Seabird Broad-Scale Distribution 2010

Metadata:

• Identification_Information
• Data_Quality_Information
• Spatial_Data_Organization_Information
• Spatial_Reference_Information
• Entity_and_Attribute_Information
• Distribution_Information
• Metadata_Reference_Information

Identification_Information:

Citation:

Citation_Information:

Originator:

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Division of Migratory Bird Management, Anchorage Alaska

Publication_Date: Unpublished Material

Title: Seabird Broad-Scale Distribution 2010

Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: vector digital data

Description:

Abstract:

The goal of this project was to describe the broad-scale distribution of seabirds in conjunction with the Bering Sea Integrated Ecosystem Research Program (BSIERP) funded by the North Pacific Research Board. As a component of BSIERP, we placed observers on selected vessels of opportunity in collaboration with Nation Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), projects funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF), and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). Our primary focus was on the Bering Sea, but additional surveys were conducted in collaboration with vessel-based projects in the Arctic (funded by Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation, and Enforcement (BOEMRE)) and in the Gulf of Alaska. In 2010 we joined 20 cruises in the Chukchi/Beaufort seas, Bering Sea, and Gulf of Alaska from March through October. In the Bering Sea we surveyed 29,451 km of transects. In the Arctic and Gulf of Alaska we surveyed 3,014 and 4,964km, respectively. We used strip-transect methodology and followed USFWS protocol (see observer manual for details). All data have also been submitted to the North Pacific Pelagic Seabird Database (NPPSD).

Purpose:

The primary goal of this project was to describe the broad-scale distribution of seabirds in conjunction with the Bering Sea Integrated Ecosystem Research Program (BSIERP). These data will be analyzed in conjunction with oceanographic and biological data collected on the same research vessels. We will examine the effects of climate change and prey distribution on the at-sea distribution and abundance of seabirds in Alaska. Secondarily, the seabird data will be archived in the North Pacific Pelagic Seabird Database (NPPSD) for future access.

Supplemental_Information:

See uploaded manual for additional details.
Collaborative Programs: BSIERP, GOAIERP, NPPSD NOAA BASIS Bering-Aleutian Salmon International Survey NOAA FOCI Fisheries-Oceanography Coordination Investigation NOAA MACE Mid-water Assessment & Conservation Engineering NSF BEST Bering Ecosytem Study NSF SBI Shelf-Basin Interaction Study NSF SLIP St. Lawrence Island Polynya Studies BOEMRE COMIDA Chukchi Sea offshore monitoring in drilling areas USFWS AMNWR Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge operations NSF GLOBEC Global Ocean Ecosystem Dynamics Basic Survey Protocol: One observer surveyed a 300 m transect width in a 90 degree arc on one side of the vessel & 300 m ahead of the vessel using binoculars for species identification. We recorded animals within three distance bins from the center line: bin 1 (0-100 m), bin 2 (101-200 m), bin 3 (201-300 m), plus an "off transect" bin 9 (> 300m). Density calculations used only observations in bins 1-3. Birds and mammals on the water or on ice within the transect window were recorded continuously. In the NPPSD, flying birds were sometimes counted continuously, particular surveys of 'inside waters'. In historic data from the 1970s-1980s, flying birds were counted using the 'snapshot' method (also referred to as an instantaneous scan, and hereafter referred to as a 'scan'). In 2010 we used scan intervals which varied with ship speed, and generally occurred every 37 - 65 seconds. Birds following the ship were noted on first observation but otherwise ignored. Each bird or mammal was recorded with a behavior of either on water, flying, foraging, on ice, or on floating object. A behavioral code of 'SCAN' was entered for flying birds counted during scans. A timer alerted the observer to conduct the scan. Foraging birds, even if hovering or surface plunging from the air, were considered the behavioral equivalent of being 'on water', and were recorded continuously as encountered. Rare or noteworthy groups of birds in the air but not present during scans were recorded as "flying"; these should not be included in density calculations. For a small portion of the data, transect widths were reduced to 200 m or 100 m because of fog or poor visibility; for these segments we used the recorded transect width to calculate densities. The raw data includes records of birds or mammals of interest that were beyond the 300 m transect window (bin 9). In particular, we recorded albatrosses, large groups of birds, and large marine mammals, all of which can be more easily spotted beyond 300 m. These observations can be used to map broad scale distribution, but were not used to calculate the densities presented in this dataset. Observations were entered directly into a laptop computer using DLOG (DLOG ver. 3, Ford, Inc., Portland OR), a data entry program that can be integrated with the ship's Geographic Positioning System (GPS). DLOG recorded location of every observation entered by the observer, and automatically wrote location at 20 sec. intervals. Each record included time and location, weather, viewing conditions, sea state, ice cover and ice type (see manual for details). Data processing: Initial editing of raw data was done by the observer on-site, typically within one to three days of conducting the survey. A final editing and compiling of individual transect files was later reviewed and edited by a FWS biologist in Anchorage for data quality control. Raw data was processed through a program developed by Dr. M. Renner, written in 'R' (R Development Core Team 2008). This program was developed by MR for the NPPSD and transformed raw DLOG data files (in csv format) into a format compatible with NPPSD. The program also 'binned' the transect data into 3 km segments for the density calculations.

Time_Period_of_Content:

Time_Period_Information:

Range_of_Dates/Times:

Beginning_Date: 20100301

Ending_Date: 20101031

Currentness_Reference: ground condition

Status:

Progress: Complete

Maintenance_and_Update_Frequency: None planned

Spatial_Domain:

Description_of_Geographic_Extent: Bering Sea

Bounding_Coordinates:

West_Bounding_Coordinate: -179.995583

East_Bounding_Coordinate: 179.995163

North_Bounding_Coordinate: 73.004837

South_Bounding_Coordinate: 48.806832

Keywords:

Theme:

Theme_Keyword_Thesaurus:

REQUIRED: Reference to a formally registered thesaurus or a similar authoritative source of theme keywords.

Theme_Keyword:

Alaska, Aleutian Archipelago, Bering Sea, Chukchi Sea, Gulf of Alaska, North Pacific Pelagic Seabird Database, Seabird Distribution, At-Sea Surveys, Marine Mammals

Theme:

Theme_Keyword_Thesaurus: None

Theme_Keyword: project_number:B64

Theme_Keyword: data_url:<http://data.eol.ucar.edu/codiac/dss/id=245.B64-002>

Theme_Keyword: archive_url:<http://www.eol.ucar.edu/projects/bsierp>

Access_Constraints:

Contact: Kathy Kuletz U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Migratory Bird Management 907-786-3453

Use_Constraints:

Contact lead Principal Investigator, Kathy Kuletz (Kathy_kuletz@fws.gov) before accessing these data if the objective is to incorporate them into a peer-reviewed publication.

Point_of_Contact:

Contact_Information:

Contact_Organization_Primary:

Contact_Organization: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Contact_Person: Kathy Kuletz and Elizabeth Labunski

Contact_Address:

Address_Type: mailing and physical address

Address: 1011 E. Tudor Rd.

City: Anchorage

State_or_Province: Alaska

Postal_Code: 99503

Country: USA

Contact_Voice_Telephone: 907-786-3453

Native_Data_Set_Environment:

Microsoft Windows XP Version 5.1 (Build 2600) Service Pack 3; ESRI ArcCatalog 9.3.1.4000

Data_Quality_Information:

Logical_Consistency_Report: Unspecified

Completeness_Report: Unspecified

Lineage:

Process_Step:

Process_Description: Metadata imported.

Source_Used_Citation_Abbreviation: C:\DOCUME~1\ELIZAB~1\LOCALS~1\Temp\xml3B.tmp

Process_Date: 20110601

Process_Time: 12311500

Process_Step:

Process_Description: Dataset copied.

Source_Used_Citation_Abbreviation:

C:\Pelagic Program\Analysis 2011\2010 Data to NPRB\Data\Data_2010

Process_Date: 20110602

Process_Time: 13472200

Spatial_Data_Organization_Information:

Direct_Spatial_Reference_Method: Vector

Point_and_Vector_Object_Information:

SDTS_Terms_Description:

SDTS_Point_and_Vector_Object_Type: Entity point

Point_and_Vector_Object_Count: 13656

Spatial_Reference_Information:

Horizontal_Coordinate_System_Definition:

Geographic:

Latitude_Resolution: 0.000000

Longitude_Resolution: 0.000000

Geographic_Coordinate_Units: Decimal degrees

Geodetic_Model:

Horizontal_Datum_Name: North American Datum of 1983

Ellipsoid_Name: Geodetic Reference System 80

Semi-major_Axis: 6378137.000000

Denominator_of_Flattening_Ratio: 298.257222

Entity_and_Attribute_Information:

Detailed_Description:

Entity_Type:

Entity_Type_Label: Data_2010

Entity_Type_Definition: Seabird Broad-Scale Distribution 2010

Entity_Type_Definition_Source: Unspecified

Distribution_Information:

Distributor:

Contact_Information:

Contact_Organization_Primary:

Contact_Organization: National Center for Atmospheric Research

Contact_Person: Earth Observing Laboratory

Contact_Address:

Address_Type: mailing and physical

Address: 3450 Mitchell Lane

City: Boulder

State_or_Province: CO

Postal_Code: 80301

Country: USA

Contact_Voice_Telephone: 303-497-8154

Contact_Electronic_Mail_Address: codiac@ucar.edu

Contact_Electronic_Mail_Address: stott@ucar.edu

Distribution_Liability:

No warranty expressed or implied is made regarding the accuracy or utility of the data, nor shall the act of distribution constitute such warranty. This disclaimer applies both to individual use of the data and aggregate use with other data. It is strongly recommended that careful attention be paid to the contents of the metadata file associated with the data. The NCAR and NPRB shall not be held liable for improper or incorrect use of the data described and/or contained herein.

Standard_Order_Process:

Digital_Form:

Digital_Transfer_Information:

Format_Name: SHP

File_Decompression_Technique: No compression applied

Transfer_Size: 0.314

Digital_Transfer_Option:

Online_Option:

Computer_Contact_Information:

Network_Address:

Network_Resource_Name: <http://beringsea.eol.ucar.edu>

Fees: None

Metadata_Reference_Information:

Metadata_Date: 20110602

Metadata_Contact:

Contact_Information:

Contact_Organization_Primary:

Contact_Organization: National Center for Atmospheric Research

Contact_Person: Earth Observing Laboratory

Contact_Address:

Address_Type: mailing and physical

Address: 3450 Mitchell Lane

City: Boulder

State_or_Province: CO

Postal_Code: 80301

Country: USA

Contact_Voice_Telephone: 303-497-8154

Contact_Electronic_Mail_Address: codiac@ucar.edu

Contact_Electronic_Mail_Address: stott@ucar.edu

Metadata_Standard_Name: FGDC Content Standards for Digital Geospatial Metadata

Metadata_Standard_Version: FGDC-STD-001-1998

Metadata_Time_Convention: local time

Metadata_Extensions:

Online_Linkage: <http://www.esri.com/metadata/esriprof80.html>

Profile_Name: ESRI Metadata Profile