: 99%

Revising the marine range of the endangered black-capped petrel Pterodroma hasitata: occurrence in the northern Gulf of Mexico and exposure to conservation threats

Jodice

Michael

Gleason

et al. 2021

Endang. Species. Res.

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“…Much of this overlap of seabird habitat with O&G platforms in waters< 500 m depth, particularly near the 200 m isobath, an area of high cumulative seabird vulnerability. Seabird surveys in the Gulf of Mexico have noted relatively low densities of seabirds over the middle and outer continental shelf (Haney et al, 2019). However, without detailed information on species-specific densities, it is unclear how the number of individual seabirds could impact the characteristics of the vulnerability of the entire assemblage of seabirds in the nGoM.…”

Section: Habitat Cumulative Seabird Vulnerability and Overlap With Oa...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Seabird vulnerability to oil: Exposure potential, sensitivity, and uncertainty in the northern Gulf of Mexico

et al. 2022

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The northern Gulf of Mexico (nGoM) is a globally important region for oil extraction and supports a diverse assemblage of marine birds. Due to their frequent contact with surface waters, diverse foraging strategies, and the ease with which oil adheres to feathers, seabirds are particularly susceptible to hydrocarbon contamination. Given the chronic and acute exposure of seabirds to oiling and a lack of studies that focus on the exposure of seabirds to oiling in sub-tropical and tropical regions, a greater understanding of the vulnerability of seabirds to oil in the nGoM appears warranted. We present an oil vulnerability index for seabirds in the nGoM tailored to the current state of knowledge using new, spatiotemporally expensive vessel-based seabird observations. We use information on the exposure and sensitivity of seabirds to oil to rank seabird vulnerability. Exposure variables characterized the potential to encounter oil and gas (O&G). Sensitivity variables characterized the potential impact of seabirds interacting with O&G and are related to life history and productivity. We also incorporated uncertainty in each variable, identifying data gaps. We found that the percent of seabirds’ habitat defined as highly suitable within 10 km of an O&G platform ranged from 0%-65% among 24 species. Though O&G platforms only overlap with 15% of highly suitable seabird habitat, overlap occurs in areas of moderate to high vulnerability of seabirds, particularly along the shelf-slope. Productivity-associated sensitivity variables were primarily responsible for creating the gradient in vulnerability scores and had greater uncertainty than exposure variables. Highly vulnerable species (e.g., Northern gannet (Morus bassanus)) tended to have high exposure to the water surface via foraging behaviors (e.g., plunge-diving), older age at first breeding, and an extended incubating and fledging period compared to less vulnerable species (e.g., Pomarine jaeger (Stercorarius pomarinus)). Uncertainty related to productivity could be reduced through at-colony monitoring. Strategic seabird satellite tagging could help target monitoring efforts to colonies known to use the nGoM, and continued vessel-based observations could improve habitat characterization. As offshore energy development in the nGoM continues, managers and researchers could use these vulnerability ranks to identify information gaps to prioritize research and focal species.

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“…Surveys to support the post-spill injury assessment for the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Natural Resources Damage Assessment (NRDA) were designed to record occurrences of seabirds and assess mortality and visible oiling (hereafter NRDA cruises; Haney 2011). NRDA cruises (n = 27; see Haney et al 2019 for a detailed description) were conducted in the northern GoM within the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) from July 2010 -July 2011 by experienced seabird observers (Fig.…”

Section: At-sea Surveysmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…eBird reports three boreal spring records (all in April) from inside the western Florida Straits near the Florida Keys and Dry Tortugas. A single black-capped petrel also was observed on 23 April 2011 headed northwards towards the Yucatan Channel southwest of Cozumel Island, Mexico(Haney et al 2019).…”

mentioning

confidence: 92%

Expanding the marine range of the endangered black-capped petrelPterodroma hasitata: Occurrence in the northern Gulf of Mexico and conservation implications

Jodice

Michael

Gleason

et al. 2021

Preprint

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The black-capped petrel (Pterodroma hasitata) is an endangered seabird endemic to the western north Atlantic. Although estimated at ~ 1,000 breeding pairs, only ~ 100 nests have been located at two sites in Haiti and three sites in the Dominican Republic. At sea, the species primarily occupies waters of the western Gulf Stream in the Atlantic and the Caribbean Sea. Due to limited data, there is currently not a consensus on the marine range of the species. There are several maps in use for the marine range of the species and these differ with respect to the north, south, and eastward extent of the range. None of these maps, however, includes the Gulf of Mexico. Here, we report on observations of black-capped petrels during two vessel-based survey efforts throughout the northern Gulf of Mexico from July 2010 - July 2011, and from April 2017 - September 2019. During the 558 days and 54.7 km of surveys from both efforts we tallied 40 black-capped petrels. Most observations occurred in the eastern Gulf, although birds were observed over much of the east-west and north-south footprint of the survey area. Predictive models indicated that habitat suitability for black-capped petrels was highest in areas associated with dynamic waters of the Loop Current, similar to habitat used along the western edge of the Gulf Stream in the western north Atlantic. We suggest that the range for black-capped petrels be modified to include the entire northern Gulf of Mexico although distribution may be more clumped in the eastern Gulf and patchier elsewhere. It remains unclear, however, which nesting areas are linked to the Gulf of Mexico.

show abstract

Pelagic seabird density and vulnerability in the Gulf of Mexico to oiling from the Deepwater Horizon/MC-252 spill

Cited by 6 publications

References 6 publications

Revising the marine range of the endangered black-capped petrel Pterodroma hasitata: occurrence in the northern Gulf of Mexico and exposure to conservation threats

Revising the marine range of the endangered black-capped petrel Pterodroma hasitata: occurrence in the northern Gulf of Mexico and exposure to conservation threats

Seabird vulnerability to oil: Exposure potential, sensitivity, and uncertainty in the northern Gulf of Mexico

Expanding the marine range of the endangered black-capped petrelPterodroma hasitata: Occurrence in the northern Gulf of Mexico and conservation implications

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