Common Eider pair in the water
Tracking Data for Common Eiders (Somateria mollissima) Active
Available here are tracking data of Common Eider, a sea duck species found across Alaska and the Arctic. Some populations migrate between distant breeding and wintering areas while others are essentially nonmigratory. These data were collected to better understand the migration of the different populations in Alaska and migratory connectivity to adjacent regions, such as Russia.
Return to Ecosystems >> Wildlife Tracking Data Collection
USGS Alaska Science Center scientists collect data from wildlife tracking devices to: determine locations of animals throughout their annual cycles, understand patterns of habitat use, quantify time spent on various behaviors, and identify geographic areas repeatedly used by wildlife that may indicate sites of importance to species and populations. Tracking data from other wildlife species can be found at: https://doi.org/10.5066/P9VYSWEH
Tracking Maps
Common Eider Tracking Maps
These webpages contain five different types of browse maps and other visualizations of the tracking data.
- Maps (Animated, Static, Interactive, and Google Earth)
- Summary graphs of the data: where, when, duration
- Waterfowl Tagged Animal Movement Explorer interactive visualization tool
- Note: These maps serve only as a depiction of the geographic content of the specific data provided and may be inappropriate for inferences and interpretation outside the intent of the original study. For example, maps may portray only certain ages, sexes, limited numbers of animals or variable tracking duration and start times that may limit inference for other questions. Users are advised to read the publication(s) and data set metadata associated with these maps to understand appropriate use and data limitations.
Data Packages
Argos Satellite Telemetry Data
These data packages contain the data collected from satellite transmitters attached to free-ranging animals. The packages include both raw and processed location and sensor data. The raw data includes data as originally retrieved from the Argos System. The processed data have been filtered for location plausibility, and sensor data have been decoded into standard measurement units. For most users, the processed data will be preferred.
NOTE: Processed data contains both plausible (DAF_Filter=0) and implausible (DAF_Filter=1) locations as indicated by the column “Location_DAF_filter”. Before using these data, we recommend excluding locations flagged as implausible or apply an alternative filtering method of your choice.
- Processed Data [Metadata] [Data Download]
- Raw Data [Metadata] [Data Download]
- Read Me [PDF]
Suggested Citation
Petersen, M.R., Flint, P.L., Mulcahy, D.M., Douglas, D.C., 2021, Tracking data for Common Eiders (Somateria mollissima) (ver 1.0, September 2021): U.S. Geological Survey data release, https://doi.org/10.5066/P9JH3EXV
Below are other science projects associated with this project.
USGS Alaska Science Center Wildlife Tracking Data Collection
Sea Duck Research
Below are multimedia items associated with this project.
Below are publications associated with this project.
Visualizing populations of North American sea ducks: Maps to guide research and management planning
Re-colonization by common eiders Somateria mollissima in the Aleutian Archipelago following removal of introduced arctic foxes Vulpes lagopus
Population structure of Pacific Common Eiders breeding in Alaska
- Overview
Available here are tracking data of Common Eider, a sea duck species found across Alaska and the Arctic. Some populations migrate between distant breeding and wintering areas while others are essentially nonmigratory. These data were collected to better understand the migration of the different populations in Alaska and migratory connectivity to adjacent regions, such as Russia.
Return to Ecosystems >> Wildlife Tracking Data Collection
USGS Alaska Science Center scientists collect data from wildlife tracking devices to: determine locations of animals throughout their annual cycles, understand patterns of habitat use, quantify time spent on various behaviors, and identify geographic areas repeatedly used by wildlife that may indicate sites of importance to species and populations. Tracking data from other wildlife species can be found at: https://doi.org/10.5066/P9VYSWEH
Tracking Maps
Common Eider Tracking Maps
These webpages contain five different types of browse maps and other visualizations of the tracking data.
- Maps (Animated, Static, Interactive, and Google Earth)
- Summary graphs of the data: where, when, duration
- Waterfowl Tagged Animal Movement Explorer interactive visualization tool
- Note: These maps serve only as a depiction of the geographic content of the specific data provided and may be inappropriate for inferences and interpretation outside the intent of the original study. For example, maps may portray only certain ages, sexes, limited numbers of animals or variable tracking duration and start times that may limit inference for other questions. Users are advised to read the publication(s) and data set metadata associated with these maps to understand appropriate use and data limitations.
Data Packages
Argos Satellite Telemetry Data
These data packages contain the data collected from satellite transmitters attached to free-ranging animals. The packages include both raw and processed location and sensor data. The raw data includes data as originally retrieved from the Argos System. The processed data have been filtered for location plausibility, and sensor data have been decoded into standard measurement units. For most users, the processed data will be preferred.
NOTE: Processed data contains both plausible (DAF_Filter=0) and implausible (DAF_Filter=1) locations as indicated by the column “Location_DAF_filter”. Before using these data, we recommend excluding locations flagged as implausible or apply an alternative filtering method of your choice.
- Processed Data [Metadata] [Data Download]
- Raw Data [Metadata] [Data Download]
- Read Me [PDF]
Suggested Citation
Petersen, M.R., Flint, P.L., Mulcahy, D.M., Douglas, D.C., 2021, Tracking data for Common Eiders (Somateria mollissima) (ver 1.0, September 2021): U.S. Geological Survey data release, https://doi.org/10.5066/P9JH3EXV
- Science
Below are other science projects associated with this project.
USGS Alaska Science Center Wildlife Tracking Data Collection
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...Sea Duck Research
USGS research on sea ducks is designed to anticipate and address priority information needs of management agencies. Additionally, work is focused on individual species biology, migration and population status and trends because until just recently, very little was known about sea ducks in Alaska. - Multimedia
Below are multimedia items associated with this project.
Common Eider pairCommon Eider pair in the water
- Publications
Below are publications associated with this project.
Visualizing populations of North American sea ducks: Maps to guide research and management planning
North American sea ducks generally breed in mid- to northern-latitude regions and nearly all rely upon marine habitats for much of their annual cycle. Most sea duck species remained poorly studied until the 1990s when declines were noted in several species and populations. Subsequent research, much of which was funded by the Sea Duck Joint Venture, began in the late 1990s with an emphasis on definAuthorsJohn M. Pearce, Paul L. Flint, Mary E. Whalen, Sarah A. Sonsthagen, Josh Stiller, Vijay P. Patil, Timothy D. Bowman, Sean Boyd, Shannon S. Badzinski, H.G. Gilchrist, Scott G. Gilliland, Christine Lepage, Pam Loring, Daniel McAuley, Nic McLellan, Jason Osenkowski, Eric T. Reed, Anthony J. Roberts, Myra Robertson, Tom Rothe, David E. Safine, Emily D. Silverman, Kyle A. SpragensRe-colonization by common eiders Somateria mollissima in the Aleutian Archipelago following removal of introduced arctic foxes Vulpes lagopus
Islands provide refuges for populations of many species where they find safety from predators, but the introduction of predators frequently results in elimination or dramatic reductions in island-dwelling organisms. When predators are removed, re-colonization for some species occurs naturally, and inter-island phylogeographic relationships and current movement patterns can illuminate processes ofAuthorsMargaret R. Petersen, Sarah A. Sonsthagen, Matthew G. SexsonPopulation structure of Pacific Common Eiders breeding in Alaska
We used satellite telemetry to study the migration routes and wintering areas of two allopatric breeding populations of Pacific Common Eiders (Somateria mollissima v-nigrum) in Alaska: the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, and the western Beaufort Sea coast. Only 6% (2 of 36) of females wintered within the wintering area of the other breeding population. Both breeding populations wintered in the closest avaiAuthorsMargaret R. Petersen, Paul L. Flint