Marine bird survey observation and density data from Northern Gulf of Alaska LTER cruises, 2018

• Main Authors: Kathy Kuletz, Daniel Cushing, Elizabeth Labunski
• Format: Dataset
• Language: unknown
• Published: Research Workspace 2020
• Subjects: EARTH SCIENCE > BIOLOGICAL CLASSIFICATION > ANIMALS/VERTEBRATES > BIRDS; EARTH SCIENCE > OCEANS > MARINE ENVIRONMENT MONITORING; lter-nga; Northern Gulf of Alaska Long Term Ecological Research; NGA; NGA LTER; LTER; Movement of Organic Matter; Disturbance Patterns; Population Studies; LTER Core Areas; Seward Line; Environmental Drivers; EVOS Gulf Watch; population density; Marine Birds; Subarctic; Continental Shelf; marine mammal; Seabird; birds; LTER Controlled Vocabulary; OCEAN > PACIFIC OCEAN > NORTH PACIFIC OCEAN > GULF OF ALASKA; CONTINENT > NORTH AMERICA > UNITED STATES OF AMERICA > ALASKA; Loon; Grebe; Albatross; Shearwater; Cormorant; Wigeon; Scaup; Duck; Merganser; Plover; Sandpiper; Jaeger; Gull; Tern; Murrelet; Auklet; Porpoise; Whale; Pinnipeds; Diomedeidae; Albatrosses, albatros; Rissa tridactyla; Gaviota pata negra, Black-legged Kittiwake, Mouette tridactyle; Alcidae; Auks, Guillemots, Murrelets, Puffins, guillemots, Murres; Anatidae; Ducks, Geese, Swans, canards, cygnes, oies; Brachyramphus brevirostris; Kittlitz's Murrelet, Guillemot de Kittlitz; Laridae; Gulls, Terns, becs-en-ciseaux, goélands, labbes, mouettes, Skimmers; Procellariidae; Fulmars, Petrels, Shearwaters, fulmars, pétrels; summer; 2018; fall; spring; Gaviota; Gulf of Alaska; Pacific; Pétrels; Black-legged Kittiwake; Mouette tridactyle; rissa tridactyla; Alaska
• Online Access: https://search.dataone.org/view/10.24431_rw1k45w_2020_7_2_23391

This dataset documents marine bird observations and processed densities from Northern Gulf of Alaska (NGA) LTER cruises in the Spring, Summer, and Fall of 2018. The dataset contains 6 comma separated values (.csv format) files, 2 from each cruise. One file from each cruise documents direct observations of species, numbers, and behavior that were recorded during surveys exported from the marine bird and mammal observation software dLog (Ford 1999). For each file of observation data there is an additional file describing processed densities derived from the dLog survey files and containing marine bird densities (individuals km-2) within 3-km transects. These data are part of the Northern Gulf of Alaska Long Term Ecological Research (NGA LTER) program. The LTER program is a National Science Foundation–funded network of 28 sites nationwide that focus on the influence of long-term and large-scale phenomenon on ecosystems. Additional funding for these seabird observations and processing as a part of the Seward Line Long-term Observation Program (http://www.sfos.uaf.edu/sewardline/) are provided by the North Pacific Research Board (NPRB), the Alaska Ocean Observing System (AOOS), and the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee Council (EVOS) via the Gulf Watch Alaska program (project numbers 18120114-M, 19120114-M). EVOSTC's Gulf Watch Alaska is the long-term ecosystem monitoring program of the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee Council for the marine ecosystem affected by the 1989 oil spill. The Seward Line Long-term Observation Program provides observations on the current state of the Northern Gulf of Alaska ecosystem using ship-based surveys. Surveys were conducted in the Gulf of Alaska during spring (May) and fall (September) from 2006 to 2018 following standard U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) survey protocols.