This metadata document describes the data contained in the "rawData" folder of this data package. This data package contains all data collected by the Argos System from 85 satellite transmitters attached to Long-tailed Ducks on their breeding range in arctic and western Alaska, 1998-2005. Five data files are included in the "rawData" folder of this data package. 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 "processedData" folder of this data package.

This metadata document describes the data contained in the "processedData" folder of this data package. This data package contains all data collected by the Argos System from 85 satellite transmitters attached to Long-tailed Ducks on their breeding range in arctic and western Alaska, 1998-2005. The raw data were processed to accomplish two goals: flag implausible location estimates and decode raw sensor data. Three Comma Separate Value (CSV) tables are included in the "processedData" folder of this data package: 1) 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 also includes a 'Tracking_Status' variable that denotes whether the location was collected from a live animal, a dead animal, or shed transmitter, 2) the "decodedSensor" table contains decoded sensor data such as the transmitter's temperature, battery voltage, and motion (activity), and 3) the "deploymentAttributes" table 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 "rawData" folder of this data package.

This data release includes 2 child items with tracking data for Tundra Swans, a species that nests in coastal areas throughout Alaska and winters across a broad area of North America from the Pacific to Atlantic coasts. Child Item 1: "Argos Satellite Tracking Data for Tundra Swans (Cygnus columbianus) - Processed Data" -- Quality-controlled data collected from Argos satellite transmitters. Child Item 2: "Argos Satellite Tracking Data for Tundra Swans (Cygnus columbianus) - 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 Emperor Geese, a waterfowl species endemic to the Bering Sea region that breeds primarily in western Alaska on the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta and spends the winter in southwestern Alaska and throughout the Aleutian Islands. Child Item 1: "Argos Satellite Tracking Data for Emperor Geese (Anser canagicus) - Processed Data" -- Quality-controlled data collected from Argos satellite transmitters. Child Item 2: "Argos Satellite Tracking Data for Emperor Geese (Anser canagicus) - 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 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 three large-bodied gull species and hybrids (Larus species) utilizing coastal areas of Alaska. Child Item 1: "Argos and GPS Satellite Tracking Data for Three Large-Bodied Gull Species and Hybrids (Larus spp.) - Processed Data" -- Quality-controlled data collected from Argos and Argos-linked GPS satellite transmitters. Child Item 2: "Argos and GPS Satellite Tracking Data for Three Large-Bodied Gull Species and Hybrids (Larus spp.) - Raw Data" -- All raw data collected from Argos and Argos-linked GPS satellite transmitters, provided for completeness of the archive. The quality-controlled, "Argos GPS Processed Data" (Child Item 1) are better suited for most analytical purposes.

This data release includes 1 child item with tracking data for Greater White-fronted Geese, a species that nests in coastal areas of western and northern Alaska and winters across a broad area of North America along the Pacific and Central flyways. Child Item 1: "VHF Tracking Data for Pacific Flyway Greater White-Fronted Geese (Anser albifrons), 1987-1991" -- VHF tracking data for Greater White-fronted Geese marked annually (1987-1991) in Alaska and the Klamath Basin (Oregon and California) and subsequently tracked through the Pacific Flyway (primarily in Alaska, California, and Mexico).

This data set describes nuclear microsatellite genotypes derived from twelve autosomal loci (6AB, Aph02, Aph08, Aph19, Aph23, Bca10, Bca11, Hhi5, Sfi11, Smo07, Smo09, and CRG), and two Z-linked microsatellite loci (Bca4 and Smo1). A total of 111 Long-tailed Ducks were examined for this genotyping with samples coming from the two primary breeding locales within Alaska (Arctic Coastal Plain of Alaska and the Yukon Delta, Western Alaska) and a representative locale in the central Canadian Arctic (Queen Maud Gulf Bird Sanctuary, Nunavut, Canada). The sex of most samples was determined in the field by plumage and later confirmed by using the CHD molecular sexing protocol (Griffiths et al., 1998).

This data release includes 2 child items with tracking data for Common Eiders, a sea duck species found across Alaska and the Arctic. Some populations migrate between distant breeding and wintering areas while others are essentially nonmigratory. Child Item 1: "Argos Satellite Tracking Data for Common Eiders (Somateria mollissima) - Processed Data" -- Quality-controlled data collected from Argos satellite transmitters. Child Item 2: "Argos Satellite Tracking Data for Common Eiders (Somateria mollissima) - 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 Black Scoters, a sea duck 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 Black Scoters (Melanitta americana) - Processed Data" -- Quality-controlled data collected from Argos satellite transmitters. Child Item 2: "Argos Satellite Tracking Data for Black Scoters (Melanitta americana) - 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.