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 19 satellite transmitters attached to Northern Fulmars on their breeding range in the Bering Sea and northern Gulf of Alaska, 2001-2006. 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 19 satellite transmitters attached to Northern Fulmars on their breeding range in the Bering Sea and northern Gulf of Alaska, 2001-2006. 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 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 Thick-billed Murres, a seabird species found in the Arctic and regions of the North Pacific and North Atlantic oceans. Child Item 1: "Argos Satellite Tracking Data for Thick-billed Murres (Uria lomvia) - Processed Data" -- Quality-controlled data collected from Argos satellite transmitters. Child Item 2: "Argos Satellite Tracking Data for Thick-billed Murres (Uria lomvia) - 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 Common Murres, a seabird species that is found in regions of the North Pacific and Atlantic oceans, often in dense breeding colonies on cliffs and in large flocks on the water. Child Item 1: "Argos Satellite Tracking Data for Common Murres (Uria aalge) - Processed Data" -- Quality-controlled data collected from Argos satellite transmitters. Child Item 2: "Argos Satellite Tracking Data for Common Murres (Uria aalge) - 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 Spectacled Eiders, a seaduck species that breeds only in Alaska and Russia and spends the winter exclusively in the Bering Sea. The Alaska breeding population is listed as threatened under provisions of the Endangered Species Act. Child Item 1: "Argos Satellite Tracking Data for Spectacled Eiders (Somateria fischeri) - Processed Data" -- Quality-controlled data collected from Argos satellite transmitters. Child Item 2: "Argos Satellite Tracking Data for Spectacled Eiders (Somateria fischeri) - 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 package includes 2 child items with tracking data for Buff-breasted Sandpipers, a shorebird species that breeds only in Arctic Alaska and Canada, spending the winter in the grasslands of Brazil, Uruguay, and Argentina after a lengthy migration. Child Item 1: "Argos and GPS Satellite Tracking Data for Buff-breasted Sandpipers (Calidris subruficollis) - Processed Data" - Quality-controlled data collected from Argos and Argos-linked GPS satellite transmitters. Child Item 2: "Argos and GPS Satellite Tracking Data for Buff-breasted Sandpipers (Calidris subruficollis) - 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 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 Yellow-billed loons, a species that breeds in coastal areas of western and northern Alaska and adjacent regions of Russia and Canada. This species winters along the Pacific coasts of North America and Eurasia. Child Item 1: "Argos Satellite Tracking Data for Yellow-billed Loons (Gavia adamsii) - Processed Data" -- Quality-controlled data collected from Argos satellite transmitters. Child Item 2: "Argos Satellite Tracking Data for Yellow-billed Loons (Gavia adamsii) - 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 Steller's Eider, a species of seaduck that breeds throughout the circumpolar Arctic and spends the winter in coastal areas of western and southwestern Alaska. The Alaska-breeding population is listed as threatened under provisions of the Endangered Species Act. Child Item 1: "U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Argos Satellite Tracking Data for Steller's Eiders (Polysticta stelleri) - Processed Data" -- Quality-controlled data collected from Argos satellite transmitters. Child Item 2: "U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Argos Satellite Tracking Data for Steller's Eiders (Polysticta stelleri) - 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.