Line transect surveys are widely used in ecological research to estimate animal density and abundance. In this work, I present a model for such data that captures spatial variation at two scales: a broad scale, representing large spatial trends, and a fine scale, capturing abrupt shifts such as those driven by prey patchiness. The model is implemented using the R-package TMB, and I will discuss both its structure and implementation. This work, including a case study on Antarctic fin whales, is published in the Journal of the American Statistical Association and available at: https://doi.org/10.1080/01621459.2025.2566422
Olav Nikolai Breivik: Spatial variation on multiple scales in line transect data
Olav Nikolai Breivik is a researcher at the Norwegian Computing Center, where he mainly works on applying statistical methodology to marine science, as well as other projects in applied statistics. He earned his Ph.D. in statistics from the University of Oslo under the supervision of Ida Scheel, Geir Storvik, Arne Bang Huseby and Bent Natvig.
Published Jan. 14, 2026 9:50 AM
- Last modified Jan. 14, 2026 11:05 AM