Fine-scale behavior of sea turtles in the Gulf derived from acceleration data loggers, 2018 - 2023

This release contains data from acceleration data logger (ADL) float packages designed to 'pop-off' in a set amount of time for recovery and platform terminal transmitter (PTT) satellite tags attached to 12 Kemp's ridley (Lepidochelys kempii) and 7 Loggerhead (Caretta caretta) turtles in several geographic locations, using the methods of Hart et al., 2013. These instrument packages collected acceleration, depth, environmental temperature, and spatial data. Pilot testing of the pop-off instrument packages was conducted in the Dry Tortugas (one Loggerhead) and Pascagoula, MS (one Kemp's ridley), in September 2018 and September 2019, respectively; data from these pilot tests are included in this data release. Ten packages (all Kemp's ridley) were applied to individuals caught during trawling operations in Ship Shoal, LA in July 2022. One Ship Shoal tag was not recovered. An additional 7 were applied to individuals caught in Sabine Banks, TX in July 2023 (6 Loggerhead, 1 Kemp's ridley): all tags recovered. Instrument data have been subset to the period that the ADL packages were directly attached to the individual, and satellite location data are provided in their entirety.