8. To know more about the potential effects of proposed developments on seabirds and waterfowl.
a. To prepare models which will predict probabilities of contamination of breeding and feeding areas (summer, winter, and during migration) using existing knowledge of
(1) areas of proposed mineral development;
(2) areas that will be influenced by secondary development such as dredging new harbors, laying subsurface pipelines;
(3) tidal and oceanic currents;
(4) numbers of marine birds or waterfowl using specific geographic areas and habitats (e.g., waters below nesting cliffs, feeding grounds, wintering grounds, and gatherings during migration);
(5) the distribution and patchiness of habitats (i.e., the redundancy among and within habitats and the degree to which populations exchange between alternative habitats);
(6) the biological importance of species in local ecosystems (Are they predators whose effects increase diversity?);
(7) the human importance of the species (Are they endemics? Do they have unusual "charisma" for the public?);
(8) the vulnerability of the species (Is its distribution restricted? Is it subject to oil pollution? Are their preferred grounds near areas of high development potential?);