DIGITAL AERIAL BASELINE SURVEY OF MARINE WILDLIFE. In Support of New York State Offshore Wind Energy

Transcription

1 DIGITAL AERIAL BASELINE SURVEY OF MARINE WILDLIFE In Support of New York State Offshore Wind Energy

2 NYS Offshore Wind Energy (OSW) Development OSW represents an essential renewable energy resource for NYS toward achieving its State Energy Plan targets including meeting half of NYS electricity with renewable resources. NYS goal is to advance OSW in a manner that is sensitive to environmental, maritime and social issues in a cost effective manner that maximizes environmental and economic benefits

3 Aerial Digital Survey Requirements and Objectives Baseline data on potential wildlife exposure of NY Offshore Planning Area (OPA) Quarterly aerial digital surveys for three years Sample 5-10% of OPA Image resolution 1-2 cm GSD

4 Webinar Goals High Level Summary and Discussion of Approach Review and feedback on timing of seasonal surveys Feedback on distribution and format of data Identify other potential collaborators to leverage the work for increased value Feedback and suggestions should be sent to:

5 Ann Pembroke Project Manager Christian Newman Subcontract Manager Stuart Clough Technical Director APEM Julia Robinson Willmott Technical Director Normandeau Data Collection David Campbell Image Analysis Simon Warford Data Management/ Reporting Survey Design Mark Rehfisch Survey Execution Tracy Shaw Preproccess Image ID QA/QC Simon Warford Stephanie McGovern Lauren Hooton Melinda Sweeny Adam Kent Crissy Sutter Karen Gilland Greg Forcey Crissy Sutter John McCarthy Stephanie McGovern Robert Kenney Mark Rehfisch Laura Jervis

6 Outline Normandeau/APEM Team Proposal Framework Known Wildlife Distributions in OPA Approach Camera Sensor Flight Planning and Survey Design Data Output Adaptive Methods Consideration Survey Timing Data Distribution Opportunities for collaboration

7 Normandeau/APEM Team Proposal Framework Confidence Species Identification Geospatial Accuracy Statistically and Scientifically Defensible Flexibility Offshore Planning Area (OPA) vs Wind Energy Area (WEA) Design Forward Thinking Change Detection Extra Data Potential Other Uses

8 KNOWN WILDLIFE DISTRIBUTIONS IN OPA

9 Data Sources: Spatial Data Northwest Atlantic Seabird Catalog by USGS, BOEM, available at NOAA New England Aquarium using the North Atlantic Right Whale Consortium MARCO Mid-Atlantic Ocean Data Portal

10 Spatial: Birds

11 Spatial: Birds

12 Spatial: Roseate Tern NY Offshore Planning Area NY Wind Energy Area Atlantic Offshore Seabird Dataset Catalog!( Roseate Tern ROTE Probability High Low

13 Spatial: Turtles NY Offshore Planning Area NY Wind Energy Area Turtles Summer Sightings Per Unit Effort NY Offshore Planning Area NY Wind Energy Area Turtles Fall Sightings Per Unit Effort!( 1-100!( !( !( 800-1,565 Relative Abundance !( 1-40!( 40-90!( !( Relative Abundance

14 Spatial: Marine Mammals Showing sperm whale, sei whale, right whale, minke whale, humpback whale, fin whale

15 APPROACH

16 Key Advantages to 1.5 cm Resolution More accurate measurements of head to tail and wingspan lengths Greater confidence in identification based on measurements (e.g., Flying shearwaters and sitting alcids and gulls) Greater confidence in identification of terns, bill colour visible at 1.5 cm High quality imagery resulting in more accurate flight height calculation Increased identification rates for most species Increased chance of identifying specific individual mammals based on their unique patterning

17 Key Advantages to 1.5 cm Resolution 1.5cm resolution is the same as a nickel at sea-surface More accurate measurements of head to tail and wingspan lengths Greater confidence in identification based on measurements (e.g., Flying shearwaters and sitting alcids and gulls) Greater confidence in identification of terns, bill colour visible at 1.5 cm High quality imagery resulting in more accurate flight height calculation Increased identification rates for most species Increased chance of identifying specific individual mammals based on their unique patterning

18 Bird Identification Rates: 2 cm v predicted 1.5 cm Ducks Species Group / Species % ID (2cm) % ID (1.5cm) Black Scoter >85% >98% Surf Scoter >75% >98% White-winged Scoter >75% >98% Red-breasted Merganser >80% >98% Long-tailed Duck >85% >95% Loons Common Loon >90% >98% Red-throated Loon >90% >98% Petrels and Shearwaters Wilson s Storm Petrel >75% >85% Great Shearwater >80% >90% Cory s Shearwater >80% >90% Manx Shearwater >60% >80% Audubon s Shearwater >60% >80% Sooty Shearwater >60% >80% Jeagers and Skuas Parasitic Jaeger >85% >95% Pomarine Jaeger >85% >95%

19 Bird Identification Rates: 2 cm v predicted 1.5 cm % ID (2cm ) % ID (1.5cm) Species Group / Species Gulls and Terns Great Black-backed Gull 100% 100% Lesser Black-backed Gull 100% 100% Herring Gull >90% >99% Laughing Gull >85% >95% Ring-billed Gull >50% >60% Kittiwake >85% >95% Bonaparte s Gull >80% >90% Caspian Tern >85% >95% Royal Tern >85% >95% Common Tern >60% >75% Roseate Tern >60% >75% Least Tern >60% >75% Black Tern >60% >75% Forster s Tern >60% >75% Black Skimmer >95% >95% Alcids Common Murre >95% Summer, <50% in Winter >98% Summer, <50% in Winter Razorbill >90% Summer, <50% in Winter >99% in Summer, <50% in Winter Dovekie >60% >90% Atlantic Puffin >60% >90%

20 Flight Planning Twin Engine capable of flying less than 140 knots Proposed to fly at 1360 ft Safety Weather Resolution Coverage

21 Survey Design Confidence in Estimates Without small confidence intervals it is impossible to assess if environmental change has had a significant impact on a population - High confidence = small confidence intervals - Low confidence = large confidence intervals Low confidence overlapping confidence intervals High confidence non-overlapping confidence intervals 24

22 Survey Design OPA=43,650 km 2 7% Transect of OPA (3073 km 2 ) 584 m x 110 m ground sampling per image 10% Grid of WEA + 4 km buffer (128 km 2 ) 330 m x 219 m ground sampling per image Rationale for Transect and Grid Design

23 Survey Design

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25 Survey Design

26 Scoter species estimate Survey Design: Confident Change Detection Project Example: Calculate the confidence intervals (and associated % coverage) of common scoter abundance derived from grid and transect survey designs using Markov-Chain Monte Carlo simulations (MCMC) on data collected at Carmarthen Bay Grid population estimate Grid lower CL Grid upper CL Transect Population estimate Transect lower CL Coverage (%)

27 Survey Design: Accommodating Glare Consideration will be given to: Sun angle (time of day / time of year) Sea state ( 4 or less aiming for 2 or less) Direction of flight in relation to the sun Camera angle Camera technicians continuously monitor the images collected for quality. And image acquisition will be stopped until suitable conditions occur Extra imagery is routinely collected to replace a few expected glint-affected images

28 Data Output: Geospatial Accuracy Custom flight planning software preprograms the survey transects and grids System-specific, aircraft mounted GPS/GNSS systems ensure that surveys are flown as accurately as possible Automatic image acquisition over specified locations As data capture occurs, GPS data are automatically logged with each exposure including the xyz coordinate and heading of the camera at the point of capture

29 Data Output Identify wildlife to lowest possible taxonomic group Birds, marine mammals, turtles, sharks, rays, and fish Geo-rectified image snags with associated meta data including height and direction Other Anthropogenic Data- Boats

30 Data Output: Flight Height Altitude of Aircraft (known) Camera Bird Altitude (calculated) Bird Resolution (Calculated from average size) Surface Resolution (known) 33

31 Data Output: Flight/Path Direction Individual wildlife are georeferenced Bearing is automatically determined from head-tail axis Extraction to GIS Rose diagrams produced for defined areas Predominant flight/path direction is detectable 34

32 Data Output: Flight/Path Direction 35

33 Adaptive Methods Consideration Goal Create best value for 3 year data set Do Year 1 and/or 2 data confirm historical hot spot and cold spots? Stratified by area and/or by target species More detailed data sampling emphasis and/or resolution

34 Data Sources: Temporal Data Northwest Atlantic Seabird Catalog by USGS, BOEM, available at NOAA New England Aquarium using the North Atlantic Right Whale Consortium MARCO Mid-Atlantic Ocean Data Portal ebird

35 # animals Temporal: Marine Mammals 300 Beaked Whale (Mesoplodon sp.) Beluga (Delphinapterus leucas) 250 Blainville's Beaked Whale (Mesoplodon densirostris) Blue Whale (Balaenoptera musculus) Bryde's Whale (Balaenoptera brydei) 200 Cuvier's Beaked Whale (Ziphius cavirostris) Dwarf Sperm Whale (Kogia sima) False Killer Whale (Pseudorca crassidens) 150 Gervais' Beaked Whale (Mesoplodon europaeus) Killer Whale (Orcinus orca) Long-finned Pilot Whale (Globicephala melas) 100 North Atlantic Right Whale (Eubalaena glacialis) Northern Bottlenose Whale (Hyperoodon ampullatus) Pygmy or Dwarf Sperm Whale (Kogia sp.) Pygmy Sperm Whale (Kogia breviceps) 50 Sei Whale (Balaenoptera borealis) Sowerby's Beaked Whale (Mesoplodon bidens) Sperm Whale (Physeter macrocephalus) True's Beaked Whale (Mesoplodon mirus) MAR_APR JUL OCT_NOV

36 # animals Marine Mammals Fin Whale (Balaenoptera physalus) Humpback Whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) Minke Whale (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) Pilot Whale (Globicephala sp.) MAR_APR JUL OCT_NOV

37 Turtles Sightings Per Unit Effort Winter (Dec - Feb) Spring (Mar - May) Summer (Jun - Aug) Fall (Sep - Nov)

38 Temporal: ebird MAR MAY NOV

39 Sensitive Species Population Sensitivity ROST COSH AUSH Collision Sensitivity ROST HERG Jaegers BLKI Displacement Sensitivity ROST ATPU RAZO RTLO NOGA Robinson Willmott, J. C., G. Forcey, and A. Kent The relative vulnerability of migratory bird species to offshore wind energy projects on the Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf. OCS Study BOEM

40 Survey Timings: Winter ATPU HERG Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec 0 Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec RAZO Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec Glaucous Gull Iceland Gull Ring-billed Gull Little Gull Black-legged Kittiwake Razorbill Common Murre Parasitic Jaeger Great Skua Red-necked Phalarope Northern Gannet Sooty Shearwater Northern Fulmar Common Loon Red-breasted Merganser Black Scoter Surf Scoter Feb_Mar

41 Survey Timings: Spring Gray Catbird Eastern Kingbird Common Tern Least Tern Glaucous Gull Iceland Gull Ring-billed Gull Bonaparte's Gull Atlantic Puffin Parasitic Jaeger Great Skua Red-necked Phalarope Double-crested Cormorant Band-rumped Storm-petrel Wilson's Storm-petrel Manx Shearwater Great Shearwater Northern Fulmar Red-throated Loon Black Scoter Surf Scoter Apr_May ROST N.B. Also one LETE record in May Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec

42 Survey Timings: Summer Barn Swallow Arctic Tern Common Tern Roseate Tern Bridled Tern Sooty Tern Great Black-backed Gull Herring Gull Ring-billed Gull Laughing Gull Parasitic Jaeger Pomarine Jaeger South Polar Skua Red Phalarope Red-necked Phalarope Sanderling Semipalmated Plover American Golden Plover Double-crested Cormorant Northern Gannet Band-rumped Storm-petrel Leach's Storm-petrel Wilson's Storm-petrel Audubon's Shearwater Manx Shearwater Sooty Shearwater Great Shearwater Cory's Shearwater Northern Fulmar Common Loon Jul_Aug COSH Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec AUSH Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec

43 Survey Timings: Fall Oct_Nov 400 BLKI Pine Siskin 200 Common Tern Lesser Black-backed Gull 0 Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec Herring Gull Laughing Gull Black-legged Kittiwake Razorbill Jaegers and Skuas Dovekie Pomarine Jaeger 0 Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec Great Skua Red-necked Phalarope RTLO Double-crested Cormorant 20 Leach's Storm-petrel 10 Audubon's Shearwater Sooty Shearwater 0 Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec Cory's Shearwater Common Loon NOGA Long-tailed Duck 1000 Surf Scoter 500 Canada Goose Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec

44 Survey Timing We propose WINTER SPRING SUMMER FALL Feb/Mar End Apr/May End July/Aug Oct/Nov Collaborate with DEC marine mammal surveys

45 Data Distribution AMAPPS program NOAA and USFWS Northwest Atlantic Seabird Catalog by USGS, BOEM, available at NOAA North Atlantic Right Whale Consortium MARCO Mid-Atlantic Data Portal MA Marine Fisheries NY DOS Geographic Information Gateway Large Pelagics Research Center at UMass

46 Leveraging NYSERDA Data Collection Dive and availability biases Beach or terrestrial colony counts Higher resolution for shorebirds Shark, Harbor Seal and Turtle Tags- tracking receivers Thermal surveys Other ideas?

47 Discussion Known Wildlife Distributions in OPA Approach Camera Sensor Flight Planning and Survey Design Data Output Adaptive Methods Consideration Survey Timing Data Distribution Leveraging NYSERDA Data Collection

48 Feedback and suggestions should be sent to:

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