A Dataset from Bio-Loggers Deployed on Adult Bearded Seals (Erignathus barbatus) in Kotzebue Sound, Alaska, USA (2009-2012)

Bearded seals (Erignathus barbatus) are one of the most important subsistence resources for the indigenous people of coastal northern and western Alaska, as well as key components of Arctic marine ecosystems. Yet, relatively little about their abundance, seasonal distribution, migrations, or foraging behaviors has been documented scientifically. Ice-associated seal populations may be negatively impacted by offshore oil and gas development as well as by climate change. Our ability to predict impacts, however, is limited by inadequate knowledge of seal population structure and foraging ecology. By working cooperatively with Alaska Native subsistence hunters we developed methods for live- capturing bearded seals in the Chukchi Sea using nets set in the shallow coastal waters where bearded seals were foraging. Capture efforts were based out of Kotzebue and various locations in the North Slope Borough from Wainwright to Barrow in June and July from 2009 to 2012. In all, 7 seals were caught (2 adults and 5 sub-adults; 4 males and three females; ranging in length and weight from 159 cm and 116 kg to 216 cm and 253 kg), all from Kotzebue Sound. Each seal was released with two different types of bio-logging devices: the SPOT5, attached to a rear flipper, provided information on the timing of hauling out and on the seal’s location for up to three years. The MK10, glued to the top of a seal’s head, provided the same information as well as data on the timing and depths of dives. MK10 deployments remained active up to ten months and were shed from the seal during the annual molt. The data files within this dataset represent the 'raw' data obtained from the Wildlife Computers data portal. Each deployment (unique tag id + animal id combination) is provided as a zipped archive. The root folder also includes additional documentation. The various files and detailed column descriptions are described in the 'Spreadsheet-File-Descriptions.pdf' which was downloaded from Wildlife Computers (https://wildlifecomputers.com/support/downloads/). The '00_kotzeb0912_get_data.Rmd' file is an RMarkdown file that provides code and documentation of the data retrieval process. The corresponding '00_kotzeb0912_get_data.hml' file is autogenerated from the RMarkdown file.

髯海豹（Erignathus barbatus）是阿拉斯加北部与西部沿海原住民最重要的生计资源之一，同时也是北极海洋生态系统的关键组成部分。然而，目前科学界对其种群丰度、季节分布、迁徙行为及觅食习性的科学记载仍较为匮乏。
与海冰依存的海豹种群可能受到近海油气开发与气候变化的负面影响。但由于对海豹种群结构与觅食生态学的认知不足，我们预测这些影响的能力受到了极大限制。
本研究与阿拉斯加原住民生计猎手协作，开发了在楚科奇海浅海沿岸水域（髯海豹的觅食栖息地）使用围网活体捕捉髯海豹的方法。捕捉工作于2009年至2012年的6月至7月间开展，作业基地设在科策布（Kotzebue），以及北坡自治市从万赖特（Wainwright）到巴罗（Barrow）的多个点位。
本次研究共捕获7头海豹：其中成年个体2头、亚成体5头；雄性4头、雌性3头；体长与体重范围分别为159 cm至216 cm、116 kg至253 kg，所有个体均采自科策布湾。
每头海豹均被部署了两种不同类型的生物记录设备：附着于后鳍肢的SPOT5可记录海豹上岸停歇的时间与位置信息，续航时长可达三年。黏贴于海豹头顶的MK10则可提供上述全部信息，同时还能采集潜水时长与深度数据。MK10的有效工作时长可达十个月，并会在年度换毛周期内从海豹体表脱落。
本数据集内的数据文件均为从Wildlife Computers数据门户获取的原始数据。每一次部署（由唯一标签ID与动物ID组合标识）均以压缩归档文件的形式提供。根文件夹中还包含额外的辅助文档。各类文件及详细的字段说明已在从Wildlife Computers官网（https://wildlifecomputers.com/support/downloads/）下载的《Spreadsheet-File-Descriptions.pdf》中进行了详细阐述。
文件‘00_kotzeb0912_get_data.Rmd’为RMarkdown格式文件，其中包含了数据获取流程的代码与说明文档。与之对应的‘00_kotzeb0912_get_data.hml’文件由该RMarkdown文件自动生成。