Using individual-based models to assess impacts of disturbances on marine populations - lessons learned from the DEPONS project
Agent-based models are unique in allowing population impacts of anthropogenic disturbances to emerge from their impact on individual animals. In the DEPONS model individual animals get deterred by noise, which reduces their foraging efficiency and potentially also their fitness. It has been paramete...
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| Format: | Conference Object |
| Language: | English |
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2018
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| Online Access: | https://pure.au.dk/portal/da/publications/using-individualbased-models-to-assess-impacts-of-disturbances-on-marine-populations--lessons-learned-from-the-depons-project(b2ffb410-c7db-4c81-8553-86b1bffa5b8f).html http://www.inpas.nl |
| Summary: | Agent-based models are unique in allowing population impacts of anthropogenic disturbances to emerge from their impact on individual animals. In the DEPONS model individual animals get deterred by noise, which reduces their foraging efficiency and potentially also their fitness. It has been parameterized based on movement and distribution data for harbor porpoises to assess population impacts of wind farm construction. These impacts were negligible when simulating the construction of a realistic number of wind farms in the North Sea. They only became visible when increasing simulated noise levels to let animals respond up to 20–50 km from the construction area. In that case the population impacts depended on the piling schedule. This demonstrates how agent-based models can be used for spatial planning to reduce impacts of anthropogenic disturbances based on well understood processes and empirical data. |
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