This new map shows annual log density of tagged loggerhead sea turtles from Florida to southern New England.
In partnership with the NOAA Northeast Fisheries Science Center (NEFSC), the Northeast Ocean Data Portal announces the release of new map layers showing the monthly densities of tagged loggerhead sea turtles throughout southern New England and the Mid-Atlantic Bight. The new data products are currently the only representation of sea turtle distribution and abundance on the Portal.
The new map layers represent data from 271 satellite tags deployed on large juvenile and adult loggerheads in the northwest Atlantic by six tagging programs between 2004 and 2016. A scientific paper describes the methods used to analyze the data and develop monthly data products that correspond to the spatial grid used by the inter-agency Atlantic Marine Assessment Program for Protected Species (AMAPPS). The high-density areas shown on these maps are based on over ten years of satellite-tagging data and represent the relative distribution of tagged loggerheads that may be expected on average in a given month. For more detailed information about the study, read the paper by Megan Winton and coauthors in Marine Ecology Progress Series.
Loggerhead Sea Turtles by Month
To view monthly data, go to the Active Layers tab and click the clock icon next to the checkbox.
