Long-term individual-based records of mountain goat mortality and terrain use in relation to avalanches in coastal Alaska during 2005-2022

Snow is a major, climate-sensitive feature of the Earth’s surface and a catalyst of fundamentally important ecosystem processes. Understanding how snow influences sentinel species in rapidly changing mountain ecosystems is particularly critical. Whereas the effects of snow on food availability, energy expenditure, and predation are well documented, we report how avalanches exert major impacts on an ecologically significant mountain ungulate - the coastal Alaskan mountain goat (Oreamnos americanus). Using long-term GPS data and field observations across four populations (421 individuals over 17 years), we show that avalanches caused 23-65% of all mortality, depending on area. Deaths varied seasonally and were directly linked to spatial movement patterns and avalanche terrain use. Population-level avalanche mortality, 61% of which comprised reproductively important prime-aged individuals, averaged 8% annually and exceeded 22% when avalanche conditions were severe. Our findings reveal a wi..., Study system. Mountain goats were studied in four separate areas across a broad geographic range in coastal Alaska (5537 km2; Fig. 1 and Supplementary Table 1) from 2005-2022. This area is within the Coast Mountains biogeographic region (56). Mean monthly temperatures range from -2 to 14°C and mean annual precipitation is 1400 mm in Juneau (57), the area’s most populous city. Across the region, annual precipitation ranges from 1 to >8 m and winter snowfall ranges from 0.5 to > 3 m of snow water equivalent (58). During the study period, annual snowfall at sea level in Juneau averaged 233 cm with a range of 89-501 cm.
The region is part of the world’s largest contiguous coastal temperate rainforest and is composed primarily of Sitka spruce-western hemlock (Picea sitchensis-Tsuga heterophylla) forests at lower elevations (below 450-750 m). At higher elevations, subalpine and alpine habitats dominated by krummholtz forest, low-growing herbaceous meadows, and ericaceous heathlands are ..., Data files are deposited in .csv file format and are readily accessible using standard software programs. , # Long-term individual-based records of mountain goat mortality and terrain use in relation to avalanches in coastal Alaska during 2005-2022

Summary: These data were used to derive the analytical results described in the manuscript: Snow avalanches comprise a leading cause of mortality for mountain ungulates. Upon publication, a DOI will be added. This data archive includes field-based records collected from individually radio-marked and monitored mountain goats in relation to spatiotemporal patterns of mortality, with specific emphasis on avalanche-caused mortality. In addition, records describing temporal patterns of avalanche terrain use for each GPS-collared individual mountain goat are included. These data should not be used before reading the associated publication and corresponding with the authors to ensure proper interpretation and resolve any questions that may arise.

## Description of the data and file structure

This data archive includes four independent files (.csv file ...

雪是地球表面一类重要的气候敏感地表特征，同时也是诸多关键生态系统过程的催化剂。深入理解积雪如何作用于快速变化山地生态系统中的指示物种（sentinel species），尤为关键。尽管积雪对食物可获得性、能量消耗以及捕食行为的影响已有大量研究记载，但本研究聚焦雪崩对一类生态意义重大的山地有蹄类——阿拉斯加沿海山地山羊（Oreamnos americanus）的显著影响。研究依托17年间对4个种群共421只个体的长期GPS监测数据与野外观测，结果显示：雪崩导致的死亡占总死亡数的23%至65%，具体比例因区域而异。死亡事件呈现季节性差异，并与空间移动模式及雪崩地形利用行为直接相关。种群水平的雪崩死亡个体中，61%为具有繁殖重要性的壮年个体，年平均死亡率达8%；在雪崩条件严峻的年份，该比例甚至超过22%。本研究揭示了雪崩……
## 研究系统
2005至2022年间，研究团队在阿拉斯加沿海广泛地理范围内的4个独立区域（总面积5537 km²，见图1及补充表1）开展山地山羊监测。该区域属于海岸山脉生物地理区（参考文献56）。以区域内人口最多的朱诺地区为例，月均气温介于-2℃至14℃之间，年平均降水量达1400 mm（参考文献57）。区域内年降水量介于1 m至8 m以上，冬季降雪的雪水当量（snow water equivalent）介于0.5 m至3 m以上（参考文献58）。本研究周期内，朱诺地区海平面处的年平均降雪量为233 cm，波动范围为89 cm至501 cm。
该区域隶属于全球最大的连片沿海温带雨林，低海拔区域（450-750 m以下）以锡特卡云杉-西部铁杉（Picea sitchensis-Tsuga heterophylla）林为主；高海拔区域则以矮曲林、低矮草本草甸及欧石楠灌丛为主的亚高山与高山生境构成……
数据以.csv格式存储，可通过标准软件程序便捷读取。
# 2005-2022年阿拉斯加沿海山地山羊雪崩相关死亡率与地形利用的长期个体记录
## 摘要：本数据集用于支撑论文中所述分析结果：雪崩是山地有蹄类的主要致死原因之一。论文发表后将补充DOI编号。本数据档案包含基于野外的个体无线电标记与监测记录，聚焦死亡事件的时空分布模式，重点关注雪崩致死案例。此外，档案还包含每只佩戴GPS项圈的山地山羊的雪崩地形利用时间模式记录。在未阅读相关发表论文并与作者沟通以确保正确解读、解决潜在疑问前，请勿使用本数据集。
## 数据与文件结构说明
本数据档案包含4个独立的.csv格式文件……