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Marine Geospatial Ecology Lab @duke-mgel.bsky.social · Jul 19

Authors: Daniel Dunn, Jesse Cleary, S. DeLand, N. Bax, Lily Bentley, Corrie Curtice, Ben Donnelly, P.K. Dunstan, C. Barrio Froján, K.M. Gjerde, V. Gunn, D.E. Johnson, E. Klein, C.Y. Kot, D. Nisthar, G. Ortuño Crespo, and P.N. Halpin
Shout out to everyone involved in the synthesis of the EBSA process

Marine Geospatial Ecology Lab @duke-mgel.bsky.social · Jul 19

(3/3) 🔍 Why This Matters
This work supports marine spatial planning under the BBNJ Treaty.
It also highlights next steps:
🧩 Filling ecological and geographic data gaps
📑 Updating EBSA templates
🌐 Linking EBSAs to national & global protection targets

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Marine Geospatial Ecology Lab @duke-mgel.bsky.social · Jul 19

(2/3) 📊 What Did We Learn?
✅ Many EBSAs lack explicit management measures
🌍 Deep-sea & pelagic ecosystems are underrepresented
🔬 Coastal EBSAs often aggregate multiple habitats (e.g., coral, mangrove, seagrass)
⚠️ ¼ of EBSAs are >100,000 km² but rarely have planning frameworks

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Marine Geospatial Ecology Lab @duke-mgel.bsky.social · Jul 19

(1/3) 🧭 What’s in an EBSA?
The paper groups EBSAs into four types based on size and spatial stability:
🔹 Small & static
🔹 Large & static
🔹 Ephemeral
🔹 Dynamic
It classifies each by jurisdiction (national, transboundary, ABNJ)- helping clarify kind of monitoring or management may be possible.

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Marine Geospatial Ecology Lab @duke-mgel.bsky.social · Jul 19

🌊 What is an EBSA—and Why Does It Matter?
MGEL researchers co-authored a global synthesis of Ecologically or Biologically Significant Areas (EBSAs) analyzing 338 EBSAs described across 15 regional workshops—covering 75% of the global ocean
www.nature.com/articles/s44...

What is an ecologically or biologically significant area? - npj Ocean Sustainability

npj Ocean Sustainability - What is an ecologically or biologically significant area?

www.nature.com

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Marine Geospatial Ecology Lab @duke-mgel.bsky.social · Jul 19

Authored by Bokgyeong Kang, Alan Gelfand, Erin Schliep, Rob Schick, Tina Yack, and Christopher W. Clark
🔬 Supported by ONR, NOAA Fisheries, and SERDP
🏛️ With contributions from Duke University, Dongguk University, NC State, Cornell, and Southall Environmental Associates

Marine Geospatial Ecology Lab @duke-mgel.bsky.social · Jul 19

(3/3)🔍Why It Matters
First network-level model for right whale calling, offering a new way to quantify acoustic interactions across space and time.
✅ Useful for population monitoring
✅ Supports impact assessments for vessel noise and OSW
✅ Bridges statistical modeling and conservation science

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Marine Geospatial Ecology Lab @duke-mgel.bsky.social · Jul 19

(2/3)📊What the Model Shows
🔹 Separates contact calls from response calls
🔹 Finds more calling at night (diel pattern)
🔹 Shows calling drops with rising ambient noise
🔹 Estimates ~4.6 min response time & ~10 km range

Together, these insights refine how we interpret whale behavior from acoustic data.

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Marine Geospatial Ecology Lab @duke-mgel.bsky.social · Jul 19

(1/3) 📍 Study Design
📍 Location: Cape Cod Bay
🎙️ 2,750 upcalls
🎧 10 hydrophones
🕒 24-hour acoustic coverage

This model adds a behavioral lens to passive acoustic data—letting us study not just where whales are, but how they interact.

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Marine Geospatial Ecology Lab @duke-mgel.bsky.social · Jul 19

📍New Modeling Reveals Right Whale Communication Patterns
How do North Atlantic right whales use sound to communicate?
A new study introduces a framework to model upcalls—using a multivariate Hawkes process to separate contact calls from response (counter) calls.
www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

Analyzing Whale Calling through Hawkes Process Modeling

Sound is assumed to be the primary modality of communication among marine mammal species. Analyzing acoustic recordings helps to understand the function of the acoustic signals as well as the possi...

www.tandfonline.com

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Marine Geospatial Ecology Lab @duke-mgel.bsky.social · Jul 19

✍️ Led by Duke’s Marine Geospatial Ecology Lab, with contributions from Jason Roberts, Arliss Winship, Andrew DiMatteo and Laura Sparks. With input from the University of St Andrews (Project WOW), supported by the U.S. Department of Energy (EERE), BOEM, and the Wind Energy Technologies Office (WETO).

Marine Geospatial Ecology Lab @duke-mgel.bsky.social · Jul 19

(3/3) 👩‍🔬 Author Team
Grateful to the authors, funders and institutions whose efforts made this work possible:
📌 Deborah N. Brill, Jesse Cleary, Jason J. Roberts, Bryce R. O’Brien, and Patrick N. Halpin
#MGEL #MarineScience #SpatialEcology #FrontiersInMarineScience

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Marine Geospatial Ecology Lab @duke-mgel.bsky.social · Jul 19

(2/3) 🔍 Why It Matters
This study feeds into the OERC framework—Occurrence, Exposure, Response, Consequence—helping agencies and developers reduce risks to marine life.
✅ Informs seasonal construction timing
✅ Supports adaptive management
✅ Adds ecological context to long-term OSW planning

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Marine Geospatial Ecology Lab @duke-mgel.bsky.social · Jul 19

(1/3) 📊 Key Highlights
🔹 84 species modeled, including whales, sea turtles & seabirds
🔹 Monthly density maps for each WELA + 10 km buffer
🔹 >50% of species exceed regional thresholds during the year
🔹 Designed to support BOEM & NOAA permitting and mitigation

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Marine Geospatial Ecology Lab @duke-mgel.bsky.social · Jul 19

📍 Mapping Wildlife in U.S. Offshore Wind Areas (OSW)
MGEL-led research presents first monthly maps of 84 marine species across 29 U.S. Atlantic OSW lease areas+10 km buffer—providing a baseline to identify where and when wildlife overlaps with OSW development.
📖 www.frontiersin.org/articles/10....

Frontiers | Expected occurrence of wildlife in US Atlantic offshore wind areas

IntroductionOffshore wind energy has entered a pivotal phase of development for the U.S. Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf (OCS), a region that supports criti...

www.frontiersin.org

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Marine Geospatial Ecology Lab @duke-mgel.bsky.social · Jun 4

Thanks to @anacanadas.bsky.social for presenting this important work on behalf of the MGEL team!

Marine Geospatial Ecology Lab @duke-mgel.bsky.social · Jun 4

Huge shoutout to @anacanadas.bsky.social and the MGEL team for this ambitious effort!
A massive collaborative dataset, rigorous modeling & timely insight into Mediterranean cetaceans—especially sperm whales.

Incredible work presented at #ECSconference2025 🐋🧪
#MarineConservation #MGEL #OceanScience

Luke Rendell @lrendell.bsky.social · May 15

Super complex but important work by @anacanadas.bsky.social who modelled Mediterranean cetacean abundance using multiple data sources - estimates of total sperm whale abundance had no upper ci above 5.5k supporting recent 'Endangered' IUCN listing doi.org/10.2305/IUCN... #ECSconference2025 🧪🐋🦑

Ana Cañadas in front of a slide detailing the strengths of her multiple data source modelling approach

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Marine Geospatial Ecology Lab @duke-mgel.bsky.social · Jun 3

Post 4:
🙏 Funding provided by United States Fleet Forces Command and managed by Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command Atlantic.
Grateful for the support that makes large-scale marine science possible.
🔗 Conference: europeancetaceansociety.eu/36th-annual-...
#MarineResearch #ScienceForImpact

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Marine Geospatial Ecology Lab @duke-mgel.bsky.social · Jun 3

Post 3:
📊 A comprehensive view of species-level distribution & abundance across the basin — enabling long-term conservation and ecosystem monitoring.
Led by MGEL @ Duke University, in close collaboration with regional experts.
#Biodiversity #DukeUniversity #ClimateScience

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Marine Geospatial Ecology Lab @duke-mgel.bsky.social · Jun 3

Post 2:
🔍 We analyzed 1.6M km of aerial + shipboard surveys (1991–2022) across the Mediterranean, with data from 42 orgs.
➡️ ~41,000 observations
➡️ 14 species
➡️ 9 species modeled using density surfaces
➡️ Bias corrections applied
#OceanScience #MarineMammals #MGEL

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Marine Geospatial Ecology Lab @duke-mgel.bsky.social · Jun 3

Post 1:
🌊 MGEL at the 36th European Cetacean Society Conference 🐬
Ana Maria Cañadas Carbó presented MGEL’s work in the Azores (May 2025) as part of ECS’s “Navigating Waters of Change” theme — spotlighting critical marine science in uncertain times.
#ECS2025 #MarineConservation #Cetaceans

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Marine Geospatial Ecology Lab @duke-mgel.bsky.social · May 26

(3/3)
🌊 Species don’t migrate in fragments—so our conservation strategies shouldn’t either.
This map of measured connectivity helps turn scientific knowledge into marine protection that works.
Explore: mico.eco
#MarineConnectivity #ScienceToPolicy #GlobalOcean #MiCO

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Marine Geospatial Ecology Lab @duke-mgel.bsky.social · May 26

(2/3)
🔹 Design MPA networks that follow species across seasons and borders
🔹 Coordinate regional policies where species move between EEZs
🔹 Feed into global frameworks like BBNJ, CBD, GBF (30x30)
🔹 Improve EIAs and marine spatial plans with movement data

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Marine Geospatial Ecology Lab @duke-mgel.bsky.social · May 26

(1/3)
📉 Migratory species face rising threats—yet most protections are static and jurisdiction-bound
🗺️ This study maps how species actually move: across EEZs, ocean basins, and management regimes
🌐 A practical foundation to help planners, scientists, and policymakers act at the right scale

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Marine Geospatial Ecology Lab @duke-mgel.bsky.social · May 26

🧭 From Migration Maps to Policy Impact
This global synthesis of marine megafauna movement isn’t just academic—it’s a tool for action.
From BBNJ to 30x30, this work supports science-based decision-making across ocean governance.
#MarinePolicy #ScienceToAction #BBNJ

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