Understanding the short- and long-distance movements of wildlife is critical for a wide variety of ecological research questions and management decisions. Since the mid-1980s, the USGS Alaska Science Center has used information from telemetry devices on wildlife species to determine locations of animals throughout their annual cycles, understand patterns of habitat use, quantify time spent on certain behaviors, and identify geographic areas repeatedly used by wildlife that may indicate sites of importance to species and populations.
Return to Ecosystems
About the Collection
(Credit: David Douglas, USGS)
Available here are links to the tracking data of various wildlife species studied at the USGS Alaska Science Center. Data sets listed under "Species" follow a standardized data and metadata format developed by the USGS Alaska Science Center in 2019. Data sets listed under "Additional Tracking Data" were released before the 2019 standardized format was developed.
Suggested Citation: U.S. Geological Survey, Alaska Science Center, 2019, USGS Alaska Science Center wildlife tracking data collection: U.S. Geological Survey data release, https://doi.org/10.5066/P9VYSWEH
Birds |
|
---|---|
Emperor Goose (Anser canagicus) | Marbled Godwit (Limosa fedoa) |
Greater White-fronted Goose (Anser albifrons) | Common Murre (Uria aalge) |
Tundra Swan (Cygnus columbianus) | Thick-billed Murre (Uria lomvia) |
Whooper Swan (Cygnus cygnus) | Kittlitz’s Murrelet (Brachyramphus brevirostris) |
Blue-winged Teal (Anas discors) | Tufted Puffin (Fratercula cirrhata) |
Northern Pintail (Anas acuta) | Gull Species and Hybrids (Larus spp.) |
Steller's Eider (Polysticta stelleri) | Red-throated Loon (Gavia stellata) |
Spectacled Eider (Somateria fischeri) | Pacific Loon (Gavia pacifica) |
Common Eider (Somateria mollissima) | Yellow-billed Loon (Gavia adamsii) |
Surf Scoter (Melanitta perspicillata) | Northern Fulmar (Fulmarus glacialis) |
Black Scoter (Melanitta americana) | Red-faced Cormorant (Phalacrocorax urile) |
Long-tailed Duck (Clangula hyemalis) | Pelagic Cormorant (Phalacrocorax pelagicus) |
Whimbrel (Numenius phaeopus) |
Mammals |
---|
Pacific Walrus (Odobenus rosmarus divergens) |
Additional Tracking Data
U.S. Geological Survey, Alaska Science Center, has previously released tracking data sets outside of this Collection. Click here to view previously released data and maps.
- Polar Bear
- Greater White-fronted Goose
Supplemental Reference Information
Argos User Manuals
- Argos Users Manual, online
- Argos Users Manual, 1988
- Argos Users Manual, 2008
- Argos Users Manual, 2011
- Argos Users Manual, 2016
Microwave Telemetry, Inc., PTT Manuals
- MTI Field Manual_PTT-100_Battery
- MTI Field Manual_PTT-100_Solar
- MTI Field Manual_PTT-100_5g Solar
- MTI Field Manual_PTT-100_GPS Solar
Supplemental Information About the Argos System
- Argos Web Site
- USFWS Report 1988_Satellite Tracking Assessment
- USFWS Report 1990_Satellite Tracking Applications
R scripts for reading processed tracking data
- Read processed USGS tracking data from a downloaded USGS data package
- Read processed USGS tracking data directly from a Movebank study
*Disclaimer: The manuals are strictly provided for informational purposes for the data provided. They are not an endorsement of the product.
Below are other science projects associated with this project.
Tracking Data for Tufted Puffins (Fratercula cirrhata)
Tracking Data for Northern Fulmars (Fulmarus glacialis)
Tracking Data for Thick-billed Murres (Uria lomvia)
Tracking Data for Common Murres (Uria aalge)
Tracking Data for Pelagic Cormorants (Phalacrocorax pelagicus)
Tracking Data for Red-faced Cormorants (Phalacrocorax urile)
Tracking Data for Spectacled Eiders (Somateria fischeri)
Tracking Data for Three Large-bodied Gull Species and Hybrids (Larus spp.)
Tracking Data for Surf Scoter (Melanitta perspicillata)
Tracking Data for Black Scoter (Melanitta americana)
Tracking Data for Pacific Loons (Gavia pacifica)
Tracking Data for Tundra Swans (Cygnus columbianus)
Tagged Animal Movement - Waterfowl
This project contains data collected by the Argos System from satellite transmitters attached to 53 Black Scoter, 42 Blue-winged Teal, 167 Common Eider, 53 Emperor Geese, 85 Long-tailed Duck, 129 Northern Pintail, 210 Spectacled Eider, 14 Steller's Eider (data collected through USFWS funding), 25 Surf Scoter, 50 Tundra Swan, and 17 Whooper Swan. Birds were tracked across the US, Asia and Russia.
Tagged Animal Movement - Shorebirds
This project contains data collected by the Argos System from satellite transmitters attached to 9 Marbled Godwit and 32 Whimbrel. Birds were tracked along coastal and inland regions of Alaska, the contiguous United States, and portions of Central and South America.
Tagged Animal Movement - Seabirds
This project contains data collected by the Argos System from satellite transmitters attached to 23 Common Murre, 36 Kittlitz's Murrelets, 1 Larus species, 8 Herring Gull, 9 Glaucous-winged Gull, 19 Glaucous Gull, 19 Northern Fulmar, 8 Pelagic Cormorant, 1 Red-faced Cormorant, 11 Thick-billed Murre, and 2 Tufted Puffin. Birds were tracked along Alaska, the contiguous US, parts of Asia and Russia.
Tagged Animal Movement - Mammals
This project contains data collected by the Argos System from 921 satellite transmitters attached to adult Pacific walruses in the Bering and Chukchi Seas, in U.S. and Russian waters, 1988-2019.
Tagged Animal Movement - Loons
This project contains data collected by the Argos System from satellite transmitters attached to 12 Pacific Loon (data collected through Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center funding), 47 Red-throated Loon, and 85 Yellow-billed Loon. Birds were tracked along coastal regions of Alaska, northern Canada, the contiguous United States, and portions of Russia and Asia.
- Overview
Understanding the short- and long-distance movements of wildlife is critical for a wide variety of ecological research questions and management decisions. Since the mid-1980s, the USGS Alaska Science Center has used information from telemetry devices on wildlife species to determine locations of animals throughout their annual cycles, understand patterns of habitat use, quantify time spent on certain behaviors, and identify geographic areas repeatedly used by wildlife that may indicate sites of importance to species and populations.
Return to Ecosystems
About the Collection
Animation illustrates movements of all Tundra Swans that were tracked using Argos Wildlife Tracking.
(Credit: David Douglas, USGS)Available here are links to the tracking data of various wildlife species studied at the USGS Alaska Science Center. Data sets listed under "Species" follow a standardized data and metadata format developed by the USGS Alaska Science Center in 2019. Data sets listed under "Additional Tracking Data" were released before the 2019 standardized format was developed.
Suggested Citation: U.S. Geological Survey, Alaska Science Center, 2019, USGS Alaska Science Center wildlife tracking data collection: U.S. Geological Survey data release, https://doi.org/10.5066/P9VYSWEH
Birds
Emperor Goose (Anser canagicus) Marbled Godwit (Limosa fedoa) Greater White-fronted Goose (Anser albifrons) Common Murre (Uria aalge) Tundra Swan (Cygnus columbianus) Thick-billed Murre (Uria lomvia) Whooper Swan (Cygnus cygnus) Kittlitz’s Murrelet (Brachyramphus brevirostris) Blue-winged Teal (Anas discors) Tufted Puffin (Fratercula cirrhata) Northern Pintail (Anas acuta) Gull Species and Hybrids (Larus spp.) Steller's Eider (Polysticta stelleri) Red-throated Loon (Gavia stellata) Spectacled Eider (Somateria fischeri) Pacific Loon (Gavia pacifica) Common Eider (Somateria mollissima) Yellow-billed Loon (Gavia adamsii) Surf Scoter (Melanitta perspicillata) Northern Fulmar (Fulmarus glacialis) Black Scoter (Melanitta americana) Red-faced Cormorant (Phalacrocorax urile) Long-tailed Duck (Clangula hyemalis) Pelagic Cormorant (Phalacrocorax pelagicus) Whimbrel (Numenius phaeopus) Mammals
Pacific Walrus (Odobenus rosmarus divergens) Additional Tracking Data
U.S. Geological Survey, Alaska Science Center, has previously released tracking data sets outside of this Collection. Click here to view previously released data and maps.
- Polar Bear
- Greater White-fronted Goose
Supplemental Reference Information
Argos User Manuals
- Argos Users Manual, online
- Argos Users Manual, 1988
- Argos Users Manual, 2008
- Argos Users Manual, 2011
- Argos Users Manual, 2016
Microwave Telemetry, Inc., PTT Manuals
- MTI Field Manual_PTT-100_Battery
- MTI Field Manual_PTT-100_Solar
- MTI Field Manual_PTT-100_5g Solar
- MTI Field Manual_PTT-100_GPS Solar
Supplemental Information About the Argos System
- Argos Web Site
- USFWS Report 1988_Satellite Tracking Assessment
- USFWS Report 1990_Satellite Tracking Applications
R scripts for reading processed tracking data
- Read processed USGS tracking data from a downloaded USGS data package
- Read processed USGS tracking data directly from a Movebank study
*Disclaimer: The manuals are strictly provided for informational purposes for the data provided. They are not an endorsement of the product.
- Science
Below are other science projects associated with this project.
Filter Total Items: 17Tracking Data for Tufted Puffins (Fratercula cirrhata)
Available here are tracking data for the tufted puffin, a seabird species that is found only in coastal and offshore areas of the North Pacific Ocean. These data were collected to better understand the migratory patterns of tufted puffins that breed in the Aleutian Islands.Tracking Data for Northern Fulmars (Fulmarus glacialis)
Available here are tracking data for the northern fulmar, a seabird species that breeds throughout northern ocean regions and spends the winter at-sea in the northern hemisphere. These data were collected to better understand the migratory patterns of northern fulmars in the Bergin Sea.Tracking Data for Thick-billed Murres (Uria lomvia)
Available here are tracking data for the thick-billed murre, a seabird species that is found in the Arctic and regions of the North Pacific and North Atlantic oceans. These data were collected to better understand the migratory patterns of this species in the Chukchi Sea.Tracking Data for Common Murres (Uria aalge)
Available here are tracking data for the common murre, a seabird species that is found in regions of the North Pacific and Atlantic oceans, often in dense breeding colonies on cliffs and in large flocks on the water. These data were collected to better understand the migratory patterns of this species in the North Pacific Ocean and Chukchi Sea.Tracking Data for Pelagic Cormorants (Phalacrocorax pelagicus)
Available here are tracking data for the pelagic cormorant, a seabird species that breeds throughout the northern Pacific Ocean and spends the winter in East Asia and throughout costal portions of western North America. These data were collected to better understand the migratory patterns of Pelagic cormorants that breed in southeast Alaska.Tracking Data for Red-faced Cormorants (Phalacrocorax urile)
Available here are tracking data for the red-faced cormorant, a seabird species that is found only in the North Pacific Ocean, breeding and wintering from southern Alaska and throughout the Aleutian Islands to Far Eastern Russia. These data were collected to better understand the migratory patterns of red-faced cormorants that breed in the Aleutian Islands.Tracking Data for Spectacled Eiders (Somateria fischeri)
Available here are tracking data of Spectacled Eider, a sea duck species that breeds only in Alaska and Russia and spends the winter exclusively in the Bering Sea. The Alaska breeding population is listed as threatened under provisions of the Endangered Species Act. These data were collected to better understand the winter distribution in the Bering Sea and locate birds for winter aerial surveys...Tracking Data for Three Large-bodied Gull Species and Hybrids (Larus spp.)
Available here are tracking data of large-bodied gull species and hybrids (Larus species). These data were collected to better understand the migratory movements of these birds and their role in the dispersal of antibiotic resistant bacteria among areas of Alaska and other regions.Tracking Data for Surf Scoter (Melanitta perspicillata)
Available here are tracking data of Surf Scoter, a duck species that breeds throughout higher latitudes of Alaska and Canada and winters along coastal areas of North America. These data were collected to better understand the timing and patterns of migratory movements between breeding and wintering areas.Tracking Data for Black Scoter (Melanitta americana)
Available here are tracking data of Black Scoter, a duck species that breeds throughout higher latitudes of Alaska and Canada and winters along coastal areas of North America. These data were collected to better understand the timing and patterns of migratory movements between breeding and wintering areas.Tracking Data for Pacific Loons (Gavia pacifica)
Available here are tracking data of Pacific Loons, a species that breeds throughout much of Alaska and winters throughout the Pacific Ocean basin, along the costs of East Asia and the U.S. These data were collected to better understand timing of spring arrival, fall departure, and habitat use patterns on the North Slope of Alaska.Tracking Data for Tundra Swans (Cygnus columbianus)
Available here are tracking data of Tundra Swans, a species that nests in coastal areas throughout Alaska and winters across a broad area of North America from the Pacific to Atlantic coasts. These data were collected to better understand the timing and patterns of migratory movements and seasonal use of habitats in breeding, wintering, and migratory areas of North America. - Web Tools
Tagged Animal Movement - Waterfowl
This project contains data collected by the Argos System from satellite transmitters attached to 53 Black Scoter, 42 Blue-winged Teal, 167 Common Eider, 53 Emperor Geese, 85 Long-tailed Duck, 129 Northern Pintail, 210 Spectacled Eider, 14 Steller's Eider (data collected through USFWS funding), 25 Surf Scoter, 50 Tundra Swan, and 17 Whooper Swan. Birds were tracked across the US, Asia and Russia.
Tagged Animal Movement - Shorebirds
This project contains data collected by the Argos System from satellite transmitters attached to 9 Marbled Godwit and 32 Whimbrel. Birds were tracked along coastal and inland regions of Alaska, the contiguous United States, and portions of Central and South America.
Tagged Animal Movement - Seabirds
This project contains data collected by the Argos System from satellite transmitters attached to 23 Common Murre, 36 Kittlitz's Murrelets, 1 Larus species, 8 Herring Gull, 9 Glaucous-winged Gull, 19 Glaucous Gull, 19 Northern Fulmar, 8 Pelagic Cormorant, 1 Red-faced Cormorant, 11 Thick-billed Murre, and 2 Tufted Puffin. Birds were tracked along Alaska, the contiguous US, parts of Asia and Russia.
Tagged Animal Movement - Mammals
This project contains data collected by the Argos System from 921 satellite transmitters attached to adult Pacific walruses in the Bering and Chukchi Seas, in U.S. and Russian waters, 1988-2019.
Tagged Animal Movement - Loons
This project contains data collected by the Argos System from satellite transmitters attached to 12 Pacific Loon (data collected through Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center funding), 47 Red-throated Loon, and 85 Yellow-billed Loon. Birds were tracked along coastal regions of Alaska, northern Canada, the contiguous United States, and portions of Russia and Asia.