Using volunteered geographic information to model blue whale foraging habitat, Southern California Bight ...

• Main Author: Bissell, Matthew W. author
• Format: Thesis
• Language: English
• Published: University of Southern California Digital Library (USC.DL) 2013
• Subjects: Geographic Information Science and Technology degree program; Master of Science degree; College of Letters, Arts and Sciences school; Balaenoptera musculus; baleen whale; Blue whale
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.25549/usctheses-c3-331686; https://digitallibrary.usc.edu/asset-management/2A3BF1LXW3VD

Using volunteered geographic information (VGI) to model blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus) foraging habitat, this thesis assesses the utility of citizen science in cetacean research and marine spatial management. A unique and new data source on whale locations, observation data collected voluntarily by whale-watching vessels, was procured, compiled, and digitized. The utility of this newfound dataset was investigated through its use in probabilistic habitat suitability analyses and description of species phenology. A statistical analysis of whale observations was used to quantify seasonal variability of three common baleen whale species within the study area. Among these, blue whales exhibit the highest degree of seasonal variability with a mean seasonal abundance occurring in late July. Maximum entropy modeling was used to illustrate potential blue whale foraging areas based on three environmental variables: bathymetry, sea surface temperature, and chlorophyll-a concentrations. Spatial patterns of whale ...