Ringed Seal Tracking and Diving in Western Canadian Arctic, 1999-2011

Western Canadian Arctic data tracks 17 ringed seals captured, measured, and tagged with satellite transmitters in 1999, 2000, and 2010. It contains raw geographic coordinates, accuracy estimates, and state-space model location estimates on a 12-hour time step. The dataset provides movement and diving information relayed via the Argos system.

Use Cases

• Model animal movement patterns using raw geographic coordinates and state-space model location estimates.
• Analyze diving behavior in relation to movement data from satellite-linked transmitters.
• Study seasonal habitat use in the Western Canadian Arctic using time-series location data on a 12-hour step.
• Correlate seal physical measurements (weight, size) from capture events with subsequent movement or diving data.

Strengths

• Data from 17 individually instrumented seals provides individual-level tracking.
• Combines raw sensor data with processed state-space model estimates for analysis flexibility.
• Covers two distinct time periods (1999-2001 and 2010-2011) for potential temporal comparison.

Limitations

• Small sample size of 17 animals may limit statistical power for population-level inferences.
• Temporal coverage is discontinuous, with a multi-year gap between the two collection periods.
• Specific data volume (rows, file size) and column structure are not provided in the input.

Provenance

Source

Fisheries and Oceans Canada

Collection Method

Seals were captured, measured, weighed, and tagged with Wildlife Computers satellite-linked transmitters (SDR-10, SDR-16, SPLASH); data were retrieved via the Argos system.

Time Range

1999-2001 and 2010-2011

Freshness

Data last updated in the system on 2026-03-24, though core collection ended in 2011.

Geography

Western Canadian Arctic