Spatial modelling of aerial survey data reveals an important European storm-petrel hotspot and its underlying drivers within the North-East Atlantic

Determining the distribution and population size of marine species is crucial for conservation and management. However, for many species, the abundance and at-sea distribution are poorly known because of their large geographic ranges, high mobility, and cryptic breeding habits. This is especially true for small pelagic seabirds such as the European storm-petrel. Large-scale observer-based aerial surveys were conducted over four summers in the North-East Atlantic extending 200 nautical miles from the coast of Ireland. Species distribution models were produced using generalised additive models with a combination of static and dynamic environmental variables to assess the impact of survey altitude on storm-petrel detectability, and to model their abundance and distribution. Reduced storm-petrel detectability was identified at higher survey altitudes and rougher seas, and an at-sea abundance of 154,044 (95% CI: 94,347 – 452,299) individuals was estimated. Our results reveal fine scale varia..., , , # **Spatial modelling of aerial survey data reveals important European storm-petrel hotspots and their underlying drivers within the North-East Atlantic** [https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.c2fqz61kc](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.c2fqz61kc) ## Description of the data and file structure Offshore broad-scale and coastal fine-scale aerial surveys were conducted in the Irish Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) by a team of trained observers between May and September in 2015, 2016, 2021, and 2022, following a standard strip-transect methodology. All sightings of storm-petrels within 200m of the transect line on each side of the aircraft, and the group size, were recorded. Generalised Additive Models (GAMs) were used to predict the distribution and abundance of storm-petrels in the study area using this extensive survey dataset and a combination of static and dynamic predictor variables. ### Files and variables #### File: aerial\_survey\_data.zip **Description:** Folder containing aerial survey...,探明海洋物种的空间分布与种群规模，对物种保护与资源管理至关重要。然而，受广阔的地理分布范围、极强的移动性以及隐蔽的繁殖习性等因素影响，多数海洋物种的种群丰度与海上分布情况仍鲜为人知，对于欧洲风暴海燕这类小型远洋海鸟而言，这一问题尤为突出。 研究团队在爱尔兰海岸向外延伸200海里的东北大西洋（North-East Atlantic）海域，连续四个夏季开展了基于观测员的大型航空调查。本研究结合静态与动态环境变量，采用广义可加模型（Generalized Additive Model, GAM）构建物种分布模型，用以评估调查高度对风暴海燕探测率的影响，并模拟其种群丰度与空间分布。研究发现，当调查高度更高、海况更恶劣时，风暴海燕的探测率会显著降低；同时估算得到该海域风暴海燕的海上种群丰度为154044只（95%置信区间：94347~452299只）。本研究结果揭示了精细尺度下的空间变异性…… # **航空调查数据的空间建模揭示东北大西洋欧洲风暴海燕的重要热点区域及其潜在驱动因子** https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.c2fqz61kc ## 数据与文件结构说明 2015、2016、2021及2022年的5月至9月间，经专业培训的观测团队在爱尔兰专属经济区（Exclusive Economic Zone, EEZ）内，依据标准样带调查法开展了近海大范围与近岸精细尺度的航空调查。调查过程中，记录了飞机两侧样带线200米范围内观测到的所有风暴海燕个体及其集群规模。本研究利用该大规模调查数据集，结合静态与动态预测变量，采用广义可加模型（GAMs）对研究区域内风暴海燕的分布与丰度进行预测。 ### 文件与变量 #### 文件：aerial_survey_data.zip **描述：** 本文件夹包含航空调查……