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Telemetry data and analysis from bio-logger deployments on northern fur seals in the Bering and Pacific. Maintained by Josh London (@jmlondon / josh.london@noaa.gov)

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Northern Fur Seal Movement, Dive Behavior, and Oceanography in the Bering Sea and Pacific Ocean

Project Summary

In 2018, the AFSC Polar Ecosystems Program and Wildlife Computers began collaboration on a project to develop a new family of SPLASH bio-loggers that would provide a small footprint device capable of FastLoc GPS, ocean temperature profiles, and on-board dive behavior summaries that provide unbiased data and efficient transmission via Argos. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the intended deployments on ribbon and spotted seals in 2020 were not possible, and in the spring of 2022, only 2 of the 25 devices available were deployed. Instead of letting these devices sit on the shelf for 2+ years, we have developed a plan to deploy a portion of them on northern fur seals at San Miguel Island and northern fur seals at St. Paul Island. At least 10 devices will be reserved for future deployments on ice seals via collaborative research with Alaska Native communities. These tags were originally funded by the US Navy in 2017.

These tags employ two key enhancements that have not been previously available:

  1. Improved ocean temperature profile capabilities with a dedicated external thermistor probe
  2. On-board processing of time-at-depth data to create a more efficient dive behavior summary message that relies on empirical cumulative distributions instead of the typical histogram bin approach used for decades.

Because relatively few devices with these new capabilities have been deployed (by MML or other researchers), there is a great need to observe how these new devices perform, to evaluate how efficient the data transmissions are, and to learn from real-world experience so future deployments can be optimized for a range of study questions.

Visit the complete briefing paper and proposal for additional details

Deployment Details

In September 2022, SPLASH bio-loggers were deployed on 12 adult female northern fur seals at San Miguel Island, California (n=6) and St. Paul Island, Alaska (n=6).

This Google Sheet lists deployment and animal details.

Preliminary Information

Preliminary analysis and visualizations are available via the project webpage. The information on this page is automatically updated every hour and without any significant quality checks. Errors may be present and are likely. We are providing access to the information in a public forum in the spirit of open science and to provide easy access to updated information for the authors and interested researchers.


Disclaimer

The scientific results and conclusions, as well as any views or opinions expressed herein, are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of NOAA or the Department of Commerce.

This repository is a scientific product and is not official communication of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or the United States Department of Commerce. All NOAA GitHub project code is provided on an ‘as is’ basis and the user assumes responsibility for its use. Any claims against the Department of Commerce or Department of Commerce bureaus stemming from the use of this GitHub project will be governed by all applicable Federal law. Any reference to specific commercial products, processes, or services by service mark, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise, does not constitute or imply their endorsement, recommendation or favoring by the Department of Commerce. The Department of Commerce seal and logo, or the seal and logo of a DOC bureau, shall not be used in any manner to imply endorsement of any commercial product or activity by DOC or the United States Government.

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Telemetry data and analysis from bio-logger deployments on northern fur seals in the Bering and Pacific. Maintained by Josh London (@jmlondon / josh.london@noaa.gov)

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