https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5845-3588
Overview
Patrick Halpin is a Professor of Marine Geospatial Ecology in the Marine Science and Conservation Division of the Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University. Prof. Halpin leads the Marine Geospatial Ecology Lab with laboratory facilities located at the main campus of Duke University as well as the Duke University Marine Lab. He received his Ph.D. in Environmental Sciences from the University of Virginia in 1995. Prof. Halpin’s research focuses on marine geospatial analysis, ecological applications of geographic information systems and remote sensing; marine conservation and ecosystem-based management. Prof. Halpin sits on a number of international scientific and conservation program steering committees including the Ocean Biogeographic Information System (OBIS), the Global Oceans Biodiversity Initiative (GOBI), the Marine Working Group for the Group on Earth Observations - Biodiversity Observing Networks (GEO-BON) and the Google Oceans Advisory Council.
Current Appointments & Affiliations
Professor
·
2018 - Present
Marine Science and Conservation,
Nicholas School of the Environment
Professor in the Division of Environmental Natural Sciences
·
2024 - Present
Environmental Natural Science,
Nicholas School of the Environment
Recent Publications
Ecological Insights and Management Implications of the Global Migratory Connectivity of Green Turtles
Journal Article Diversity and Distributions · May 1, 2026 Aim: Green turtles are a widely distributed and highly migratory species; despite extensive data on their movement, there is no species-specific global synthesis on the subject. Based on three decades of published literature and building on previous global ... Full text CiteModels Incorporating Non-Stationarity Improve Detection of Climate-Driven Range Shifts in Odontocetes
Journal Article Diversity and Distributions · February 1, 2026 Aim: Climate change is causing distributional shifts in many species globally. identifying and anticipating these shifts is critical to understanding ecosystem impacts and implementing successful management strategies. species distribution models (SDMs) ar ... Full text CiteWhat is an ecologically or biologically significant area?
Journal Article Npj Ocean Sustainability · December 1, 2025 The first iteration of the ecologically or biologically significant areas (EBSA) process, which aims to ascribe ecological value to marine and coastal regions, has drawn to a close. This Convention on Biological Diversity process has collated vast amounts ... Full text CiteRecent Grants
Marine Species Density Data Gap Assessments and Update for the AFTT Study Area
ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by Department of the Navy · 2024 - 2030Cooperative Research Proposal for Near Real-Time North Atlantic Right Whale Density Modeling and Database Support
ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by Bureau of Ocean Energy Management · 2024 - 2028IRA-Near Real-Time North Atlantic Right Whale Density Modeling
ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration · 2024 - 2028View All Grants
Education
University of Virginia ·
1995
Ph.D.