Gabon 2012: Pongara, Leatherback Turtles

University of Exeter

Dataset credit

Data provider
Marine Turtle Research Group
Originating data center
Satellite Tracking and Analysis Tool (STAT)
Project partner
This project is a collaborative effort between the Gabon National Parks Agency, the Gabon Sea Turtle Partnership, the Wildlife Conservation Society and the Marine Turtle Research Group at the University of Exeter.
Project sponsor or sponsor description
The project is generously funded by VAALCO Inc. and Harvest NR.

Contacts

RoleNameOrganization 
Primary contact Matthew Witt University of Exeter
Data entry Michael Coyne seaturtle.org

Citation

Witt M. 2024. Gabon 2012: Pongara, Leatherback Turtles. Data downloaded from OBIS-SEAMAP (http://seamap.env.duke.edu/dataset/1836) on yyyy-mm-dd and originated from Satellite Tracking and Analysis Tool (STAT; http://www.seaturtle.org/tracking/index.shtml?project_id=776).

Abstract

The Gabon Sea Turtle Partnership has estimated that between 36,000 and 126,000 leatherback nests are laid on Gabon’s beaches every year, about 50% of which occur in Mayumba National Park, and about 23% in Pongara National Park (Witt et al. 2009). This degree of reproductive effort suggests that Gabon hosts the largest nesting population of leatherback turtles in the world, and approximately 60% of all nesting females in the entire Atlantic Ocean.

The objectives of this satellite tracking project are:

(a) Determine the number of nests laid per season per female and the duration between each nesting event.
(b) Assess the distance between successive nests during the season.
(c) Develop distribution maps of nesting and inter-nesting habitat use through high-resolution location data and diving behaviour data.
(d) Study the acoustic environment to which turtles are exposed at sea, through sound recording on the turtle.
(e) Evaluate the effectiveness of current protection measures and propose management regimes tailored toward addressing the overlap between sea turtle distribution and behaviours and anthropogenic activities.

Purpose

N/A

Supplemental information

Visit STAT's project page for additional information.

References

Attributes

Overview

This section explains attributes included in the original dataset. OBIS-SEAMAP restricts the attributes available to the public to date/time, lat/lon and species names/counts only. Should you need other attributes described here, you are encouraged to contact the data provider.

Attributes described below represent those in the original dataset provided by the provider.
Only minimum required attributes are visible and downloadable online. Other attributes may be obtained upon provider's permission.

Attributes in dataset

Attribute (table column)Description
prognumProgram number
tag_idPTT ID
lcLocation class
iqQuality indicator
dir1Dir 1
nb_mesNumber of messages received
big_nb_mesdefinition not provided
best_levelBest signal strength in dB
pass_durationPass duration in seconds
nopcNumber Of Plausibility Checks successful (from 0-4)
calcul_freqCalculated frequency
altitudeAltitude used for location calculation
sensorsSensors
speciesSpecies name
project_idSTAT Project ID
lc_filterParameters to location filtering
speed_filterParameters to speed filtering
distance_filterParameters to distance filtering
topo_filterParameters to topo filtering
time_filterParameters to time filtering
angle_filterParameters to angle filtering
life_stageLife stage of the animal
genderGender of the animal
wetdryWet or dry
wetdry_filterParameters to Wet or dry filterint
obs_datetimeDate and time (local time zone)
timezone_hTime difference from UTC
OBIS-SEAMAP ID1836
Seabirds0
Marine mammals0
Sea turtles4,756
Rays and sharks0
Other species0
Non spatial0
Non species0
Total4,756
Date, Begin2012-10-26
Date, End2013-07-09
Temporal prec.111111
Latitude-34.79 - 1.22
Longitude-32.45 - 9.50
Coord. prec.3 decimal digits
PlatformTag
Data typeTelemetry location
TracklinesYES (ID: 1837)
Traveled (km)45,519
Travel hours33,905
Contr. throughSatellite Tracking and Analysis Tool
Registered2018-06-13
Updated2024-02-29
StatusPublished
Sharing policy Permission required
Shared with SWOT
OBIS*
GBIF (via DOI)*
* Aggregated summary
See metadata in static HTML
See metadata in FGDC XML
See download history / statistics