The primary challenge of our global monitoring effort lies in making sense of ecological data that spans vast spatial scales and varying temporal resolutions. The GLOW network currently conducts surveys at more than 20 locations worldwide, a number expected to grow, with each local team collecting data over differing durations (e.g., continuous capture ranging from a few hours to weeks) and seasons.
Because species lists change from region to region, we focus on the functional roles of crabs, which remain comparable across sites. Furthermore, we expect environmental drivers, such as weather patterns, to vary significantly among regions. Since we cannot control these external variables, our survey design must accommodate local variance while remaining robust enough to answer global questions. Consequently, strictly controlling the surveying protocol is paramount. In the following chapters, we provide detailed guidance and the rationale for the survey and experimental design logic underpinning our methods.