Demographic data for Weddell Seal colonies in Erebus Bay through the 2023 Antarctic field season

The Erebus Bay population of Weddell seals in the Ross Sea of Antarctica is the most southerly breeding population of mammal in the world, closely associated with persistent shore-fast ice, and one that has been intensively studied since 1969. The resulting long-term database, which includes data for over 29,000 marked individuals, contains detailed population information that provides an excellent opportunity to study linkages between environmental conditions and demographic processes in the Antarctic. The study population is of special interest as the Ross Sea is one of the most productive areas of the Southern Ocean and one of the most pristine marine environments on the planet. The study provides long-term demographic data for individual seals. The Access database contains information for 3 types of data on Weddell seals for the period 1969-2023. (1) Mark-recapture Data with resighting records for all individuals tagged in and around the McMurdo Sound area, as well as seals tagged at White Island; (2) Mass Dynamics Data contains physical masses and photographic records and measurements that include the date, ID number, sex, age class, weight (if successfully collected), and perspectives from which photographs were collected for each sampling occurrence; and (3) Research Procedures Data contains records of handling and research procedures conducted on Erebus Bay Weddell seals by various research teams in recent years.
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