Overview
The KIMU is a rare seabird endemic to Alaska and northeastern Russia, with the highest densities present in the northern Gulf of Alaska.
The primary objective of having statistical power of >80% to detect a 33% population decline over 15 years (2.6% annual decline) for Kittlitz’s
murrelets in Glacier Bay guided our distance-sampling study design process. Estimates for trend and abundance within the Bay proper have been
calculated for 2011 and 2012 and will be made available upon completion of the protocol's peer review process.
Abstract
The Kittlitz’s murrelet (KIMU) is a rare seabird endemic to Alaska and eastern Russia. Though they occur in a variety of open water
habitats, KIMU are often associated with areas near tidewater glaciers. A large portion of the world’s KIMU population depends on the
glacial fjord of Glacier Bay National Park for its summer breeding habitat. Kittlitz’s murrelets have been selected as one of 12 core
vital signs being monitored by the Southeast Alaska Inventory and Monitoring Network based on population declines, status as a candidate
for protection under the U.S. Endangered Species Act, and their association with drivers of ecosystem change, such as glacial dynamics,
climate change, and human activity.
Network researchers implemented a pilot program for monitoring Kittlitz’s murrelets in Glacier Bay in 2009. Sampling and data analysis
methods were refined through 2011 to ensure a statistically robust and logistically practical program. Boat-based surveys are completed
each July when murrelet aggregations are highest. Sampling transects were selected using a random, yet spatially-balanced design. The
objectives of the program are to (1) design and implement a sampling program that allows for 80% power (α=0.05) to detect a 25% decline
over 15 years of KIMU in Glacier Bay proper; (2) estimate annual abundance of KIMU; (3) every five years, analyze the period-of-record
annual estimates for population trend; and (4) describe temporal variation in the spatial distribution of KIMU in Glacier Bay proper.
The formal monitoring protocol has gone through peer review and will be published before the field season begins in 2013.
Long-term monitoring of Kittlitz’s murrelets will inform decisions related to species protection, park management, ecosystem health,
and climate change response. Marbled murrelets, which closely resemble Kittlitz’s murrelets and occur in large numbers throughout
Southeast Alaska, are also monitored in Glacier Bay as part of this program.
Protocol
Deliverable KM_H
Protocol KM-2012.1 will be published in May 2013. It is an original approach whose development began with pilot field studies in 2009. The protocol
is currently in the peer review process: the document package is unavailable pending review completion. The main procedures specified in protocol
KM-2012.1 have been followed beginning with the 2010 field effort.
Resource Brief
(Click to view)
One-page summary of SEAN's Kittlitz's murrelet monitoring program design and status.
Deliverable Product Tracking
(Click to view)
Protocol Chapter 4 lists the specific data deliverables produced by this monitoring program. The protocol
SOPs describe in detail the exact processes used to create each deliverable. Actual deliverable content
is specified in the final Appendix to the protocol.
These tracking tables reflect the exact status of deliverable production for each year of operation. While
primarily used to coordinate construction of our monitoring products by internal staff and cooperators, it may be
of use to researchers in determining exactly what is available to them at this moment. The tracking table is
updated continuously as deliverables are built.
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