In September of 2023, through a collaboration with the Marine-life Data & Analysis Team (MDAT), the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast ocean data portals expanded their marine life data collections to include new sea turtle surface density model data products developed by the Navy Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC) Division Newport and several other research institutions.
In November 2023, the leatherback sea turtle density predictions were updated to correct a problem where an incorrect perception bias estimate was used. This update resulted in a 60 percent decrease in density across the model range. The Portal now includes the updated layers in the Theme Map, Data Explorer, and on the Data Download page. An updated technical report is pending and will be posted on the MDAT website when released.
Screenshot of Marine Life & Habitat theme map showing modeled density of leatherback sea turtle in December.
