Ecological Baseline Studies of the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf Option Year 2

Occurrence Observation
Latest version published by OBIS-SEAMAP on Apr 28, 2026 OBIS-SEAMAP
Home:
https://seamap.env.duke.edu/dataset/2161
Publication date:
28 April 2026
Published by:
OBIS-SEAMAP
License:
CC-BY 4.0

Download the latest version of this resource data as a Darwin Core Archive (DwC-A) or the resource metadata as EML or RTF:

Data as a DwC-A file download 93,147 records in English (4 MB) - Update frequency: not planned
Metadata as an EML file download in English (46 KB)
Metadata as an RTF file download in English (22 KB)

Description

Original provider: APEM, Normandeau Associates Dataset credits: Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), Normandeau Associates Inc., APEM Ltd. Abstract: Normandeau Associates, Inc., and APEM Inc. (Team) have been contracted by BOEM to complete quarterly high-altitude aerial digital surveys in a 12- month period. The Team proposes to conduct the first survey in May 2019 and complete all four surveys in the 2020 calendar year. The South Atlantic Survey area (SASA) is defined as the area of the ocean off the coast of North and South Carolina out to the -30-m contour line. The approximate size of the area is 11,000 square nautical miles. Transect surveys will cover a minimum of 5% of the SASA.In addition, 10% of the total area within the Kitty Hawk, Wilmington East, and Wilmington West Wind Energy Areas –as well as the South Carolina–Grand Stand Call Area will be surveyed. The planned image resolution of all the imagery for the project will be 1.5- cm ground sampling distance at the surface of the ocean. Option Year 2 includes four surveys of each these areas from May 2019 to Feb 2020.

Data Records

The data in this occurrence resource has been published as a Darwin Core Archive (DwC-A), which is a standardized format for sharing biodiversity data as a set of one or more data tables. The core data table contains 93,147 records.

This IPT archives the data and thus serves as the data repository. The data and resource metadata are available for download in the downloads section. The versions table lists other versions of the resource that have been made publicly available and allows tracking changes made to the resource over time.

Versions

The table below shows only published versions of the resource that are publicly accessible.

How to cite

Researchers should cite this work as follows:

Vukovich, M. 2022. Ecological Baseline Studies of the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf Option Year 2. Version 1.1.0. Dataset published in OBIS-SEAMAP. https://doi.org/10.82144/f367ffcb.

Rights

Researchers should respect the following rights statement:

The publisher and rights holder of this work is OBIS-SEAMAP. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC-BY 4.0) License.

GBIF Registration

This resource has been registered with GBIF, and assigned the following GBIF UUID: 8bfd90da-4ab9-40a2-8c96-bd7c2c9e9fc5.  OBIS-SEAMAP publishes this resource, and is itself registered in GBIF as a data publisher endorsed by Ocean Biodiversity Information System.

Keywords

Occurrence; Observation; Marine Biology; Visual sighting; Marine Animal Survey; Seabirds; Marine mammals; Sea turtles; Visual Sighting; Aircraft; Occurrence

External data

The resource data is also available in other formats

OBIS-SEAMAP Dataset Page https://seamap.env.duke.edu/dataset/2161 UTF-8 Interactive map
FGDC Metadata https://seamap.env.duke.edu/dataset/2161/fgdc UTF-8 XML
EML Metadata https://seamap.env.duke.edu/dataset/2161/eml UTF-8 XML

Contacts

Michelle Vukovich
  • Owner ●
  • Originator ●
  • Point Of Contact
  • Primary contact
Normandeau Associates, Inc.
OBIS-SEAMAP
  • Metadata Provider ●
  • Distributor
Marine Geospatial Ecology Lab, Duke University
  • A328 LSRC building
27708 Durham
NC
US

Geographic Coverage

North Atlantic,North Carolina,South Carolina

Bounding Coordinates South West [31.798, -80.765], North East [36.546, 36.546]

Taxonomic Coverage

Scientific names are based on the Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS).

Superclass Osteichthyes (Bony fishes)
Class Chondrichthyes (Cartilaginous fishes), Mammalia (Mammals)
Subclass Elasmobranchii (Cartilaginous fishes)
Order Ciconiiformes (Ciconiiformes), Myliobatiformes (stingrays), Passeriformes (Perching birds), Perciformes (perch-like fishes), Procellariiformes (Tube-nosed Swimmers)
Suborder Caniformia (Pinnipeds)
Family Alcidae (Murres), Anatidae (Ducks), Carcharhinidae (requiem sharks), Centrarchidae (Sunfishes), Cheloniidae (Sea turtles), Delphinidae (Dolphins), Echeneidae (Remoras), Gaviidae (Divers), Istiophoridae (Billfishes), Laridae (Gulls), Phalacrocoracidae (Cormorants), Procellariidae (Fulmars / petrels / shearwaters), Sphyrnidae (Bonnethead sharks), Stercorariidae (Skuas)
Genus Melanitta (Scoters), Onychoprion, Phalaropus (Phalaropes), Sphyrna (Bonnethead sharks), Sterna (Typical Terns), Thalasseus, Uria (Murres)
Species Aetobatus narinari (Spotted eagle ray), Alca torda (Razorbill), Alle alle (Dovekie), Anas strepera (Gadwall), Ardea herodias (Great blue heron), Arenaria interpres (Ruddy turnstone), Aythya americana (Redhead), Aythya marila (Greater scaup), Calonectris diomedea (Cory's shearwater), Carcharhinus limbatus (Blacktip shark), Carcharhinus obscurus (Dusky shark), Carcharodon carcharias (Great white shark), Caretta caretta (Loggerhead sea turtle), Chelonia mydas (Green sea turtle), Chlidonias niger (Black tern), Chroicocephalus philadelphia (Bonaparte's gull), Coryphaena hippurus (Dolphinfish), Dasyatis sabina (Atlantic stingray), Delphinus delphis (Short-beaked common dolphin), Dermochelys coriacea (Leatherback sea turtle), Egretta thula (Snowy egret), Fratercula arctica (Atlantic puffin), Fulmarus glacialis (Northern fulmar), Galeocerdo cuvier (Tiger shark), Gavia immer (Common loon), Gavia stellata (Red-throated loon), Gelochelidon nilotica (Gull-billed tern), Grampus griseus (Risso's dolphin), Hydrocoloeus minutus (Little gull), Hydroprogne caspia (Caspian tern), Larus argentatus (Herring gull), Larus delawarensis (Ring-billed gull), Larus fuscus (Lesser black-backed gull), Larus marinus (Great black-backed gull), Lepidochelys kempii (Kemp's ridley), Leucophaeus atricilla (Laughing gull), Manta birostris (Atlantic manta), Megaptera novaeangliae (Humpback whale), Melanitta fusca (Velvet scoter), Melanitta nigra (Black scoter), Melanitta perspicillata (Surf scoter), Mergus serrator (Red-breasted merganser), Mobula hypostoma (Atlantic Pygmy Devil Ray), Mobula mobular (Giant Devil Ray), Mobula tarapacana (Sicklefin devil ray), Mola mola (Ocean sunfish), Morus bassanus (Northern gannet), Onychoprion anaethetus (Bridled tern), Onychoprion fuscatus (Sooty tern), Pelecanus occidentalis (Brown pelican), Phalacrocorax auritus (Double-crested cormorant), Phalaropus fulicarius (Red phalarope), Phalaropus lobatus (Red-necked phalarope), Phocoena phocoena (Harbor porpoise), Pluvialis squatarola (Black-bellied plover), Prionace glauca (Blue shark), Pterodroma arminjoniana (Herald petrel), Pterodroma hasitata (Black-capped petrel), Puffinus gravis (Great shearwater), Puffinus griseus (Sooty shearwater), Puffinus lherminieri (Audubon's shearwater), Puffinus puffinus (Manx shearwater), Rachycentron canadum (Cobia), Rhincodon typus (Whale shark), Rhinoptera bonasus (Cownose ray), Rissa tridactyla (Black-legged kittiwake), Sphyrna lewini (Scalloped hammerhead), Sphyrna mokarran (great hammerhead), Sphyrna zygaena (Smooth hammerhead), Squalus acanthias (Piked dogfish), Stenella attenuata (Pantropical spotted dolphin), Stenella clymene (Clymene dolphin), Stenella frontalis (Atlantic spotted dolphin), Steno bredanensis (Rough-toothed dolphin), Stercorarius longicaudus (Long-tailed jaeger), Stercorarius parasiticus (Parasitic jaeger), Stercorarius pomarinus (Pomarine jaeger), Stercorarius skua (Great skua), Sterna forsteri (Forster's tern), Sterna hirundo (Common tern), Sternula antillarum (Least tern), Thalasseus maximus (Royal tern), Thalasseus sandvicensis (Sandwich tern), Thunnus thynnus (Atlantic bluefin tuna), Tursiops truncatus (Common bottlenose dolphin)

Temporal Coverage

Start Date / End Date 2019-05-18 / 2020-02-12

Project Data

No Description available

Title Ecological Baseline Studies of the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf Option Year 2
Funding NA

The personnel involved in the project:

Michelle Vukovich
  • Owner

Sampling Methods

NA

Study Extent NA

Method step description:

  1. NA

Collection Data

Collection Name zd_2161
Collection Identifier zd_2161
Parent Collection Identifier OBIS-SEAMAP

Bibliographic Citations

  1. APEM and Normandeau Associates prepared for the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM). 2021. Ecological Baseline Studies of the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf Option Year 2.

Additional Metadata

marine, harvested by iOBIS. [2022-06-07] The following recorded species names got their assigned scientific names corrected. BLACK SCOTER: Melanitta nigra americana => Melanitta nigra GREAT SHEARWATER: Aythya marila => Puffinus gravis GREAT SKUA: Puffinus gravis => Stercorarius skua GREATER SCAUP: Stercorarius skua => Aythya marila The areas defined for survey were the South Atlantic Survey Area (SASA), Kitty Hawk (KH) Wind Energy Area (WEA), Wilmington East (WE) WEA, Wilmington West (WW) WEA, Grand Stand Call Area (GSCA), Charleston Call Area (CCA), and fish spawning areas SMZ 51 (A51) and SMZ 53 (A53). SASA surveys are linear transects flown in a saw tooth pattern out to the -30-m contour line along the entire South Carolina and North Carolina coasts. These surveys included the CCA, A51 and A53 areas. The overlap portion of SASA and CCA is designated "SASA,CCA"; the overlap portion of SASA and A51 is designated "SASA,A51"; and the overlap portion of SASA and A53 is designated "SASA,A53".The WEAs and GSCA areas are grid surveys through the area plus a 1NM buffer. GSCA and WW share survey overlap and that overlap portion is designated as "GSCA,WW".The SASA survey area overlaps portions of CCA, A51 and A53 areas and overlapped areas are designated by the area name "SASA,CCA"; "SASA,A51"; or "SASA,A53". GSCA and WW also share survey overlap and that area is designated by "GSCA,WW".DISCLAIMERStudy concept, oversight, and funding were provided by the US Department of the Interior, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), Environmental Studies Program, Washington, DC, under Contract Number M17PC00010; Order M17PD00063. This report has been technically reviewed by BOEM, and it has been approved for publication. The views and conclusions contained in this document are those of the authors and should not be interpreted as representing the opinions or policies of the US Government, nor does mention of trade names or commercial products constitute endorsement or recommendation for use.

Purpose
Alternative Identifiers 10.82144/f367ffcb
8bfd90da-4ab9-40a2-8c96-bd7c2c9e9fc5
https://seamap.env.duke.edu/dataset/2161
0ff4be1c-4f94-4599-b782-b7cb8f5db151
https://ipt.env.duke.edu/resource?r=zd_2161