Satellite Telemetry Dataset (Raw): Juvenile Bearded and Spotted Seals, 2004-2006, Kotzebue, Alaska

Bearded seals (Erignathus barbatus) are one of the most important subsistence resources for the indigenous people of coastal northern and western Alaska, as well as key components of Arctic marine ecosystems, yet relatively little about their abundance, seasonal distribution, migrations, or foraging behaviors has been documented scientifically. Ice-associated seal populations may be negatively impacted by offshore oil and gas development as well as by climate change. During a cooperative effort between scientists and subsistence hunters in October 2004, 2005, and 2006, 13 female and 13 male juvenile (i.e., age <2) bearded seals (Erignathus barbatus) were tagged with satellite-linked dive recorders (SDRs) in Kotzebue Sound, Alaska. While the focus of this study was on young bearded seals, an additional three female spotted seal (Phoca largha) pups and two adult spotted seal males were captured and deployed with satellite telemetry devices.

The data files within this dataset represent the 'raw' data obtained from the Wildlife Computers data portal. Each deployment (unique tag id + animal id combination) is provided as a zipped archive. The root folder also includes additional documentation. The various files and detailed column descriptions are described in the 'Spreadsheet-File-Descriptions.pdf' which was downloaded from Wildlife Computers (https://wildlifecomputers.com/support/downloads/). The '00_kotzeb04_get_data.Rmd' file is an RMarkdown file that provides code and documentation of the data retrieval process. The corresponding '00_kotzeb04_get_data.hml' file is generated from the RMarkdown file.

Bearded seals (Erignathus barbatus) are one of the most important subsistence resources for the indigenous people of coastal northern and western Alaska, as well as key components of Arctic marine ecosystems. The first year of life is typically the most critical to a pinniped’s survival, especially for Arctic phocids which are weaned at only a few weeks of age and left to locate and capture prey on their own. Their seasonal movements and habitat selection are therefore important factors in their survival Ice-associated seal populations may be negatively impacted by offshore oil and gas development as well as by climate change. Our ability to predict impacts, however, is limited by inadequate knowledge of seal population structure and foraging ecology.

Data set should be cited as: Cameron, Michael, Josh London, Kathy Frost, Alex Whiting, and Peter Boveng. 2017. Satellite Telemetry Dataset (Raw): Juvenile Bearded and Spotted Seals, 2004-2006, Kotzebue, Alaska. Research Workspace. DOI: 10.24431/rw1k118