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Zachary H Randell

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These data are .csv files of tagged sea otter re-sighting locations (henceforth, resights) collected in the field using a combination of VHF radio telemetry and direct observation using high powered (80x) telescopes. Sea otters were tracked by shore or boat-based observers from the date of tagging until the time of radio battery failure, the animal’s death, or the end of the project, whichever comes first. The frequency of re-sighting was opportunistic, depending on logistical factors such as coastal access, but generally ranged from daily to weekly. Location coordinates are reported latitude and longitude as well as X and Y coordinates in the projection/datum California Teale-Albers NAD 1927. The file contains...
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The data represent hourly temperatures recorded at four permanent subtidal monitoring sites around San Nicolas Island, CA between November 2015 and October 2019. The temperatures were recorded by TidbiT (registered trademark) v2 model UTBI-001 (Onset Computer Corporation, Bourne, Massachusetts) archival temperature loggers attached at the sea floor. The loggers were deployed approximately 10-12 m deep at Nav Fac (12 m) on the north side of the island, at West End Urchin (11 m) on the southwest side, at east Dutch Harbor (11 m) on the south side, and at Daytona Beach (10 m) near the east end of the island.
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The current study was designed to provide critical information for resource managers (specifically the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, henceforth BOEM, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, henceforth USFWS) about the spatial ecology, population status, and potential population threats to sea otters in Santa Barbara Channel, with particular reference to exposure to manmade structures and sources of oil and natural gas. Our four primary research objectives were: 1. Determine the extent of movements and spatial use patterns by sea otters along the southern California coast 2. Identify important sea otter resting and foraging areas adjacent to manmade structures 3. Assess sea otter distribution, behavior and...
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The data represent 3 replicate measures of linear distance along 30 fixed transects on permanent subtidal monitoring sites around San Nicolas Island, CA. There were six sites, each of which had five 10-meter by 2-meter band transects on which a suite of kelps and macroinvertebrates was repeatedly counted over almost four decades. Although the transects are each approximately 10 m long, as measured with a meter tape extended between start and end eyebolts set in the sea floor, crevices, boulders, and reef structure provide much more than 20 square meters of surface area. In an effort to quantify the differences in rugosity between the transects, a 13 cm-circumference electronic surveyor’s wheel was used to measure...
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These data are .csv files of capture data from tagged sea otters in the Santa Barbara Channel Study. Sea otters were captured using highly specialized techniques employed by a team a rebreather divers and were processed by a shore team and veterinary crew at a mobile vet lab. Overall health assessments and morphometric data were collected, and the otters received colored flipper tags (for visual identification in the field) as well as VHF radio transmitter implants (for locating and "re-sighting" individuals) and time-depth recorder instruments (for archival logging of dive records and core body temperature for individual sea otters). Fields include an individual otter identification number, capture date, general...
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