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Summary

Abstract

Contains marine mammal aerial survey data for surveys in the Bering, western and eastern Beaufort, and eastern and southern Chukchi seas, and Amundsen Gulf from 1979 to 2021 (see abstract for more details). In 2012, the Aerial_Master_1979_2011 Access database became too large and a new database (Aerial_Master_2012_2014) was created. In 2015 the Aerial_Master_2012_2014 database became too large and Aerial_Master_2015_2017 was created. Similarly, in 2018 the Aerial_Master_2015_2017 became too large and Aerial_Master_2018_2021 was created. These four Access files make up the master database comprised of the aerial survey data with matching fields in each file and should be treated as a single database.

Aerial_Master_2018_2020_v2.mdb was the last version prior to reconciling existing 2018 and 2019 sightings based on Belly Port Camera (BPC) imagery used to estimate perception bias for ASAMM observers; this version should be used to estimate perception bias. Aerial_Master_2018_2020_v3.mdb is the first version where changes appear; all revisions associated with BPC imagery are documented in the notes field by stating what was changed, followed by -- was revised based on BPC imagery review.

Description

Contains marine mammal aerial survey data for surveys in the Bering, western and eastern Beaufort, and eastern and southern Chukchi seas, and Amundsen Gulf from 1979 to 2021 (see abstract for more details). In 2012, the Aerial_Master_1979_2011 Access database became too large and a new database (Aerial_Master_2012_2014) was created. In 2015 the Aerial_Master_2012_2014 database became too large and Aerial_Master_2015_2017 was created. Similarly, in 2018 the Aerial_Master_2015_2017 became too large and Aerial_Master_2018_2021 was created. These four Access files make up the master database comprised of the aerial survey data with matching fields in each file and should be treated as a single database.

Entity Information

Entity Type
Data File

Data Attribute / Type Description
ID
NUMBER
Unique whole number to identify each record. This field should only be used as a reference and should not be used to sort data.
Event
NUMBER
Sequential number representing data entry event. Caution should be used when sorting data. We advise querying data by year and ordering GMT_Minus8_DateTime by oldest to newest, Event by smallest to largest, and Flt_No by smallest to largest. This order will group all records for each flight in chronological order; however, individual flights will not be in chronological order. From 1979 to 2007, a single aircraft may have multiple flight numbers within a single day. Beginning in 2008, a unique flight number was assigned per day, per aircraft. If more than one survey occurred on the same date, each survey will have a unique flight number.
Flt_No
NUMBER
Flight number used to identify a survey. Surveys conducted in the same year have unique flight numbers. When two survey aircraft were operating concurrently within one year, flight numbers for the additional aircraft started at 201. In 2012, a third aircraft was used to conduct surveys to assess the Eastern Chukchi stock of belugas; these flights start with flight number 301. In 2019, a third aircraft conducted surveys in the eastern Beaufort Sea and Amundsen Gulf; these flights start with flight number 401. Caution should be used when sorting data. We advise querying data by year and ordering GMT_Minus8_DateTime by oldest to newest, Event by smallest to largest, and Flt_No by smallest to largest. This order will group all records for each flight in chronological order; however, individual flights will not be in chronological order. From 1979 to 2007, a single aircraft may have multiple flight numbers within a single day. Beginning in 2008, a unique flight number was assigned per day, per aircraft. If more than one survey occurred on the same date, each survey will have a unique flight number.
GMT_Minus8_DateTime
Unknown
Date and time in Alaska Standard Time, 8 hours behind Greenwich Mean Time. Caution should be used when sorting data. We advise querying the data by year and ordering GMT_Minus8_DateTime by oldest to newest, Event by smallest to largest, and Flt_No by smallest to largest. This order will group all records for each flight in chronological order; however, individual flights will not be in chronological order. From 1979 to 2007, a single aircraft may have multiple flight numbers within a single day. Beginning in 2008, a unique flight number was assigned per day, per aircraft. If more than one survey occurred on the same date, each survey will have a unique flight number.
Lat
NUMBER
Latitude of aircraft in degrees decimal minutes. Used from 1979-2006.
Long
NUMBER
Longitude of aircraft in degrees decimal minutes. Used from 1979-2006.
ArcLat
NUMBER
Latitude of aircraft in decimal degrees WGS84.
ArcLong
NUMBER
Longitude of aircraft in decimal degrees WGS84.
Alt
NUMBER
Altitude of aircraft in feet above sea level.
Air_Head
NUMBER
Direction of aircraft heading in degrees. Used starting in 1998. A value of -1 indicates no data were recorded.
Entry
VARCHAR2
Indicates whether the event was a flight type change, position update, or sighting. A value of "." indicates an automatic position update. Attributes include CAPs: Cetacean Aggregation Protocols (began in 2018); CAPs strip: Cetacean Aggregation Protocols strip (began in 2018); divert: diverted from transect effort to investigate a sighting (used from 1979-2008); divert to circling: the aircraft diverted from transect or search effort to investigate a sighting (starting in 2009); end transect: transect effort ended; FOV: Field of View effort began (began in 2018); FGF: Focal Group Following effort began (began in 2018); p on CAPs: CAPs passing effort (began in 2018); p on CAPs circling: CAPs circling effort (began in 2018); p on CAPs strip: CAPs strip effort (began in 2018); p on circling – search: circling during search effort (used starting in 2013, retroactively revised data from 2009 – 2011); p on circling – transect: circling during transect effort (used starting in 2013, retroactively revised data for 2009-2012); p on connect: position during a connect line (used from 1979-2008); p on deadhead: position during deadhead (started in 2007); p on FGV: FGF effort (began in 2018); p on FOV: FOV effort (began in 2018); p on search: search effort; p on transect: transect effort; resume: resume transect or search after diverting; resume transect: resume transect after diverting (used from 1979-2008); s on CAPs: sighting made from CAPs passing (began in 2018); s on CAPs circling: sighting made from CAPs circling effort (began in 2018); s on CAPs strip: a sighting made on CAPs strip effort (began in 2018); s on circling – search: sighting made while circling from search effort (used in 2013, retroactively revised from 2009 – 2012); s on circling – transect: sighting made while circling from transect effort (used in 2013, retroactively revised from 2009 – 2012); s on connect: sighting made during a connect leg (used from 1979- 2008); s on FOV: sighting made while on FOV effort (began in 2018); s on search: sighting made during search effort, either when the aircraft was circling (1979-2008) or the aircraft was en route to or from a target survey block or transect line (2009-2021); s on transect: sighting made during transect effort; search: search effort began (i.e., non-transect effort -began in 2007); start transect: transect effort start.
Species
VARCHAR
Common name of the animal, track, or vessel sighted. The following values were not used after 2008: "kill site no bear"; "track-belukha"; "track-bowhead"; "track-polar bear"; "track-unknown cet"; and "track-unknown pin". In 2012, the following changes were retroactively made to all years, to keep naming convention consistent: "bowhead" to "bowhead whale"; "orca" to "killer whale"; "minke" to "minke whale"; "humpback" to "humpback whale"; "unknown cetacean" to "unid cetacean"; "unknown pin" to "unid pinniped". In 2012, the following options were added: "Dall sheep"; "buoy"; "debris"; and "unid object". In 2013, the following changes were retroactively made to all years, to keep naming convention consistent: "small craft" to "vessel small craft"; "commercial vessel" to "vessel commercial"; "seismic vessel" to "vessel seismic"; "icebreaker" to "vessel icebreaker"; "lg. rec. vessel" to "vessel lg. rec."; and "sm. rec. vessel" to "vessel sm. rec.". In 2013, the following options were added: "vessel research" and "sleeper shark", and the following options were removed: "northern sea lion"; "northern fur seal"; "harbor seal"; "sea otter"; and "aircraft". In 2014, the following options were added: "vessel fishing" and "vessel military". In 2017, the following options were added: “unid shark” and “bait ball”, and “sleeper shark” was removed. In 2019, “unid fish” was added. Additional land animal options include: “arctic fox”, “brown bear”, “caribou”, “gray wolf”, and “musk ox”. Abbreviations: "unid"=unidentified, "cet"=cetacean, "pin"=pinniped, "lg. rec."=large recreational, "sm. rec."=small recreational. Sightings of cetaceans, walruses, and polar bears were of highest priority, non-walrus pinnipeds were secondary, and everything else was tertiary.
Sightcue
VARCHAR2
Visual cue that caused the observer to first notice the sighting. A value of "." indicates no data were recorded.
Habitat
VARCHAR2
Environment where the sighting was made. In 2015, habitats ¿lrg broken floes¿, ¿med broken floes¿, and ¿sm broken floes¿ were consolidated into one habitat, as described below. A value of "." indicates no data were recorded.
Behavior
VARCHAR2
Behavior exhibited by the sighting. In 2013, redundant descriptions were consolidated into one behavior, as described below, and any additional information was recorded in the "notes" field. A value of "." indicates no data were recorded.
Size
VARCHAR2
Indicates the subjective age class and/or group composition of the sighting. May not be inclusive of all animals in the sighting. Used from 1979-2008. A value of "." indicates no data were recorded.
Totalno
NUMBER
Total number of animals or vessels counted in a sighting. Starting in 2008, the total number of animals or vessels initially counted, prior to diverting to circle. For cetaceans, the relative area within which animals were considered a single group was five whale lengths from the closest animal. (Note: Prior to 2007, numbers equaling exactly 100 may be minimum estimates. Check the notes field for additional information.) A value of -1 indicates no data were recorded.
Final_group
NUMBER
Final count of animals or vessels in a sighting; usually determined during circling initiated after initial sighting was made on transect or search. Number may differ from Totalno. If different from Totalno, Final_group takes precedence. Used starting in 2009. A value of -1 indicates no data were recorded.
Low_estimate
NUMBER
Minimum estimate of animals or vessels in a sighting. Used starting in 2009. A value of -1 indicates no data were recorded.
High_estimate
NUMBER
Maximum estimate of animals or vessels in a sighting. Used starting in 2009. A value of -1 indicates no data were recorded.
Calfno
NUMBER
Total number of calves, cubs, or pups counted in a sighting. Calves are defined as being less than half the length of the accompanying adult. If Final_group is NULL and Calfno>0, then Calfno is included in Totalno. If Final_group>0 and Calfno>0, then Calfno is included in Final_group. If Final_group>0 and Calfno>0, then Calfno may or may not be included in Totalno. A value of -1 indicates no data were recorded.
Calf_on_circle
NUMBER
Total number of calves, cubs, or pups counted in a sighting after diverting to circle from search or transect effort or during CAPs circling. Any calf sighted during survey mode “s on circling – search”, “s on circling – transect”, and “CAPs circling” should have a numeric value of 1 or more in the “calf_on_circle” field. Totals are included in Calfno. Used starting in 2009. A value of -1 indicates no data were recorded.
Clinometer
NUMBER
Angle from the horizon to a sighting, when the sighting was abeam of the aircraft, measured in degrees. Angles range from 0 to 90 with 0 at the horizon and 90 directly under the aircraft. Angles from Grumman Goose aircraft could not exceed 70 due to the lack of bubble windows. Primary and non-primary observer windows are not the same and all angle readings from non-primary observers (PrimObs= 0) should be interpreted with caution. A value of -1 indicates no data were recorded.
Sop
VARCHAR2
Side of plane from which a sighting was made. Used starting in 1989. Starting in 2013, this field was automatically populated in the survey program when an observer name was selected. A value of "." indicates no data were recorded.
Swimdir
VARCHAR2
Predominant swim direction or heading of sighting, not corrected for magnetic variation. From 1979 to 2006, this number was recorded in magnetic north compass degrees, obtained from the aircraft's compass. Starting in 2007, Swimdir was recorded in clock directions relative to the aircraft. Actual swim directions, corrected for magnetic variation and/or calculated from clock directions, are in the Swimdir_True field. Starting in 2012, “swimdir” was applied to only vessels and cetacean sightings when behavior was swim and dive. Swim direction was occasionally entered for other species or behaviors, but was not done so consistently and the accuracy of those data are unknown. A value of "." indicates no data were recorded.
Swimspeed
VARCHAR2
Subjective estimate of animal's swimming speed or vessel's traveling speed. A value of "." indicates no data were recorded.
Response
VARCHAR2
Indicates whether an animal responded to the aircraft's presence. A value of "." indicates no data were recorded.
NoReacted
NUMBER
Total number of animals that responded to the survey aircraft. Used starting in 2013. NoReacted values were added for 2009 to 2012. A value of -1 indicates no data were recorded.
Repeat
VARCHAR2
Indicates whether the sighting was considered a repeat within the same survey. A value of "." indicates no data were recorded. When Entry is “s on FOV”, repeat will always be “yes.”
Observer
Unknown
Not recorded prior to 1989. From 1989-2006, initials or identification number of the observer who first observed a sighting. Starting in 2007, the full name of the observer was entered. In 2011, an effort was undertaken to replace all initials with full names where known. Initials that remain in this field are individuals not able to be identified based on available information. A value of "." indicates no data were recorded.
PrimObs
VARCHAR2
Numeric code to indicate whether a sighting was made by a primary observer or a secondary observer. Used starting in 2013. In 2013, retroactively added values for 1989-2012. Primary observers could not be determined prior to 1989. A value of -1 indicates no data were collected.
Skycon
VARCHAR2
Subjective description of the sky conditions. A value of "n/a" indicates not applicable. A value of "." indicates no data were recorded. Starting in 2014, "NA" was used instead of "n/a".
VisImpLeft
VARCHAR2
Subjective description of the predominant impediment to an observer's field of view on the left side of the aircraft. A value of "n/a" indicates not applicable. A value of "." indicates no data were recorded. Starting in 2014, "NA" was used instead of "n/a".
VisImpRight
VARCHAR2
Subjective description of the predominant impediment to an observer's field of view on the right side of the aircraft. A value of "n/a" indicates not applicable. A value of "." indicates no data were recorded. Starting in 2014, "NA" was used instead of "n/a".
Vis_left
Unknown
Estimate in kilometers of visibility on the left side of the aircraft. A value of "n/a" indicates not applicable. A value of "." indicates no data were recorded. Starting in 2014, "NA" was used instead of "n/a".
Vis_right
Unknown
Estimate in kilometers of visibility on the right side of the aircraft. A value of "n/a" indicates not applicable. A value of "." indicates no data were recorded. Starting in 2014, "NA" was used instead of "n/a".
Icepercent
NUMBER
Estimate of the percent of ocean surface within the visual range for the left and right observer, averaged together (1979-1991, 2008-2017) or within 1 km of the aircraft (1992-2007) covered by sea ice. Frazil was not included in the estimate. A value of "n/a" indicates not applicable. A value of "." or -1 indicates no data were recorded. Starting in 2014, "NA" was used instead of "n/a". Not used after 2017.
Icetype
VARCHAR2
Predominant type of sea ice within the visual range of the observer (1979-1991, 2008-2021) or within 1 km of the aircraft (1992-2007). A value of "n/a" indicates not applicable. A value of "." or -1 indicates no data were recorded. Starting in 2014, "NA" was used instead of "n/a".
Seastate
VARCHAR2
Observed sea state using the Beaufort Wind Force classification system. A value of "n/a" indicates not applicable. A value of "." indicates no data were recorded. Starting in 2014, "NA" was used instead of "n/a".
Block
NUMBER
Survey block in which a sighting event occurred. Survey block is populated based on the location provided by LatTemp/LongTemp. A value of 0 indicates that the sighting fell outside of survey block boundaries. A value of -1 indicates no data were recorded.
Depth_m
NUMBER
Water depth in meters. A value of 99999 indicates no data were recorded. Depths were calculated using the International Bathymetric Chart of the Arctic Ocean (IBCAO), a raster image available from NOAA. Processing of the raster and its resolution have changed over time. Prior to 2009, projection and resolution are unknown. In 2009, the raster was projected to Equidistant Conic with a resolution of 2.0 km, and latitude and longitude (used to calculate depth) were acquired from the ArcLat/ArcLong fields. In 2010, the raster was projected to Polar Stereographic with a resolution of 2.036 km, and latitude and longitude were acquired from the LatTemp/LongTemp fields. In 2011, depth data for all years were revised using an updated raster (raster updated by M. Hay of Resource Data, Inc. on 12/19/2010, projected to Polar Stereographic with 2.036 km resolution after geoprocessing). Depth values were recalculated for 1979-2009 data using positions from the ArcLat/ArcLong fields, and for 2010 data using positions from the LatTemp/LongTemp fields (i.e., actual positions when available, otherwise plane positions). Starting in 2013, depths were derived from IBCAO version 3.0, with 500 meter pixel resolution, using positions from the LatTemp/LongTemp fields which were projected to the IBCAO native spatial reference of Polar Stereographic.
UTMZ6X
NUMBER
X-axis position of the aircraft in Universal Transverse Mercator Zone 6 North. Used from 1979-2006.
UTMZ6Y
NUMBER
Y-axis position of the aircraft in Universal Transverse Mercator Zone 6 North. Used from 1979-2006.
Aerial_Survey
VARCHAR2
Primary agency responsible for the survey and the platform used. The data acquisition program initially populates this field with "COMIDA" or "BWASP"; these are converted to the agency_platform convention during post-field processing.
Swimdir_True
NUMBER
Predominant swim direction or heading of a sighting in true north compass degrees (i.e., corrected for magnetic variation). Prior to 2007, this value was derived by taking Swimdir degrees and correcting for magnetic variation. Starting in 2007, this value was derived by converting Swimdir clock directions to degrees, using airhead_gps, and correcting for magnetic variation using declination as reported by the GPS unit in the fields "magvar_gps" and "magvar_dir.” Starting in 2012, this field was assigned a numeric value only for vessels or cetacean sightings when behavior was swim and dive. Swim direction was occasionally entered for other species or behaviors, but was not done so consistently and the accuracy of those data are unknown. A value of -1 indicates no data were recorded.
magvar_gps
NUMBER
Magnetic declination as reported by the GPS unit. Used starting in 2007. A value of -1 indicates no data were recorded. A value of 0 should be disregarded and may indicate that data were not received by the GPS unit.
magvar_dir
VARCHAR2
Direction of magnetic declination as reported by the GPS unit. Used starting in 2007. A value of "." indicates no data were recorded.
airhead_gps
NUMBER
Aircraft heading, or direction of travel, as reported by the GPS unit. Used starting in 2007. A value of -1 indicates no data were recorded.
alt_gps
NUMBER
Aircraft altitude derived from GPS satellite triangulation, as reported by the GPS unit. Units are in feet and referenced to mean sea level (MSL). Used starting in 2013. A value of -1 indicates no data were recorded. In 2016, alt_gps values did not update as frequently as in previous years; sometimes the same value carries down for multiple events.
Calf_Detect_Cert
VARCHAR2
Rating of level of certainty of the presence or absence of a calf in a sighting. All cetacean sightings should have a value of 1, 2, or 3 entered, except for CAPs and CAPs strip, which will have a value of -1. The accuracy of Calf_Detect_Cert is unknown for non-cetacean sightings with a value of 1, 2, or 3 listed. After 2014, except for a few exceptions, sightings of non-cetaceans and all other events will have -1. Used starting in 2007. In previous versions of the database from 2007 to 2010, this field was named "Certainty". A value of -1 indicates no data were recorded.
Group
VARCHAR2
Numeric code that corresponds with a category describing the group size and/or composition of a sighting. Used from 2007-2012. A value of -1 indicates no data were recorded.
saved
VARCHAR2
Indicates whether the entry was saved or deleted. Deleted entries are kept solely for a complete record of logged events, and should not be used in any analyses.
notes
Unknown
Any pertinent information that was not recorded elsewhere.
FltType
VARCHAR2
Numeric code that corresponds with the flight type, or survey mode. See abstract and methodology for discussion of different flight types. Starting in 2009, all automatic updates were recorded as -1.
Transect_id
VARCHAR2
Number or letter used to identify a transect line in the eastern Chukchi Sea and western Beaufort Sea study areas and in the eastern Beaufort Sea and Amundsen Gulf (known as ABA project). Transect numbers and their locations vary each year. Used starting 19 September 2009 in the Chukchi Sea study area. In 2015, a similar method was adopted in the western Beaufort study area and transect IDs were retroactively added through 1979. A value of "." indicates no data were recorded.
Family
VARCHAR2
Numeric code to indicate species groupings. This field was created solely for programming purposes for the data collection software, but can be used for analyses if desired. Used starting in 2007. A value of -1 indicates no data were recorded.
enttag
VARCHAR2
Numeric code to indicate entry type. This field was created solely for programming purposes for the data collection software, but is also useful for data QA/QC. Used starting in 2007. A value of -1 indicates no data were recorded.
XofWhale
NUMBER
Actual longitude, in decimal degrees, of a sighting calculated from aircraft altitude [Alt (2009-2012); alt_gps (starting in 2013, when there was an alt_gps value available)], clinometer angle (Clinometer), and side of plane (Sop). Used starting in 2009. In 2011, values for 1998-2008 were retroactively calculated for all cetacean, pinniped, and land mammal sightings where applicable. The VBA module used to run the calculation up until 2011 projected data to UTMZ6, so distortion may exist outside of the Beaufort Sea. Starting in 2012, each point was projected to the UTM zone in which it was located. XofWhale locations for sightings resulting from clinometer angles of non-primary observers (PrimObs= 0) are only computed for sightings made from Otter aircraft (1998-2010). A value of -1 indicates no data were recorded.
YofWhale
NUMBER
Actual latitude, in decimal degrees, of a sighting calculated from aircraft altitude [Alt (2009-2012); alt_gps (starting in 2013, when there was an alt_gps value available)], clinometer angle (Clinometer), and side of plane (Sop). Used starting in 2009. In 2011, values for 1998-2008 were calculated for all cetacean, pinniped, and land mammal sightings where applicable. The VBA module used to run the calculation up until 2011 projected data to UTMZ6, so distortion may exist outside of the Beaufort Sea. Starting in 2012, each point was projected to the UTM zone in which it was located. YofWhale locations for sightings resulting from clinometer angles of non-primary observers (PrimObs= 0) are only computed for sightings made from Otter aircraft (1998-2010). A value of -1 indicates no data were recorded.
DIST_FROM_SHORE
NUMBER
Distance between a sighting and closest point to shore, expressed in kilometers. A GIS feature class representing a normalized shoreline (NS) was created to standardize the location from which distance measurements were taken. Prior to 2011, distances had only been calculated for bowhead sightings, and the NS used had coarse resolution and did not encompass the entire study area. Because distances were based on a NS with a limited extent, distance values in all databases created prior to 2011 should be taken with caution. On 2/8/2012, a new NS was created that 1) had higher resolution to better fit the natural coastline of Alaska, 2) more closely wrapped around the outer edges of lagoons and barrier islands, 3) was projected to North American Equidistant Conic, a projection more appropriate for distance measurements, and 4) had custom projection parameters to better fit the study area (central meridian=-154.5, latitude of origin=70.5, standard parallels=60.5, 80.5). Distances were re-calculated for all saved sightings from 1979-2011, north of 67.5 degrees N and west of 139.5 degrees W (based on the extent of the NS), using actual positions when available (X/YofWhale), otherwise plane positions (ArcLat/Long). Negative values represent sightings landward of the NS; positive values represent sightings seaward of the NS. All remaining records should be Null. M. Hay of XeraGIS generated distance calculations for 2012-2021 data using an NS adapted from the one described above, using a Universal Transverse Mercator Zone 5N projection.
DataRecorder
Unknown
Full name of individual filling the data recorder position. Used starting in 2008. Prior to 2008, this information was stored in the FlightInfo table. It was moved to the Output table to facilitate switching out observers and recorders mid-flight. A value of "." indicates no data were recorded.
ObsLeft
Unknown
Full name of individual filling the left observer position. Used starting in 2008. Prior to 2008, this information was stored in the FlightInfo table. It was moved to the Output table to facilitate switching out observers and recorders mid-flight. A value of "." indicates no data were recorded.
ObsRight
Unknown
Full name of individual filling the right observer position. Used starting in 2008. Prior to 2008, this information was stored in the FlightInfo table. It was moved to the Output table to facilitate switching out observers and recorders mid-flight. A value of "." indicates no data were recorded.
ObsFourth
Unknown
Full name of individual filling the fourth observer position. Used starting in 2009. This field was created to facilitate switching out observers and recorders mid-flight. A value of "." indicates no data were recorded.
Pilot
Unknown
Full name of survey aircraft pilot. Used starting in 2012. A value of "." indicates no data were recorded.
Co_Pilot
Unknown
Full name of survey aircraft copilot. Used starting in 2012. A value of "." indicates no data were recorded.
PhotoTaken
VARCHAR2
Numeric code indicating whether photographs were taken of an event. Used starting in 2009. A value of -1 indicates no data were recorded.
LatTemp
NUMBER
Latitude, in decimal degrees WGS84, used for real-time mapping during the survey. Used starting in 2009. In 2013, retroactively added values for 1979-2008. It is the latitude of a sighting, when the actual position (YofWhale) of a sighting can be calculated; otherwise, it is the latitude of the aircraft (ArcLat). A value of -1 indicates no data were recorded. Disregard values of 0.
LongTemp
NUMBER
Longitude, in decimal degrees WGS84, used for real-time mapping during the survey. Used starting in 2009. In 2013, retroactively added values for 1979-2008. It is the longitude of a sighting, when the actual position (XofWhale) of a sighting can be calculated; otherwise, it is the longitude of the aircraft (ArcLong). A value of -1 indicates no data were recorded. Disregard values of 0.
assoc_event
Number
During Field of View trials, the abeam entries (“s on FOV”) are accompanied by an initial and final mark; the assoc_event field gets populated with the initial and final mark event numbers. The assoc_event field for initial and final events gets populated with the abeam event number. Added starting in 2018.

Child Items

No Child Items for this record.

Contact Information

No contact information is available for this record.

Please contact the owner organization (AFSC) for inquiries on this record.

Item Identification

Title: Output
Short Name: Output
Status: In Work
Abstract:

Contains marine mammal aerial survey data for surveys in the Bering, western and eastern Beaufort, and eastern and southern Chukchi seas, and Amundsen Gulf from 1979 to 2021 (see abstract for more details). In 2012, the Aerial_Master_1979_2011 Access database became too large and a new database (Aerial_Master_2012_2014) was created. In 2015 the Aerial_Master_2012_2014 database became too large and Aerial_Master_2015_2017 was created. Similarly, in 2018 the Aerial_Master_2015_2017 became too large and Aerial_Master_2018_2021 was created. These four Access files make up the master database comprised of the aerial survey data with matching fields in each file and should be treated as a single database.

Aerial_Master_2018_2020_v2.mdb was the last version prior to reconciling existing 2018 and 2019 sightings based on Belly Port Camera (BPC) imagery used to estimate perception bias for ASAMM observers; this version should be used to estimate perception bias. Aerial_Master_2018_2020_v3.mdb is the first version where changes appear; all revisions associated with BPC imagery are documented in the notes field by stating what was changed, followed by -- was revised based on BPC imagery review.

Notes:

Loaded by FGDC Metadata Uploader, batch 6430, 07-06-2015 14:11

Entity Information

Entity Type: Data File
Description:

Contains marine mammal aerial survey data for surveys in the Bering, western and eastern Beaufort, and eastern and southern Chukchi seas, and Amundsen Gulf from 1979 to 2021 (see abstract for more details). In 2012, the Aerial_Master_1979_2011 Access database became too large and a new database (Aerial_Master_2012_2014) was created. In 2015 the Aerial_Master_2012_2014 database became too large and Aerial_Master_2015_2017 was created. Similarly, in 2018 the Aerial_Master_2015_2017 became too large and Aerial_Master_2018_2021 was created. These four Access files make up the master database comprised of the aerial survey data with matching fields in each file and should be treated as a single database.

Data Attributes

Note: Metadata requirements do not apply to attributes for non-tabular entities.

Attribute Summary

Rubric Score Primary Key? Name Type Description
N/A
ID NUMBER Unique whole number to identify each record. This field should only be used as a reference and should not be used to sort data.
N/A
Event NUMBER Sequential number representing data entry event. Caution should be used when sorting data. We advise querying data by year and ordering GMT_Minus8_DateTime by oldest to newest, Event by smallest to largest, and Flt_No by smallest to largest. This order will group all records for each flight in chronological order; however, individual flights will not be in chronological order. From 1979 to 2007, a single aircraft may have multiple flight numbers within a single day. Beginning in 2008, a unique flight number was assigned per day, per aircraft. If more than one survey occurred on the same date, each survey will have a unique flight number.
N/A
Flt_No NUMBER Flight number used to identify a survey. Surveys conducted in the same year have unique flight numbers. When two survey aircraft were operating concurrently within one year, flight numbers for the additional aircraft started at 201. In 2012, a third aircraft was used to conduct surveys to assess the Eastern Chukchi stock of belugas; these flights start with flight number 301. In 2019, a third aircraft conducted surveys in the eastern Beaufort Sea and Amundsen Gulf; these flights start with flight number 401. Caution should be used when sorting data. We advise querying data by year and ordering GMT_Minus8_DateTime by oldest to newest, Event by smallest to largest, and Flt_No by smallest to largest. This order will group all records for each flight in chronological order; however, individual flights will not be in chronological order. From 1979 to 2007, a single aircraft may have multiple flight numbers within a single day. Beginning in 2008, a unique flight number was assigned per day, per aircraft. If more than one survey occurred on the same date, each survey will have a unique flight number.
N/A
GMT_Minus8_DateTime Unknown Date and time in Alaska Standard Time, 8 hours behind Greenwich Mean Time. Caution should be used when sorting data. We advise querying the data by year and ordering GMT_Minus8_DateTime by oldest to newest, Event by smallest to largest, and Flt_No by smallest to largest. This order will group all records for each flight in chronological order; however, individual flights will not be in chronological order. From 1979 to 2007, a single aircraft may have multiple flight numbers within a single day. Beginning in 2008, a unique flight number was assigned per day, per aircraft. If more than one survey occurred on the same date, each survey will have a unique flight number.
N/A
Lat NUMBER Latitude of aircraft in degrees decimal minutes. Used from 1979-2006.
N/A
Long NUMBER Longitude of aircraft in degrees decimal minutes. Used from 1979-2006.
N/A
ArcLat NUMBER Latitude of aircraft in decimal degrees WGS84.
N/A
ArcLong NUMBER Longitude of aircraft in decimal degrees WGS84.
N/A
Alt NUMBER Altitude of aircraft in feet above sea level.
N/A
Air_Head NUMBER Direction of aircraft heading in degrees. Used starting in 1998. A value of -1 indicates no data were recorded.
N/A
Entry VARCHAR2 Indicates whether the event was a flight type change, position update, or sighting. A value of "." indicates an automatic position update. Attributes include CAPs: Cetacean Aggregation Protocols (began in 2018); CAPs strip: Cetacean Aggregation Protocols strip (began in 2018); divert: diverted from transect effort to investigate a sighting (used from 1979-2008); divert to circling: the aircraft diverted from transect or search effort to investigate a sighting (starting in 2009); end transect: transect effort ended; FOV: Field of View effort began (began in 2018); FGF: Focal Group Following effort began (began in 2018); p on CAPs: CAPs passing effort (began in 2018); p on CAPs circling: CAPs circling effort (began in 2018); p on CAPs strip: CAPs strip effort (began in 2018); p on circling – search: circling during search effort (used starting in 2013, retroactively revised data from 2009 – 2011); p on circling – transect: circling during transect effort (used starting in 2013, retroactively revised data for 2009-2012); p on connect: position during a connect line (used from 1979-2008); p on deadhead: position during deadhead (started in 2007); p on FGV: FGF effort (began in 2018); p on FOV: FOV effort (began in 2018); p on search: search effort; p on transect: transect effort; resume: resume transect or search after diverting; resume transect: resume transect after diverting (used from 1979-2008); s on CAPs: sighting made from CAPs passing (began in 2018); s on CAPs circling: sighting made from CAPs circling effort (began in 2018); s on CAPs strip: a sighting made on CAPs strip effort (began in 2018); s on circling – search: sighting made while circling from search effort (used in 2013, retroactively revised from 2009 – 2012); s on circling – transect: sighting made while circling from transect effort (used in 2013, retroactively revised from 2009 – 2012); s on connect: sighting made during a connect leg (used from 1979- 2008); s on FOV: sighting made while on FOV effort (began in 2018); s on search: sighting made during search effort, either when the aircraft was circling (1979-2008) or the aircraft was en route to or from a target survey block or transect line (2009-2021); s on transect: sighting made during transect effort; search: search effort began (i.e., non-transect effort -began in 2007); start transect: transect effort start.
N/A
Species VARCHAR Common name of the animal, track, or vessel sighted. The following values were not used after 2008: "kill site no bear"; "track-belukha"; "track-bowhead"; "track-polar bear"; "track-unknown cet"; and "track-unknown pin". In 2012, the following changes were retroactively made to all years, to keep naming convention consistent: "bowhead" to "bowhead whale"; "orca" to "killer whale"; "minke" to "minke whale"; "humpback" to "humpback whale"; "unknown cetacean" to "unid cetacean"; "unknown pin" to "unid pinniped". In 2012, the following options were added: "Dall sheep"; "buoy"; "debris"; and "unid object". In 2013, the following changes were retroactively made to all years, to keep naming convention consistent: "small craft" to "vessel small craft"; "commercial vessel" to "vessel commercial"; "seismic vessel" to "vessel seismic"; "icebreaker" to "vessel icebreaker"; "lg. rec. vessel" to "vessel lg. rec."; and "sm. rec. vessel" to "vessel sm. rec.". In 2013, the following options were added: "vessel research" and "sleeper shark", and the following options were removed: "northern sea lion"; "northern fur seal"; "harbor seal"; "sea otter"; and "aircraft". In 2014, the following options were added: "vessel fishing" and "vessel military". In 2017, the following options were added: “unid shark” and “bait ball”, and “sleeper shark” was removed. In 2019, “unid fish” was added. Additional land animal options include: “arctic fox”, “brown bear”, “caribou”, “gray wolf”, and “musk ox”. Abbreviations: "unid"=unidentified, "cet"=cetacean, "pin"=pinniped, "lg. rec."=large recreational, "sm. rec."=small recreational. Sightings of cetaceans, walruses, and polar bears were of highest priority, non-walrus pinnipeds were secondary, and everything else was tertiary.
N/A
Sightcue VARCHAR2 Visual cue that caused the observer to first notice the sighting. A value of "." indicates no data were recorded.
N/A
Habitat VARCHAR2 Environment where the sighting was made. In 2015, habitats ¿lrg broken floes¿, ¿med broken floes¿, and ¿sm broken floes¿ were consolidated into one habitat, as described below. A value of "." indicates no data were recorded.
N/A
Behavior VARCHAR2 Behavior exhibited by the sighting. In 2013, redundant descriptions were consolidated into one behavior, as described below, and any additional information was recorded in the "notes" field. A value of "." indicates no data were recorded.
N/A
Size VARCHAR2 Indicates the subjective age class and/or group composition of the sighting. May not be inclusive of all animals in the sighting. Used from 1979-2008. A value of "." indicates no data were recorded.
N/A
Totalno NUMBER Total number of animals or vessels counted in a sighting. Starting in 2008, the total number of animals or vessels initially counted, prior to diverting to circle. For cetaceans, the relative area within which animals were considered a single group was five whale lengths from the closest animal. (Note: Prior to 2007, numbers equaling exactly 100 may be minimum estimates. Check the notes field for additional information.) A value of -1 indicates no data were recorded.
N/A
Final_group NUMBER Final count of animals or vessels in a sighting; usually determined during circling initiated after initial sighting was made on transect or search. Number may differ from Totalno. If different from Totalno, Final_group takes precedence. Used starting in 2009. A value of -1 indicates no data were recorded.
N/A
Low_estimate NUMBER Minimum estimate of animals or vessels in a sighting. Used starting in 2009. A value of -1 indicates no data were recorded.
N/A
High_estimate NUMBER Maximum estimate of animals or vessels in a sighting. Used starting in 2009. A value of -1 indicates no data were recorded.
N/A
Calfno NUMBER Total number of calves, cubs, or pups counted in a sighting. Calves are defined as being less than half the length of the accompanying adult. If Final_group is NULL and Calfno>0, then Calfno is included in Totalno. If Final_group>0 and Calfno>0, then Calfno is included in Final_group. If Final_group>0 and Calfno>0, then Calfno may or may not be included in Totalno. A value of -1 indicates no data were recorded.
N/A
Calf_on_circle NUMBER Total number of calves, cubs, or pups counted in a sighting after diverting to circle from search or transect effort or during CAPs circling. Any calf sighted during survey mode “s on circling – search”, “s on circling – transect”, and “CAPs circling” should have a numeric value of 1 or more in the “calf_on_circle” field. Totals are included in Calfno. Used starting in 2009. A value of -1 indicates no data were recorded.
N/A
Clinometer NUMBER Angle from the horizon to a sighting, when the sighting was abeam of the aircraft, measured in degrees. Angles range from 0 to 90 with 0 at the horizon and 90 directly under the aircraft. Angles from Grumman Goose aircraft could not exceed 70 due to the lack of bubble windows. Primary and non-primary observer windows are not the same and all angle readings from non-primary observers (PrimObs= 0) should be interpreted with caution. A value of -1 indicates no data were recorded.
N/A
Sop VARCHAR2 Side of plane from which a sighting was made. Used starting in 1989. Starting in 2013, this field was automatically populated in the survey program when an observer name was selected. A value of "." indicates no data were recorded.
N/A
Swimdir VARCHAR2 Predominant swim direction or heading of sighting, not corrected for magnetic variation. From 1979 to 2006, this number was recorded in magnetic north compass degrees, obtained from the aircraft's compass. Starting in 2007, Swimdir was recorded in clock directions relative to the aircraft. Actual swim directions, corrected for magnetic variation and/or calculated from clock directions, are in the Swimdir_True field. Starting in 2012, “swimdir” was applied to only vessels and cetacean sightings when behavior was swim and dive. Swim direction was occasionally entered for other species or behaviors, but was not done so consistently and the accuracy of those data are unknown. A value of "." indicates no data were recorded.
N/A
Swimspeed VARCHAR2 Subjective estimate of animal's swimming speed or vessel's traveling speed. A value of "." indicates no data were recorded.
N/A
Response VARCHAR2 Indicates whether an animal responded to the aircraft's presence. A value of "." indicates no data were recorded.
N/A
NoReacted NUMBER Total number of animals that responded to the survey aircraft. Used starting in 2013. NoReacted values were added for 2009 to 2012. A value of -1 indicates no data were recorded.
N/A
Repeat VARCHAR2 Indicates whether the sighting was considered a repeat within the same survey. A value of "." indicates no data were recorded. When Entry is “s on FOV”, repeat will always be “yes.”
N/A
Observer Unknown Not recorded prior to 1989. From 1989-2006, initials or identification number of the observer who first observed a sighting. Starting in 2007, the full name of the observer was entered. In 2011, an effort was undertaken to replace all initials with full names where known. Initials that remain in this field are individuals not able to be identified based on available information. A value of "." indicates no data were recorded.
N/A
PrimObs VARCHAR2 Numeric code to indicate whether a sighting was made by a primary observer or a secondary observer. Used starting in 2013. In 2013, retroactively added values for 1989-2012. Primary observers could not be determined prior to 1989. A value of -1 indicates no data were collected.
N/A
Skycon VARCHAR2 Subjective description of the sky conditions. A value of "n/a" indicates not applicable. A value of "." indicates no data were recorded. Starting in 2014, "NA" was used instead of "n/a".
N/A
VisImpLeft VARCHAR2 Subjective description of the predominant impediment to an observer's field of view on the left side of the aircraft. A value of "n/a" indicates not applicable. A value of "." indicates no data were recorded. Starting in 2014, "NA" was used instead of "n/a".
N/A
VisImpRight VARCHAR2 Subjective description of the predominant impediment to an observer's field of view on the right side of the aircraft. A value of "n/a" indicates not applicable. A value of "." indicates no data were recorded. Starting in 2014, "NA" was used instead of "n/a".
N/A
Vis_left Unknown Estimate in kilometers of visibility on the left side of the aircraft. A value of "n/a" indicates not applicable. A value of "." indicates no data were recorded. Starting in 2014, "NA" was used instead of "n/a".
N/A
Vis_right Unknown Estimate in kilometers of visibility on the right side of the aircraft. A value of "n/a" indicates not applicable. A value of "." indicates no data were recorded. Starting in 2014, "NA" was used instead of "n/a".
N/A
Icepercent NUMBER Estimate of the percent of ocean surface within the visual range for the left and right observer, averaged together (1979-1991, 2008-2017) or within 1 km of the aircraft (1992-2007) covered by sea ice. Frazil was not included in the estimate. A value of "n/a" indicates not applicable. A value of "." or -1 indicates no data were recorded. Starting in 2014, "NA" was used instead of "n/a". Not used after 2017.
N/A
Icetype VARCHAR2 Predominant type of sea ice within the visual range of the observer (1979-1991, 2008-2021) or within 1 km of the aircraft (1992-2007). A value of "n/a" indicates not applicable. A value of "." or -1 indicates no data were recorded. Starting in 2014, "NA" was used instead of "n/a".
N/A
Seastate VARCHAR2 Observed sea state using the Beaufort Wind Force classification system. A value of "n/a" indicates not applicable. A value of "." indicates no data were recorded. Starting in 2014, "NA" was used instead of "n/a".
N/A
Block NUMBER Survey block in which a sighting event occurred. Survey block is populated based on the location provided by LatTemp/LongTemp. A value of 0 indicates that the sighting fell outside of survey block boundaries. A value of -1 indicates no data were recorded.
N/A
Depth_m NUMBER Water depth in meters. A value of 99999 indicates no data were recorded. Depths were calculated using the International Bathymetric Chart of the Arctic Ocean (IBCAO), a raster image available from NOAA. Processing of the raster and its resolution have changed over time. Prior to 2009, projection and resolution are unknown. In 2009, the raster was projected to Equidistant Conic with a resolution of 2.0 km, and latitude and longitude (used to calculate depth) were acquired from the ArcLat/ArcLong fields. In 2010, the raster was projected to Polar Stereographic with a resolution of 2.036 km, and latitude and longitude were acquired from the LatTemp/LongTemp fields. In 2011, depth data for all years were revised using an updated raster (raster updated by M. Hay of Resource Data, Inc. on 12/19/2010, projected to Polar Stereographic with 2.036 km resolution after geoprocessing). Depth values were recalculated for 1979-2009 data using positions from the ArcLat/ArcLong fields, and for 2010 data using positions from the LatTemp/LongTemp fields (i.e., actual positions when available, otherwise plane positions). Starting in 2013, depths were derived from IBCAO version 3.0, with 500 meter pixel resolution, using positions from the LatTemp/LongTemp fields which were projected to the IBCAO native spatial reference of Polar Stereographic.
N/A
UTMZ6X NUMBER X-axis position of the aircraft in Universal Transverse Mercator Zone 6 North. Used from 1979-2006.
N/A
UTMZ6Y NUMBER Y-axis position of the aircraft in Universal Transverse Mercator Zone 6 North. Used from 1979-2006.
N/A
Aerial_Survey VARCHAR2 Primary agency responsible for the survey and the platform used. The data acquisition program initially populates this field with "COMIDA" or "BWASP"; these are converted to the agency_platform convention during post-field processing.
N/A
Swimdir_True NUMBER Predominant swim direction or heading of a sighting in true north compass degrees (i.e., corrected for magnetic variation). Prior to 2007, this value was derived by taking Swimdir degrees and correcting for magnetic variation. Starting in 2007, this value was derived by converting Swimdir clock directions to degrees, using airhead_gps, and correcting for magnetic variation using declination as reported by the GPS unit in the fields "magvar_gps" and "magvar_dir.” Starting in 2012, this field was assigned a numeric value only for vessels or cetacean sightings when behavior was swim and dive. Swim direction was occasionally entered for other species or behaviors, but was not done so consistently and the accuracy of those data are unknown. A value of -1 indicates no data were recorded.
N/A
magvar_gps NUMBER Magnetic declination as reported by the GPS unit. Used starting in 2007. A value of -1 indicates no data were recorded. A value of 0 should be disregarded and may indicate that data were not received by the GPS unit.
N/A
magvar_dir VARCHAR2 Direction of magnetic declination as reported by the GPS unit. Used starting in 2007. A value of "." indicates no data were recorded.
N/A
airhead_gps NUMBER Aircraft heading, or direction of travel, as reported by the GPS unit. Used starting in 2007. A value of -1 indicates no data were recorded.
N/A
alt_gps NUMBER Aircraft altitude derived from GPS satellite triangulation, as reported by the GPS unit. Units are in feet and referenced to mean sea level (MSL). Used starting in 2013. A value of -1 indicates no data were recorded. In 2016, alt_gps values did not update as frequently as in previous years; sometimes the same value carries down for multiple events.
N/A
Calf_Detect_Cert VARCHAR2 Rating of level of certainty of the presence or absence of a calf in a sighting. All cetacean sightings should have a value of 1, 2, or 3 entered, except for CAPs and CAPs strip, which will have a value of -1. The accuracy of Calf_Detect_Cert is unknown for non-cetacean sightings with a value of 1, 2, or 3 listed. After 2014, except for a few exceptions, sightings of non-cetaceans and all other events will have -1. Used starting in 2007. In previous versions of the database from 2007 to 2010, this field was named "Certainty". A value of -1 indicates no data were recorded.
N/A
Group VARCHAR2 Numeric code that corresponds with a category describing the group size and/or composition of a sighting. Used from 2007-2012. A value of -1 indicates no data were recorded.
N/A
saved VARCHAR2 Indicates whether the entry was saved or deleted. Deleted entries are kept solely for a complete record of logged events, and should not be used in any analyses.
N/A
notes Unknown Any pertinent information that was not recorded elsewhere.
N/A
FltType VARCHAR2 Numeric code that corresponds with the flight type, or survey mode. See abstract and methodology for discussion of different flight types. Starting in 2009, all automatic updates were recorded as -1.
N/A
Transect_id VARCHAR2 Number or letter used to identify a transect line in the eastern Chukchi Sea and western Beaufort Sea study areas and in the eastern Beaufort Sea and Amundsen Gulf (known as ABA project). Transect numbers and their locations vary each year. Used starting 19 September 2009 in the Chukchi Sea study area. In 2015, a similar method was adopted in the western Beaufort study area and transect IDs were retroactively added through 1979. A value of "." indicates no data were recorded.
N/A
Family VARCHAR2 Numeric code to indicate species groupings. This field was created solely for programming purposes for the data collection software, but can be used for analyses if desired. Used starting in 2007. A value of -1 indicates no data were recorded.
N/A
enttag VARCHAR2 Numeric code to indicate entry type. This field was created solely for programming purposes for the data collection software, but is also useful for data QA/QC. Used starting in 2007. A value of -1 indicates no data were recorded.
N/A
XofWhale NUMBER Actual longitude, in decimal degrees, of a sighting calculated from aircraft altitude [Alt (2009-2012); alt_gps (starting in 2013, when there was an alt_gps value available)], clinometer angle (Clinometer), and side of plane (Sop). Used starting in 2009. In 2011, values for 1998-2008 were retroactively calculated for all cetacean, pinniped, and land mammal sightings where applicable. The VBA module used to run the calculation up until 2011 projected data to UTMZ6, so distortion may exist outside of the Beaufort Sea. Starting in 2012, each point was projected to the UTM zone in which it was located. XofWhale locations for sightings resulting from clinometer angles of non-primary observers (PrimObs= 0) are only computed for sightings made from Otter aircraft (1998-2010). A value of -1 indicates no data were recorded.
N/A
YofWhale NUMBER Actual latitude, in decimal degrees, of a sighting calculated from aircraft altitude [Alt (2009-2012); alt_gps (starting in 2013, when there was an alt_gps value available)], clinometer angle (Clinometer), and side of plane (Sop). Used starting in 2009. In 2011, values for 1998-2008 were calculated for all cetacean, pinniped, and land mammal sightings where applicable. The VBA module used to run the calculation up until 2011 projected data to UTMZ6, so distortion may exist outside of the Beaufort Sea. Starting in 2012, each point was projected to the UTM zone in which it was located. YofWhale locations for sightings resulting from clinometer angles of non-primary observers (PrimObs= 0) are only computed for sightings made from Otter aircraft (1998-2010). A value of -1 indicates no data were recorded.
N/A
DIST_FROM_SHORE NUMBER Distance between a sighting and closest point to shore, expressed in kilometers. A GIS feature class representing a normalized shoreline (NS) was created to standardize the location from which distance measurements were taken. Prior to 2011, distances had only been calculated for bowhead sightings, and the NS used had coarse resolution and did not encompass the entire study area. Because distances were based on a NS with a limited extent, distance values in all databases created prior to 2011 should be taken with caution. On 2/8/2012, a new NS was created that 1) had higher resolution to better fit the natural coastline of Alaska, 2) more closely wrapped around the outer edges of lagoons and barrier islands, 3) was projected to North American Equidistant Conic, a projection more appropriate for distance measurements, and 4) had custom projection parameters to better fit the study area (central meridian=-154.5, latitude of origin=70.5, standard parallels=60.5, 80.5). Distances were re-calculated for all saved sightings from 1979-2011, north of 67.5 degrees N and west of 139.5 degrees W (based on the extent of the NS), using actual positions when available (X/YofWhale), otherwise plane positions (ArcLat/Long). Negative values represent sightings landward of the NS; positive values represent sightings seaward of the NS. All remaining records should be Null. M. Hay of XeraGIS generated distance calculations for 2012-2021 data using an NS adapted from the one described above, using a Universal Transverse Mercator Zone 5N projection.
N/A
DataRecorder Unknown Full name of individual filling the data recorder position. Used starting in 2008. Prior to 2008, this information was stored in the FlightInfo table. It was moved to the Output table to facilitate switching out observers and recorders mid-flight. A value of "." indicates no data were recorded.
N/A
ObsLeft Unknown Full name of individual filling the left observer position. Used starting in 2008. Prior to 2008, this information was stored in the FlightInfo table. It was moved to the Output table to facilitate switching out observers and recorders mid-flight. A value of "." indicates no data were recorded.
N/A
ObsRight Unknown Full name of individual filling the right observer position. Used starting in 2008. Prior to 2008, this information was stored in the FlightInfo table. It was moved to the Output table to facilitate switching out observers and recorders mid-flight. A value of "." indicates no data were recorded.
N/A
ObsFourth Unknown Full name of individual filling the fourth observer position. Used starting in 2009. This field was created to facilitate switching out observers and recorders mid-flight. A value of "." indicates no data were recorded.
N/A
Pilot Unknown Full name of survey aircraft pilot. Used starting in 2012. A value of "." indicates no data were recorded.
N/A
Co_Pilot Unknown Full name of survey aircraft copilot. Used starting in 2012. A value of "." indicates no data were recorded.
N/A
PhotoTaken VARCHAR2 Numeric code indicating whether photographs were taken of an event. Used starting in 2009. A value of -1 indicates no data were recorded.
N/A
LatTemp NUMBER Latitude, in decimal degrees WGS84, used for real-time mapping during the survey. Used starting in 2009. In 2013, retroactively added values for 1979-2008. It is the latitude of a sighting, when the actual position (YofWhale) of a sighting can be calculated; otherwise, it is the latitude of the aircraft (ArcLat). A value of -1 indicates no data were recorded. Disregard values of 0.
N/A
LongTemp NUMBER Longitude, in decimal degrees WGS84, used for real-time mapping during the survey. Used starting in 2009. In 2013, retroactively added values for 1979-2008. It is the longitude of a sighting, when the actual position (XofWhale) of a sighting can be calculated; otherwise, it is the longitude of the aircraft (ArcLong). A value of -1 indicates no data were recorded. Disregard values of 0.
N/A
assoc_event Number During Field of View trials, the abeam entries (“s on FOV”) are accompanied by an initial and final mark; the assoc_event field gets populated with the initial and final mark event numbers. The assoc_event field for initial and final events gets populated with the abeam event number. Added starting in 2018.

Attribute Details

ID

CC ID: 309211
Data Storage Type: NUMBER
Required: No
Primary Key: No
Status: Active
Description:

Unique whole number to identify each record. This field should only be used as a reference and should not be used to sort data.

Allowed Values: 1 - 296190

Event

CC ID: 309212
Data Storage Type: NUMBER
Required: No
Primary Key: No
Status: Active
Description:

Sequential number representing data entry event. Caution should be used when sorting data. We advise querying data by year and ordering GMT_Minus8_DateTime by oldest to newest, Event by smallest to largest, and Flt_No by smallest to largest. This order will group all records for each flight in chronological order; however, individual flights will not be in chronological order. From 1979 to 2007, a single aircraft may have multiple flight numbers within a single day. Beginning in 2008, a unique flight number was assigned per day, per aircraft. If more than one survey occurred on the same date, each survey will have a unique flight number.

Allowed Values: 1 - 1745

Flt_No

CC ID: 309213
Data Storage Type: NUMBER
Required: No
Primary Key: No
Status: Active
Description:

Flight number used to identify a survey. Surveys conducted in the same year have unique flight numbers. When two survey aircraft were operating concurrently within one year, flight numbers for the additional aircraft started at 201. In 2012, a third aircraft was used to conduct surveys to assess the Eastern Chukchi stock of belugas; these flights start with flight number 301. In 2019, a third aircraft conducted surveys in the eastern Beaufort Sea and Amundsen Gulf; these flights start with flight number 401. Caution should be used when sorting data. We advise querying data by year and ordering GMT_Minus8_DateTime by oldest to newest, Event by smallest to largest, and Flt_No by smallest to largest. This order will group all records for each flight in chronological order; however, individual flights will not be in chronological order. From 1979 to 2007, a single aircraft may have multiple flight numbers within a single day. Beginning in 2008, a unique flight number was assigned per day, per aircraft. If more than one survey occurred on the same date, each survey will have a unique flight number.

Allowed Values: 1 - 413

GMT_Minus8_DateTime

CC ID: 309214
Data Storage Type: Unknown
Required: No
Primary Key: No
Status: Active
Description:

Date and time in Alaska Standard Time, 8 hours behind Greenwich Mean Time. Caution should be used when sorting data. We advise querying the data by year and ordering GMT_Minus8_DateTime by oldest to newest, Event by smallest to largest, and Flt_No by smallest to largest. This order will group all records for each flight in chronological order; however, individual flights will not be in chronological order. From 1979 to 2007, a single aircraft may have multiple flight numbers within a single day. Beginning in 2008, a unique flight number was assigned per day, per aircraft. If more than one survey occurred on the same date, each survey will have a unique flight number.

Allowed Values: Date and time in Alaska Standard Time, 8 hours behind Greenwich Mean Time.

Lat

CC ID: 309215
Data Storage Type: NUMBER
Required: No
Primary Key: No
Status: Active
Description:

Latitude of aircraft in degrees decimal minutes. Used from 1979-2006.

Allowed Values: 5743.5 - 7608.8

Long

CC ID: 309216
Data Storage Type: NUMBER
Required: No
Primary Key: No
Status: Active
Description:

Longitude of aircraft in degrees decimal minutes. Used from 1979-2006.

Allowed Values: 12525.2 - 17400.8

ArcLat

CC ID: 309217
Data Storage Type: NUMBER
Required: No
Primary Key: No
Status: Active
Description:

Latitude of aircraft in decimal degrees WGS84.

Allowed Values: 57.725 - 76.14666

ArcLong

CC ID: 309218
Data Storage Type: NUMBER
Required: No
Primary Key: No
Status: Active
Description:

Longitude of aircraft in decimal degrees WGS84.

Allowed Values: -174.0134 - -125.2533

Alt

CC ID: 309219
Data Storage Type: NUMBER
Required: No
Primary Key: No
Status: Active
Description:

Altitude of aircraft in feet above sea level.

Allowed Values: -500 - 14939

Air_Head

CC ID: 309220
Data Storage Type: NUMBER
Required: No
Primary Key: No
Status: Active
Description:

Direction of aircraft heading in degrees. Used starting in 1998. A value of -1 indicates no data were recorded.

Allowed Values: 0 - 360

Entry

CC ID: 309221
Data Storage Type: VARCHAR2
Required: No
Primary Key: No
Status: Active
Description:

Indicates whether the event was a flight type change, position update, or sighting. A value of "." indicates an automatic position update. Attributes include CAPs: Cetacean Aggregation Protocols (began in 2018); CAPs strip: Cetacean Aggregation Protocols strip (began in 2018); divert: diverted from transect effort to investigate a sighting (used from 1979-2008); divert to circling: the aircraft diverted from transect or search effort to investigate a sighting (starting in 2009); end transect: transect effort ended; FOV: Field of View effort began (began in 2018); FGF: Focal Group Following effort began (began in 2018); p on CAPs: CAPs passing effort (began in 2018); p on CAPs circling: CAPs circling effort (began in 2018); p on CAPs strip: CAPs strip effort (began in 2018); p on circling – search: circling during search effort (used starting in 2013, retroactively revised data from 2009 – 2011); p on circling – transect: circling during transect effort (used starting in 2013, retroactively revised data for 2009-2012); p on connect: position during a connect line (used from 1979-2008); p on deadhead: position during deadhead (started in 2007); p on FGV: FGF effort (began in 2018); p on FOV: FOV effort (began in 2018); p on search: search effort; p on transect: transect effort; resume: resume transect or search after diverting; resume transect: resume transect after diverting (used from 1979-2008); s on CAPs: sighting made from CAPs passing (began in 2018); s on CAPs circling: sighting made from CAPs circling effort (began in 2018); s on CAPs strip: a sighting made on CAPs strip effort (began in 2018); s on circling – search: sighting made while circling from search effort (used in 2013, retroactively revised from 2009 – 2012); s on circling – transect: sighting made while circling from transect effort (used in 2013, retroactively revised from 2009 – 2012); s on connect: sighting made during a connect leg (used from 1979- 2008); s on FOV: sighting made while on FOV effort (began in 2018); s on search: sighting made during search effort, either when the aircraft was circling (1979-2008) or the aircraft was en route to or from a target survey block or transect line (2009-2021); s on transect: sighting made during transect effort; search: search effort began (i.e., non-transect effort -began in 2007); start transect: transect effort start.

Allowed Values: CAPs, CAPs circling, CAPs strip, deadhead, divert, divert to circling, end transect, FOV, FGF, p on CAPs, p on CAPs circling, p on CAPs strip, p on circling - search, p on circling - transect, p on connect, p on deadhead, p on FGF, p on FOV, p on search, p on transect, resume, resume transect, s on CAPs, s on CAPs strip, s on circling - search, s on circling - transect, s on connect, s on FOV, s on search, s on transect, search, start transect

Species

CC ID: 309222
Data Storage Type: VARCHAR
Required: No
Primary Key: No
Status: Active
Description:

Common name of the animal, track, or vessel sighted. The following values were not used after 2008: "kill site no bear"; "track-belukha"; "track-bowhead"; "track-polar bear"; "track-unknown cet"; and "track-unknown pin". In 2012, the following changes were retroactively made to all years, to keep naming convention consistent: "bowhead" to "bowhead whale"; "orca" to "killer whale"; "minke" to "minke whale"; "humpback" to "humpback whale"; "unknown cetacean" to "unid cetacean"; "unknown pin" to "unid pinniped". In 2012, the following options were added: "Dall sheep"; "buoy"; "debris"; and "unid object". In 2013, the following changes were retroactively made to all years, to keep naming convention consistent: "small craft" to "vessel small craft"; "commercial vessel" to "vessel commercial"; "seismic vessel" to "vessel seismic"; "icebreaker" to "vessel icebreaker"; "lg. rec. vessel" to "vessel lg. rec."; and "sm. rec. vessel" to "vessel sm. rec.". In 2013, the following options were added: "vessel research" and "sleeper shark", and the following options were removed: "northern sea lion"; "northern fur seal"; "harbor seal"; "sea otter"; and "aircraft". In 2014, the following options were added: "vessel fishing" and "vessel military". In 2017, the following options were added: “unid shark” and “bait ball”, and “sleeper shark” was removed. In 2019, “unid fish” was added. Additional land animal options include: “arctic fox”, “brown bear”, “caribou”, “gray wolf”, and “musk ox”. Abbreviations: "unid"=unidentified, "cet"=cetacean, "pin"=pinniped, "lg. rec."=large recreational, "sm. rec."=small recreational. Sightings of cetaceans, walruses, and polar bears were of highest priority, non-walrus pinnipeds were secondary, and everything else was tertiary.

Allowed Values: Codeset: Common name of species

Sightcue

CC ID: 309223
Data Storage Type: VARCHAR2
Required: No
Primary Key: No
Status: Active
Description:

Visual cue that caused the observer to first notice the sighting. A value of "." indicates no data were recorded.

Allowed Values: birds or fish, blow, body, breach, display, ice tracks, kill site, mud plumes, no cue, other, slick, splash, track, vessel

Habitat

CC ID: 309224
Data Storage Type: VARCHAR2
Required: No
Primary Key: No
Status: Active
Description:

Environment where the sighting was made. In 2015, habitats ¿lrg broken floes¿, ¿med broken floes¿, and ¿sm broken floes¿ were consolidated into one habitat, as described below. A value of "." indicates no data were recorded.

Allowed Values: barrier island, bay or lagoon, beach, consolidated ice, ice edge, crack or hole, lead, lrg broken floes, mainland coast, med broken floe, on ice, on land (barrier island or beach), open water, other, polynya, river delta, rocky cliff, sm broken floes, tide rip, tundra, unconsolidated ice

Behavior

CC ID: 309225
Data Storage Type: VARCHAR2
Required: No
Primary Key: No
Status: Active
Description:

Behavior exhibited by the sighting. In 2013, redundant descriptions were consolidated into one behavior, as described below, and any additional information was recorded in the "notes" field. A value of "." indicates no data were recorded.

Allowed Values: associated with birds or fish in open ocean, breach, cow with calf, dead, dive, feed, flipper slap, hauled out, log play, mate, mill, other, rest, roll, run, SAG, seismic, slap, spy hop, stand, stationary, swim, tail slap, thrash, underwater blow, unknown, walk, whaling

Size

CC ID: 309226
Data Storage Type: VARCHAR2
Required: No
Primary Key: No
Status: Active
Description:

Indicates the subjective age class and/or group composition of the sighting. May not be inclusive of all animals in the sighting. Used from 1979-2008. A value of "." indicates no data were recorded.

Allowed Values: adult, adult/cub, calf of year, cow/calf pair, immature, large adult, mixed, unknown

Totalno

CC ID: 309227
Data Storage Type: NUMBER
Required: No
Primary Key: No
Status: Active
Description:

Total number of animals or vessels counted in a sighting. Starting in 2008, the total number of animals or vessels initially counted, prior to diverting to circle. For cetaceans, the relative area within which animals were considered a single group was five whale lengths from the closest animal. (Note: Prior to 2007, numbers equaling exactly 100 may be minimum estimates. Check the notes field for additional information.) A value of -1 indicates no data were recorded.

Allowed Values: 1 - 35000

Final_group

CC ID: 309228
Data Storage Type: NUMBER
Required: No
Primary Key: No
Status: Active
Description:

Final count of animals or vessels in a sighting; usually determined during circling initiated after initial sighting was made on transect or search. Number may differ from Totalno. If different from Totalno, Final_group takes precedence. Used starting in 2009. A value of -1 indicates no data were recorded.

Allowed Values: 1 - 35000

Low_estimate

CC ID: 309229
Data Storage Type: NUMBER
Required: No
Primary Key: No
Status: Active
Description:

Minimum estimate of animals or vessels in a sighting. Used starting in 2009. A value of -1 indicates no data were recorded.

Allowed Values: 1 - 30000

High_estimate

CC ID: 309230
Data Storage Type: NUMBER
Required: No
Primary Key: No
Status: Active
Description:

Maximum estimate of animals or vessels in a sighting. Used starting in 2009. A value of -1 indicates no data were recorded.

Allowed Values: 1 - 50000

Calfno

CC ID: 309231
Data Storage Type: NUMBER
Required: No
Primary Key: No
Status: Active
Description:

Total number of calves, cubs, or pups counted in a sighting. Calves are defined as being less than half the length of the accompanying adult. If Final_group is NULL and Calfno>0, then Calfno is included in Totalno. If Final_group>0 and Calfno>0, then Calfno is included in Final_group. If Final_group>0 and Calfno>0, then Calfno may or may not be included in Totalno. A value of -1 indicates no data were recorded.

Allowed Values: 0 - 200

Calf_on_circle

CC ID: 309232
Data Storage Type: NUMBER
Required: No
Primary Key: No
Status: Active
Description:

Total number of calves, cubs, or pups counted in a sighting after diverting to circle from search or transect effort or during CAPs circling. Any calf sighted during survey mode “s on circling – search”, “s on circling – transect”, and “CAPs circling” should have a numeric value of 1 or more in the “calf_on_circle” field. Totals are included in Calfno. Used starting in 2009. A value of -1 indicates no data were recorded.

Allowed Values: 0 - 75

Clinometer

CC ID: 309233
Data Storage Type: NUMBER
Required: No
Primary Key: No
Status: Active
Description:

Angle from the horizon to a sighting, when the sighting was abeam of the aircraft, measured in degrees. Angles range from 0 to 90 with 0 at the horizon and 90 directly under the aircraft. Angles from Grumman Goose aircraft could not exceed 70 due to the lack of bubble windows. Primary and non-primary observer windows are not the same and all angle readings from non-primary observers (PrimObs= 0) should be interpreted with caution. A value of -1 indicates no data were recorded.

Allowed Values: 0 - 90

Sop

CC ID: 309234
Data Storage Type: VARCHAR2
Required: No
Primary Key: No
Status: Active
Description:

Side of plane from which a sighting was made. Used starting in 1989. Starting in 2013, this field was automatically populated in the survey program when an observer name was selected. A value of "." indicates no data were recorded.

Allowed Values: l, r

Swimdir

CC ID: 309235
Data Storage Type: VARCHAR2
Required: No
Primary Key: No
Status: Active
Description:

Predominant swim direction or heading of sighting, not corrected for magnetic variation. From 1979 to 2006, this number was recorded in magnetic north compass degrees, obtained from the aircraft's compass. Starting in 2007, Swimdir was recorded in clock directions relative to the aircraft. Actual swim directions, corrected for magnetic variation and/or calculated from clock directions, are in the Swimdir_True field. Starting in 2012, “swimdir” was applied to only vessels and cetacean sightings when behavior was swim and dive. Swim direction was occasionally entered for other species or behaviors, but was not done so consistently and the accuracy of those data are unknown. A value of "." indicates no data were recorded.

Allowed Values: No Dir

Swimspeed

CC ID: 309236
Data Storage Type: VARCHAR2
Required: No
Primary Key: No
Status: Active
Description:

Subjective estimate of animal's swimming speed or vessel's traveling speed. A value of "." indicates no data were recorded.

Allowed Values: fast, medium, slow, still, unknown

Response

CC ID: 309237
Data Storage Type: VARCHAR2
Required: No
Primary Key: No
Status: Active
Description:

Indicates whether an animal responded to the aircraft's presence. A value of "." indicates no data were recorded.

Allowed Values: yes, no, unknown

NoReacted

CC ID: 309238
Data Storage Type: NUMBER
Required: No
Primary Key: No
Status: Active
Description:

Total number of animals that responded to the survey aircraft. Used starting in 2013. NoReacted values were added for 2009 to 2012. A value of -1 indicates no data were recorded.

Allowed Values: 0 - 2000

Repeat

CC ID: 309239
Data Storage Type: VARCHAR2
Required: No
Primary Key: No
Status: Active
Description:

Indicates whether the sighting was considered a repeat within the same survey. A value of "." indicates no data were recorded. When Entry is “s on FOV”, repeat will always be “yes.”

Allowed Values: yes, no, unknown

Observer

CC ID: 309240
Data Storage Type: Unknown
Required: No
Primary Key: No
Status: Active
Description:

Not recorded prior to 1989. From 1989-2006, initials or identification number of the observer who first observed a sighting. Starting in 2007, the full name of the observer was entered. In 2011, an effort was undertaken to replace all initials with full names where known. Initials that remain in this field are individuals not able to be identified based on available information. A value of "." indicates no data were recorded.

PrimObs

CC ID: 309241
Data Storage Type: VARCHAR2
Required: No
Primary Key: No
Status: Active
Description:

Numeric code to indicate whether a sighting was made by a primary observer or a secondary observer. Used starting in 2013. In 2013, retroactively added values for 1989-2012. Primary observers could not be determined prior to 1989. A value of -1 indicates no data were collected.

Allowed Values: 0, 1

Skycon

CC ID: 309242
Data Storage Type: VARCHAR2
Required: No
Primary Key: No
Status: Active
Description:

Subjective description of the sky conditions. A value of "n/a" indicates not applicable. A value of "." indicates no data were recorded. Starting in 2014, "NA" was used instead of "n/a".

Allowed Values: clear, overcast, partly cloudy

VisImpLeft

CC ID: 309243
Data Storage Type: VARCHAR2
Required: No
Primary Key: No
Status: Active
Description:

Subjective description of the predominant impediment to an observer's field of view on the left side of the aircraft. A value of "n/a" indicates not applicable. A value of "." indicates no data were recorded. Starting in 2014, "NA" was used instead of "n/a".

Allowed Values: fog, glare, haze, ice on window, low ceiling, none, precip

VisImpRight

CC ID: 309244
Data Storage Type: VARCHAR2
Required: No
Primary Key: No
Status: Active
Description:

Subjective description of the predominant impediment to an observer's field of view on the right side of the aircraft. A value of "n/a" indicates not applicable. A value of "." indicates no data were recorded. Starting in 2014, "NA" was used instead of "n/a".

Allowed Values: fog, glare, haze, ice on window, low ceiling, none, precip

Vis_left

CC ID: 309245
Data Storage Type: Unknown
Required: No
Primary Key: No
Status: Active
Description:

Estimate in kilometers of visibility on the left side of the aircraft. A value of "n/a" indicates not applicable. A value of "." indicates no data were recorded. Starting in 2014, "NA" was used instead of "n/a".

Vis_right

CC ID: 309246
Data Storage Type: Unknown
Required: No
Primary Key: No
Status: Active
Description:

Estimate in kilometers of visibility on the right side of the aircraft. A value of "n/a" indicates not applicable. A value of "." indicates no data were recorded. Starting in 2014, "NA" was used instead of "n/a".

Icepercent

CC ID: 309247
Data Storage Type: NUMBER
Required: No
Primary Key: No
Status: Active
Description:

Estimate of the percent of ocean surface within the visual range for the left and right observer, averaged together (1979-1991, 2008-2017) or within 1 km of the aircraft (1992-2007) covered by sea ice. Frazil was not included in the estimate. A value of "n/a" indicates not applicable. A value of "." or -1 indicates no data were recorded. Starting in 2014, "NA" was used instead of "n/a". Not used after 2017.

Allowed Values: 0 - 100

Icetype

CC ID: 309248
Data Storage Type: VARCHAR2
Required: No
Primary Key: No
Status: Active
Description:

Predominant type of sea ice within the visual range of the observer (1979-1991, 2008-2021) or within 1 km of the aircraft (1992-2007). A value of "n/a" indicates not applicable. A value of "." or -1 indicates no data were recorded. Starting in 2014, "NA" was used instead of "n/a".

Allowed Values: broken floes, floe, frazil, grease/new, lead, new + broken floe, no ice, pack, pack/floe, shorefast

Seastate

CC ID: 309249
Data Storage Type: VARCHAR2
Required: No
Primary Key: No
Status: Active
Description:

Observed sea state using the Beaufort Wind Force classification system. A value of "n/a" indicates not applicable. A value of "." indicates no data were recorded. Starting in 2014, "NA" was used instead of "n/a".

Allowed Values: B0 glassy, less than 1 kt, B1 ripples, 1-3 kt, B2 sm waves, 4-6 kt, B3 scattered caps, 7-10 kt, B4 numerous caps, 11-16 kt, B5 many caps, 17-21 kt, B6 all caps, 22-27 kt, B7 breaking waves, 28-33 kt, B8 foam, 34-40 kt

Block

CC ID: 309250
Data Storage Type: NUMBER
Required: No
Primary Key: No
Status: Active
Description:

Survey block in which a sighting event occurred. Survey block is populated based on the location provided by LatTemp/LongTemp. A value of 0 indicates that the sighting fell outside of survey block boundaries. A value of -1 indicates no data were recorded.

Allowed Values: 0 - 29

Depth_m

CC ID: 309251
Data Storage Type: NUMBER
Required: No
Primary Key: No
Status: Active
Description:

Water depth in meters. A value of 99999 indicates no data were recorded. Depths were calculated using the International Bathymetric Chart of the Arctic Ocean (IBCAO), a raster image available from NOAA. Processing of the raster and its resolution have changed over time. Prior to 2009, projection and resolution are unknown. In 2009, the raster was projected to Equidistant Conic with a resolution of 2.0 km, and latitude and longitude (used to calculate depth) were acquired from the ArcLat/ArcLong fields. In 2010, the raster was projected to Polar Stereographic with a resolution of 2.036 km, and latitude and longitude were acquired from the LatTemp/LongTemp fields. In 2011, depth data for all years were revised using an updated raster (raster updated by M. Hay of Resource Data, Inc. on 12/19/2010, projected to Polar Stereographic with 2.036 km resolution after geoprocessing). Depth values were recalculated for 1979-2009 data using positions from the ArcLat/ArcLong fields, and for 2010 data using positions from the LatTemp/LongTemp fields (i.e., actual positions when available, otherwise plane positions). Starting in 2013, depths were derived from IBCAO version 3.0, with 500 meter pixel resolution, using positions from the LatTemp/LongTemp fields which were projected to the IBCAO native spatial reference of Polar Stereographic.

Allowed Values: -3870 - 1944

UTMZ6X

CC ID: 309252
Data Storage Type: NUMBER
Required: No
Primary Key: No
Status: Active
Description:

X-axis position of the aircraft in Universal Transverse Mercator Zone 6 North. Used from 1979-2006.

Allowed Values: -86892 - 995891

UTMZ6Y

CC ID: 309253
Data Storage Type: NUMBER
Required: No
Primary Key: No
Status: Active
Description:

Y-axis position of the aircraft in Universal Transverse Mercator Zone 6 North. Used from 1979-2006.

Allowed Values: 6397992 - 8451409

Aerial_Survey

CC ID: 309254
Data Storage Type: VARCHAR2
Required: No
Primary Key: No
Status: Active
Description:

Primary agency responsible for the survey and the platform used. The data acquisition program initially populates this field with "COMIDA" or "BWASP"; these are converted to the agency_platform convention during post-field processing.

Allowed Values: MMS_Otter, MML_Cmdr, MML_Otter, NARL_Otter, NMML_Cmdr, NMML_Otter, NOSC_Goose, NOSC_Otter, SAIC_Goose, SAIC_Otter

Swimdir_True

CC ID: 309255
Data Storage Type: NUMBER
Required: No
Primary Key: No
Status: Active
Description:

Predominant swim direction or heading of a sighting in true north compass degrees (i.e., corrected for magnetic variation). Prior to 2007, this value was derived by taking Swimdir degrees and correcting for magnetic variation. Starting in 2007, this value was derived by converting Swimdir clock directions to degrees, using airhead_gps, and correcting for magnetic variation using declination as reported by the GPS unit in the fields "magvar_gps" and "magvar_dir.” Starting in 2012, this field was assigned a numeric value only for vessels or cetacean sightings when behavior was swim and dive. Swim direction was occasionally entered for other species or behaviors, but was not done so consistently and the accuracy of those data are unknown. A value of -1 indicates no data were recorded.

Allowed Values: 1 - 360

magvar_gps

CC ID: 309256
Data Storage Type: NUMBER
Required: No
Primary Key: No
Status: Active
Description:

Magnetic declination as reported by the GPS unit. Used starting in 2007. A value of -1 indicates no data were recorded. A value of 0 should be disregarded and may indicate that data were not received by the GPS unit.

Allowed Values: 10.4 - 30.8

magvar_dir

CC ID: 309257
Data Storage Type: VARCHAR2
Required: No
Primary Key: No
Status: Active
Description:

Direction of magnetic declination as reported by the GPS unit. Used starting in 2007. A value of "." indicates no data were recorded.

Allowed Values: E

airhead_gps

CC ID: 309258
Data Storage Type: NUMBER
Required: No
Primary Key: No
Status: Active
Description:

Aircraft heading, or direction of travel, as reported by the GPS unit. Used starting in 2007. A value of -1 indicates no data were recorded.

Allowed Values: 0 - 360

alt_gps

CC ID: 309259
Data Storage Type: NUMBER
Required: No
Primary Key: No
Status: Active
Description:

Aircraft altitude derived from GPS satellite triangulation, as reported by the GPS unit. Units are in feet and referenced to mean sea level (MSL). Used starting in 2013. A value of -1 indicates no data were recorded. In 2016, alt_gps values did not update as frequently as in previous years; sometimes the same value carries down for multiple events.

Allowed Values: 3 - 14945

Calf_Detect_Cert

CC ID: 309260
Data Storage Type: VARCHAR2
Required: No
Primary Key: No
Status: Active
Description:

Rating of level of certainty of the presence or absence of a calf in a sighting. All cetacean sightings should have a value of 1, 2, or 3 entered, except for CAPs and CAPs strip, which will have a value of -1. The accuracy of Calf_Detect_Cert is unknown for non-cetacean sightings with a value of 1, 2, or 3 listed. After 2014, except for a few exceptions, sightings of non-cetaceans and all other events will have -1. Used starting in 2007. In previous versions of the database from 2007 to 2010, this field was named "Certainty". A value of -1 indicates no data were recorded.

Allowed Values: 1, 2, 3

Group

CC ID: 309261
Data Storage Type: VARCHAR2
Required: No
Primary Key: No
Status: Active
Description:

Numeric code that corresponds with a category describing the group size and/or composition of a sighting. Used from 2007-2012. A value of -1 indicates no data were recorded.

Allowed Values: 13, 14, 15, 16, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 51, 52, 53

saved

CC ID: 309262
Data Storage Type: VARCHAR2
Required: No
Primary Key: No
Status: Active
Description:

Indicates whether the entry was saved or deleted. Deleted entries are kept solely for a complete record of logged events, and should not be used in any analyses.

Allowed Values: 1, 0

notes

CC ID: 309263
Data Storage Type: Unknown
Required: No
Primary Key: No
Status: Active
Description:

Any pertinent information that was not recorded elsewhere.

Allowed Values: Any additional notes.

FltType

CC ID: 309264
Data Storage Type: VARCHAR2
Required: No
Primary Key: No
Status: Active
Description:

Numeric code that corresponds with the flight type, or survey mode. See abstract and methodology for discussion of different flight types. Starting in 2009, all automatic updates were recorded as -1.

Allowed Values: 1 (deadhead), 2 (transect), 3 (indicates that the flight type was connect. Used from 1979-2008; used to code an entry of "end transect" from 1979-2006), 4 (search; used to code an entry of "end transect" starting in 2007) , 5 (Added in 2009. In previous versions of the database with data from 2009-2012, indicates that the flight type was circling from transect or search. In 2013, the definition was modified to indicate that the flight type was circling from transect, and values for 2009-2012 were retroactively revised. Currently indicates that the flight type was circling from transect for 2009-2021), 6 (added in 2013. In 2013, retroactively revised values for 2009-2012. Currently, indicates that the flight type was circling from search for 2009-2021).

Transect_id

CC ID: 309265
Data Storage Type: VARCHAR2
Required: No
Primary Key: No
Status: Active
Description:

Number or letter used to identify a transect line in the eastern Chukchi Sea and western Beaufort Sea study areas and in the eastern Beaufort Sea and Amundsen Gulf (known as ABA project). Transect numbers and their locations vary each year. Used starting 19 September 2009 in the Chukchi Sea study area. In 2015, a similar method was adopted in the western Beaufort study area and transect IDs were retroactively added through 1979. A value of "." indicates no data were recorded.

Allowed Values: BCB (Indicates that the aircraft was on a Bering-Chukchi-Beaufort bowhead whale transect associated with the ASAMM Bowhead Abundance (ABA) surveys conducted in 2019), C (Indicates that the aircraft was on a coastal transect), CHB (Indicates that the aircraft was on a short section of coastal transect in Harrison Bay. Used starting in 2018), CPL (Indicates that the aircraft was on a short section of coastal transect near Point Lonely. Used starting in 2019)

Family

CC ID: 309266
Data Storage Type: VARCHAR2
Required: No
Primary Key: No
Status: Active
Description:

Numeric code to indicate species groupings. This field was created solely for programming purposes for the data collection software, but can be used for analyses if desired. Used starting in 2007. A value of -1 indicates no data were recorded.

Allowed Values: 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7

enttag

CC ID: 309267
Data Storage Type: VARCHAR2
Required: No
Primary Key: No
Status: Active
Description:

Numeric code to indicate entry type. This field was created solely for programming purposes for the data collection software, but is also useful for data QA/QC. Used starting in 2007. A value of -1 indicates no data were recorded.

Allowed Values: 1, 2, 3, 5

XofWhale

CC ID: 309268
Data Storage Type: NUMBER
Required: No
Primary Key: No
Status: Active
Description:

Actual longitude, in decimal degrees, of a sighting calculated from aircraft altitude [Alt (2009-2012); alt_gps (starting in 2013, when there was an alt_gps value available)], clinometer angle (Clinometer), and side of plane (Sop). Used starting in 2009. In 2011, values for 1998-2008 were retroactively calculated for all cetacean, pinniped, and land mammal sightings where applicable. The VBA module used to run the calculation up until 2011 projected data to UTMZ6, so distortion may exist outside of the Beaufort Sea. Starting in 2012, each point was projected to the UTM zone in which it was located. XofWhale locations for sightings resulting from clinometer angles of non-primary observers (PrimObs= 0) are only computed for sightings made from Otter aircraft (1998-2010). A value of -1 indicates no data were recorded.

Allowed Values: -169.0899 to -118.8841

YofWhale

CC ID: 309269
Data Storage Type: NUMBER
Required: No
Primary Key: No
Status: Active
Description:

Actual latitude, in decimal degrees, of a sighting calculated from aircraft altitude [Alt (2009-2012); alt_gps (starting in 2013, when there was an alt_gps value available)], clinometer angle (Clinometer), and side of plane (Sop). Used starting in 2009. In 2011, values for 1998-2008 were calculated for all cetacean, pinniped, and land mammal sightings where applicable. The VBA module used to run the calculation up until 2011 projected data to UTMZ6, so distortion may exist outside of the Beaufort Sea. Starting in 2012, each point was projected to the UTM zone in which it was located. YofWhale locations for sightings resulting from clinometer angles of non-primary observers (PrimObs= 0) are only computed for sightings made from Otter aircraft (1998-2010). A value of -1 indicates no data were recorded.

Allowed Values: 66.8832 to 72.8109

DIST_FROM_SHORE

CC ID: 309270
Data Storage Type: NUMBER
Required: No
Primary Key: No
Status: Active
Description:

Distance between a sighting and closest point to shore, expressed in kilometers. A GIS feature class representing a normalized shoreline (NS) was created to standardize the location from which distance measurements were taken. Prior to 2011, distances had only been calculated for bowhead sightings, and the NS used had coarse resolution and did not encompass the entire study area. Because distances were based on a NS with a limited extent, distance values in all databases created prior to 2011 should be taken with caution. On 2/8/2012, a new NS was created that 1) had higher resolution to better fit the natural coastline of Alaska, 2) more closely wrapped around the outer edges of lagoons and barrier islands, 3) was projected to North American Equidistant Conic, a projection more appropriate for distance measurements, and 4) had custom projection parameters to better fit the study area (central meridian=-154.5, latitude of origin=70.5, standard parallels=60.5, 80.5). Distances were re-calculated for all saved sightings from 1979-2011, north of 67.5 degrees N and west of 139.5 degrees W (based on the extent of the NS), using actual positions when available (X/YofWhale), otherwise plane positions (ArcLat/Long). Negative values represent sightings landward of the NS; positive values represent sightings seaward of the NS. All remaining records should be Null. M. Hay of XeraGIS generated distance calculations for 2012-2021 data using an NS adapted from the one described above, using a Universal Transverse Mercator Zone 5N projection.

Allowed Values: -286.15000 to 443.02765

DataRecorder

CC ID: 309271
Data Storage Type: Unknown
Required: No
Primary Key: No
Status: Active
Description:

Full name of individual filling the data recorder position. Used starting in 2008. Prior to 2008, this information was stored in the FlightInfo table. It was moved to the Output table to facilitate switching out observers and recorders mid-flight. A value of "." indicates no data were recorded.

ObsLeft

CC ID: 309272
Data Storage Type: Unknown
Required: No
Primary Key: No
Status: Active
Description:

Full name of individual filling the left observer position. Used starting in 2008. Prior to 2008, this information was stored in the FlightInfo table. It was moved to the Output table to facilitate switching out observers and recorders mid-flight. A value of "." indicates no data were recorded.

ObsRight

CC ID: 309273
Data Storage Type: Unknown
Required: No
Primary Key: No
Status: Active
Description:

Full name of individual filling the right observer position. Used starting in 2008. Prior to 2008, this information was stored in the FlightInfo table. It was moved to the Output table to facilitate switching out observers and recorders mid-flight. A value of "." indicates no data were recorded.

ObsFourth

CC ID: 309274
Data Storage Type: Unknown
Required: No
Primary Key: No
Status: Active
Description:

Full name of individual filling the fourth observer position. Used starting in 2009. This field was created to facilitate switching out observers and recorders mid-flight. A value of "." indicates no data were recorded.

Pilot

CC ID: 309275
Data Storage Type: Unknown
Required: No
Primary Key: No
Status: Active
Description:

Full name of survey aircraft pilot. Used starting in 2012. A value of "." indicates no data were recorded.

Co_Pilot

CC ID: 309276
Data Storage Type: Unknown
Required: No
Primary Key: No
Status: Active
Description:

Full name of survey aircraft copilot. Used starting in 2012. A value of "." indicates no data were recorded.

PhotoTaken

CC ID: 309277
Data Storage Type: VARCHAR2
Required: No
Primary Key: No
Status: Active
Description:

Numeric code indicating whether photographs were taken of an event. Used starting in 2009. A value of -1 indicates no data were recorded.

Allowed Values: 0, 1

LatTemp

CC ID: 309278
Data Storage Type: NUMBER
Required: No
Primary Key: No
Status: Active
Description:

Latitude, in decimal degrees WGS84, used for real-time mapping during the survey. Used starting in 2009. In 2013, retroactively added values for 1979-2008. It is the latitude of a sighting, when the actual position (YofWhale) of a sighting can be calculated; otherwise, it is the latitude of the aircraft (ArcLat). A value of -1 indicates no data were recorded. Disregard values of 0.

Unit of Measure: Decimal degrees
Allowed Values: 57.7250 - 76.1466

LongTemp

CC ID: 309279
Data Storage Type: NUMBER
Required: No
Primary Key: No
Status: Active
Description:

Longitude, in decimal degrees WGS84, used for real-time mapping during the survey. Used starting in 2009. In 2013, retroactively added values for 1979-2008. It is the longitude of a sighting, when the actual position (XofWhale) of a sighting can be calculated; otherwise, it is the longitude of the aircraft (ArcLong). A value of -1 indicates no data were recorded. Disregard values of 0.

Unit of Measure: Decimal degrees
Allowed Values: -174.0133 to -115.0671

assoc_event

CC ID: 992278
Data Storage Type: Number
Required: No
Primary Key: No
Status: Active
Description:

During Field of View trials, the abeam entries (“s on FOV”) are accompanied by an initial and final mark; the assoc_event field gets populated with the initial and final mark event numbers. The assoc_event field for initial and final events gets populated with the abeam event number. Added starting in 2018.

Allowed Values: -1 to 1007,1010

Catalog Details

Catalog Item ID: 25790
GUID: gov.noaa.nmfs.inport:25790
Metadata Record Created By: Janice Waite
Metadata Record Created: 2015-07-06 14:11+0000
Metadata Record Last Modified By: SysAdmin InPortAdmin
Metadata Record Last Modified: 2022-08-09 17:11+0000
Metadata Record Published: 2019-11-27
Owner Org: AFSC
Metadata Publication Status: Published Externally
Do Not Publish?: N
Metadata Last Review Date: 2019-11-27
Metadata Review Frequency: 1 Year
Metadata Next Review Date: 2020-11-27