Intensive aerial surveys for Tundra Swans on the Colville River Delta, Alaska

Metadata:

• Identification_Information
• Data_Quality_Information
• Spatial_Data_Organization_Information
• Spatial_Reference_Information
• Entity_and_Attribute_Information
• Metadata_Reference_Information

Identification_Information:

Citation:

Citation_Information:

Originator: Earnst, Susan

Publication_Date: 2004

Title:

Intensive aerial surveys for Tundra Swans on the Colville River Delta, Alaska

Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: vector digital data

Larger_Work_Citation:

Citation_Information:

Originator: Earnst, Susan L. and Thomas C. Rothe

Publication_Date: 2004

Title:

Habitat selection by Tundra Swans on northern Alaska breeding grounds

Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: Journal article

Series_Information:

Series_Name: Waterbirds

Issue_Identification: 27:224-233

Description:

Abstract:

This ArcView shape file (of points) indicates the location of tundra swans detected during aerial surveys on the Colville River Delta on Alaska’s North Slope during nesting and brood-rearing periods of 1987-1989. Attributes of points include type of sighting (single, pair, flock, nest, brood), number of adults, and brood size.

Purpose:

Purpose is to assess habitat selection of tundra swans during nesting and brood-rearing seasons on the Colville River Delta prior to oil field development. This aerial survey data was used in conjunction with a landcover map to assess use vs. availability of wetland and terrestrial habitats

Time_Period_of_Content:

Time_Period_Information:

Multiple_Dates/Times:

Single_Date/Time:

Calendar_Date: 198706

Single_Date/Time:

Calendar_Date: 198708

Single_Date/Time:

Calendar_Date: 198806

Single_Date/Time:

Calendar_Date: 198808

Single_Date/Time:

Calendar_Date: 198906

Single_Date/Time:

Calendar_Date: 198906

Currentness_Reference: field observation

Status:

Progress: Complete

Maintenance_and_Update_Frequency: None planned

Spatial_Domain:

Description_of_Geographic_Extent: Colville River Delta, northern Alaska

Bounding_Coordinates:

West_Bounding_Coordinate: -151.08752

East_Bounding_Coordinate: -150.53173

North_Bounding_Coordinate: 70.45262

South_Bounding_Coordinate: 70.32538

Keywords:

Theme:

Theme_Keyword_Thesaurus: ISO19115 Topic Category

Theme_Keyword: biota

Theme:

Theme_Keyword_Thesaurus: NBII Biocomplexity Thesaurus

Theme_Keyword: habitat preferences

Theme_Keyword: tundra

Theme_Keyword: freshwater lakes

Theme_Keyword: ecology

Theme_Keyword: ecological distribution

Place:

Place_Keyword_Thesaurus: None

Place_Keyword: North Slope

Place_Keyword: Alaska

Place_Keyword: AK

Place_Keyword: Colville River

Place_Keyword: tundra

Place_Keyword: arctic

Place_Keyword: alpine oil field

Place_Keyword: USA

Temporal:

Temporal_Keyword_Thesaurus: None

Temporal_Keyword: summer

Temporal_Keyword: breeding season

Temporal_Keyword: June

Temporal_Keyword: August

Taxonomy:

Keywords/Taxon:

Taxonomic_Keyword_Thesaurus: None

Taxonomic_Keywords: birds

Taxonomic_Keywords: tundra swan

Taxonomic_Classification:

Taxon_Rank_Name: Kingdom

Taxon_Rank_Value: Animalia

Taxonomic_Classification:

Taxon_Rank_Name: Phylum

Taxon_Rank_Value: Chordata

Taxonomic_Classification:

Taxon_Rank_Name: Sub Phylum

Taxon_Rank_Value: Vertebrata

Taxonomic_Classification:

Taxon_Rank_Name: Class

Taxon_Rank_Value: Aves

Taxonomic_Classification:

Taxon_Rank_Name: Order

Taxon_Rank_Value: Anseriformes

Taxonomic_Classification:

Taxon_Rank_Name: Family

Taxon_Rank_Value: Anatidae

Taxonomic_Classification:

Taxon_Rank_Name: Genus

Taxon_Rank_Value: Cygnus

Taxonomic_Classification:

Taxon_Rank_Name: Species

Taxon_Rank_Value: Cygnus columbianus

Taxonomic_Classification:

Taxon_Rank_Name: Sub Species

Taxon_Rank_Value: Cygnus columbianus columbianus

Applicable_Common_Name: Tundra swan

Access_Constraints: Contact author for data access.

Use_Constraints: Contact author for data use constraints.

Point_of_Contact:

Contact_Information:

Contact_Person_Primary:

Contact_Person: Earnst, Susan L.

Contact_Organization:

Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center, Snake River Field Station

Contact_Position: Wildlife Biologist

Contact_Address:

Address_Type: mailing and physical address

Address: 970 Lusk Street

City: Boise

State_or_Province: ID

Postal_Code: 83706

Country: USA

Contact_Voice_Telephone: (208) 426-5209

Contact_Facsimile_Telephone: (208) 426-5210

Contact_Electronic_Mail_Address: susan_earnst@usgs.gov

Data_Set_Credit:

Intensive aerial surveys were funded by USGS Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center and National Science Foundation Post-doctoral Fellowship. Extensive aerial surveys (not included as part of this dataset), which were analyzed and published in tandem with intensive aerial surveys, were conducted by co-author Tom Rothe and funded by the Alaska Dept. of Fish & Game.

Data_Quality_Information:

Attribute_Accuracy:

Attribute_Accuracy_Report:

The proportion of Tundra Swan detected in surveyed strips was thought to be higher than in typical waterfowl surveys because the flight altitude was lower (300 m vs. 1,500 m altitude) and the survey strip was more narrow (0.4 km vs. 1.6 km on each side of plane). The surveyed strips covered 100% of the study area. No measures of detectability were conducted (for example, no comparison of ground surveys to aerial surveys). The data are an index to abundance, but because some swans might have been missed, they are not an unbiased measure of density. There is no reason to suspect that detectability varied among the limited array of habitats available in this study, so no reason to suspect a bias in the habitat selection analyses for which this dataset is intended.

Logical_Consistency_Report:

Checked field maps against GIS layer to ensure that all swans noted on map were entered in the database. Confirmed that attribute fields were filled in only when appropriate (for example, brood size is > 0 only when Sighting type = B).

Completeness_Report: Refer to methodology

Lineage:

Methodology:

Methodology_Type: Field

Methodology_Identifier:

Methodology_Keyword_Thesaurus: None

Methodology_Keyword: aerial surveys

Methodology_Description:

The surveys were flown along predetermined east-west transects and were more intensive than most aerial waterfowl surveys because they were flown at 300 m (rather than 1,500 m) altitude, and survey strips were 0.8 km (rather than 3.2 km) apart. Swans were recorded out to 0.4 km on each side of the plane and survey strips were contiguous, thus providing complete coverage of the study area. More swans per unit area were detected on these intensive surveys than on standard aerial surveys conducted over the same areas on the same day. Ground-based detection rates were not included as part of this study, thus the data should be used as a measure of relative abundance but not of unbiased density. Not all sections of the Delta were surveyed in each of the 6 surveys, thus the data must be coupled with a map of section borders and a history of surveyed areas prior to analysis. The intensive study area covered the northern half of the Delta (see map in Earnst et al. 2004).

Methodology_Citation:

Citation_Information:

Originator: Earnst, Susan L. and Thomas C. Rothe

Publication_Date: 2004

Title:

Habitat selection by Tundra Swans on northern Alaska breeding grounds

Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: Journal article

Series_Information:

Series_Name: Waterbirds

Issue_Identification: 27:224-233

Source_Information:

Source_Citation:

Citation_Information:

Originator: Earnst, Susan

Publication_Date: Unpublished Material

Title: Tundra Swan Aerial Survey Field Maps, 1987-1989

Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: field maps

Source_Scale_Denominator: 63360

Type_of_Source_Media: paper

Source_Time_Period_of_Content:

Time_Period_Information:

Range_of_Dates/Times:

Beginning_Date: 198706

Ending_Date: 198908

Source_Currentness_Reference: ground condition

Source_Citation_Abbreviation: TUSW_INT_FIELD_MAPS

Source_Contribution: Field maps provided location and number of tundra swans.

Process_Step:

Process_Description:

Tundra Swan locations and numbers recorded on TUSW_INT_FIELD_MAPS were used to manually digitize a shape file of points with one point for each sighting. The resulting TUSW_INT_META shape file has type of sighting (single, pair, flock, nest, brood), brood size, number of adults present, survey type (always intensive), survey year (1987, 1988, or 1989) and survey season (spring or fall) as attributes of the points.

Source_Used_Citation_Abbreviation: TUSW_INT_FIELD_MAPS

Process_Date: 2004

Spatial_Data_Organization_Information:

Direct_Spatial_Reference_Method: Point

Point_and_Vector_Object_Information:

SDTS_Terms_Description:

SDTS_Point_and_Vector_Object_Type: Entity point

Point_and_Vector_Object_Count: 274

Spatial_Reference_Information:

Horizontal_Coordinate_System_Definition:

Planar:

Grid_Coordinate_System:

Grid_Coordinate_System_Name: Universal Transverse Mercator

Universal_Transverse_Mercator:

UTM_Zone_Number: 5

Transverse_Mercator:

Scale_Factor_at_Central_Meridian: 0.9996

Longitude_of_Central_Meridian: -153

Latitude_of_Projection_Origin: 0

False_Easting: 500000

False_Northing: 0

Planar_Coordinate_Information:

Planar_Coordinate_Encoding_Method: Coordinate Pair

Coordinate_Representation:

Abscissa_Resolution: 1.5

Ordinate_Resolution: 1.5

Planar_Distance_Units: m

Geodetic_Model:

Horizontal_Datum_Name: North American Datum of 1927

Ellipsoid_Name: Clarke 1866

Semi-major_Axis: 6378206

Denominator_of_Flattening_Ratio: 294.9786982

Entity_and_Attribute_Information:

Detailed_Description:

Entity_Type:

Entity_Type_Label: TUSW_INT_META.DBF

Entity_Type_Definition: ArcView database file

Entity_Type_Definition_Source: ESRI

Attribute:

Attribute_Label: Adults

Attribute_Definition:

Number of adults recorded as part of each sighting. If the attribute "Sighting" is S then number of adults is always 1, if P then number of adults is 2, but number of adults is variable when "Sighting" is F (flock), N (nest), or B (brood).

Attribute_Definition_Source: dataset developer

Attribute_Domain_Values:

Range_Domain:

Range_Domain_Minimum: 0

Range_Domain_Maximum: undefined maximum

Attribute:

Attribute_Label: Brood Sz

Attribute_Definition:

Number of cygnets observed in each brood. This attribute should be 0 unless a "B" is recorded under the attribute "Sighting".

Attribute_Definition_Source: dataset developer

Attribute_Domain_Values:

Range_Domain:

Range_Domain_Minimum: 0

Range_Domain_Maximum: 4

Attribute:

Attribute_Label: Seas

Attribute_Definition:

Season within which survey conducted. Either 1 for spring (approximately June 20) or 2 for autumn (approximately August 20).

Attribute_Definition_Source: dataset developer

Attribute_Domain_Values:

Enumerated_Domain:

Enumerated_Domain_Value: 1

Enumerated_Domain_Value_Definition: spring (approximately June 20)

Enumerated_Domain_Value_Definition_Source: dataset developer

Enumerated_Domain:

Enumerated_Domain_Value: 2

Enumerated_Domain_Value_Definition: autumn (approximately August 20)

Enumerated_Domain_Value_Definition_Source: dataset developer

Attribute:

Attribute_Label: Sighting

Attribute_Definition:

Type of swan sighting (single, pair, brood, flock, or nest). Note that nests and broods may have 1 or 2 adults associated with them and this is recorded in the attribute "Adults". Note that nests are recorded only when the attribute "Seas" = 1 (i.e., season = spring) and broods are recorded only when "Seas" = 2 (i.e., autumn).

Attribute_Definition_Source: Dataset developer

Attribute_Domain_Values:

Enumerated_Domain:

Enumerated_Domain_Value: S

Enumerated_Domain_Value_Definition: single

Enumerated_Domain_Value_Definition_Source: dataset developer

Enumerated_Domain:

Enumerated_Domain_Value: P

Enumerated_Domain_Value_Definition: pair

Enumerated_Domain_Value_Definition_Source: dataset developer

Enumerated_Domain:

Enumerated_Domain_Value: B

Enumerated_Domain_Value_Definition: brood

Enumerated_Domain_Value_Definition_Source: dataset developer

Enumerated_Domain:

Enumerated_Domain_Value: F

Enumerated_Domain_Value_Definition: flock

Enumerated_Domain_Value_Definition_Source: dataset developer

Enumerated_Domain:

Enumerated_Domain_Value: N

Enumerated_Domain_Value_Definition: nest

Enumerated_Domain_Value_Definition_Source: dataset developer

Attribute:

Attribute_Label: YR

Attribute_Definition:

Calendar year within the 1900s within which survey was conducted.

Attribute_Definition_Source: dataset developer

Attribute_Domain_Values:

Unrepresentable_Domain: Date format (yy).

Metadata_Reference_Information:

Metadata_Date: 20041116

Metadata_Review_Date: 20041116

Metadata_Contact:

Contact_Information:

Contact_Organization_Primary:

Contact_Organization: USGS Forest & Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center (FRESC)

Contact_Address:

Address_Type: Mailing and Physical Address

Address:

U.S. Geological Survey Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center 777 NW 9th St.

City: Corvallis

State_or_Province: Oregon

Postal_Code: 97330

Country: USA

Contact_Voice_Telephone: (541) 750-1030

Metadata_Standard_Name:

FGDC Biological Data Profile of the Content Standard for Digital Geospatial Metadata

Metadata_Standard_Version: FGDC-STD-001.1-1999