ABSTRACT OF THE THESIS

Delineation of Marine Habitat:



A Study of Spatial Error

by IANGDON S. WARNER, Ph.D.



Dissertation Director:  Professor Norbert P. Psuty



This study addresses the problem of interpreting mapped spatial data about natural resources on the outer continental shelf off the east coast of the United States.  Since the Arab oil embargo accelerated development of offshore oil and gas, there has been a series of sharp conflicts over the location of offshore resources with high economic and biologic value.  The distribution of most, if not all, of these marine resources cannot be seen nor accurately measured. Yet the government agencies involved, the commercial fishing and oil industries, and even the courts and the Congress of the United States have invested millions of research dollars to locate, and map, these resources.  All too frequently, however, the government agencies involved disagree on the location and importance of the resources even though each institution is using essentially the same locational data.



It is argued that, first, the nature of spatial data in the marine environment creates methodological problems that are difficult to resolve using traditional analytical techniques.  This introduces possible errors and misinterpretations that in turn influence how decisions about the use of marine resources are made.  Second, it is suggested that all of the government agencies involved adopt unique spatial perspectives based upon institutional considerations and the nature of the marine resource in question.  This perspective, or spatial behavior, strongly influences how resources are allocated.



A case study of a recent controversy between two federal agencies and the State of New Jersey over offshore oil and gas leasing off the Mid-Atlantic is presented.  During this debate among government agencies, competing claims were made on the location of critical marine Fish habitats.  These claims are examined in detail by creating a simple geographic information system for aggregating and mapping data on fish distribution.  An independent analysis of the distribution of the tilefish, Lopholatilus chamaeleonticeps, and the long fin squid, Loligo pealei was conducted and compared to similar analyses presented by government agencies.  A number of locational errors by state and federal resource management agencies are documented.  Using a conceptual model of the spatial behavior of government agencies and a review of selected map variables, possible explanations of how and why spatial error occurs are offered.  Use of the geographic information system also permits refinement in the delineation of potentially important habitats along the edge of the outer continental shelf.