Introduction:  Leatherback sea turtles are endangered world wide.  Their habitat is often impeded due to the oil and gas industry in the Gulf of Mexico.  In 2010, the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill affected much of the biota when 200million gallons of oil spilled into the Gulf.  Leatherback sea turtles are the most endangered sea turtle. My research  question is focused on the extent to which these turtles utilize the Gulf of Mexico.  Leatherback sea turtles feed almost exclusively on jellyfish. I will be assessing their range by looking at the correlation between leatherback sea turtle point data, sea surface temperature and chlorophyll as proxies for where jellyfish may occur.

„Research Question: What is the correlation between the location of leatherback sea turtles, sea surface temperature, and chlorophyll?

Approach: I used the hotpsot analysis tool in order to explore the sea turtle point data.  the hotspot analysis tool identify where statistically significant hotspots or clusters of sea turtles are located within the Gulf of Mexico.

Sea turtle data:

Results:  The results of the hotspot analysis (shown below) suggest that the turtle locations are significantly clustered off the coast of Louisiana and Texas between approximately 2,000m to 3,000m depth of water.  However, the results of this analysis appear to be quite deceptive.  Upon taking measurements of turtles in the hotspot cluster it appears as though they may be more dispersed.  Further analysis is needed in order to determine further patterns of sea turtle locations.