Beacon Wind Digital Aerial Wildlife Surveys for BOEM Lease Area OCS-A 0520, Equinor Wind US LLC, March 2021 – October 2021

Derek Fair; Michelle Fogarty

doi:10.15468/k3dahc

Beacon Wind Digital Aerial Wildlife Surveys for BOEM Lease Area OCS-A 0520, Equinor Wind US LLC, March 2021 – October 2021

Citation

Fair, D. 2022. Beacon Wind Digital Aerial Wildlife Surveys for BOEM Lease Area OCS-A 0520, Equinor Wind US LLC, March 2021 – October 2021. Data downloaded from OBIS-SEAMAP (https://seamap.env.duke.edu/dataset/2187) on yyyy-mm-dd. https://doi.org/10.15468/k3dahc accessed via GBIF.org on 2024-12-13.

Description

Original provider: APEM Inc. Dataset credits: APEM Inc. and Normandeau Associates Inc. Abstract: Equinor Wind US, LLC were committed to undertaking a Construction and Operation Plan (COP) of Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) Lease Area Outer Continental Shelf (OCS-A) 0520, now called Beacon Wind. To facilitate this, 12 surveys were undertaken by APEM Inc. and Normandeau Associates, Inc. (Normandeau-APEM Team) between March 2021 and October 2021 to provide baseline information for consideration in the assessment of potential impacts. Additional surveys were collected between December 2019 and November 2020 and can be accessed . Purpose: Equinor initiated monthly offshore high resolution aerial surveys of marine mega-fauna in the Massachusetts Lease Area plus a 4 km (2.5 mile) buffer. The surveys used APEM Inc.'s ultra-high resolution aerial digital still imagery. The aims and objectives of the work are to assess the abundance and distribution of birds, marine mammals, sharks, rays, and turtles present in the Lease Area OCS-A 0520 over the course of the spring to fall period. The surveys will provide the baseline information required for conducting impact assessments and are consistent with the survey guidelines for providing avian, marine mammal, and sea turtle information for renewable energy development on the OCS (BOEM 2017 and 2019). The dataset is comprised of observations and survey track line information collected from March 2021 to October 2021 (12 surveys in total) APEM analyzed the images to enumerate birds to species level, and to enumerate any other non-avian marine fauna. Normandeau provided quality assurance (QA) of the data. Supplemental information: [2022-06-06] The following recorded species names got their assigned scientific names corrected. BILLFISH SPECIES: Alcidae => Istiophoridae LARGE GULL SPECIES: Leucophaeus atricilla => Ciconiiformes SEAL SPECIES: Otariidae => Caniformia SANDBAR SHARK: Calidris alba => Carcharhinus plumbeus

Purpose

Equinor initiated monthly offshore high resolution aerial surveys of marine mega-fauna in the Massachusetts Lease Area plus a 4 km (2.5 mile) buffer. The surveys used APEM Inc.'s ultra-high resolution aerial digital still imagery. The aims and objectives of the work are to assess the abundance and distribution of birds, marine mammals, sharks, rays, and turtles present in the Lease Area OCS-A 0520 over the course of the spring to fall period. The surveys will provide the baseline information required for conducting impact assessments and are consistent with the survey guidelines for providing avian, marine mammal, and sea turtle information for renewable energy development on the OCS (BOEM 2017 and 2019). The dataset is comprised of observations and survey track line information collected from March 2021 to October 2021 (12 surveys in total) APEM analyzed the images to enumerate birds to species level, and to enumerate any other non-avian marine fauna. Normandeau provided quality assurance (QA) of the data.

Sampling Description

Study Extent

NA

Sampling

NA

Method steps

NA

Additional info

marine, harvested by iOBIS

Taxonomic Coverages

Scientific names are based on the Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS).

Thunnus thynnus
common name: Atlantic bluefin tuna rank: species
Fratercula arctica
common name: Atlantic Puffin rank: species
Alcidae
rank: family
Cetorhinus maximus
common name: basking shark rank: species
Istiophoridae
common name: billfishes rank: family
Chlidonias niger
common name: Black Tern rank: species
Prionace glauca
common name: blue shark rank: species
Chroicocephalus philadelphia
common name: Bonaparte's Gull rank: species
Tursiops truncatus
common name: Common Bottlenose Dolphin rank: species
Carcharhinidae
rank: family
Carcharhinidae
rank: family
Sterna
rank: genus
Delphinus delphis
common name: Short-beaked Common Dolphin rank: species
Gavia immer
common name: Common Loon rank: species
Balaenoptera acutorostrata
common name: Minke Whale rank: species
Sterna hirundo
common name: Common Tern rank: species
Uria
rank: genus
Calonectris diomedea
common name: Cory's Shearwater rank: species
Delphinidae
common name: dolphins rank: family
Anatidae
common name: Ducks rank: family
Carcharhinus obscurus
common name: dusky shark rank: species
Halichoerus grypus
common name: Atlantic gray seal rank: species
Larus marinus
common name: Great Black-backed Gull rank: species
Puffinus gravis
common name: Great Shearwater rank: species
Stercorarius skua
common name: Great Skua rank: species
Ciconiiformes
common name: Ciconiiformes rank: order
Sphyrnidae
common name: bonnethead sharks rank: family
Phocoena phocoena
common name: Harbor Porpoise rank: species
Larus argentatus
common name: Herring Gull rank: species
Lepidochelys kempii
common name: Kemp's Ridley rank: species
Ciconiiformes
common name: Ciconiiformes rank: order
Procellariidae
common name: Fulmars / Petrels / Shearwaters rank: family
Leucophaeus atricilla
common name: Laughing Gull rank: species
Dermochelys coriacea
common name: Leatherback Sea Turtle rank: species
Larus fuscus
common name: Lesser Black-backed Gull rank: species
Caretta caretta
common name: Loggerhead Sea Turtle rank: species
Clangula hyemalis
common name: Long-tailed Duck rank: species
Gaviidae
common name: Divers rank: family
Coryphaena hippurus
common name: dolphinfish rank: species
Coryphaena hippurus
common name: dolphinfish rank: species
Puffinus puffinus
common name: Manx Shearwater rank: species
Mammalia
common name: mammals rank: class
Alcidae
rank: family
Fulmarus glacialis
common name: Northern Fulmar rank: species
Morus bassanus
common name: Northern Gannet rank: species
Mola mola
common name: ocean sunfish rank: species
Alca torda
common name: Razorbill rank: species
Phalaropus fulicarius
common name: Red Phalarope rank: species
Phalaropus
rank: genus
Gavia stellata
common name: Red-throated Loon rank: species
Sterna dougallii
common name: Roseate Tern rank: species
Carcharhinus plumbeus
common name: sandbar shark rank: species
Sphyrna lewini
common name: scalloped hammerhead rank: species
Melanitta
common name: Scoters rank: genus
Caniformia
common name: pinnipeds rank: suborder
Elasmobranchii
common name: cartilaginous fishes rank: subclass
Masturus lanceolatus
common name: sharptail mola rank: species
Procellariidae
common name: Fulmars / Petrels / Shearwaters rank: family
Isurus oxyrinchus
common name: shortfin mako rank: species
Carcharhinus falciformis
common name: silky shark rank: species
Ciconiiformes
common name: Ciconiiformes rank: order
Procellariidae
common name: Fulmars / Petrels / Shearwaters rank: family
Puffinus griseus
common name: Sooty Shearwater rank: species
Stercorarius maccormicki
common name: South Polar Skua rank: species
Sterna
rank: genus
Oceanodroma
common name: Dark Storm Petrels rank: genus
Centrarchidae
common name: sunfishes rank: family
Laridae
common name: Gulls rank: family
Alopias vulpinus
rank: species
Galeocerdo cuvier
common name: tiger shark rank: species
Perciformes
rank: order
Aves
common name: Birds rank: class
Rhincodon typus
common name: whale shark rank: species
Cetacea
common name: cetaceans rank: order
Carcharodon carcharias
common name: Great white shark rank: species
Melanitta fusca
common name: Velvet Scoter rank: species

Geographic Coverages

North Atlantic

Bibliographic Citations

Contacts

Derek Fair
originator
position: Primary contact
APEM Limited
email: D.Fair@apemltd.co.uk

Michelle Fogarty
originator
position: Primary contact
Equinor
email: MFOG@equinor.com

OBIS-SEAMAP
metadata author
Marine Geospatial Ecology Lab, Duke University
A328 LSRC building
Durham
27708
NC
US
email: seamap-contact@duke.edu
homepage: https://seamap.env.duke.edu

OBIS-SEAMAP
distributor
Marine Geospatial Ecology Lab, Duke University
A328 LSRC building
Durham
27708
NC
US
email: seamap-contact@duke.edu
homepage: https://seamap.env.duke.edu

Derek Fair
owner
position: Primary contact
APEM Limited
email: D.Fair@apemltd.co.uk

Michelle Fogarty
owner
position: Primary contact
Equinor
email: MFOG@equinor.com

Derek Fair
administrative point of contact
position: Primary contact
APEM Limited
email: D.Fair@apemltd.co.uk

Michelle Fogarty
administrative point of contact
position: Primary contact
Equinor
email: MFOG@equinor.com