Atlas of Maine

Article Title

Using GIS to Model Probability of Shark Attacks on Florida’s Coast

Authors

Laurel Whitney, Colby CollegeFollow
Emily Walker, Colby CollegeFollow

Abstract or Description

Shark attacks represent a major human wildlife conflict in Florida. Florida consistently leads the United States in shark attacks annually, yet these shark attacks are not evenly distributed along the coastline. This exploratory analysis investigated various attributes to determine if some characteristics of a particular area off the coast correlated with higher shark attack incidents. Using geographic information system analysis and statistical tests, this project found proximity to beach, shorelines, and flood areas to be significant predictors of shark attack locations. This exploratory analysis, suggests that more rigorous spatial models may be able to predict shark human conflict in the future.

Rights

In Copyright

Recommended Citation

Whitney, Laurel and Walker, Emily "Using GIS to Model Probability of Shark Attacks on Florida’s Coast," Atlas of Maine: Vol. 2015: No. 2, Article 9.
Available at: https://digitalcommons.colby.edu/atlas_docs/vol2015/iss2/9