Spatial and temporal variation in the occurrence of bottlenose dolphins in the Chesapeake Bay, USA, using citizen science sighting data.

ABSTRACT: Bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) are migratory marine mammals that live in both open-ocean and coastal habitats. Although widely studied, little is known about their occurrence patterns in the highly urbanized estuary of the Chesapeake Bay, USA. The goal of this study was to establish the spatial and temporal distribution of bottlenose dolphins throughout this large estuarine system and use statistical modeling techniques to determine how their distribution relates to environmental factors. Three years (April-October 2017-2019) of dolphin sighting reports from a citizen-science database, Chesapeake DolphinWatch, were analyzed. The dolphins had a distinct temporal pattern, most commonly sighted during summer months, peaking in July. This pattern of observed occurrence was confirmed

SUBMITTER: Rodriguez LK 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8130941 | biostudies-literature | 2021

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature