Data Management Plan

In 1992-95 and 1999-2000, the U.S. Government provided funds for the Alaska Beluga Whale Committee (ABWC) to conduct studies of belugas in Alaska. Part of the ABWC research program consisted of aerial surveys of western Alaska beluga stocks, including the Eastern Bering Sea (EBS) stock. In 1992, several aerial surveys were conducted during three periods: 27-29 May, 17-21 June, and 18-22 September to assess the distribution of belugas during those periods. The surveys found relatively few belugas in May and September, but a large number of belugas in June. Based on those results, surveys in subsequent years were conducted only in June: 14-18 June 1993, 11-16 June 1994, 5-8 and 20-22 June 1995, 15-17 June 1999, and 17-20 June 2000. This dataset contains aerial survey data from the surveys described above.

Norton Sound and Bristol Bay

Lineage Statement:
The survey was designed to cover coastal and offshore waters of Norton Sound and the Yukon Delta. Coastal transects were parallel to the shoreline with the centerline of the aircraft approximately 0.9 km offshore. Offshore transects were flown east to west along lines of latitude, north to south along lines of longitude, or on diagonals when travelling to and from airports. An adaptive sampling design was used in 1992 to 1995 to increase survey effort in areas where belugas had been sighted. When the belugas were seen on an offshore transect, additional parallel transects were flown at a 3.6-9.3 km spacing on both sides of the original line. Parallel transects were continued as long as belugas were seen, and usually stopped after two transects if there were no sightings. In 1999 and 2000, the survey was designed to cover all of Norton Sound and the Yukon River mouth with east to west transects regularly spaced at 9.3 km intervals. The total length of survey transects flown during each survey period was limited by the aircraft time available. The completion of transects was sometimes limited by weather conditions, particularly fog or high winds, and in June 1999 ice cover was a factor. The survey aircraft was a high-wing, twin-engine Aero Commander equipped with bubble windows, based in Nome. The crew included the pilot, a data recorder in the right front seat, and two observers seated behind the pilot on the left and right sides of the aircraft. Survey altitude was usually 305m, and ground speed was 274 km/hr (150 knots) in 1992 and 220 km/hr (120 knots) in all other years except some transit lines were flown at 274 km/hr in 1994. Navigation was done by reference to landmarks and with a Global Positioning System. The survey was done in passing mode, where whales were counted while staying on effort on the trackline. On the coastal transects, all belugas visible along the survey track were counted. The 1992 surveys were conducted as strip transect surveys; for the offshore transects, observers counted whales within 915 m wide strips on each side of the aircraft. The strips were offset 305 m from the centerline to eliminate the blind spot under the plane. The 1993 to 95 and 1999 to 2000 surveys were conducted as line transect surveys; the offshore transects on each side of the aircraft were divided into seven zones and each beluga sighting was recorded in one of the zones. Inclinometers were used to delineate the inner and outer bounds of zones from 0 to 51 deg. In 1992 and 1993, sightings and other data were recorded on datasheets by observers in one-minute intervals and were then entered into a computer database. In 1994 to“1995 and 1999 to 2000, a computer-based data entry program was used, logging the locations and times for the beginning and end of transects, the position on transect every 1 minute, and the exact time and position of each sighting. Environmental data and sighting conditions were also recorded. Data fields with S at the beginning of the field title (e.g., SOBSNUM, SGROUPSIZ) indicate sighting-related fields. Data fields with W at the beginning of the field title (WCLOUD, WBEAUSTAT, etc.) indicate weather-related fields.

Process Steps:

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IT Security and Contingency Plan for the system establishes procedures and applies to the functions, operations, and resources necessary to recover and restore data as hosted in the Western Regional Support Center in Seattle, Washington, following a disruption.