Gulf of Mexico Sea Turtle Atlas
Implementing Organization
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; US Department of the Interior
Overview
DWH Project Funding
$5,700,000
Known Leveraged Funding
$0
Funding Organization
Natural Resource Damage Assessment Trustees (NRDA)
Funding Program
Natural Resource Damage Assessment NRDA
Details
Project Category
Environmental
Project Actions
Species Restoration
Targeted Resources
Sea Turtles
Project Description
This project will develop a Gulf of Mexico Atlas to provide a central platform to access and view existing and future sea turtle data that are currently dispersed across various entities. The Atlas information will be accessible to restoration planners and resource managers, and will better inform sea turtle restoration efforts. The Atlas will be updated over time to ensure that it remains both current and easily accessible and will help maximize restoration planning efforts for sea turtles injured by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill and supports all the Trustees’ restoration goals for sea turtles. This project requires coordination among numerous entities. A steering committee will be formed to identify, locate, and prioritize data needs. The committee will also be responsible for developing strategies for engaging existing data holders and addressing the technical requirements of the database. Incentives may be offered to facilitate participation and develop data sharing agreements. Following data acquisition and development of the interface, data will be processed, standardized, and incorporated in an efficient and user-friendly format. The Atlas will be a place where data summaries or products could be contributed by several sources. The Atlas will be publicly launched with ongoing refinement, monitoring, and management. Maintenance will include troubleshooting technical issues, ongoing incorporation of new datasets, updating of existing datasets, and supporting external uses of datasets. The project geographic area of focus includes the entire Gulf of Mexico and would engage partners from the Gulf states. The first two year...click on "More Info" link below
Contact
Stephen Heverly(301) 427-8626
stephen.heverly@noaa.gov
Project Website
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