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Satellite tag locations of sea turtles in Matagorda Bay, Texas from 2019-10-22 to 2022-03-24

Authors: Wildermann, N.E., P.T. Plotkin, D.M. Coffey, and G.W Stunz
Published On: Jul 30 2024 03:09 UTC
DOI: https://doi.org/10.7266/baf5em44
UDI: HI.x949.000:0006
Project Information

Funded By:
Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts

Research Group:
Fisheries and Ocean Health

Point of Contact

Greg W. Stunz
Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi / The Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies
greg.stunz@tamucc.edu

Data Collection Period
2019-10-22
to
2022-03-24
Theme keywords

sea turtle, satellite tag, sea turtle movement, green sea turtle, Chelonia mydas, sea turtle tagging, sea turtle tracking, ecosystem assessment

ISO 19115-2 Metadata
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Abstract:

Locations of sea turtles caught in Matagorda Bay, Texas, from 2019-10-22 to 2022-03-24. Thirty-two green sea turtles (Chelonia mydas) were captured, then equipped with either Teleonics, Inc. or Lotek NZ, Ltd. satellite tags and acoustic transmitters, and released. The satellite tags were tracked from 2019-10-22. The acoustic transmissions and body condition assessments can be downloaded in related GRIIDC datasets HI.x949.000:0004 (acoustic tracking, https://doi.org/10.7266/z7fmk2g7) and HI.x949.000:0008 (body condition summary, https:/doi.org/10.7266/ejms49gs). This dataset is part of an ecosystem assessment of Matagorda Bay funded by the Texas Comptroller's Office. The overview and technical reports can be downloaded at https://comptroller.texas.gov/programs/natural-resources/research/matagorda-bay/. The files summarizing catch and release dates and location and tag IDs were created from those reports by GRIIDC personnel.

Suggested Citation:

Wildermann, N.E., P.T. Plotkin, D.M. Coffey, and G.W Stunz. 2024. Satellite tag locations of sea turtles in Matagorda Bay, Texas from 2019-10-22 to 2022-03-24. Distributed by: GRIIDC, Harte Research Institute, Texas A&M University–Corpus Christi. doi:10.7266/baf5em44

Purpose:

To track sea turtles within Matagorda Bay, Texas and the surrounding Gulf of Mexico.

Data Parameters and Units:

"LotekTransmissions" Column Header Description PTT Satellite tag platform transmitter terminal (PTT) DateTime_UTC Date and time (Coordinated Universal Time, UTC) of location acquisition (yyyy-mm-dd hh:mm:ss) LC Location class of Argos location (3, 2, 1, 0, A, B, Z) or G for Fastloc-GPS location Longitude Longitude of location (decimal degrees) Latitude Latitude of location (decimal degrees) SMAJ Argos error ellipse semi-major elliptical axis length in meters (one half of the major axis) SMIN Argos error ellipse semi-minor elliptical axis length in meters (one half of the minor axis) EOR The angle in degrees of the ellipse from true north, proceeding clockwise (0 to 360). A blank field represents 0 degrees. ErrorRadius If the position is best represented as a circle, this field gives the radius of that circle in meters CNR Carrier-to-Noise Ratio (CNR) is a value that represents the ratio of the GPS carrier signal power to the noise power present in the received signal expressed in decibels HDOP Lotek-generated measurement of the accuracy of a given point, with lower values being more accurate SatNum The number of GPS satellites contained in a snapshot. A minimum of 4 satellites is required to successfully generate a location solution. More satellites tend to have less uncertainty. Ton Time of navigation: the time at which a specific GPS fix or location data point was recorded eRes A secondary Lotek-generated measurement of the accuracy of a given point Type Location type (manual, Argos, GPS) "TelonicsTransmissions" Column Header Acquisition Time The date and time (Coordinated Universal Time, UTC) at which the data was acquired (yyyy.mm.dd hh:mm:ss) Acquisition Start Time The start date and time (Coordinated Universal Time, UTC) of the acquisition period (yyyy.mm.dd hh:mm:ss) Iridium CEP Radius Circular Error Probable (CEP) radius, which represents the accuracy of the Iridium satellite location data Iridium Latitude Latitude coordinate provided by the Iridium satellite (decimal degrees) Iridium Longitude Longitude coordinate provided by the Iridium satellite (decimal degrees) GPS Fix Time The date and time (Coordinated Universal Time, UTC) at which the GPS fix was obtained (yyyy.mm.dd hh:mm:ss) GPS Fix Attempt The number of attempts made to obtain a GPS fix GPS Latitude Latitude coordinate obtained from the GPS fix (decimal degrees) GPS Longitude Longitude coordinate obtained from the GPS fix (decimal degrees) GPS UTM Zone Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM) zone in which the GPS coordinates are located GPS UTM Northing Northing value of the UTM coordinate system GPS UTM Easting Easting value of the UTM coordinate system GPS Altitude Altitude above sea level obtained from the GPS fix GPS Horizontal Error Horizontal error or accuracy of the GPS fix GPS Horizontal Dilution Horizontal dilution of precision (HDOP) value, which indicates the quality of the GPS fix GPS Satellite Bitmap A bitmap representation of the satellites used in the GPS fix GPS Satellite Count The number of satellites used in the GPS fix Underwater Percentage Percentage of time spent underwater (in qualified dives) Dive Count Number of dives recorded Average Dive Duration Average duration of the recorded dives in seconds Dive Duration Standard Deviation Standard deviation of the dive durations in seconds Maximum Dive Duration The longest recorded dive duration in seconds Temperature Temperature data recorded in degrees Celsius Satellite Uplink Information about satellite uplink Receive Time The date and time (Coordinated Universal Time, UTC) at which the data was received (yyyy.mm.dd hh:mm:ss) Repetition Count Number of repetitions Low Voltage Indicates if there was a low voltage condition (Yes/No) Mortality Indicates if mortality has occurred (Yes/No) Saltwater Failsafe Saltwater failsafe mechanism (Yes/No) Iridium Command Command sent via the Iridium satellite Diagnostic Dive Data Data related to diagnostic information during dives Predeployment Data Data collected before deployment (Yes/No) Error Error messages

Methods:

A total of 33 sea turtles, 32 green turtles and one Kemp’s ridley turtle, were caught using entanglement nets within Matagorda Bay, Texas. Twenty-two turtles were equipped with satellite and/or acoustic tags to document their movements in Matagorda Bay, Texas and in the surrounding Gulf of Mexico. See the technical and overview reports for further details about the capture, tagging, and data processing methods.

Instruments:

Teleonics, Inc. tag model Sea Trkr-4170-4, Lotek NZ Ltd. tag model F6G276F. Note the Teleonics tags obtained both GPS and ARGO position fixes.