Multimodal data fusion and analysis for cetaceans’ presence and abundance estimation in the Gulf of Taranto

The presence of cetaceans in a sea basin indicates the quality of that ecosystem. To support the conservation of these species, it is essential to deepen our knowledge of their habitual life. Given data about sighting of cetaceans in the Ionian Sea occurring between 2009 and 2019, the aim of this work is to study a set of morphological and meteorological features in order to understand if they can help in estimating cetacean abundance and build predictive models fit for purpose.