Bio-logging SST and profile information from cormorants in the Arabian Gulf from November 2020 to September 2024

The dataset was created to include in-situ bio-logging SST observations in the Arabian Gulf from November 2020 to September 2024. A total of 863,451 dive profiles were recorded from November 2020 to September 2024. The last recorded data point at the end of each dive (i.e., while the bird was ascending) was extracted to represent the biologging in-situ SST. The vast majority of the profiles are located in the southern coastal region of the Gulf within the breeding distribution of Socotra Cormorants. As part of an ecological study to better understand the year-round movements of the endemic Socotra cormorants (Phalacrocorax nigrogularis), 65 bio-logging tags (Ornitela, Lithuania; models: OT-30DS-3GC (n=13), OT-30DT-3G (n=22), OT-25DT-3G (n=2), OT-25DT-3GC-S (n=8), OT-25DT-4GEC-S (n=20)) were deployed on birds at four colonies in the Arabian Gulf between November 2020 to 2023. All bio-logging device models were equipped with a Texas Instrument TMP117 external temperature sensor (TMP117, Texas Instruments, USA; ±0.1°C (maximum) from –20°C to +50°C). The bio-logging devices are programmed to detect when dives occur, and log pressure and temperature time series during each dive.