Satellite tagging of female hawksbill sea turtles (Eretmochelys imbricata) nesting on Groote Eylandt, Northern Territory

Hawksbill turtles are classified Critically Endangered by the IUCN following intense commercial exploitation that decimated global stocks. Despite Australia supporting one of the largest breeding aggregations worldwide, hawksbill turtle biology and ecology remains poorly documented, especially for populations nesting in the Northern Territory. This study focused on the internationally significant hawksbill turtle population breeding in Groote Eylandt in the Gulf of Carpentaria, and aimed at providing high resolution information for managing this critically endangered species. By using multiple state-of-the-art analytical frameworks and combining satellite telemetry, hydrological modelling, and tag recapture data, we (i) assessed habitat utilisation during the inter-nesting and foraging periods, (ii) quantified migratory behaviour for better understanding of navigational strategies , and (iii) simulated post-hatchling dispersal patterns, which we subsequently compared to the location of adult foraging grounds.
This metadata record, represents several different datasets listed hereafter, which can all be accessed through a multi-WFS service. 
CTD - Data parameters measured by the instruments include time, temperature, and depth. The data represented by this record are presented in delayed mode.
GPS - Location data parameters measured by the instruments include time, longitude, latitude, location quality, along with other diagnostic information. The Fastloc GPS data represented by this record are presented in delayed mode. 
Argos - Location data parameters measured by the instruments include time, longitude, latitude, location quality, along with other diagnostic information provided by Argos (http://www.argos-system.org/). The Argos data represented by this record are presented in delayed mode. 
Haulout - A haulout begins when the SRDL has been continuously dry for a specified length of time (usually 10 minutes). It ends when continuously wet for another interval (usually 40 seconds). Haulout data parameters measured by the instruments include haulout start and end dates and longitude/latitude, and haulout number. The haulout data represented by this record are presented in delayed mode. 
Diving - Diving data parameters measured by the instruments include start and end time and longitude/latitude of each individual dive, post-dive surface duration, dive duration, maximum dive depth, intermediate dive depths and times. The diving data represented by this record are presented in delayed mode. 
Summary - As well as sending records of individual events such as dives and haulouts, the SRDL also calculates summary statistics of those events over a specified time period (usually 3, 4 or 6 hours). Summary statistics computed by the instruments include the proportion of time spent diving, at the surface and hauled-out, the number of dives, and the average, standard deviation and maximum dive duration and dive depth during each summary period. These statistics are based on all the data recorded by the SRDL and so are not prone to distortion by variations in the efficiency of transmission via Argos. The summary data represented by this record are presented in delayed mode. Note that it is impossible to subset this particular dataset using a bounding box as there is no latitude, longitude coordinates associated with each entry.

Tags: Countries | Australia, Marine Features (Australia) | Groote Eylandt, NT, Marine Features (Australia) | Gulf of Carpentaria, NT/QLD, Oceans | Marine Biology | Marine Reptiles, Satellite Tag, States, Territories (Australia) | Northern Territory, Tags and Tracking Devices
Organization: Australian Ocean Data Network