Lee County 1994-1998 Manatee Distribution Survey Theoretical Flight Path

Aerial distribution surveys are used by marine mammal biologists from FWC and other agencies to determine the seasonal distribution of manatees. Most surveys are conducted from small, four-seat, high-winged airplanes (Cessna 172 or 182) flying at a height of 500-1000 ft at a speed of 70-90 kts. Small helicopters may be used instead of fixed wing aircraft in urban areas or where waters are particularly opaque and hovering may be required. Surveys are flown along a standardized, theoretical flight route, which was designed to cover all likely manatee habitats in the study area. This "theoretical flight path" indicates the area that was covered during each survey, but it may not be the actual flight route flown on every survey. GPS tracklines recorded during surveys may be available for some flights. The survey area includes most of the rivers and coastal waters of Lee County. The major bodies of water include Caloosahatchee and Orange Rivers, San Carlos and Estero Bays, Matlacha Pass and Pine Island Sound. Many undeveloped areas that are under state or federal management were part of the study area.来自FWC及其他机构的海洋哺乳动物生物学家采用航空分布调查方法，以确定海牛（manatee）的季节性分布范围。多数调查由小型四座高翼飞机（赛斯纳172或182，Cessna 172 or 182）执行，飞行高度为500至1000英尺，飞行速度为70至90节。在城市区域或水体浑浊度较高、需要悬停作业的场景中，可使用小型直升机替代固定翼飞机。调查沿标准化的理论飞行航线开展，该航线的设计目标是覆盖研究区域内所有潜在的海牛栖息地。该"理论飞行路径"标明了每次调查所覆盖的区域，但实际执行的飞行航线未必与之一一吻合。部分飞行任务可获取调查期间记录的GPS航迹线（GPS tracklines）数据。本次调查的范围覆盖李县（Lee County）境内绝大多数河流与近海水域，主要水域包括卡卢萨哈奇河（Caloosahatchee River）、奥兰治河（Orange River）、圣卡洛斯湾（San Carlos Bay）、埃斯特罗湾（Estero Bay）、马特拉查水道（Matlacha Pass）以及派恩岛湾（Pine Island Sound）。诸多由州级或联邦机构管理的未开发区域也被纳入本次研究范围。