This metadata document describes the data contained in the "Argos GPS Processed Data" (Child Item 1) of this data release. This data release contains all data collected from 130 Argos and Argos-linked GPS satellite transmitters attached to Buff-breasted Sandpipers at breeding sites in Alaska, migratory stopovers in Texas, and wintering areas in Brazil, Argentina, and Uruguay, 2016-2018. The 130 deployed tags were comprised of 22 Argos Doppler PTTs (2 gram PTTs built by Microwave Telemetry) and 108 Argos-linked GPS PTTs (2 gram PinPoint tags built by Lotek). However, 14 Pinpoints never reported data, so they only appear in the deployment data records and not the location data files. One of the 94 functional PinPoint tags never reported GPS data, and 15 of the Pinpoint tags never obtained an Argos Doppler-derived location estimate. The raw (original) data from these tags were processed to accomplish three goals: 1) extract encoded GPS locations; 2) flag implausible locations; and 3) decode raw sensor data. Results of this data processing are presented in three Comma Separate Value (CSV) tables found in the "Argos Processed Data" (Child Item 1) of this data release: 1) the "GPS_filteredLocations" table contains one record for every GPS location which passed a manual plausibility assessment based on considerations of movement rate, seasonal range, and habitat; 2) the "diag_filteredLocations" table contains one record for every Argos location estimate collected, accompanied by a binary flag that denotes an algorithm's plausibility check (based on distance, turning angle, and rate thresholds). Each record in both the GPS and Argos filtered-location tables also includes a 'Tracking_Status' variable that denotes whether the location was collected from a live animal, a dead animal, or shed transmitter, 3) the "decodedSensor" table contains decoded sensor data (for only the Argos Doppler tags) of the transmitter's temperature and battery voltage. A fourth CSV table named "deploymentAttributes" is also included. It contains one record for each transmitter deployment, and contains information such as when the transmitter was attached to the animal, when tracking of a live animal ended, and a variety of variables describing the animal and transmitter. This table is identical to the "deploymentAttributes" table in the "Argos GPS Raw Data" (Child Item 2) of this data release.

This metadata document describes the data contained in the "Argos GPS Raw Data" (Child Item 2) of this data release. This data release contains all data collected from 130 Argos and Argos-linked GPS satellite transmitters attached to Buff-breasted Sandpipers at breeding sites in Alaska, migratory stopovers in Texas, and wintering areas in Brazil, Argentina, and Uruguay, 2016-2018. The 130 deployed tags were comprised of 22 Argos Doppler PTTs (2 gram PTTs built by Microwave Telemetry) and 108 Argos-linked GPS PTTs (2 gram PinPoint tags built by Lotek). However, 14 Pinpoints never reported data, so they only appear in the deployment data records and not the location data files. One of the 94 functional PinPoint tags never reported GPS data, and 15 of the Pinpoint tags never obtained an Argos Doppler-derived location estimate. A majority of the transmitters carried GPS receivers, so GPS tracking data represent the backbone of this data release; the remaining tags were traditional Argos transmitters. Please note that GPS data are only distributed in the "Argos GPS Processed Data" (Child Item 1) of this data release. All data from both types of tags were communicated through the Argos System so all tags were Argos-certified Platform Transmitting Terminals (PTTs) and all have a time series of Argos (Doppler) locations. The Argos-linked GPS tags additionally have a times series of GPS locations that were communicated through the Argos System as data collections. Five data files are included in the "Argos GPS Raw Data" (Child Item 2) of this data release. Two data files (with identical content) contain the raw Argos DIAG (Diagnostic) data, one in the legacy verbose ASCII format and one in a tabular Comma Separate Value (CSV) format. Two other data files (with identical content) contain the raw Argos DS (Dispose) data, one in the legacy verbose ASCII format and one in a tabular CSV format. The fifth file, "deploymentAttributes", contains one record for each transmitter deployment in a CSV formatted table. The deployment attributes file contains information such as when the transmitter was attached to the animal, when tracking of a live animal ended, and a variety of variables describing the animal and transmitter. This table is identical to the "deploymentAttributes" table in the "Argos GPS Processed Data" (Child Item 1) of this data release.

This data release includes 2 child items with tracking data for Whimbrels, a shorebird found throughout tundra and boreal habitats of Alaska during the summer and winters along the coasts of the continental U.S., and central and South America. Child Item 1: "Argos Satellite Tracking Data for Whimbrels (Numenius phaeopus) - Processed Data" -- Quality-controlled data collected from Argos satellite transmitters. Child Item 2: "Argos Satellite Tracking Data for Whimbrels (Numenius phaeopus) - Raw Data" -- All raw data collected from Argos satellite transmitters, provided for completeness of the archive. The quality-controlled, "Argos Processed Data" (Child Item 1) are better suited for most analytical purposes.

This data release includes 2 child items with tracking data for Northern Fulmars, a seabird species that breeds throughout northern ocean regions and spends the winter at-sea in the northern hemisphere. Child Item 1: "Argos Satellite Tracking Data for Northern Fulmars (Fulmarus glacialis) - Processed Data" -- Quality-controlled data collected from Argos satellite transmitters. Child Item 2: "Argos Satellite Tracking Data for Northern Fulmars (Fulmarus glacialis) - Raw Data" -- All raw data collected from Argos satellite transmitters, provided for completeness of the archive. The quality-controlled, "Argos Processed Data" (Child Item 1) are better suited for most analytical purposes.

This data release includes 2 child items with tracking data for Red-throated Loons, a species that breeds in coastal areas throughout Alaska and winters along the Pacific coasts of North America and Eurasia. Child Item 1: "Argos Satellite Tracking Data for Red-throated Loons (Gavia stellata) - Processed Data" -- Quality-controlled data collected from Argos satellite transmitters. Child Item 2: "Argos Satellite Tracking Data for Red-throated Loons (Gavia stellata) - Raw Data" -- All raw data collected from Argos satellite transmitters, provided for completeness of the archive. The quality-controlled, "Argos Processed Data" (Child Item 1) are better suited for most analytical purposes.

This data release includes 2 child items with tracking data for Surf Scoters, a seaduck species that breeds throughout higher latitudes of Alaska and Canada and winters along coastal areas of North America. Child Item 1: "Argos Satellite Tracking Data for Surf Scoters (Melanitta perspicillata) - Processed Data" -- Quality-controlled data collected from Argos satellite transmitters. Child Item 2: "Argos Satellite Tracking Data for Surf Scoters (Melanitta perspicillata) - Raw Data" -- All raw data collected from Argos satellite transmitters, provided for completeness of the archive. The quality-controlled, "Argos Processed Data" (Child Item 1) are better suited for most analytical purposes.

This data release includes 1 child item with tracking data for Pacific Loons, a species that breeds throughout much of Alaska and winters throughout the Pacific Ocean basin, along the coasts of East Asia and North America. Child Item 1: "Argos Satellite Tracking Data for Pacific Loons (Gavia pacifica) - Processed Data" -- Quality-controlled data collected from Argos satellite transmitters.

Understanding the short- and long-distance movements of wildlife is critical for a wide variety of ecological research studies and management decisions. Since the mid-1980s, the USGS Alaska Science Center has collected data from wildlife tracking devices to: determine locations of animals throughout their annual cycles, understand patterns of habitat use, quantify time spent on various behaviors, determine timing of life cycle events, and identify geographic areas repeatedly used by wildlife that may be of significance to other species and populations. These datasets are a collection of the USGS Alaska Science Center wildlife tracking data arranged by species or closely allied species groups. Details of tracking projects, devices, methods, and data can be found within each species directory.