Lesser Sandeel (Ammodytes marinus) – North Sea - Predicted density of buried sandeels (number per m^2)

This map layer has been supplied directly by Marine Scotland National Marine Plan interactive. You can obtain additional information about the layer on this page

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The lesser sandeel Ammodytes marinus is a key component of the North East Atlantic ecosystem but little is known about its distribution outside of fished areas. In this study, species distribution models were developed to predict the occurrence and density of sandeels in parts of the North Sea and Celtic Seas regions. A hurdle model was found to be the best fitting model with the highest predictive performance; model evaluation with independent data demonstrated that it had significant discrimination ability across the study region. The distribution model helps refine past inferences about sandeel availability to predators and indicates to marine planners potential areas where anthropogenic impacts should be considered.

This layer shows the predicted density of buried sandeels (number per m^2) in the North Sea region

GIS Data Type: 
Web Service Information: 
Base WMS Address: http://msmap1.atkinsgeospatial.com/geoserver/ows/nmp?
Layer name:nmp:species_distribution_lesser_sandeels_north_sea_predicted_density
Does this layer display time aware features: 
No
Usage limitations: 
This project was supported by the EU's INTERREG VA Programme, managed by the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB). The views and opinions expressed in this study do not necessarily reflect those of the European Commission of the SEUPB. The following attribution statement must be used: Contains information from the Scottish Government (Marine Scotland) licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. If you use this data, please cite Langton, R., Boulcott, P. and Wright P.J. (2021) A verified distribution model for the lesser sandeel Ammodytes marinus. Marine Ecology Progress Series. https://doi.org/10.3354/meps13693  

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