The environmental conditions associated with the presence of sea nettles in the Chesapeake Bay are relatively well established. Given the salinity and temperature preferences of sea nettles, an experimental procedure that produces maps illustrating their probable distribution patterns was developed. This was accomplished by applying a habitat model to surface salinity estimated from a numerical hydrographic model of Chesapeake Bay and sea-surface temperature derived from the hydrographic model or National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) satellite imagery. The NOAA Chesapeake Bay Office processes the data and provides the maps.

Field observations of the relative abundance of sea nettles are used to evaluate the forecast maps. Currently, these observations are collected by Bay scientists and several citizen volunteers with the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay.

The interactive mapping program of probable sea nettle presence has been created through a collaboration among scientists at NOAA, Yale University, Shannon Point Marine Center, and the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science.  

Funding for this project was provided by the NOAA Ocean Remote Sensing Program, the NOAA Center for Sponsored Coastal Ocean Research EcoForecasting Program, and Maryland Sea Grant.