Watson, A., Reece, J., Tirpak, B.E., Edwards, C.K., Geselbracht, L., Woodrey, M., La Peyre, M.K., and Dalyander, P.S., 2017, Data for Gulf Coast Vulnerability Assessment: U.S. Geological Survey data release, https://doi.org/10.5066/F7BC3WR8.
Summary
This USGS Data Release represents geospatial and tabular data for the Gulf Coast Vulnerability Assessment Project. The data release was produced in compliance with the new 'open data' requirements as way to make the scientific products associated with USGS research efforts and publications available to the public. The dataset consists of 2 separate items: 1. Vulnerability assessment data for habitat and species based on expert opinion (Tabular datasets) 2. Vulnerability assessment values for species across subregions in study area (Vector GIS dataset)
Summary
This USGS Data Release represents geospatial and tabular data for the Gulf Coast Vulnerability Assessment Project. The data release was produced in compliance with the new 'open data' requirements as way to make the scientific products associated with USGS research efforts and publications available to the public. The dataset consists of 2 separate items:
1. Vulnerability assessment data for habitat and species based on expert opinion (Tabular datasets)
2. Vulnerability assessment values for species across subregions in study area (Vector GIS dataset)
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Gulf Coast Vulnerability Assessment Project Metadata.xml Original FGDC Metadata
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Related External Resources
Type: Publication that references this resource
Reece, J.S, Watson, A., Dalyander, P.S., Edwards, C.K., Geselbracht, L., LaPeyre, M.K., Tirpak, B.E., Tirpak, J.M, and Woodrey M., 2018, A multiscale natural community and species-level vulnerability assessment of the Gulf Coast, USA: PLoS ONE 13(6): e0199844. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0199844.
Watson, A., Reece, J., Tirpak, B.E., Edwards, C.K., Geselbracht, L., Woodrey, M., La Peyre, M.K., and Dalyander, P.S., 2017, The Gulf Coast Vulnerability Assessment: Mangrove, Tidal Emergent Marsh, Barrier Islands, and Oyster Reef: Forest and Wildlife Research Center, Research Bulletin WFA421, Mississippi State University, 100 p., http://www.fwrc.msstate.edu/pubs/Gulf_Coast_Vulnerability_Assessment.pdf.
Climate, sea level rise, and urbanization are undergoing unprecedented levels of combined change and are expected to have large effects on natural resources—particularly along the U.S. portion of the Gulf of Mexico. Management decisions to address these effects (i.e., adaptation) require an understanding of the relative vulnerability of various resources to these stressors. To meet this need, the four Landscape Conservation Cooperatives along the Gulf partnered with the Gulf of Mexico Alliance to conduct this Gulf Coast Vulnerability Assessment (GCVA). Vulnerability in this context incorporates the aspects of exposure and sensitivity to threats, coupled with the adaptive capacity to mitigate those threats. Potential impact and adaptive capacity reflect natural history features of target species and ecosystems. This dataset is designed to inform land managers, researchers, and decision makers about the relative vulnerability across individual species and ecosystems and how that vulnerability varies spatially across the Gulf region for each. One anticipated application of this information is in project and proposal review, as a means to identify vulnerable resources that may require a greater level of scrutiny to ensure sustainability. Similarly, using this information to broadly evaluate where increased conservation effort should be directed to reduce vulnerabilities (i.e. adaptation) is another intended use of these results. From a research perspective, high variability in assessors’ individual scores for specific aspects of the assessment help identify where uncertainties exist that should be the target of further investigation. The authors caution that these results should not be applied at scales below the subregion without careful consideration.
