Puffin Breeding Season Density Surfaces in UK Waters

UK waters are covered by krigged density surfaces for puffins during the breeding season. The surfaces were created by modelling ESAS data on a 6km by 6km grid to identify areas of relative high density. The dataset was produced by the Joint Nature Conservation Committee and last updated on 2026-04-14.

Use Cases

• Identify potential marine Special Protection Areas based on relative high density surfaces.
• Model seabird distribution patterns in UK waters during the breeding season.
• Analyze spatial overlap between puffin hotspots and other marine activities.

Strengths

• Data is modeled on a standardized 6km by 6km grid.
• Surfaces are derived from ESAS (European Seabirds at Sea) survey data.
• Produced by the authoritative Joint Nature Conservation Committee.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count and file size are unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Data may reflect geographic and temporal bias inherent to the source surveys.

Provenance

Source

Joint Nature Conservation Committee

Collection Method

Kriging interpolation of ESAS (European Seabirds at Sea) survey data.

Time Range

Breeding season (specific years not provided).

Freshness

Last updated 2026-04-14 09:45:16.148992; freshness should be verified.

Geography

UK waters.