| Summary: | Ringed seal claws were collected from polar bear kill-sites within 150 km of shore while conducting polar bear monitoring studies in 1974 to 2011 in the Beaufort Sea, Canada. Prey species and sex of the samples were verified using DNA analysis by Wildlife Genetics International (Nelson, British Columbia). Age of the seal was obtained or verified using canine teeth and growth layer groups on claws. All nitrogen and carbon stable isotope analyses were completed by the Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research facility at the University of Windsor, using a Thermo Delta V Advantage Mass spectrometer with a Costech 4010 Elemental Combustion system and a ConFlo IV gas interface. File contains relevant environmental data. The climate indices include: Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO), Arctic Oscillation (AO), and Arctic Ocean Oscillation (AOO). Sea ice data on break-up and freeze-up. Relevant bathymetry and location metrics are provided. Indices on ringed seal ovulation rates, pup harvest, and body condition are provided. Details on variables are identified in: Nicole P. Boucher, Andrew E. Derocher, Evan S. Richardson. 2020. Spatial and temporal variability in ringed seal (Pusa hispida) stable isotopes in the Beaufort Sea. Ecology and Evolution.
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