Arctic Marine Mammal Relative Densities from Hierarchical Bayesian Model

A collection of spatiotemporal distribution data for polar bears, Atlantic walruses, and ringed seals in the Kara Sea, derived from a hierarchical Poisson point process model applied to heterogeneous survey data. It includes relative density estimates linked to environmental covariates like ice concentration and distance to coast over a 17-year study period. The data was compiled by Jussi Mäkinen from scientific literature and open repositories to analyze distributional shifts.

Use Cases

• Model the effect of ice concentration and distance to coast covariates on the relative density of Arctic marine mammals.
• Analyze spatiotemporal distribution shifts of ringed seals between the Eastern and Western Kara Sea over the 17-year period.
• Investigate the relationship between polar bear relative density and seal relative density within a simple trophic system.
• Apply hierarchical Bayesian modeling techniques to integrate heterogeneous observation data from literature and surveys for density estimation.

Strengths

• Data integrates heterogeneous sources including scientific papers and open repositories for three key Arctic species.
• Covers a 17-year study period, allowing for analysis of temporal trends in distribution.
• Model outputs include relative densities explained by specific environmental covariates and random effects.

Limitations

• Data represents relative density, not absolute abundance, due to lack of survey intensity information in source materials.
• Geographic scope is limited to the Arctic shelf area, specifically the Kara Sea.
• The heterogeneous nature of the source data may introduce integration challenges or inconsistencies.

Provenance

Source

Dryad, authored by Jussi Mäkinen.

Collection Method

Literature search and data extraction from survey data, mapped to a grid and analyzed via a hierarchical Poisson point process model.

Time Range

17-year study period (specific years not provided).

Freshness

Last updated in 2020.

Geography

Arctic shelf area, specifically the Kara Sea.