Satellite Telemetry Data for Green and Loggerhead Turtles in the Cayman Islands

Satellite tracking data monitors the movements of endangered green and loggerhead sea turtles from the Cayman Islands. The dataset was created by the Cayman Islands Department of Environment and the Marine Turtle Research Group with community involvement. Data collection was current as of 2006, with a last recorded update in April of that year.

Use Cases

• Analyze turtle migration routes and core foraging areas using geospatial location points.
• Model seasonal movement patterns and residency times from the time-series tracking data.
• Assess post-nesting dispersal behavior for female turtles tagged on Cayman Island beaches.
• Correlate turtle movement data with oceanographic features referenced in the spatial metadata (e.g., WGS 1984 datum).
• Support population recovery studies by tracking the few dozen remaining nesting turtles mentioned in the description.

Strengths

• Data is georeferenced using the standardized WGS 1984 datum (Semi-major Axis: 6378137).
• Represents a first-time satellite telemetry project for these historically significant turtle populations.
• Project involved collaboration between government agencies (Department of Environment) and academic research groups.

Limitations

• Dataset is temporally stale, with no updates recorded since 2006.
• Sample size is implied to be very small, tracking only 'a few dozen' remaining nesting turtles.
• Unknown data volume, row count, and specific tracked features (e.g., dive depth, temperature) limit usability.

Provenance

Source

Cayman Islands Department of Environment and the Marine Turtle Research Group, aggregated by SCIOPS/NASA EarthData.

Collection Method

Satellite telemetry tracking project involving schools and the local community.

Time Range

Data reflects ground condition circa 2006 or earlier.

Freshness

2006-04-26

Geography

Cayman Islands and surrounding marine areas.