Persistence of avian carcasses on sandy beaches and marsh edges in the northern Gulf of Mexico

Varela, Veronica; Zimmerman, Guthrie S.

doi:10.1007/s10661-019-7920-3

Cited by 5 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 18 publications

(24 reference statements)

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“…Recall that these probabilities are affected by several site-specific factors, including beach type, weather, tidal activity, scavenger activity, and carcass size, etc. (Byrd et al 2009;Varela and Zimmerman 2016;Zimmerman and Varela 2016).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, several studies have found that these parameters can vary due to a range of site-specific factors, including beach type, weather, tidal activity, scavenger activity, and carcass size, etc. (Byrd et al 2009;Varela and Zimmerman 2016;Zimmerman and Varela 2016). In the case of DWH, site-specific field studies were conducted to estimate searcher efficiency and carcass persistence values that were specific to the northern Gulf of Mexico.…”

Section: Sdm and Deposition Model Approachmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Avian injury quantification using the Shoreline Deposition Model and model sensitivities

Amend¹,

Martin²,

Dwyer³

et al. 2019

Environ Monit Assess

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Deposition models, such as the Shoreline Deposition Model (SDM) used to quantify nearshore avian injuries resulting from the 2010 Deepwater Horizon (DWH) oil spill, were developed to improve the estimates of nearshore avian mortality resulting from the release of oil into coastal and marine environments. Unlike earlier approaches to injury quantification, such as simple counts of carcasses on the shoreline, a modeling approach allows trustees to evaluate the precision of their estimate (i.e., to develop a confidence interval) and can inform decision-making and the likely utility of additional primary data collection activities through sensitivity analyses. In this paper, we rely on published literature, actual DWH data, and a deposition model simulation to evaluate how different model inputs and assumptions can affect the accuracy and precision of model results. We find that the precision of deposition models is strongly affected by the length of time between subsequent shoreline searches, the underlying magnitude of carcass deposition, carcass persistence probabilities, and carcass detection probabilities. In addition, the accuracy of deposition model results may be affected by natural fluctuations in deposition rates. Given these findings, we recommend that natural resource trustees include an evaluation of future model uncertainty as part of their initial data collection efforts. This will allow them to deploy resources in a way that maximizes the utility of future deposition model results. We also identify several factors that do not need to be assessed immediately following a spill event, thereby potentially freeing resources for more time critical data collection efforts.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Sdm and Deposition Model Approachmentioning

confidence: 99%

Avian injury quantification using the Shoreline Deposition Model and model sensitivities

Amend¹,

Martin²,

Dwyer³

et al. 2019

Environ Monit Assess

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Most spill response protocols assess detection and persistence probability estimates (Byrd et al 2009). Numerous factors influence detection and persistence rates, including local environments and weather, size of search area, predators and scavengers, and speciesspecific variables (Fowler and Flint 1997;Varela and Zimmerman 2020). To be useful for estimating total numbers affected birds, carcasses and live oiled birds must be tallied rigorously.…”

Section: Onshore Processesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Estimating the numbers of aquatic birds affected by oil spills: pre-planning, response, and post-incident considerations

et al. 2022

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Oil spills most visibly affect waterbirds and often the number of birds affected, a key measure of environmental damage from an incident, is required for public communication, population management, and legal reasons. We review and outline steps that can be taken to improve accuracy in the estimation of the number of birds affected in each of three phases: 1) pre-planning; 2) during a response; and 3) post-response. The more pre-planning undertaken, the more robust the estimates will be. Personnel involved in damage assessment efforts must have training in quantitative biology and need support during all three phases. The main approaches currently used to estimate the number of birds affected include probability exposure models and carcass sampling – both onshore and on the water. Probability exposure models can be used in the post-incident phase, particularly in offshore scenarios where beached bird surveys are not possible, and requires three datasets: 1) at-sea bird densities; 2) bird mortality; and 3) the spill trajectory. Carcass sampling using beached bird surveys is appropriate if trajectories indicate affected birds will reach shore. Carcass sampling can also occur via on-water transects and may overlap with risk assessment efforts. Damage assessment efforts should include a measure of sublethal effects following the post-acute phase of spills, yet this area has significant knowledge gaps. We urge jurisdictions worldwide to improve pre-incident planning. We provide guidance on how, in the absence of pre-incident data, quality data can be obtained during or after an incident. These recommendations are relevant for areas with aquatic-based industrial activities which can result in a spill of substances that could injure or kill waterbirds.

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“…Zimmerman et al (2019) describe and provide the results of the Searcher Efficiency Study. Varela and Zimmerman (2019) describe and provide the results of the Carcass Persistence Study.…”

Section: Shoreline Deposition Modelmentioning

confidence: 99%

Avian injury assessment for the Deepwater Horizon oil spill

Tuttle

Hemming

2019

Environ Monit Assess

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Persistence of avian carcasses on sandy beaches and marsh edges in the northern Gulf of Mexico

Cited by 5 publications

References 18 publications

Avian injury quantification using the Shoreline Deposition Model and model sensitivities

Avian injury quantification using the Shoreline Deposition Model and model sensitivities

Estimating the numbers of aquatic birds affected by oil spills: pre-planning, response, and post-incident considerations

Avian injury assessment for the Deepwater Horizon oil spill

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